Mr. Mark Dodgson
My motivation to serve on the board of Timothy Christian Schools is threefold: To honor the consideration and request for service extended to me by the current board and administration. To learn from other Christian leaders in guiding and directing an established and reputable educational institution. To support and promote those ideals which will distinguish Timothy Christian Schools as a strong witness within the Christian and secular communities.
Our family has had the privilege of all our children attending Timothy. Benjamin, Sharon, and Ruth have graduated, and David is a senior.
Having lived and worked on three continents I have been given the opportunity to work with people with varying mindsets and motivations and had a fairly wide experience of diverse cultures. The Lord drew me to himself as a young teenager living in Scotland, a historic bastion of Reformed theology. The influence of Christian believers across the spectrum of the Christian faith has given me a great appreciation for the wider body of Christ while appreciating my own roots. My working life has been spent in the Construction Industry and the Fire Service. As a Chartered Surveyor I was responsible for the financial and contractual side of building and civil engineering projects. I partnered in a small construction/remodeling company when I first came to the Chicago area. Later I changed careers becoming a Firefighter/paramedic before serving as Fire Inspector/Investigator for the Village of Oak Park. Exposure to a broad range of people and experience of "hands on" and administrative work provides a good basis for serving others. Over the years my wife and I have served in various capacities within our church and with recreational, political and non-profit organizations.
To prepare academically prepared Christian disciples is an increasingly challenging job. As a board member, I believe my first priority is to ensure my own walk with the Lord is an honest testimony. While we must seek to live in harmony with all men we must continually pursue and contend for those things which will set us apart and distinguish us from the prevalence of worldliness with which we all wrestle. In my opinion a Timothy board member must strive for the fundamentals of the faith in all areas of school life including administration, academics and athletics and demonstrate graciousness in those areas of legitimate difference and preference.