About Pastor
Mark Clarke

Welcome
For over 40 years I’ve been honored to be a pastor across the Pacific Northwest; leading and growing in faith alongside each community. I enjoy using personal stories and humor to make the scriptures relevant and easy for all to understand and apply in their own lives.
I’ve been ministering part time at Oak Grove Community Church since 2010, and I really love this church! It feels like a family and the people are great – very supportive and caring. I’ve been through some tough times the last few years and they have always been there for me.
I want to invite anyone who is looking for a church home to come out and visit us. I think you’ll feel the friendliness and warmth of our people as soon as you walk in
the door. Listen to the latest sermons, but to get a real feel for our church, please join us the next Sunday you have a chance! 

 

My experience and background

I grew up in Tampa, Florida then moved to Portland, Oregon to graduate from School of the Bible in 1980, and George Fox College in 1981 with Bachelor Degrees in Biblical Education and Christian Ministries respectively. I met my wife Kathy while at Multnomah, and we joined Village Missions Inc. in 1981 where we built a family of three children as I spent the next 17 years pastoring three churches in Washington and Oregon. 
In 1997 Kathy was seriously injured in a head-on automobile accident (not her
fault) and we were forced to take a medical leave from Village Missions so she could recover. At that time, we decided to move our young family to Medford, Oregon and began a new chapter in our lives (it took five years, but Kathy is doing great!). I taught at Cascade Christian High School in Jacksonville, Oregon for 10 years. During those years I worked hard to earn a Master’s Degree in Education from George Fox University and an Oregon Teaching License in 2006. 
Kathy and I moved to Salem in 2008 to be closer to family, where I taught at Salem Academy for five years. Then came a three year “character-building” stint of
substitute teaching for Salem-Keizer and other districts surrounding the Salem Area where I estimate I subbed in over 30 different schools in 14 different school districts. I then taught full-time at Albany Christian School in Albany, Oregon from 2016 to 2024 when I retired from teaching.