Biography
Rev. Mark Wayne Haas, PastorBorn on June 7, 1949 in Upland, CA, and raised in Los Angeles County, “Pastor Mark” is a “49er,” who is a San Francisco 49er “faithful,” and with his wife, Dee, have always loved visiting and camping in the Mother Lode/49er Gold Rush corridor. They even honey-mooned in Calaveras Big Trees! They are avid Sacramento Kings fans.
A product of Lutheran elementary schools in Covina and Whittier, Mark graduated from California Concordia High School, Oakland, in 1967. Just a few months later, as a college freshman at Concordia, Oakland, he started dating Miss Dee Anne Shumard, who also had grown up in California, born in Whittier and raised in Modesto. Mark and Dee were married in Modesto on June 14, 1969. After a brief stint at Modesto JC, Mark transferred to Concordia Teachers College, Seward, Nebraska, earning a BSed degree in Secondary Education. Having served for a year as a DCE in Marshall, MO, Mark accepted a call to be Principal at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Berkeley, CA where he served for six years. While there, Mark earned a MAed at Holy Names College in Oakland. For another five years, Mark served as Principal at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Hayward, CA. At the conclusion of this twelve years as a commissioned minister, Mark enrolled at Concordia Theological Seminary in Fort Wayne, Indiana, where he was awarded an MA in Religion degree in 1985, and in 1986, following a year as a vicar, was colloquized into the pastoral ministry of the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, ordained and installed on March 16, 1986. From March 1985 until January 2006, Pastor Mark served Peace Lutheran Church of Sacramento. During this same time frame, he has also served the CNH District in various offices including District Secretary and Northern Regional Vice-President.
In 1968, when Pastor and Dee were engaged to be married, Dee left college and went to work, helping put Mark through school. Becoming a first-time parent via adoption in 1978, she continued to work in and out of their home. In January 1988 she returned to college and in June 1996 was awarded a BA in Child Development, summa cum laude, from California State University Sacramento. From September 1988-January 2006, Dee taught kindergarten (14 of the 17 ½ years) in the Peace Lutheran ECE Center, and from June 1996-January 2006 was its Director.
Pastor and Dee have three adult children: Melanie Joy (b. 11/02/1977); Gregory Phillip (b. 03/18/1981); and Matthew Richard (b. 02/09/1983).
Pastor and Dee were participants in the Pastoral Leadership Institute (PLI) ( 2002-2006) . They have both learned to love traveling. Mark and Dee have celebrated wedding anniversaries while touring Hawaii and Alaska. Additionally, they co-hosted a tour to (Oberammergau) Germany/Austria/Greece/Turkey in 2000. Mark has also toured Rome and Israel, and took a second trip to Germany/Austria. PLI took them to 14 different locations across the county, and they participated in an International Missions trip to Hong Kong and China in June 2006.
Pastor and Dee are looking forward to a long and fruitful ministry while serving the First family. They anticipate many opportunities to get to know their fellow ministers here at First as our Lord guides us in His kingdom!
Pastor Mark was installed as senior Pastor of First Lutheran Church on January 29, 2006.
SOLI DEO GLORIA!