Pastor Mark was born in Japan, where his parents served as missionaries. At age seven, he returned to the USA with his family and grew up primarily in Minnesota and North Dakota, where his parents served in pastoral ministry.
During his college years, he played trumpet with the gospel groups TRUTH and Sound Generation, from John Brown University. After graduating from the University of North Dakota, Mark taught music for three years. He then entered seminary, attending Lutheran Brethren Seminary and Fuller Theological Seminary, earning an MA in Religion and Master of Divinity.
Judi was born in Petersburg, Alaska and lived in Seattle from the age of eight. After graduating from Seattle Pacific University with her degree in music, piano and voice, she sang and played piano and keyboards for six years with Living Sound, a gospel/missions group from Tulsa, Oklahoma. She performed in music ministry, doing concerts throughout the United States and over 30 countries in northern and southern Europe, including behind the Iron Curtain, southern Africa and South America.
Mark and Judi met in Seattle and were married in 1980. They have served together in full time pastoral ministry since 1981, and have had the opportunity to serve in a variety of church ministry positions, including Lead Pastor, Executive Pastor (Mark), and Director of Worship Arts, principal pianist (Judi), primarily in the Seattle area.
Presently Mark is serving as the Lead Pastor, preaching and leading. Judi is engaged in Worship Arts, directing, rehearsing, playing keyboard and singing.
When not at the church, Mark and Judi can be found exploring unique restaurants or coffee shops, looking for that perfect blend of coffee, special dessert or ethnic entre’. They also enjoy working out at the local gym, where Mark swims and both Mark and Judi bike, or work out on the treadmill, or elliptical trainer.
Pastor Mark and Judi have two grown daughters who are pursuing music careers in Los Angeles.