ABOUT US

Our Mission

It is the mission of Pennridge Christian Academy (PCA) to create a loving environment that is safe and comfortable for children to learn and grow. As a nonprofit center, PCA offers the highest quality program at an affordable and competitive price to families in our community. Children are valued as unique individuals created by a loving God.

Board of Directors

PCA was founded in November 2008 as a ministry of our church, Pennridge Christian Fellowship (PCF). It was the vision of Pastor Thomas Vargis to establish a daycare to serve families in our community and share the love of God with them. Susan Allebach, secretary of Pennridge Christian Fellowship Board of Directors, had previous experience as a daycare Director.  Pastor Thomas appointed Susan Allebach as the founding director.  Starting with one child and one classroom, the center has now grown to serve approximately 75 students in six classrooms. In 2018, Susan Allebach became the Executive Director and then retired in 2021.

Hello, I am Pastor Thomas Vargis. I am the senior pastor of Pennridge Christian fellowship. I am married to Jolly, and we have 3 children and 4 grandchildren. I was born and raised in a Christian home in Kerala, India. In 1976, I moved to Saudi Arabia for work and Jolly and I got married a year later. There is no freedom of religion in Saudi Arabia – it is even a crime to hold church services. However, there were still a few underground churches that were being operated in homes and we started attending one of them. In 1979, through this ministry, God led us to dedicate our lives to serve Him. Soon after that, God baptized us in the power of the Holy Spirit. We both took water baptism and started a church in our house.

During our stay of 13 years in Saudi Arabia, God helped us to plant 2 house churches. In November of 1989, I accepted a position with Merck in Rahway, NJ and we moved to Staten Island, NY. During our stay there, we started a small group with the help of a local pastor and this small group soon grew and became a church – the Staten Island Pentecostal Assembly. In 1994, I was transferred to Merck’s Pennsylvania location, and we settled in Hatfield, PA. For the next two years, I served as an associate pastor at the Philadelphia Full Gospel Assembly in Philadelphia. In 1997, we joined Pennridge Full Gospel Assembly in Blooming Glen, PA. I served as a small group leader, then as an elder and Vice President. In 2005, the executive board appointed me as the interim pastor and in 2006, I was appointed the senior pastor. We changed the name of the church to Pennridge Christian Fellowship. In 2014, I took the voluntary separation from Merck and currently serve the church full time.

In early 2008, God gave me the vision to start a daycare at Pennridge Christian Fellowship. I shared this vision with our executive board members. After lots of prayer and preparation, we started Pennridge Christian Academy. Our mission is to transform the lives of children in our community as King Solomon said in Proverbs 22:6 “Start children off on the way they should go, and even when they are old, they will not turn from it.” (NIV)

Ms. Karen Allebach has been working with PCA since the beginning in 2008. She has been working for PCF since 1984. She is happily married for over 40 years to Ralph. She’s lived in Perkasie since 2018 and in Sellersville prior to that. They have 3 grown married children (no grandchildren yet). She enjoys bike riding, quilting, and reading. She loves the Lord and desires to continue growing in the Lord.

Other Board Members
in alphabetical order:

Allebach, Jason
Allebach, Susan
Morgan, Mary
Ndungu, James
Siriani, Frank
Thomas, Joe

History

PCA was founded in November 2008 as a ministry of PCF. It was the vision of Pastor Thomas Vargis to establish a daycare to serve families in our community and share the love of God with them. Susan Allebach (left), secretary of PCF Board of Directors, had previous experience as a daycare Director, and was appointed as the founding Director.  Starting with one child and one classroom, the center continued to grow to have six classrooms and became a STAR 4 center. In 2018, Susan Allebach became the Executive Director and retired in the summer of 2021. Andrea Kim (right) served as Director between March 2018 to October 2022. She led the center through the pandemic, staffing shorting, and implemented new technology, renovations, and staff benefits. The center has an ongoing waiting list with about 77 students and 19 staff. PCA continues to serve the community as an extension of God’s faithfulness, love and grace.

Visit Pennridge Christian Fellowship

We invite you to visit our church service on Sundays at 10:30am.  Join us virtually through facebook or youtube where we stream our services.  You can find us at Pennridge Christian Fellowship.  For more information about ministries of PCF (including Sunday School, GEMS, Boys Brigade, Youth Group, Men’s Group, Women’s Group) visit www.pennridgecf.org.