Pastor: Mark Bankson
Church: Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church of Stanwood, WA
Nominated by: Sandy Schreiner
A few weeks into the Covid shut-down, Pastor Mark and our Praise Team, developed a drive-in worship service and built a raised platform in our parking lot. Through blistering summer sun; crisp/windy fall mornings; cold rain, beating hail/sleet and 15+ inches of snow – P. Mark has been on the platform every Sunday! He’s on fire and Spirit-filled every service – encouraging us to step out of ourselves and to reach out toward our community. He explains the culture Jesus lived in; then shows us how those rules and prejudices mirror those we have; then, how we should behave in order to mirror Jesus’ actions – “Love God and love people!”
I am a new member of our Church Council, as Evangelism Chairperson, – he always has time to answer my questions, to meet with me as we work to create our events/activities calendar, providing relaxed, friendly, community-oriented events that reach out to, and invite, our neighbors to come, eat and play with us. These activities are designed to foster new friendships outside of our church – “low risk/high reward” opportunities – that create safe relationships where people can ask questions, share their experiences with Jesus, and grow in faith together. P. Mark has been training 26 of us to be Alpha Experience leaders (see www.alphausa.org). We plan to hold this Experience twice this year – starting April 13 and again in October. He’s been doing all this during the Covid shut-down! Just wait and see where P. Mark leads us once things are totally open again! He is an awesome, caring, outward-reaching man who cares about our church and everyone in our Stanwood-Camano community! You can feel his energy buzzing and he’s exciting those around him every time we get together!!! (Even at Covid’s “social distancing!”)
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