The new Archdeacon in the Gulf had his first sense of a possible call whilst sitting on a park bench in Galway on a gap-year-type trip in his early twenties, taking in Europe, the UK and Ireland.
He wasn’t quite sure how to progress it at that time, and it took another twenty years before he was ordained. So what about the graveyard? Well, having married and produced a family, he felt the children needed a good value system, so off they went to the local church, where he amused the kids in the graveyard of St John’s in Port Elizabeth (Gqeberha) while Debbie, his wife, attended the service inside.
Mark is a cradle Anglican and was brought up in a church family in what he describes as “Bible town” in the Transkei homeland in South Africa. Its nickname derives from the number of churches there. The very name of his town derives from the name of the Methodist missionary who ‘founded’ it. Mark’s father was a church warden and his mother a lay minister. He confesses to feeling that church in those days was boring, and his main memories are of long hours spent on hard pews.
Not surprisingly then, his attendance at church when he became an adult was more sporadic, and after his marriage he was quite content to play with the kids in the graveyard. By the time his family was established he himself was established as a sports journalist, and finally he became the Public Relations Manager for Volkswagen in South Africa with what many would regard as an enviable lifestyle.
At about this time he and Debbie attended an Alpha course organised by their local church, and on the residential Holy Spirit weekend decided the time had come for a full commitment. One practical outcome was that Mark revisited the call to vocation that he had had in Ireland, and following what he calls a journey from the back pews to the front, at the age of 41 he was ordained. His talents were utilised quickly as he became the Bishop’s Executive Officer, Vicar General and archdeacon in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth, where he also became an incumbent.
The move to the Gulf came about as a result of joint reflections on where life was taking them at the time of COVID. They opted for a spiritual adventure and took the vacant post at the Church of the Epiphany in Doha, Qatar. Mark confesses that perhaps the upcoming World Cup Football Finals might also have had something to do with it! It was the right decision and has proved to be the adventure they sought. Mark describes himself as a “contemplative Evangelical.” He has a post graduate qualification in Christian Spirituality and has a special interest in both Ignatian and Celtic approaches. He says that he has “always been a prayerful person.” His initial theology degree was the first awarded in the Diocese of Port Elizabeth to a student on the Theological Education by Extension programme. He followed that up with a further qualification in Biblical archaeology, working for a while at Tel Hazor near the Sea of Galilee.
His background in multicultural South Africa in an area with three different languages means that he brings experiences to the table that fit well with ministry in the Gulf. Mark tells me that the South African approach to problems is always “Let’s make a plan, let’s find a way to do things.” When he asked Debbie recently what she thought his gifts were, she said that she thought he had a gift for preaching, and healing situations. He himself confesses a special interest in restoring people who have had bad experiences of church to wholeness within the church. He says that he loves to see people find their voice in church and has a relaxed view of sharing ministry.
His impression of church life in the Gulf archdeaconry, so far as he has seen it to date is that it is far more congregational in its outlook than he has been used to. This, he believes, is partly due to the isolation of individual churches from each other, in different countries and many miles apart. It is also a product of the make-up of congregations – there are over fifty nationalities at the Epiphany church for example and that pattern is repeated throughout the region. People come with very different ideas of church, and often want to try to recreate the church of ‘home’ rather than to relearn and explore a version of church that is specific to the multi-cultural communities in the Gulf. His first priority as archdeacon he says, is to get more of a handle on things and understand the region better. Above all it is to build and nurture trusting relationships. Across the Diocese as a whole he believes there is a “trust deficit” and tackling that will take all his healing skills.
Both he and Debbie enjoy the world of sport, and relaxation often has a sporting theme. As a South African Mark is of course a rugby devotee, and Debbie is a football connoisseur as a supporter of Leeds Utd. Archdeacons have a (completely undeserved!) reputation as ruthless bishops’ fixers. While Mark is keen to stress his healing credentials, potential antagonists should note he does have a black belt in Jiu Jitsu!
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