NSW Baptist's Senior Minister the Reverend Ken Clendinning wrote to Mark Tronson:
"This is the end of what has been an important era, though you have already left a significant legacy that will continue into the future. Under God, you have been able to achieve initiatives and new ministries that very few others would have ever been able. This impact will serve us for generations, especially in bringing the Christian message to those who otherwise would not have heard. ….. (you will) be able to make some further contribution into the lives of pastors, missionaries and churches."
Col Hulme, a friend wrote, as a sample of many such letters:
"Thankyou for your letter, telling of your plan to ease back a little. I think that the advice given by those faithful ladies was probably quite timely. I have some idea of the energy and commitment which you (and Delma) have put into your activities and program. You have touched many people's lives and have been very faithful in sharing the Gospel and its impact on the Mark Tronson story. Well done ! I have no doubt that the Lord does allow a mixture of recreation and calm. And on top of that, I think that your mentoring role will be a blessing to those younger men (and women) who fill the vacancies."
Mark Tronson said that slowing down is not hanging up the gloves of Christian Ministry. This is a deliberate and carefully planned redirection so a fresh, young, new generation can come through.
In 1982 as a young Baptist minister, Mark Tronson was invited to an international congress on Sports Mission in Hong Kong. Mark Tronson was a hockey player and triple jumper and wrote hockey (as a stringer) for The Australian newspaper for 24 years to 1994, writing five books on hockey.
He was serving two days a week with the InterChurch Trade and Industry Mission (ITIM) as the Industrial Padre at Shell Refinery in Sydney and his attendance at this Hong Kong conference was formerly endorsed by both ITIM and the Baptists.
Upon his return he initiated a fresh ministry to Australia's professional sports. Mark Tronson established it through Heads of Churches as he and they recognised that such a ministry was beyond any one Denomination. After 18 months of theological foundations, the Australian Cricket Board was the first to adopt chaplaincy and Mark Tronson became that chaplain (retired in November 2000 after 17 years).
The late Reverend Kennenth L McDowell the then director of ITIM coined this new ministry's name: Sports and Leisure Ministry (SLM) and when formally incorporated, the acronym was retained with "Specialised Life-Orientated Ministries Inc."
Over that 18 year period Mark Tronson negotiated chaplaincies to professional sports across the nation including the Australian Institute of Sport, 150 appointments in all. He also developed a network of Christian Athletes. Mark Tronson successfully led SLM through an Australian Taxation Office audit in 1998 from which he was diagnosed with post traumatic stress and the 1999 wiles from within SLM saw him in the Moruya Hospital's intensive care heart ward.
Heads of Churches in March 2000 released Mark and Delma Tronson to a fresh ministry, Well-Being Australia, with "a clean bill of health" from those internal SLM traumas. Here Mark and Delma Tronson continued their athlete respite ministry which they had established in 1992 in Moruya (Basil Sellers House), the Australian Cricket Ministry (in 2001 became Life After Cricket) and he developed other ministries of interest.
Over these past 11 years he built two Art Centres sponsored by art mentor Mr Basil Sellers AM, a Basil Sellers $10,000 art prize in Moruya (now $15,000), and furthered his interest in tourism ministry and writing. He and his wife Delma relocated to Tweed Heads at the end of 2005 to replicate the athlete respite facility (Basil Sellers Tweed). He also became the Footplate Padre writing a monthly article for On Track Railway e-magazine (he has written 16 books on railways).
Life After Cricket ministry publishes the Retired Australian Cricketers Bi-Annual Newsletter released on 30 March and 30 November each year. The editorial team has remained unchanged: Allan Border, David Boon, Greg Chappell, Kim Hughes, NSW Cricket (Phil Emery) and VIC Cricket (Jason Bakker and Shaun Graf).
Mark and Delma Tronson were presented the Olympic Ministry Medal in 2009 by Olympian of the Century Carl Lewis in Dallas Texas, and established the Australian Missionary News IPTV with short powerful interviews. He became a regular columnist for Christian Today, who invited him to became an official advisor and in-house theologian. He initiated a daily sports article with five young Sports writers and this then led to a team of young Comment writers from across the nation.
To hand on these batons, Mark Tronson has mentored a team of young people for the SE Qld AIS Athlete Respite, the Surfing Australia High Performance Centre Athlete Respite, Life After Cricket, the young Sports and Comment writers along with young anchormen and women for the Australian Missionary News IPTV.
Rev Viv Grice of the Baptist Churches of NSW wrote - "You have served long and well, you will no doubt continue to serve Christ though 'retired' from formal (Baptist) ministry."
Mark Tronson continues as a volunteer with Well-Being Australia in mentoring, writing, respite and as WBA Chairman. As 59 is not a pensionable age he and Delma remain faith financed but with a much lighter 'designer' work load. 2011 is their twenty ninth year living by faith finance (monthly donations).
They have had five praying ladies in all these years who devote one hour each day praying for their marriage, their children and their ministry. They have four adult children, two are married and Mark and Delma are grand parents. He is taking a good deal of respite at the new (third) Well-Being Australia Respite facility, Basil Sellers Laguna Quays on the Whitsundays.
