Gorleston church welcomes new pastor

2018: The Seventh-day Adventist Church in Burnt Lane, Gorleston officially welcomed their new pastor at a service on Saturday January 20.

 
Pastor Mark Borrett and his wife Norma were born in Wales. Mark has an MA degree in Pastoral Ministry, and Norma is a qualified teacher, having graduated from Sheffield University.  The couple then lived in Bristol where Mark worked for Hewlett Packard after studying Computer Science.
 
They moved out to America when the company invited Mark to become the project manager in the California office.  During those years, they also served their church in various capacities, finally as lay-pastor. 
 
Mark started to look for an opportunity in full-time ministry and ultimately received a call from the South England Conference headquarters of the Seventh Day Adventists to return back to Britain to fulfil the pastoral role at both the Great Yarmouth and Lowestoft churches. So, they arrived back in the UK in January after spending 22 years working in California.
 
Retired pastor Michael Walker said “Our previous Pastor, Rio Espulgar, was called to relocate to Somerset as from the end of September.  We appreciated his ministry and missed having him and his family around. However, we have looked forward to our new pastor and his wife joining us.  We have found them to be a warm and friendly couple.” 
 
Asked if he had a vision for our church, Mark responded: “To continue the mission of being an influence for good and for harmony.  A church that is relevant and involved in the life of the community.  A Christ-centred church with a no-strings-attached approach, where everyone - young and old - can find a warm welcome, friends, and the support that people so often need at different times in life”
 
“We solicit your prayers for Mark and Norma as they settle into their new location” said Michael. “Although Norfolk may be climactically colder than California, we trust they will experience the genuine warmth of the people they meet and converse with.”
 
 
The photo of Mark and Norma above is courtesy of Michael Walker.

This story first appeared on Network Yarmouth

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