John Callaway comes to Christian Temple by way of a sojourn through the southeast. Born and raised in Boiling Springs, SC, John attended Clemson University completing two degrees, a Bachelor's degree in Industrial Technology Education and a Master's degree in Secondary Education, English.
John taught in the North Charleston/Goose Creek area of South Carolina at Westview Middle School for two years before answering the call to ministry and heading to the Wake Forest University School of Divinity. While studying at Wake Forest, John met Katie Schlimmer and life took off!
After serving at First Baptist Church, Greenville, South Carolina, John was responsible for youth ministries in various locations before becoming Co-Pastor with Katie in 2019 in their first senior pastorate. Since 2007, John has been involved in leading the music at Unidiversity Youth Camp and has led in music for worship in churches and for student groups across the country.
John is ready to begin ministering alongside the wonderful people of Christian Temple and begins work in this new vocational ministry with a strong excitement. He is incredibly grateful for this calling to Christian Temple.
John has completed coursework in his Doctor of Ministry in Parish Risk at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary.
In his free time, he is a dad to Sophie, husband, singer-songwriter, and enjoys getting out on the open road for a road trip!
Katie Callaway was born and raised in High Point, North Carolina. Katie’s educational pursuits began at Roanoke College where she majored in Religious Studies, graduating magna cum laude and receiving entry to Phi Beta Kappa honor society. Upon graduation, she completed two graduate programs. At Wake Forest University School of Divinity, she completed her Master of Divinity and at Emory University, she completed her Master of Theology. It was during her time at Wake Forest that Katie met John and shortly thereafter, they married.
She has served churches in North Carolina, Maryland, and Georgia. Most recently, she served as Co-Pastor alongside of John at First Baptist Church, Savannah, GA. There, she focused on creating and nurturing opportunities for education and spiritual formation in both large and small group settings.
Katie has worked in churches throughout the southeast, primarily focusing on spiritual formation. She feels called to help congregations develop vibrant spiritual formation programs and practices by walking alongside people as they embrace holy curiosity and faith exploration. In her role as Co-Pastor, she is most excited about helping Christian Temple deepen its practices around spiritual formation and worship.
An avid reader and writer, Katie is completing coursework in her Doctor of Ministry in Creative Writing as Public Theology at Pittsburgh Theological Seminary. Her work can be found at on her personal site here.
In her spare time, Katie enjoys being Mom to Sophie, hanging out with her four-legged child--Lily, running, cycling, and writing.
Robin started her career as an elementary school teacher in Maine, and then eventually moved home to Maryland with her husband, Frank. Robin then taught in the Howard County Public School System for several years and obtained her graduate certification in education with an emphasis on counseling. These work and learning experiences were wonderful!
After having children of her own, Robin chose to find employment primarily with nonprofit organizations where she had some work flexibility and gained valuable knowledge in business management, grant writing, and accounting/bookkeeping. Wanting more interaction with the people she served, Robin found her way to Christian Temple and now serves happily as the Church Administrator.
Mark Wilson has been the Director of Music and Liturgy at Christian Temple since 1997. He leads the choral program, helps plan the weekly liturgy and conducts the annual Community Christmas Concert and the July 4th Community Concert. Mark holds the Master of Music degree in piano performance from the Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University, where he studied piano with Lillian Freundlich and composition with Dr. Lee Mitchell.
He began his undergraduate studies with Dr. Madeleine Hsu, piano, and Dr. C. Griffith Bratt, organ and composition, at Boise State University in Idaho. As an undergraduate, he was piano soloist with orchestras in both Boise, Idaho and Salem, Oregon. Mark’s keen interest in choral composition led to the creation of over 40 published choral compositions in collaboration with lyricist Jane Foster Knox. Along the way, he and Janie garnered several ASCAP awards for their music.
He attended Westminster Choir College for several summers where he was a conducting student of Dr. James Jordan. He’s been the featured local and national choral clinician for the Fellowship of United Methodist Musicians and served as their president from 1988 - 1996. He also enjoyed the privilege of singing with both the Baltimore Symphony Chorus and Baltimore Choral Arts for many years.
For 28 years, Mark was organist and full-time music faculty at the St. Paul’s School, a private Episcopal school, in Brooklandville, Md. Several of his piano students have gone on to earn degrees in music and are currently teaching in schools on the east coast.
Raised in the Congregational Church in New Plymouth, Idaho, he joined the First Christian Church/ Disciples of Christ in 1974 in Boise, Idaho…and has enjoyed his association with this progressive group of worshippers on both the east and west coast for over 50 years. Mark loves being part of the Catonsville community and continues his commitment to excellence in worship and music. His husband, John Dennehy, is an avid birder…and he and Mark love to travel the world…constantly adding to John’s ever-growing list of life-birds. Mark tags along on these adventures…enjoying the red, yellow and green birds…and the exercise. Life is good!
