Christian Temple

Rick Powell, often referred to as “Pastor Rick”, has been serving Christian Temple since 1995. He and his wife Jayna, who is also an ordained minister, have three  grown children who were 4, 5 and 9 when he moved here! Isaac and his wife, Holly, live in New York City. Micah lives here in Baltimore and Jordan lives in Sacramento, California. Rick has a special passion for worship and for connecting the life of the congregation with the life of our surrounding community.

Mark Wilson has been the Director of Music and Organist at Christian Temple-Disciples of Christ since 1997. At Christian Temple he leads the choral programs and works with the directors of the handbell choir and younger choirs to coordinate music for the church year. He is also responsible for designing the liturgy each Sunday for the worship service.

Mark earned the Master of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory of Music in Piano Performance in 1980. He earned his Bachelor of Music degree from Boise State University.

While at Peabody, he studied piano with Lillian Freundlich and played in master classes led by Leon Fleisher and Nelita True. He continued his education with summer classes at Westminster Choir College, where he studied conducting with James Jordan and composition with Lee Mitchell and C. Griffith Bratt.

For 25 years, Mark worked closely with lyricist Jane Foster Knox. During this time, he composed over forty published sacred and secular anthems…many of which remain in print and are being sung throughout the world.

In addition to his work at Christian Temple, Mark was also the Chapel Organist and accompanist for the Upper School Boy’s Choirs at St. Paul’s School, Brooklandville, Maryland for 28 years. He retired from this position in 2016.

Mark is extremely grateful for all who have guided him during his musical journey…and he continues to give back to the world by volunteering in Costa Rica each winter for 2 weeks. He brings 2 octaves of handbells to an enchanting little village above San Jose and works with students in grades 4,5 and 6… sharing with them the joy of making music.

Mark and his husband, John Dennehy, (an avid birder!) can also be found traveling the world 3 or 4 times each year in search of new adventures. They’ve birded in Romania, Turkey, South Africa, New Guinea and in a number of Central and South American Countries.

With a professional background in education and business management, Robin enjoys being able to use her skill set to keep life running smoothly here at Christian Temple.  You can often find Robin out and about in the building or yard assisting with community groups, talking with vendors, or simply tending to the needs of an active faith community.  Usually though Robin will be in the main office working hard at helping Christian Temple to stay organized, communicating, and moving forward on its many wonderful ministries. 

So always feel free to stop by and say hello...  Connecting with members and the community at large is the best part of Robin's day!