by Amber Pendleton, Member of the Bicentennial Publicity Committee

Little did our family know in 1997 that a new Duke Divinity School graduate, Mark Caldwell, first appointed to Trinity United Methodist Church under senior pastor Dr. David Hortin, would become a part of our extended family, allowing us to follow his personal and ministerial journey. 

Mark, anticipating serving a church close to where he was raised in Central Florida, never thought about serving in the Panhandle, but Tallahassee District Superintendent, J.C. Powell, posed two questions to him: “How do you feel about contemporary worship and how do you feel about being a Seminole?” Both questions played a profound role and were answered in his three years serving the people of Trinity. Mark worked with the launch team for the SUN (Contemporary) service. He also met his Seminole, the former Tiffany Stewart, a recent Florida State University nursing graduate. Tiffany is the daughter of previous Trinity members, John and Gail Stewart, now relocated in Georgia, who happen to be our daughter, Karissa’s, godparents. 

After marrying in 1998 and Tiffany earning her Master’s in Nursing a few years later, it was time for Mark to use his wealth of ministry experience and the incredible mentorship he received at Trinity to take on the role as a senior pastor for the next six years at Miami Lakes United Methodist Church. In 2006, their final year at Miami Lakes, Mark and Tiffany were blessed to welcome their twin sons, Cooper and Parker.  

The skills and experience from serving in a downtown setting at Trinity served them well in their next appointment to First United Methodist Church of Fort Lauderdale. After nine years, they were moved to St. Peter’s United Methodist Church in Wellington. It was during this appointment that Rev. Caldwell pursued a Doctorate of Ministry, focusing on cultures of intentional connection between churches and their preschools.  This led to studying programs around the state that had a rich correlation between the church and school that led families into the life of the congregation. One of his study sites was North Naples Church, which founded a school with Pre-K to 12th grade. In 2019, Rev. Dr. Mark Caldwell was assigned to North Naples Church where he remains as the senior pastor today. 

Rev. Dr. Caldwell is very proud that Trinity was his first appointment and how profoundly his life was impacted by this appointment, especially meeting that certain “Seminole.” “I want to express my gratitude for the clergy-both appointed and retired-that invested in me,” he says. “The staff was patient and nurturing with their new Duke Divinity School graduate. Finally, the members of this congregation modeled faithful Chistian living through word and deed. Those were three wonderful years, and I am grateful. I am also grateful to have the opportunity to stand in the pulpit of the congregation that hosted the founding Annual Conference in Florida. I am humbled for this invitation and grateful for this opportunity to spend another week in worship with you all.” 

There will be only one service at 11:00 on Sunday, August 11, and we will welcome back Rev. Dr. Caldwell as our guest pastor at that service.