About Us

Mark

I was born in 1956 into a large family (9 children) from upstate NY. My spiritual journey began by growing up Catholic. But by the time I turned 18, I abandoned a faith that wasn’t mine. In 1979, God caught up with me through Greg Laurie at Calvary Chapel in California. My spiritual rebirth was genuine and deep.

In 1986 began a season of breaking that exposed me to a small but vibrant community church where I learned to serve, challenged to grow up, and electrified my faith to action. I was part of a national pro-life activist org (Operation Rescue) for a decade, where I met my future wife, Kathy. By 1991 I married Kathy and was ordained later that year.

In 1998 we moved our small family from NY to Hendersonville, NC. While attending various churches, we invested most of our time creating a safe, loving home community where believers felt welcome, valued, and nurtured in their faith and practice. Thus, Community Discipleship Mission (CDM) was birthed from a deep desire to incarnate Jesus’ model of making disciples. For 11 years I also served as Communications Director of an international adoption agency.

In 2005 we discovered Seth Barnes (a fresh breath of Kingdom air) and Adventures in Missions. Since then Seth invited us to serve in various AIM ministries through mentor/coaching young people. In 2012, Seth offered us to be facilitators at AIM’s Center for Global Action. In October 2012 we relocated to Gainesville, deeply grateful for the privilege to encourage, build, and strengthen a new generation to take Jesus to the world.

 

Kathy

I grew up in the hills of WV and the flatlands of OH. Though raised knowing the Gospel, I didn't know Jesus until experiencing the culture shock of moving to southern California. I began reading the Bible for the first time. When Jesus freed me from the fear of death and sin's weight, I wanted everyone to know Him.

After graduating from Biola College in 1978 with a B.A. in Christian Education, God surprised me with a call to the persecuted Church in Eastern Europe during the Iron Curtain days in the early ‘80s. I cycled time each year smuggling Bibles in Romania, Czechoslovakia, Hungary and Poland and then speaking in churches as their representative on the West Coast, USA. Meeting and serving believers first-hand who suffered for their obedience to Christ moved me into another surprise passion: making surrendered disciples of Jesus with a heart for the nations. Later I worked in local churches in the U.S., teaching and mobilizing believers for local and global missions.

After (finally) getting married at 39, Mark and I have discipled our daughter, Connie (a constant joy!) and many others who have lived with us (we move a lot!). I love to see believers awakened so they might move out of their comfort zones, are broken for what breaks God’s heart, and run with His love for all the peoples of the earth. Identifying a lot with the vision of Seth Barnes and Adventures in Missions, we recently moved to Gainesville, GA to take part in the ministries of Center for Global Action and coaching young adults.

We presently live with 7 other young adults, with many others coming and going, all wanting to run their race with Jesus. I'm happy doing my part in loving, equipping and encouraging the next generation to take the baton and keep running with Jesus’ light to the nations.