mark brewster
senior pastor
 


I’ve been “in ministry” since I was in college at Multnomah, and served as an Associate Pastor at churches in Wenatchee, Washington, and Portland, Oregon while at Western Seminary, before coming to Orchards in 1984.

 
I’m madly in love with my “global warming” wife, Jayne (she gets hotter as she gets older).  And my only regret in marrying her is that I wish I would have done it sooner.  We have four children for whom I am extremely thankful and three grandchildren who are my favorite people to play with...plus our dog, Jake, who smiles a lot.
 
I enjoy music from the 60’s, especially The Beatles, Chicago, and Bob Dylan.  And my ideal radio station would be a Christian Sports Talk Radio station that plays Oldies.  I don’t own an I-Pod (or any such device), but would be more than willing to receive one as a gift.
 
I like adventure; and so, my idea of a good time is to get on a plane and go somewhere, anywhere...but, especially someplace new and foreign, where I don’t speak the language or understand the culture.  Icing on the cake is meeting and encouraging church leaders in those settings.  I’ve had the opportunity to live that out in 8 different countries.
 
I’ve had numerous mentors, books, classes, seminars and conferences that have made a huge impact in my life and ministry.  I’m thankful for each one.  But there are a few “unorthodox” resources that have also significantly impacted my life and ministry including:
 
·        Movies:  “Cinderella Man”, The Spiderman Trilogy (especially “Spiderman 2”), “What About Bob?”, and “Chariots of Fire”.
·        Books:  “Lord Of The Rings” Trilogy (both the books and movies) and “The Chronicles of Narnia”
·        Song:  “Eleanor Rigby” (by The Beatles, of course):  I never want to be “writing the words to a sermon that no one will hear”.
·        Place:  Disneyland...no joke:  Every time I go to Disneyland I learn something new about ministry!  Maybe I can claim going there as a ministry expense!

 ·        My passions in ministry are preaching God’s Word in a way that changes people’s lives, shepherding God’s people in a way that they experience the love of Christ, and leading the church as we face the challenge of “making spiritually seeking people into fully-devoted followers of Christ”  in an ever-changing world.  And that’s why I’m glad that God has brought me to Orchards!  This is where I can live out my passions.