Cheryl and I are based out of Calgary and have 4 grown children. Cheryl grew up in the Prince Albert area of Saskatchewan while Mark grew up in Peru as a Missionary Kid. They both attended Caronport High School and Briercrest Bible College and married in 1983. They ministered with Venture Teams International for 19 years, 8 of which Mark was Executive Director. They grew to appreciate the vision and passion of ACTION missionaries over the years, especially as office neighbors and overseas ministry partners.

Cheryl is gifted and trained as a Child & Youth Care Counselor, Executive Coach and has an MA in Leadership through Royal Roads University. Together we provide visioning, coaching, leading, teaching, and interceding. Mark is a gifted musician, shepherd leader, disciple-maker, and encourager. In past ministries, they have seen hundreds of young people grow in their faith and become leaders and influencers in the world. They have also learned and are learning that in weakness God is strong. As Zechariah puts it: “It is not by might, nor by power but by my Spirit says the Lord...” (Zech 4:6). Their passion is to know the One who longs to reveal Himself to the world and be part of that revelation process. With the recent move to Action Mark and Cheryl are excited about what God has in store as they continue their focus on making a difference in the lives of Canadian youth.

Training Coordinator

I was born and raised in the Vancouver, BC area, of German/Russian heritage. After graduating from high school, I went on to post-secondary education at Briercrest, graduating with a BRE (Bible and Christian Education) and MDiv in Theological Studies.  I also studied at Winnipeg Theological Seminary and graduated with an MA in Christian Education. At ACTION I serve as the training coordinator. Specifically, I teach Bible, theology, missions, culture, and puppetry. I have worked with ACTION Ventures since 2011 and previous to that with these kinds of teams since 1988.

We are looking to add to our staff in a number of areas (administrators, arts trainers, disciplers, alumni...). Contact us if you feel God is speaking to you about this and are willing to raise financial support. We are also in need of volunteers, especially to drive the teams during fall and spring tours. 
 

As part of the ACTION team in Canada, ACTION Ventures relies on the leadership of its director and support of the office team. These great people include:

• Wayne Whitbourne Executive Director

• Scott Gillespie Promotion & Recruitment

• Helen Thompson Bookkeeper

• Michael Packer Volunteer

• Darrel Saik Administrative Assistant

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CONTACT ACTION INTERNATIONAL MINISTRIES