Our Staff

Mesa Verde UMC is fortunate to be served by a small but dedicated staff. Senior Pastor Mark Wiley has been with Mesa Verde UMC since 2006 and has overall charge of the church and its activities. Thomas Buckley has just started with us as Director of Youth Ministries.
 

Pastor Mark Wiley really doesn't like bios. "They tell too much of the wrong things and not enough of the good stuff," he says. So here's his version of a bio:

Nickname around church: PM, Techno-Pastor, Boss

Favorites: Cows Ice Cream, Original Pancake House, Julian apple pie, Holst "St. Paul's Suite," NPR's "Wait, Wait, Don't Tell Me, good theological discussion, strategic computer games, the Gospel of Mark (what else!), All Saints day, the movie, "Shawshank Redemption"

Dislikes: Sloppy theology, preachers who should know better, Brussel sprouts

Holy Places: Glacier National Park, Ireland, Camp Cedar Glen

History:

  • California native
  • Grew up in San Diego
  • Graduated Mission Bay High (Go, Bucs!) and San Diego State (Yeah, Aztecs!). History major; philosophy, political science, psychology minors, Phi Beta Kappa and Summa Cum Laude (Can you believe it!)

Loves of his life:

  • Jan - wife and UM pastor
  • Melissa - daughter, almost graduating with Masters degree
  • Nick_ junior in high school
  • Teton -dog as big as the mountains

Notes: Before he arrived at Mesa Verde UMC, Pastor Mark served churches in La Mesa, Pt. Loma, Santee, and Lakewood. He is in his fifth year at Mesa Verde. (Five years! Yikes! Where did the time go?)

 

To go to Pastor Mark's blog, click here.

To read Wiley's Wisdom, click here.

To go to Pastor Mark's Facebook page, click here.

 

Coming from Washington State and moving here in 1999, Thomas Buckley has had his fair share of adventures. He tells us that California is a great place to live if you are a youth or young adult. With the mountains close by and the amazing beaches, there are a lot of things to do. He met his wife Keyli at a local steak house 8 years ago. They married after dating only 6 months.

Their first child was Haiden Michael, who is now 7 years old. Haiden loves to play with his many video games and enjoys playing on the Buena Park Mariners P-nut baseball team with his Dad.

In 2007 the Buckleys found out they were pregnant again. This time it was Izabella Shawn, who was named after Thomas' childhood best friend who had died years previously. Izabella can be seen at home dancing to ABDC or singing to Dora the Explorer.

Keyli came to California from Mexico City when she was 7, moving with her family to Orange County after a massive earthquake shook their city. Keyli is fluent in Spanish and has been a big help on mission trips to Mexico. Her passion for reaching out to teens makes her a great partner with Thomas. She is currently a student at Phoenix Online studying Psychology so she can work with at-risk youth.