Leadership Mark Gedicks Pastor of Preaching and Equipping Josh Otte Pastor of Corporate Worship and Mission Elders: Scott Burke (Chairman) and Don Carrier Deacons: Matt Carrier, Tim Irish, Doug Johnson, and Dave Riegel Youth Leader: Matt Dyer

Biography for Mark Gedicks

Pastor of Preaching and Equipping

Mark came to the church as the associate pastor with a passion for youth ministry in October of 1996. Now we can’t get rid of him.

Born in 1969, he grew up in a Christian home with faithful, loving parents who encouraged him to live ministry. Rumney Bible Conference gave him a place to exercise his gifts through high school and college. Mark graduated from Liberty University in 1991 with a B.S. in Business Marketing; that would be of little consequence just one month later. You see, just before he graduated, he began to feel God’s calling on his life to serve in the church instead of a Fortune 500. When he shared this with the men on his lacrosse team they replied, “Yeah, we know. We’ve been praying God would make you a pastor for about a year now.”

God opened a position for Mark at Calvary Church in West Hartford, CT where he spent five years under the tutelage of Rev. Carl Abrahamsen. While there he completed his M. Div. (Seminary of the East), ministered with some of the most wonderful people in the world, and found an excellent wife – Tracy.

To follow His leading, Mark and Tracy moved to Windham, Me in 1996, to serve under Rev. Roger Blundell as associate pastor. Here he worked with many next generation leaders, exhorting them to deeply love Jesus, care for His people, and go anywhere in the world to share His message. In February 2005, Windham Baptist Church called Mark to be the lead pastor.

Mark loves his wife, and his two children - Kaitlyn (born in 2001) and Mark Jr. (born in 2003). He likes to fish, loves Taco Bell, and makes archtop jazz guitars for a hobby.

Mark’s personal mission statement? “I live and breathe and have my being Soli Deo Gloria; as the well-spring of eternal and abundant life my deepest longings are satisfied in Him alone. Therefore, I drink long and deep and often; this overflows into a fountain of love for my wife and family, while creating an insatiable desire to glorify God through my relationships, my ministry, my community and my world in such a way that others will quench their thirsts in Him.”

top

Biography of Josh Otte

Pastor of Corporate Worship and Mission

Originally, Josh came from his mother, late in April 1979. After that he grew up in Rhode Island until he was about nine, but then his parents moved to Maine. He has lived here ever since (except for three years of exile in Massachusetts).

As a teenager, he fell in love with music and the word of God. His friends knew something wasn’t quite right with him when they discovered he was reading commentaries and Spurgeon’s sermons just for fun! Having virtually grown up in the church and fooling everyone around him into thinking that he was a “good little Christian boy” God proved otherwise. When he was 14 God rescued Josh from self-righteousness and gave him new life by his Holy Spirit.

Just after high school graduation, Josh started attending Fayette Baptist Church and serving on the music team. There he learned what God’s grace really entailed, unlearned a lot of foolish legalism, and was encouraged by my pastor/friend/mentor Russ Cotnoir to consider getting some biblical training at New England Bible College. During those four years at NEBC, Josh served as the youth and music director at First Baptist Church of South Portland, married Heidi (the love of his life), actually graduated from college, and figured out that I needed some more education to do ministry well.

So, he spent the next three years in exile at Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. While at seminary, Josh and Heidi’s view of God’s mission for his people was deepened theologically, expanded globally, and confirmed personally.

Josh and Heidi moved back to Maine in July 2005 to serve as the associate pastor at Windham Baptist Church. Here at WBC, Josh has the unique opportunity of serving alongside of his best friend and mentor of the past 7 years, Mark Gedicks. Overseeing corporate worship, Josh desires that our times of gathered worship fuel lives of worship expressed in faithful ministry to one another and missional living in the world. He also assists Mark with preaching, regularly teaches Sunday School classes, and leads the mission team.

In addition to his ministry at WBC, Josh also teaches as an adjunct instructor at New England Bible College. Hiking, playing guitar, reading J.R.R. Tolkien, studying biblical theology, and building furniture are a few of Josh’s favorite hobbies.

The Ottes love their son, Zechariah, and are learning all of the joys and challenges of being parents.

top

Elders: Scott Burke (Chairman) and Don Carrier

Deacons: Matt Carrier, Tim Irish, Doug Johnson, and Dave Riegel

Youth Leader: Matt Dyer

top