SOUTH PARIS – Thomas Teichmann, pastor of the South Paris Trinity Lutheran Church, has been appointed chairman of the Child Health Center’s board of directors.

Teichmann, who joined the board in 2001, said he joined because he had “been impressed by both the competence of the operation of the organization and its programs, and by the compassion and caring nature of the staff.”

He also said he “has had a lifelong interest in the well being of children and felt that it is a part of the Christian ministry to advocate for those who have little voice in our society.”

Teichmann has served as the pastor for Trinity Lutheran for the last six years. He received a B.A. in sociology from Ramapo College of New Jersey and a master’s of divinity from the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Gettysburg. Prior to coming to Maine, he ministered through the Lutheran Camping Ministry in North Carolina, Georgia and New York.

The Child Health Center is a nonprofit organization, which strives to improve the lives of children and their families throughout Oxford, Androscoggin, southern Franklin and northern Cumberland counties.

The center offers services, through preschool, a child safety program called ProtectME, and the Parent Place, a program that supports young parents and parents with child who have disabilities. It also offers a monthly developmental evaluation clinic in Auburn. The center oversees the largest mentoring program in the state through the Big Brothers Big Sisters Program.

For more information about the center people can call 743-7035 or 782-5437.