Train up a child in the way he should go:  and when he is old,

he will not depart from it (Proverbs 22:6).

For Rev. Dr. Ricky A. Lee, this proverb has been a way a life. A native of Philadelphia, PA, he was reared primarily by his mother, who, fortunately for him, cared for and nurtured him and his four sisters the only way she knew how, with full faith and trust in God.

Dr. Lee attended the Philadelphia Association for Christian Schools and delighted in his studies of the Bible. A member of Holy Temple Church in Philadelphia, he accepted Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and was baptized at the age of five. Joining the choirs, the Usher Board, Pastor’s Aid Society and several other organizations, he quickly proved himself to be a true leader in the Church.

When he was 16, Ricky put his trust and faith in the Lord to the test. His mother and step-father became missionaries and accepted assignments to Africa. Cared for by his father and a host of aunts and uncles, Ricky excelled as a teenager in one of the largest urban cities in the country. He exceled in track, and after graduating from Simon Gratz High School in 1983, Ricky accepted a full track scholarship and began matriculating at Norfolk State University. In addition to obtaining all-CIAA honors, he also earned a scholarship through the school’s Naval ROTC program; after graduating cum laude in 1988, he was commissioned an Ensign in the United States Navy and retired in 2008 at the rank of Commander. 

While on active duty he Dr. Lee has served his country with valor and distinction during combat operations in Iraq, Kosovo, and Afghanistan. 

Dr. Lee answered his calling as a minister of the Gospel in December 1995 and was licensed to preach by the Mount Bethel Baptist Church in Virginia Beach.  In November 2000, he was ordained by the Bluestone-Harmony Minister’s Association through the Union Baptist Church of Union Level, Va., where the Rev. Douglas Chandler, Sr. was pastor.  In July 2004, Dr. Lee was elected as the 11^th pastor to serve Bethlehem Baptist Church in Chase City, Virginia.

Dr. Lee has earned a master’s degree in Human Resource Management from Troy State University, conferred the Doctor of Divinty Degree by Saint Thomas Christian College and Theological Seminary and is currently pursing a Doctorate of Religious Studies from Trinity Theological Seminary.

A life member of the Omega Psi Phi Fraternity, Dr. Lee is also is a 33^rd degree Prince Hall Mason and is Chief Deputy Imperial Chaplain for the Ancient Egyptian Arabic Order Nobles of the Mystic Shrine. 

Dr. Lee and his wife, Rev. Dr. Pamela Chandler Lee, Ph.D, reside in Virginia Beach.