June 2009 - Calvary Baptist Church

Mark and Julie, 1971
and earned a master’s degree in biblical
studies.
God Had a Plan for His Life
After graduation, a church in Corvallis,
Montana, called the young seminarian
as pastor, and Mark knew this was God’s
call to him. He enjoyed his ministry as
pastor. While there, Meagan was born.
The family had been in Corvallis about
three years, when Mark’s father was
killed by a drunk driver in Michigan.
by Alma Gilleo
As Mark Blocher drove along Plainfield
Avenue, he recalled the night a friend
showed him a picture of a pretty brunette.
Noting Mark’s interest, she said,
“Why don’t you take her out”
She’s cute, he thought. “Maybe I will,”
Mark replied.
He called and invited her to a movie.
But Julie Hallberg was not interested.
That was a challenge to Mark Blocher.
He always met a challenge head-on,
whether it was energetically drumming
rhythms in a rock band or enthusiastically
championing a rebel cause. So,
he called Julie. Again and again and
again. Finally she agreed to go out with
him. They went to a movie. They discovered
they had nothing in common and
now Mark was taking her home.
On the way, they approached Underground
Fish. “Why don’t we stop in
here” Julie suggested. “I thought it
was a restaurant,” Mark says. But there
was no fish, pizza, burger or fries.
Instead, Underground Fish served food
for the soul. It was an outreach effort
of Calvary Baptist Church. Here, for the
first time, Mark heard God’s story. And
it gripped him. He wanted to learn
more.
The couple drove around for hours
discussing what they had heard. Julie
had accepted Christ as her Savior a few
weeks earlier (which probably explains
her reluctance to go out with a guy who
used drugs and was known for embracing
anti-government and rebel causes).
But what Mark had just heard was all
new to him. He wanted to hear more.
Finally, they stopped for breakfast,
then he took her home. His thoughts
returned again and again to what he
had learned about God. He decided to
go back to Underground Fish.
But the next day, the Chesapeake and
Ohio Railroad transferred him to New
Buffalo, Michigan. As a relief engineer,
Mark ran his train to different cities
each day. As he rode the rails, God’s
claim on him was on his mind almost
constantly. Finally, Mark yielded himself
to God, accepted the salvation Jesus
had purchased for him and started his
new life in Christ. After two weeks, the
raiload transferred him back to Grand
Rapids. And he called Julie.
They went back to Underground Fish.
They discusssed what they learned. And
Mark wanted to know more. The couple
began attending Calvary Baptist Church.
As he rode the rails, God’s
claim on him was on his mind
almost constantly. Finally,
Mark yielded himself to God,
accepted the salvation Jesus
had purchased for him and
started his new life in Christ.
Although an indifferent student in high
school, Mark felt God was leading him to
enroll part-time at Grand Rapids School
of Bible and Music. A year later, his
work hours changed and he transferred
to Grand Rapids Bible College (now Cornerstone
University). Working all night,
he went to the classroom each day,
eventually earning a bachelor’s degree
in philosophy and religion.
Friends weren’t surprised when Mark
and Julie married in June 1972. The
family grew to four when Brian and
Sarah were born. Mark still felt God
leading him to learn more about God
and His Word. So the couple packed up
household goods, bundled up Brian
and Sarah and moved to Dallas. Daddy
enrolled in Dallas Theological Seminary
While in Grand Rapids for the funeral,
Highland Hills Baptist
Church offered Mark
the challenge of a new
ministry: pastor of
youth and education. As
Mark prayed, he felt God
was leading him into
this new ministry, and
accepted the position.
Mark, however, couldn’t
forget an incident which
occurred while he was
in Montana. A school
counselor took a young
student to an abortion
clinic without her parents’
knowledge. Mark
realized God was calling
him to help young
women make the right
choices for their unborn
babies. Baptists were largely silent on
pro-life issues at that time, so he began
Baptists for Life, which he directed for
eight years. It is still an active agency,
now headed by CBC’s own Thomas
Lothamer.
Back in Grand Rapids, Julie gave birth
to the couple’s fourth child, Emily. And
Dad again listened to God prompting him
to continue his education. He enrolled
in Western Michgan University, taking
classes in philosophy and medical ethics.
While there, Mark also did some student
teaching and found he enjoyed it. He felt
God leading him into this field after earning
his MA degree. Today, Mark Blocher is
a full-time professor of interdisciplinary
studies at Cornerstone University.
God is still leading Mark in paths of
service. A student in one of his classes
at Cornerstone mentioned the subject of
chaplaincy with the police force. After
exhaustive background and educational
checks, Mark was accepted as Chaplain
with the Michigan State Police.
Most Friday evenings, and sometimes
far into the night, Chaplain Blocher
rides with a State Police Trooper, usually
between the cities of Grand Rapids,
Kalamazoo and throughout Allegan
County. When asked, he assists the
trooper, especially in situations where
negotiations are needed. He wears a
chaplain’s uniform and is outfitted with
the full armor of God. He does carry a
firearm and wears a bulletproof vest,
but is also equippped with the sword of
the Lord.
“My job as chaplain is to assist the officer,
to be on his side in all situations,”
Blocher says. “These men are under
constant pressure and are confronted
with a myriad of temptations. Consequently,
family life is affected. Some
marriages do not survive. But God can
enable men to turn their lives around as
they learn to trust Him. I’ve seen how
God is making changes in some of the
men.”
It was a surprise to Mark Blocher when
his home church offered him the position
of Pastor of Christian Education. A
committee had been searching for the
individual whom God could use in this
ministry. Amazingly, they found him in
their own congregation.
“Is this something I am qualified to
do” Blocher asked himself. “Is God
leading me to this ministry” It was
obvious that God had led him to choose
college and university courses that
equipped him for this challenge. He had
experience in a similar role at Highland
Hills Baptist Church, and he had a love
for God’s Word and for teaching. He already
had many responsibilities, but he
felt God was leading him to accept this
new opportunity. After praying about
it, he accepted.
“My goal is to make sure every child
in our care gains an understanding of
God’s story. Beginning at a young age,
children need to know what the Bible is,
what it teaches about sin and salvation,
how God wants them to trust and
obey Him, what God promises to do for
them. If we do our job well, by the time
a student reaches adulthood, he will be
thoroughly grounded in God’s Word.”
Mark Blocher wears many hats: husband,
father, grandfather, professor,
chaplain and pastor. And he wears them
well. God’s leading in his life began
when a pretty young brunette invited
him to hear God’s story.
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