Mark Donald
Pastor
Pastor Mark Donald is a native of San Diego, CA, and has lived in Minnesota, Washington and Montana. He holds a BA (History/English) from Gustavus Adolphus College, a Masters (Education) from the University of Minnesota, and a Masters of Divinity from Luther Seminary. His wife, Julie, is a school principal, and they have two sons (Alec--Environmental Consultant for Merjent in Mpls., and Micah--Mechanical Engineer for Boeing in Seattle).
Mark taught high school Social Studies and English and served Cross & Crown/Renton WA as Youth Director before going to Luther Seminary. After getting his MDiv he served Bethlehem/Fergus Falls MN and First English/Billings MT (Mission Reveloper) before being called as Executive Director of Christikon Lutheran Bible Camp in south-central Montana near Yellowstone Park. After 12 years in that role he was called as Pastor of Calvary/Solana Beach.
Quinn Weixel
Office Administrator
Quinn lives in San Diego with her husband Bradley and dog Birdie. She moved here from Ohio in 2014 and has been working for Calvary since 2017. She enjoys being creative and organized. She loves spending time on the weekends going to the movies, beach and staycations with her husband.
Amanda Backsen
Worship Support
Originally from Fargo, ND *cue Scandinavian accent*, Amanda received two B.S. degrees, one in Criminal Justice and the other in Political Science with a minor in History, from North Dakota State University, Go BiZon (not biSon)! Amanda started working for Calvary June 2014. In her free time, Amanda loves to bake, work out, tend to her vegetable garden, and hang out with her four girls, yellow lab, and of course her husband.
Carl Wilson
Live Stream Director
Carl began his career in the communications industry in San Diego over 35 years ago; he worked as an editor and videographer in Milwaukee and a video producer and editor in St. Louis before returning to San Diego in 2019. Carl has been assisting the church during the pandemic to ensure all the church members can enjoy the services remotely. In addition, over the last two years he has produced digital content for CLC to bring awareness to ongoing church programs and community involvement on social media. On Sundays he serves as director for CLC live-stream technology. Over the years Carl has had a connection to Calvary through his Aunt and Uncle, (Margaret & Bill Dorsey) who were life long members. If he’s not at church he enjoys traveling, photography and visiting our National Parks.
Ministry Teams
Each team is responsible for supporting the mission and vision of Calvary Lutheran Church.
Our goal is to welcome newcomers, build relationships founded in Christian fellowship, and care for member needs.