The Motivational Marc Morrell
I had heard things about Marc Morrell over the years in East London. Good things. And I even had the opportunity to hear him speak a couple of times at Kidd’s Beach Christian Fellowship a few years back, but I had never met the man personally. When I finally did, it only took a few minutes to understand why everybody had said the things that they had and why, more than anything, people were drawn to him in such a big way.
Growing up, Marc attended Crewe Primary School in Amalinda and his Matric years were spent at Selborne College. It was around the time he matriculated, when he was convinced that his future involved a career in Sport (he was heavily involved in Provincial Cricket), that something changed in Marc’s life. His journey back and forth every day used to take him past a Church and one day, he felt a pull and that pull turned into an overwhelming desire to go to Church. Marc says that he never envisaged his life would take this turn and that, despite always having been a somewhat spiritual person growing up, he would never have imagined been pulled toward the Church in the way he was, with a calling to become a leader.
Marc eventually had to tell his Cricket Coach that he could no longer play on a Sunday because it was interfering with his Sundays at Church. His Coach thought he was crazy (at the time) but let him go to pursue his calling.
Marc pursued the new path that had been paved in front of him, went on to attain a Bachelors in Theology at Randburg Bible College in Johannesburg and qualified as a Pastor in 1996. He returned to East London where he did pastoral work at the Beacon Baptist Church.
In 1999, alongside his new bride, Paula, he travelled to a very remote part of Eastern Turkey where they stayed for 6 years, teaching English and building bridges with the Muslim people there. Marc has great love and respect for the Turkish people and to this day, the country and the people have a very special place in his heart. And Marc’s ability to open up his heart and love everybody, no matter what their colour or creed, is what also gives him a special place in the hearts of many others.
In Marc’s capacity as a Pastor, he has travelled extensively nationally and internationally, speaking and preaching in schools, universities, at conferences, camps etc. His speeches are motivational, he teaches about life and how every single person on this earth is important, that each one matters. Marc touches people’s hearts and his teachings really do make a difference.
A devoted father, Marc has two children – Timothy who is 9 years old, and Gemma who is 7. His extensive travels have, in the past, meant that he has had to spend time away from his family, something that has always pulled on his heartstrings. This year however, Marc and his family made the move to Gonubie and a position within the Gonubie Baptist Church opened up for him. An answer to not only his prayers but his family and no doubt the community of Gonubie who are absolutely delighted to have Marc leading their Church. He officially starts at GBC in January, giving him the opportunity to spend quality time with his family and enjoying all the outdoor pursuits that life at the Coast has to offer.
A keen surfer, fisherman and runner, Marc is never idle. He loves to keep fit and look after himself and recently completed the Masters Marathon, a whopping 42.2km run. He is a regular participant at the Nahoon Point Parkrun on a Saturday morning and simply loves everything about it, from the fitness aspect to the social side of it. Marc never misses an opportunity to speak positivity into people’s lives, knowing the strength of words and what impact they can have if used in a negative manner.
Marc’s love for people and his longing to make them realise their worth extends further than talks and speeches – he has also written two books, the first, ‘Ordinary People’, was published in 2006 and more recently, ‘One Life’, released this year. The message in his books is constant and clear – that no matter who we are, where we come from, what our colour is, what our beliefs are, we have been given the gift of life from God, and that we must maximise it.
Marc Morrell is a very real person with a huge heart. People are drawn to him because he is just that – an ordinary guy, but one who always has time for people, time to listen. He’s the kind of guy you know that you could approach if you had a problem and needed some advice. He wouldn’t turn you away, tell you he was too busy, he would listen and make you feel (and try to help you realise) that you ‘count’ as a person.
Marc’s message is clear: life is not a rehearsal, so let’s live it to its fullest. We are important and we do make a difference in this world.
Speaking such positivity into life is somewhat contagious when you are surrounded by it. If you are ever in the Gonubie area, why not visit the Baptist Church one Sunday to hear Marc preach? I guarantee you will leave feeling like you can take on the world. Oh, and Marc’s Cricket Coach? The one who thought he was crazy to give up on a career in Sport? Marc spotted him amongst the congregation during a sermon many years later, and when he had the opportunity to speak to him afterwards, his old Coach told him that he no longer thought him crazy, but that now he fully understood why Marc was called to the Church to become a leader all those years ago…