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70 Queendale Center |
Mark & Rebecca Smallwood
Mark and Rebecca came to Red Bird Mission in August, 1988 to serve as teachers at Red Bird Mission School during the first full year as a private Christian School. Mark directs the vocal and instrumental music programs for the elementary, middle school and high school. Rebecca is beginning her twelfth year as a 4th grade teacher and also taught Christian Education for six years. Mark was born and raised in Harrisville, Ohio where he attended the Harrisville United Methodist Church. Music has been an outlet for expressing his faith since childhood. When a pastor took him on a visit to Asbury College, he knew that that was where he would be going to college and in 1986 he graduated, prepared to share his music, and put it to use for the Lord. After two years in the public schools in West Virginia, he came to Red Bird and began the process of resurrecting a music program that had suffered severely for lack of a teacher. He earned a MA degree in Music Education from Eastern Kentucky University in 1991. Rebecca grew up in Sumner, Illinois in the Southern Illinois Conference where she received Christ as a young child. Rebecca’s pilgrimage gives credence to the saying at Red Bird that if you get your feet wet in the creek you’ll be back. Her first contact with Red Bird was in 1982 as a member of a work team. Even then she felt God’s call to return to Red Bird as a teacher. Rebecca earned her AS in 1984 from Olney Central College in Olney, Illinois. She is a 1986 graduate of Oakland City College in Oakland City, Indiana with a BS in Education and, in 1992, earned a MA in Elementary Education from Eastern Kentucky University. Following her marriage to Mark in 1986 she was a public school teacher for two years prior to returning to Red Bird. They have two children, 9 1/2 year old Nathaniel (Nate) and 7-year old Leah. Nate enjoys playing the drums, riding his bike, and learning to play several stringed instruments (guitar, dulcimer, banjo). He is in fourth grade at Red Bird Mission School. Leah (adopted from Korea when she was eight months old) likes art related activities, reading, and learning to play the piano. She also likes horses and puppies. Leah is in the second grade at Red Bird Mission. Her mobility continues to improve as she receives treatment for cerebral palsy through the Lexington, Kentucky Shriner's Hospital.
