Pastor Mark Lillie and his wife Melanie have been partners in ministry since June of 1981, when they began serving together with Child Evangelism Fellowship and then moved into a church ministry as Associate Pastor in 1988. The last 23 years they have served together at First Baptist Church (FBC) in Pentwater. They have seen the church grow and move into a new and larger facility that, together with its food pantry building, takes up an entire block. Two of their three daughters graduated from Pentwater High School - Andrea in 2004 and Sara in 2011. Their eldest, Jennifer, began college when they moved to Pentwater. All three of their girls were married at the church. They have many family memories inextricably tied to the Village of Pentwater.
They will begin a whole new season of their lives this spring when they retire after 45 years of full-time ministry. Pastor Mark will be preaching his last sermon at FBC on April 19, and they will be moving to Grand Rapids to be closer to their children and grandchildren. The church will host an open house for the community on Sunday, April 19 from noon to 2 p.m. to bid the Lillies farewell with best wishes. The event will take place in the church fellowship hall.
The Lillies have been an integral part of the school community for many years, long past their daughters’ graduations. They have attended as many athletic events as possible and have invited the high school students into their home for Friday lunches throughout the entire school year. Since the parsonage is directly across the street from the school, it has been convenient to extend hospitality during the students’ lunch hour. In addition, Melanie Lillie has been the director of the Kid’s Adventure Club, an after-school voluntary program for students in grades K-5 on Wednesday afternoon. Serving the students has brought them great joy and has enabled them to get to know many of the community families.
Highlights of their years in Pentwater include seeing growth in the congregation and within the various ministries of the church, the expansion into a new facility (2013), the gift of a trip to Greece and most recently, the church’s decision to hire an associate pastor, Matt Seaver, to help with the ministry load. Lillie says, “I know that God has His hand on this well-established ministry that is in its 144th year of serving Pentwater and the surrounding communities. It is His church, and His people will carry on the work.”
There is much they will miss. Pastor Mark says, “It is difficult leaving the amazing village of Pentwater, that we have been privileged to call home for almost a quarter of a century. Melanie and I have shared laughter and tears, joys and sorrows with so many in this community. We will miss the ‘small town’ closeness where neighbor cares for neighbor. The FBC family is a unique, talented and closely knit group…including our summer church family. We love the worship and lifting our voices to the Lord."
The Lillies confess, “Although leaving after 23 years is difficult – we are a family. We take with us wonderful, shared memories and well-established friendships.”
And they have much to look forward to. “We look forward to having more quality time with our eight grandchildren and their parents and being more available to attend special events that they are involved with. We also look forward to slowing down the pace of life!”
