Meet our new Worship Director, Mark McKinney!
We’re excited to welcome a brand new staff member to our team: Mark McKinney!
Mark is joining us as our new Worship Director, so we’re excited to have him up front and leading us on Sundays for worship!
Wondering if you imagined an accent? You didn’t! Mark is from Ballygowan (say that ten times fast!), a small town located outside Belfast, Northern Ireland.
Mark with his family!
Mark and his wife, Aimee, have been married for 13 years, and she works as a mental health counselor, having earned her degree at RTS here in Orlando!
They moved to the U.S. eight years ago and now live in Winter Park, along with their two children! Their daughter Anna (6) has just started 1st grade at OCS, and son Caleb (3) is in preschool at the Methodist School for Early Education in Winter Park, unleashing his “…creative craziness” into the world! (Mark’s words, not ours!)
Anna (left), and Caleb (right)
Before joining us at Orangewood, Mark worked as the Worship Director at Lake Baldwin Church. While he may be new to Orangewood, he’s already felt at home with our church family.
With a clear passion and heart for worship, Mark delights in using his musical talents to help people encounter the Lord, and he’s thrilled to join a team that channels their gifts to guide Orangewood and nurture the work God is doing here.
In his spare time, he and his family also enjoy baking and cooking together, relaxing by the pool, and embarking on all the family adventures they can.
A Few Fun Facts!
When enjoying a meal outside of the home, Mark loves Green Thai Curry, or checking out a favorite local spot — Luke’s Kitchen right here in Maitland. And if that’s not enough, he also has a guilty pleasure: Nashville Hot Chicken! (He shouts out Jam Hot Chicken in Winter Park: we might have to try it, ourselves!)
Mark and his family at Disney!
He loves author Dallas Willard, and his music taste is fairly eclectic, ranging from Jazz to Cali Punk, and EDM (we also don’t know what Cali punk means, we’ll have to ask him!)
And finally, think you like carbs? Well, you’re going to love Mark: he’s a real sourdough savant, baking and obsessing over sourdough loaves and other kinds of bread! He can also still land a kick-flip, so let’s hope he tries that on stage one Sunday.
Be sure to introduce yourself when you see him around and help us give his family a true Orangewood welcome!
Mark with his two children!