MARK WILCOXSON
Senior Pastor
Mark was born and raised in Huntington, Indiana. He spent two and a half, more or less wayward years at Manchester College, North Manchester, Indiana. Mark enlisted in the United States Army in 1983, eventually serving for just over ten years in various airborne military intelligence units. During Mark’s deployment into operations Desert Shield and Desert Storm (August 1990-March 1991) the Holy Spirit got ahold of Mark and made him acutely aware of his desperate need for God’s grace in Jesus Christ. Returning to Fort Bragg, Mark engaged his battalion chaplain Steve Walsh and local church pastor Brian Lee in crucial conversations that led Mark to receive Jesus Christ as his Saviour and Lord in June 1991, and he was baptized in August.
Shortly thereafter, Mark began responding eagerly and joyfully to opportunities to serve in his local church Lafayette Baptist Church, Fayetteville, North Carolina. In September 1992, Mark responded to the clear call of Jesus Christ into Gospel ministry. He subsequently resigned his commission as a Military Intelligence officer in the U. S. Army and began to prepare himself for seminary. His last day on active duty in the U. S. Army was June 11th, 1993; he left on a mission trip the next day.
Sometime between June 1991 and June 1993, the Lord brought the former Shelly Register to Mark’s attention as he journeyed around the church. At some point, Shelly noticed him back, and they were married on June 4th, 1994. Shelly has been both his life-mate and ministry partner since!
Mark holds both Bachelor of Arts in Christian Education and General Studies (1995) and Master of Divinity in Bible and Pastoral Ministry (1999) degrees from the New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary. Mark’s life verses are found in
Deuteronomy 32:46-47:
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Take to your heart all the words with which I am warning you today, that you may command them to your children, that they may be careful to do all the words of this Law. For it is not an idle word for you; indeed, it is your life!
To God be the glory!