More About Pastor Mark Adams
Senior Pastor
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Rev. Mark R. Adams has served as Senior
Pastor of Hillside Church since 1993. He has extensive experience
in the human services field as
a child welfare worker, behavioral consultant, administrator, and social
work supervisor. He is a member of the American Counseling Association,
National Association of Evangelicals, and the National Association
for the Advancement of Colored People.
While in Evanston, he
has served as
the Metropolitan Chicago Church Planting and Church Growth Chair for
the Northcentral Conference of the Free Methodist Church, and has facilitated
the planting of four churches: Englewood (Chicago), Aurora, Melrose
Park, and Irving Park (Chicago).
Mark teaches Free Methodist History and Polity and Wesleyan Theology
for the Free Methodist Church and chairs the North Central Conference
Apollos ordination track program for second career pastors and urban
ministry. He has actively served in the Free Methodist Church's
African American Reconciliation initiatives, Continental Urban Exchange
program, Social and Moral Action committees. He is also adjunct
professor at Garrett Evangelical Seminary in Evanston.
His civic involvement has included serving the Evanston Ecumenical
Action Council in various capacities, including President; was a founding
member of Operation Stop Gap, the Northwest Evanston Neighbors Association,
has served on numerous Public School related committees including the
District 65 Policy Committee, the Professional Guidance Committee for
the Saint Francis Hospital's Clinical Pastoral Education program, and
coaching football for Timber Ridge School.
Hillside Church, under Pastor Adams' leadership, has assisted in establishing
and ministering to over 150 refugee families from Rwanda, Sudan, Bosnia,
Kosovo, Eretria, Liberia, the Congo and Iraq; sponsored several community "Dialogue
Racism" forums; actively pursues partnerships with African American
churches in the community; is involved in supporting Evanston's
Hospitality Center for the Homeless and the Monday Soup Kitchen at
2nd Baptist Church; and has brought
many
to new life in Christ Jesus.
Mark is happily married to Kerrie Anne. They are the proud parents
of four boys, Lars, Jake, Felix, and Alex as well as joyful grandparents
of a sweet new granddaughter. A Nevadan by birth, Mark came to Chicago
in 1981 to attend Judson College in Elgin, Illinois, where he graduated
with
high
honors and a
BA in Psychology. Mark earned a Master's Degree (Magna Cum Laude) in
Counseling Psychology from Trinity International University in Deerfield,
Illinois and has continued with additional theological studies while
at Trinity. Pastor Mark has recently completed his dissertation
toward a Doctor of Ministry degree with Garrett Evangelical Theological
Seminary
in
Evanston.
Pastor
Mark loves the Lord, his family, the church, and community. He enjoys
Star Trek,
Doctor Who and serious Science Fiction, the integration of Science
and Theology, wilderness camping, hiking and outdoors sports.
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