Mark Mitchell joined the staff at Central Peninsula Church in 1986 where he served as Lead Pastor. Mark was born and raised in the Bay Area After graduating from Cal Poly; he attended Scribe School at Peninsula Bible Church in Palo Alto, CA. He also holds an MA in Church History from Denver Seminary and a Doctorate in Preaching from Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary. Mark has published four books: Portrait of Integrity: The Life of Ray C. Stedman, The Power of His Presence, TEN: How the Commandments Set Us Free, and Immeasurably More. Mark married his wife Lynn in 1978, and they have three adult children and six grandchildren.

Gary Parsons served as Senior Vice President for Young Life in the Former Soviet Union for over fifteen years. He is a graduate of Lewis Clark State College and worked at Whitworth University for two years before he and his wife, Jeanne, came on Young Life staff in 1978 in Spokane, WA. They moved to Boise, ID in 1982 where he served as Area Director, and their three daughters were born. In 1992 the family moved to Moscow, Russia to start Young Life in the Former Soviet Union (FSU). They discipled many young leaders and friends, all with the same vision of sharing their love of Christ with people in Russia and throughout the 15 countries of the FSU. Young Life ministry continues to expand and develop in those regions and countries. Gary retired from Young Life in 2019 after 41 years on staff and is now living in Twain Harte, CA. with his wife, Jeanne. In his retirement, Gary has been enjoying fly fishing, road trips, and quality time with family and friends. He is excited to be reconnecting with pastors and leaders in the Bay Area, as well as many of the old friends he grew up with in Northern California.

Zohary Ross is on staff at New North Church as Pastor of Women and Marriage Ministries. A former BASOM resident and a native of San Francisco, she is thrilled to be working at BASOM and helping the organization reach and train more leaders to be equipped for ministry right here in the Bay Area. Zohary loves learning and is a self-identified “nerd”, she has masters degrees in Counseling Psychology from Golden Gate University and in Theological Studies and Biblical Exposition from Liberty University. In her free time she loves reading, working on puzzles and exploring new coffee shops. She currently lives in the Peninsula with her husband Tim, and the youngest two of their four children plus their feisty little dog, Dax.