In Loving Memory of Pastor Mark E. Correll.Pastor Mark would always say, "Some day, someone will stand here and say, here lies Mark Correll, dead and gone, don't believe a single word. For on that day, I will be more alive than ever!" It is with heavy hearts we announce the passing of Mark Correll, a devoted husband, father, Poppa, pastor, teacher, evangelist, and author.Mark Correll left the arms of his family, to be embraced by the Arms of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. He passed on Monday, March 18th, 2025 in Birmingham, Alabama. Mark is survived by his wife of 49 years, Sheryl (Hoch) Correll, his three children, Mark A. (Tiffany) Correll, Cassandra (Michael) Repole, and Bethany (Christopher) Brewer. He is also survived and lovingly remembered by his seven grandchildren Mark Wilder and Mary Layne Correll, Lucas and Brody Repole, and Nora Ruth, Samuel, and Eli Brewer as well as many nieces and nephews who loved him dearly. He also leaves behind a worldwide fellowship of believers who consider him a spiritual father. His biggest priority and life's devotion was teaching and preaching the Word of God to anyone who would listen.Mark Correll was born on September 28th, 1954 to Samuel and Maria (Sabia) Correll in the small town of Hazleton, Pennsylvania. He was raised in an Italian Roman-Catholic household and served as an altar boy. He attended Most Precious Blood Catholic Elementary School and graduated from Hazleton High School in 1972. Although he excelled in school, the sudden death of his father left him without guidance from the age of twelve. He went on to attend Penn State University and was accepted to Columbia Law School, but God had different plans for his life. During his second year in college, he contracted Trichinosis, which sent him back to Hazleton for weeks of recovery. At that time, he decided to take a break from school and take a job at Eberhard Faber, a pencil factory in Mountaintop, PA as an Inventory Control Manager. Discouraged in his life of sin and his careless attitude to life, God graciously reached down and put a 17 year old girl in his path, who loved the Lord and was burdened for his lost soul. What started with simple conversations about scripture (which he knew nothing about), became heartfelt exchanges about the loving, saving mercy of Jesus. By February 1975, he turned over his life to Jesus at a small church in Shickshinny, PA, where he knelt at an altar and cried before God- what a beautiful day!The following November, the two married. In the meantime, he finished his degree from Penn State and had a successful corporate job. God called him into the ministry in 1985, where he moved his wife and two small children to pastor a church in Bellwood, PA. The church in Bellwood flourished from 17 people to over 300. Three years later, God opened a door to come to Birmingham, AL where he became Associate Pastor at Parkway Christian Fellowship. A year later, the church voted Pastor Mark in as Senior Pastor. Due to his passionate, spirit-filled preaching and heart for the lost souls in Birmingham, Parkway grew by leaps and bounds. In January of 1993, God opened a new door for him at Cathedral of the Cross, a large, Birmingham-area church in financial despair and needing fresh fire. He was voted in as Senior Pastor where his leadership, devotion, and in-depth teaching and preaching brought countless souls through the doors. The church grew and became a beacon in Central Alabama for the salvation of many.In 2007, once again, God called Pastor Mark and Sheryl to a new avenue of full-time evangelism. Although it was a bittersweet departure, they were excited to embark on a new journey. He scheduled a whole year's worth of speaking engagements, only to find out six months later he had stage IV cancer. Miraculously, God brought him through and he never stopped teaching and preaching. Pastor Mark dealt with the cancer intermittently for the last 17 years. In January 2022, he contracted COVID, leaving him to battle both of these illnesses at once. God did the miraculous once again and spared his life despite the doctors' prognosis.After a six month road to recovery, Pastor Mark continued in his weekly Bible studies, teaching, counseling, and sharing wherever doors opened. God gifted him with three more beautiful and meaningful years. He became ill once again with complications from COVID and Pneumonia. Mark Correll is experiencing every word and promise he spoke of in the arms of Jesus. "Well done, thy good and faithful servant." One of Pastor Mark's favorite passages: "For you have need of endurance, so that after you have done the will of God, you may receive the promise." (Hebrews 10:36).