Guyanese-born pastor and philanthropist, Dr. Mark Steven Vasconcellos is a ‘Special Person’

Jul 24, 2022 News, Special Person

---

Steadfast in his mission to serve humanity…

“I was always learning. I learned from an early age from my parents to serve others. Our home was always the home of hospitality. As a child, I served in the church that’s why I am so encouraged to see young people serving in the church today.”

 By Rehanna Ramsay

Kaieteur News – US-based Guyanese, Dr. Mark Steven Vasconcellos is a Christian minister and philanthropist who continues to lead successful mission trips around the world. His main goal is to spread the ‘Gospel of Peace’ and perform small acts of kindness for others.

So notable is his service to others that in 2005, Dr. Vasconsellos received the “Ambassador for Peace” award for exemplary living for the sake of others in Miami, FL.

In his home country—Guyana, Dr. Vasconsellos has been known for leading several philanthropic projects. He revealed that much like his calling to the Christian Ministry he feels ‘called’ to serve the people of Guyana particularly the poor and needy of the society.

This week’s ‘Special Person’ through his US-based non-profit, Victory International, teams up annually with a local charity, Project Life, to provide medical aid and other supplies to the citizens of Guyana.

For the past 10 years, the two charities have combined efforts to lend support to the local health sector by helping to provide citizens with dental health, eye care outreach as well as much-needed basic drug and medical supplies.

The humanitarian efforts of the two non-profits serve prisoners, the elderly, orphans, children, and dozens of Guyanese organisations, groups, and churches.

On the work front, Dr. Vasconsellos is the founder and pastor of All Nations Church—one of the most multicultural community churches in Raleigh, North Carolina (NC), USA. Dr. Vasconsellos is also qualified in this department. He noted that among his list of credentials, he is the holder of a Master’s Degree and Doctorate of Ministry from the Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest, North Carolina.

In fact, he told this publication that his decision to plant a church in Raleigh, NC came as a result of his desire to create a space where culturally different people can find a common space to worship.

“In America, there are lots of churches but what we see a lot of in places like Raleigh where I live is that there are lots of churches with a high concentration of whites or there are some churches that have a lot of blacks. So I saw the need for a church where everyone regardless of race or cultural background can come to worship,” Dr. Vasconsellos said.

The concept and appetite for diversity are not in isolation as he explained that his upbringing was quite culturally infused. He is of Guyanese/Venezuelan parentage and spent part of his childhood in the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela.

CULTURALLY INFUSED

The All Nations Church founder grew up in Caracas, Venezuela after his parents immigrated to the land of his mother’s birth. He was nine years old when the family decided to move away from Guyana – where he was born.

He said, “My parents, John Jerome Vasconcellos and Rubia Elena  Bolton Vasconcellos, immigrated to Venezuela, the birthplace of my mother…Adapting to a totally different environment in terms of language, customs, culture, food, music, etc., at that age was challenging; however, when you are young, it’s easy to adapt.”

The experience of that transition taught Dr. Vasconsellos—the youngest of seven siblings—that the challenges of life make you stronger and a better person.

He noted too that as the youngest of the children, he was able to glean from the life experiences of his older siblings and his parents.

“I was always learning. I learned from an early age from my parents to serve others. Our home was always the home of hospitality. As a child, I served in the church that’s why I am so encouraged to see young people serving in the church today,” Dr. Vasconsellos added.

Service to the people so resonates with Dr. Vasconsellos that some of his favourite quotes include the popular quote by Mahatma Gandhi: ‘The best way to find yourself is to lose yourself in the service of others,’ the words of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. who said: ‘Life’s most persistent and urgent question is, ‘What are you doing for others?’

Moreover, as a pastor and minister of the Gospel, Dr. Vasconsellos cited a verse from the Bible, that is, Mark 10:45 which states” “For the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and give his life as a ransom for many.”

In this regard, Dr. Vasconsellos noted that he sees himself as doing nothing more than continuing the work to serve God and people, especially, the people of Guyana.

LIFE EXPERIENCES

In the meantime, Dr. Vasconsellos noted that he continues to count his blessings.

He said that he is blessed to have met his wife Karyn, a native of Jamaica.  The couple got married in 1995. In 1997, their son Peter was born. Dr. Vasconsellos said that Peter was named after his brother, Capt. Peter A. Vasconcellos, a pilot who died in Guyana in a plane crash in 1983.

Before entering a life of Christian Ministry, Dr. Vasconsellos worked in many areas including banking, management, and business. He shared that after migrating from Venezuela to Miami, Florida, USA, in his twenties: “I graduated from Miami-Dade Community College with an Associate Degree in Criminal Justice, and then subsequently graduated from Florida International University with a Bachelor’s degree in Criminal Justice (with a Minor in International Relations.”

As a result, he secured employment with the federal government.  Pastor Vasconcellos was once employed at the Florida Department of Corrections as a sergeant instructor, and the School of Justice and Safety Administration at Miami-Dade College, where he was an Instructor and Training Advisor (TA).

“Also, I have worked as a Real Estate agent, before serving in pastoral ministry,” he related.

Speaking on the greatest highlight of his life, Dr. Vasconsellos graciously pointed to the opportunity of being able to plant All Nations Church, in Raleigh, NC, where he had been serving as the International pastor for the last 10 years.   He said serving, teaching, training, mentoring, and learning are the best part of his job.

The church leader is also grateful for God’s grace, as he continues to fulfill his mission in the church and to his family. He is particularly grateful to have been able to survive cancer which is currently in remission.

In May 2021, after serving in Guyana, Dr. Vasconcellos returned to Raleigh and received a shocking diagnosis that he was ill with stage four lymphoma; a type of cancer. He successfully underwent treatment for the disease and is still here by God’s healing mercies.

He noted, “At times life can be challenging, during those times, I remember those who ran the race well before me, as a form of encouragement, to keep running with endurance. My wife Karyn and my son Peter keep me strong in wanting to live a life that is exemplary.”

Through his work in the Ministry, Dr. Vasconsellos has led successful mission trips to Brazil, England, Canada, Mexico, India, Israel, Jamaica, France, Nepal, Belgium, Vietnam, Netherlands, Germany, United Kingdom, and a number of other locations.

He noted, nonetheless, that nothing beats being able to serve the people of Guyana, “especially children, the needy, the elderly, the church, and prisoners.”

SERVING GUYANA

Speaking about Guyana, Dr. Vasconsellos noted that there is something special about giving back to the land of his birth.

Some of the highlights of serving in Guyana, he said is “seeing a child’s face light up because they receive a gift for example a toothbrush.”

He continued “…Then it breaks your heart when it’s time for them to receive a dental procedure (e.g.: filling or extraction), and they begin to cry.”

In another case, he recalled going into a prison and having a prisoner say to him, “‘this is the first time in 20 years that I felt hope since in prison.’”

He recounted yet another instance in which a person who had been struggling with their eyesight, expressed gratefulness after “you are able to arrange for them to receive eyeglasses.”

The pastor also expressed gratitude for being able to serve the elderly at the Palms Geriatric home in Georgetown, the Guyana Institute for the Blind, and the Joshua’s Children Home.

He said, “I enjoy being able to encourage them and listen to their stories and taking gifts for every child, it keeps me going.”

“Sometimes the little things of life can make a huge difference to someone who is struggling in life and needs encouragement or help. Sometimes I enter a situation thinking, I’m here to help, failing to realise the person I am helping is a greater blessing to me. Their stories are transformational,” Dr. Vasconsellos added.

 VICTORY INT’L

As the founder and CEO of Victory International, Dr. Vasconsellos is dedicated to his mission to serve humanity.  He explained that the international work has focused on Guyana for the last 10 years.

“I have had the opportunity to visit all the prisons in Guyana, except Mazaruni, homes for the elderly, several schools, orphanages, conduct dental, medical, and eye care outreaches, conduct theological training, and other areas of assistance to the people of Guyana,” he said.

According to him, most of the work in Guyana is done through Project Life, a local non-profit organisation, based in Georgetown, under the theme: ‘Helping the Needy and Serving Humanity’.

Besides Victory International, Dr. Vasconsellos is attached to the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) in the USA, the Evangelical Theological Society (ETS), The American Association of Christian Counselors (AACC), and Rotary International.

To this end, he asserted, “I believe my greatest achievement is being a servant of the Lord, and an Ambassador for Christ. Serving the Lord is not glamorous, but it’s rewarding, and having the perfect example as a model life that the Saviour, Messiah, and Lord, provided, makes me want to glorify his name with an everlasting impact on the Kingdom of God.”

 

 

 

 

 

---

---