Wednesday, June 20, 2001
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Wednesday, June 20, 2001 |
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Johnson leaves Christ the King for asst. rector position in N.C. Father Mark Johnson, priest at Christ the King Charismatic Episcopal Church in Peachtree City since 1996, has accepted the position of assistant rector at The Church of St. Peter the Fisherman in Wilmington. N.C., and will be installed within the next few months. Johnson and his family were recently honored for service to the church and the community by members of Christ the King. For the past few years. Johnson also has served as vicar of the Church of the Good Shepherd in Milledgeville. Johnson is a graduate of Lee University in Cleveland, Tenn., and will receive a Master of Ministry degree from St. Michael's Seminary later this year. A native of Clayton, Johnson was licensed and then ordained in the Assemblies of God, and served as an assistant pastor at Trinity Fellowship in Sharpsburg. In 1996, he was ordained into the priesthood of the Evangelical Episcopal Church at the Cathedral of the Holy Spirit in Oklahoma City. Later that year, he was received into the Charismatic Episcopal Church during services in Black Mountain, N.C. Johnson has served as the chaplain for the Peachtree City Police Department, earning several ribbons for service. "We are really going to miss Mark," said Peachtree City Police Chief James Murray. "He was always available whenever we called on him. He did a lot of good work for us." Both the Right Rev. John Holloway, Bishop of the Diocese of Georgia, and the Rev. Canon David Epps, rector of Christ the King, agreed that, "Father Mark is one of the most faithful servants in the diocese." Holloway recommended Johnson for the position in Wilmington. Johnson's wife, Natalie, also has been an active participant in the church, preparing the historical scrapbooks and teaching a parenting course. She has been a leader at Trinity Christian School where the Johnson children have been enrolled and, this year, successfully coordinated a major fund raiser . She also has been active in ministry to nursery-age children at Christ the King. Johnson's two older children, Hannah and Emily, Have served the church as acolytes and nursery assistants. Epps said, "Mark and I have been together in ministry for almost 17 years. I feel a sense of loss as Mark prepares to leave but I also feel like a proud father who is watching a son excel and grow. The people of Wilmington are getting a wonderful family." |
