MVPN Volunteer of the Month-January

For the month of January, we awarded Mr. Mark Henry with MVPN Volunteer of the Month. Please help us congratulate him and read about his amazing story below.

Mr. Henry was born and raised in Michigan. He decided to join the military through the encouragement of his uncle, a career military man. He urged 17 year old Mark to seek a nomination to West Point. Mark was accepted and graduated in 1977. He met his now wife Lezlie while stationed at Fort Sill, OK. After completing his initial service requirement, he attended graduate school for chaplaincy from 1983-86. While he was in grad school, he served in the Army Reserves as a chaplain candidate.

In the spring of 1986 he was ordained and subsequently commissioned as a chaplain that summer. He served as an active duty chaplain until 2001. He retired in July 2001 and was on terminal leave when the 9/11 terror attacks occurred to the Twin Towers in New York. Devoted to his service, Mr. Henry approached his former command with offers to help in any way possible. He officially retired September 30, 2001.

Immediately afterward, Mark entered civilian ministry, where he was called to a church in Anchorage, Alaska for nearly 11 years. He and his wife moved to Texas in the fall of 2011 to be closer to her parents. Six months after moving, he was able to find employment at Central Texas College in Fort Hood teaching religion. He continues to teach courses there to this day.

This October, the Henry’s will celebrate their 40th wedding anniversary. During their wonderful years together, they have raised two children and are now grandparents. Their daughter and son-in-law, who is a Baylor Law graduate, live close by. Their son and daughter-in-law are both school teachers in Hawaii, where Mark and Lezlie just visited.

After being invited to visit the One Stop by one of our regular veterans, Mark attended an event in the fall of 2017. He was instantly amazed and overwhelmed by the camaraderie that was demonstrated among the staff and volunteers. He came back and assisted with the Thanksgiving Luncheon a few weeks later and was equally as amazed. He decided then that this was a community he wanted to be a part of. He completed the MVPN Basic Training course taught by Dr. John Knue. Since then, he has been a regular volunteer for annual events, periodic suicide prevention services, and the monthly Baylor Law Clinic.

Starting late last year, Mr. Henry added teaching Bible Study to his list of achievements. Each Wednesday, he hosts a structured curriculum that has brought in 12-15 participants since its inception. Mark had explained that he has a heart for military and for veterans. He especially has a heart for all of the people at the One Stop because of their incredible spirit of caring, which is his definition of great ministry.

Thank you, Mark, for being a huge part of what makes the Veterans One Stop so inviting to our community. Your hard work and dedication have not gone unnoticed!