PUC Church Welcomes Mark and Wendy Witas to Ministry Team

This summer, the Pacific Union College Church welcomed its new lead pastor, Mark Witas, and pastor for family ministries, Wendy Witas, to the ministry team. Mark Witas will be officially installed as the new lead pastor Sept. 28, 2013. He delivered his first sermon at the PUC Church on June 22, 2013.

A 27-year Church employee, Witas was most recently the lead pastor at the North Cascade Seventh-day Adventist Church in Mount Vernon, Wash. He has also served as a youth pastor, academy men’s dean, Bible teacher and chaplain for college and high school students. Witas has been a guest speaker for universities, academies, camp meetings, and special events worldwide.

The author of “Born Chosen” and “Life Out Loud,” Witas’ new book, a youth devotional published by the Review and Herald Publishing Association, will be available in 2014. Witas holds a master of divinity degree from Andrews University, and completed his undergraduate degree in history and biblical studies at Seattle Pacific University.

“God created me to teach and preach about His good character,” Witas says. “It's my joy to stand and deliver the good news about God each time we gather to worship in the PUC Church.”

Wendy Witas is a teacher and has taught preschool- to high school-age students. A British Columbia, Canada, native, she sang professionally with Harvest Celebration in the 1980s, followed by a solo singing career in the United States and Canada. Witas composes her own music and also plays the piano, guitar, and cello. Leading children in praise with her guitar or on the piano is one of her many enjoyments in life, she says.

Witas also wrote “Dangerous Providence,” an Indiana Jones-style story with a Christian twist, as a way of processing her mother’s battle against cancer. She holds a master of education degree based on Dr. Glasser’s Quality School model, with a special emphasis in whole-brain learning. She graduated with a bachelor’s degree in elementary education and religion from Walla Walla University.

“I am thrilled to be here at PUC,” says Witas, who adds that she has never lived in California before. “I know that God has great things planned, and I can’t wait to see Him work here.”

Mark and Wendy Witas have been partners in ministry throughout their marriage and celebrated their 28th anniversary in August 2013. Their son Cole will be a sophomore at Pacific Union College Preparatory School in fall 2013, and enjoys auto mechanics and snow boarding. Bob Witas, Mark Witas’ father, is also “a cherished part of the family,” Mark Witas says. The Witas family often travels internationally, preaching, singing and leading short-term missions.