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An Autobiography by Neil Salveterra
I was born literally at the confluence of the Monongahela and Alleghany Rivers on August 23, 1956. The Ohio River has always been home to me. Pittsburgh, at that time, was a great town to grow up in for many reasons. Although we moved to Uniontown, PA for a few years, we moved back to the suburbs of Pittsburgh while I was in first grade. I am the oldest child of three; my brother Chris being four years younger and my sister Julie
being 11 years younger. My mother, Millie, and my father, Corny are both still living and enjoy excellent health overall. I was born while my father was still a student at the University of Pittsburgh. My sister lives in central New Jersey with her husband Bob. My sister Julie is a registered nurse. Her husband Bob is a Secret Service Agent.
Our daughter Lexie (Alexandra Margaret), whom we adopted from Guatemala in 2003, is almost five years old.
Theresa Lynn Isaacs and I met while I was in seminary at Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore. We were married June 8, 1991. Theresa was born in Newfoundland Canada September 21, 1960. Her father Denver, from Jackson County Kentucky, was stationed there in the Army and met her mother Margaret, a native of Newfoundland, and the rest is history. Theresa has two brothers living, Bob and Steve. She is the second oldest child.
I received the call to ministry in irresistible fashion in the summer of ’87 while working as the chef of a resort Holiday Inn on Solomon’s Island in the heart of the Chesapeake Bay. That call led me to seminary in Kentucky and here I have remained. I am thankful for God’s providential hand in bringing me to this wonderful commonwealth.
My interests and hobbies aren’t much to speak of. I love to visit fine art & history museums. I could spend a week in an excellent library. I love theatre, ballet, and modern dance. I enjoy working out in a fitness center. I also enjoy collecting live recorded concert music from my generational period. But more than anything I enjoy reading, studying, and learning about any number of things. I love to write and am a frustrated novelist. Studying God’s Word and deriving meaning for living in today’s world is always amazing. I never tire of it. I am truly a life-long learner and I thrive when I am in an environment of other life-long learners who are teachable and willing to teach. I enjoy being around people of imagination and creativity, who need to look at things differently while retaining appropriate respect for the tried-and-true ways that always bring results.
I have made many mistakes in my life but by the grace of God I am allowed to serve as an elder in this denomination. And I am thankful for it everyday. While I have a few regrets in this life, the one I will share is that I didn’t keep up those drum lessons! I am truly a frustrated percussionist if there ever was one. I should have listened to my mother. But then, isn’t that the story of many of our lives?
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