Born and raised an only child in Spartanburg, S.C., Fr. Mark earned degrees from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and Vanderbilt University School of Law. Settling in Atlanta in 2002, Mark has practiced law in Midtown, most recently in the area of business immigration law (which he still does three days a week!).
Raised in a different Christian tradition, Mark was away from the church for 15 years before finding a home at St. Bartholomew’s Episcopal Church in Atlanta in 2008. Prompted toward a deeper understanding of his faith, Mark began taking classes at Emory University’s Candler School of Theology in 2016 and joined the Master of Divinity degree program, part-time, in 2017. In early-2020, Mark felt called by God to the priesthood and entered that process. Prior to joining Advent, Mark was a Transitional Deacon at St. Paul’s
Episcopal Church in Newnan, Georgia, graduated from Candler with a Master of Divinity degree in 2022, and was ordained to the priesthood by Bishop Robert C. Wright on June 24, 2023.
While he believes that discerning one’s ministry, lay or ordained, is a lifelong process, Fr. Mark also knows that the essence of his call is to ensure that as many people as possible know that they are unconditionally loved by God and that, in striving to follow the example of love set by Jesus, we can change each other and our world. Fr. Mark also believes strongly that the Church should be the one place in this mixed-up world where everyone – and he means every single person – can come, be welcomed for who you are, and experience the gift of Christian community and the love of Jesus. No exceptions.