Mark Jannetta

Mark Jannetta was born and raised in Buckinghamshire, England and moved to the USA in 1999 to work for an inner-city children’s ministry in Brooklyn, New York. Afterwards he became a children’s pastor for an urban youth, focused church in Tampa, FL. While there he built a skate park and started his own non-profit skate ministry. He married Annalise; a British girl in 2004 and they now have two daughters: Ella-Maria and Aliza Joy. Mark also moved the family to Joplin, MO and then Memphis, TN mostly focusing on pioneering new skate ministries, supporting inner-city ministry or a combination of both.

In 2011 Mark and Annalise became US citizens and a month later Mark signed up for the US Army. In 2012, after graduating Infantry OSUT at Ft. Benning, he was stationed at Ft. Knox as part of the prestigious 1st Infantry Division and 1-26 Battalion. In 2013 he deployed for eight months to Afghanistan attached to a Special Forces team. During this time he was able to self publish books for his daughters back home as gifts.

If you asked Mark what words he would use to describe himself he would answer: ‘Artist, Skateboarder, Laborer, Builder, Minister, Leader, Infantryman. I have had many roles, titles and identities, but the one which I am most proud of is that of Father’.