Rev. Mark N. Buenafe, Pastor
Pastor Mark Buenafe is a third generation family of Methodists. He was born in Hoboken, New Jersey of Filipino parentage and grew up in Bronx and Queens, New York City. He went to the Philippines for his high school and college. It was in his high school years that he had the Christian ‘born again,’ ‘heart strangely warmed’ experience. Shortly afterwards, God called him to full time Church ministry.
In college, (Philippine Christian University), he completed a Bachelor of Arts in Psychology and participated in the Inter-Varsity Christian Fellowship. It was in the fellowship where love blossomed with Norma “Norms” Esperanzate, a Sociology major. Following college, Pastor Mark returned to New York and seminary education at Alliance Theological Seminary at Nyack. Affirming his Methodist roots and wanting to be connected with the United Methodist Church, Pastor Mark finished his Master of Divinity in Asbury Theological Seminary in Wilmore, Kentucky. After a year long work in rest home care and multi-media ministry, Pastor Mark returned to the Philippines to marry Norms. They returned to the U.S. and settled in the Bay Area, California. They have been married for 17 years. The Lord blessed them with two energetic boys, Marick, age 12 and Mahal age 7.

Pastor Mark has ministered in ‘cross-cultural’ appointments since 1993. He has served churches in the Fresno District Central Valley, (Riverdale and Caruthers First), High Desert, (Lake Isabella, Highland Chapel), and the Delta District Central Valley, (Lodi First), and Foothills, (Ione Community), before Tracy.

He is coming to First United Methodist Church of Tracy with his diversified background: an acquired love of leading Bible studies and the importance of small group ministries within the vital Church; a taste of financial services with compliant licensing through Primerica Financial Services (with Citigroup); and, the urgency of equipping the saints in laity ministry and leadership.
Officially, besides being an ordained Elder, Pastor Mark serves as a Trainer with the District Lay Speakers Program, serves on the Conference Board of Ordained Ministry with emphasis on Training, in regular contact with clergy and laity in Filipino-American Ministries (FAM) in our Conference, and is the current President of the Evangelical Renewal Fellowship (ERF).
In his spare time, he loves to play volleyball, ping pong and walk His other interests are music making through playing guitar and singing and listening to a wide range of music, particularly from the movies.
Among his practicing insights is differentiating the Majors from the Minors, Among his life verses, is: “Now to God who is able to do immeasurably more than all we ask or imagine, according to His power that is at work within us, to God be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, for ever and ever! Amen!” -Ephesians 3:20-21.

Please feel free to contact Pastor Mark through his email at pastor@fumctracy.org or, through the church office at office@fumctracy.org, or you can call him at (209) 835-4927.