I was born in Detroit, Michigan, August 25th, 1962 to Larry and Berta Detmers and was told that my blind grandfather, Bertie Waynick, held me in his hands and told my parents, “Larry and Berta Joyce, this boy’s gonna be a preacher.” I was told that story many times from that point on and I did not share in the joy of that story because being a preacher was not my desire, mainly because God was not my desire. So, I went after what I loved most, myself and the love of sports, namely basketball and running. As the dreams of being a professional ball-player faded and God was drawing my heart to Himself, I began to fall in love with Jesus Christ and I gave Him my heart and my life in Fulton, Missouri 1985. After teaching and being the athletic director of a Christian School in Medinah Illinois from 1985-1987, I moved back to my home state of Michigan with my new bride, Cari Balderson Detmers, I went to work for the American Cancer Society, and not long after I was hired on, I relocated to beautiful Marquette, Michigan, with my wife and 2 week old daughter, Chelsea Anne, and assumed to position of Area Director for the Western Upper Peninsula March 21, 1991. We lived in Marquette for approximately 2 years and then one evening the phone rang. My good friend Pastor Drew Woods, whom I taught with at Medinah Christian School, was the new pastor at Cement City Baptist Church in Cement City, Michigan. They were looking for a Youth Pastor, and I came to him and his wife’s mind at the same time. So he asked, “Kyle, what do you think?” I said, “If God wants me there, I will be there.” So that January, 1993, I became the Assistant/Youth Pastor at Cement City Baptist Church. I grew and served there for approximately 15 years and was ordained by that church in January of 1998, approximately one month after my father went home to be with the Lord! That church body loved me and blessed me so, and I tasted the love of God through that church, and the Lord grew my family as in December of 1993 Aaron Josef was born an in April 24 of 1998 came along Hannah Joyce, hallelujah!
God continued to move in my life and my family’s life, and through a mutual friend who attended Cement City Baptist Church who used to live in the U.P., I came in contact with Pastor Charles “P.R.” Reed and preached at Marquette Bible church December of 2007, and came back to Marquette to be an official candidate June 22 through the 29th. That evening the body met and officially offered me the position of Pastor and I accepted that calling one week later. So, I still hear that story of my grandfather that began August 25, 1962, but the story I love most is the story of Jesus and His love for a wretch like me, that He bled and died for me and my sins, and He now is my Joy and my Pleasure and I have found Him alone to be “my portion forever!”
And that is God’s desire for you and my aim in all we do here at Marquette Bible Church, that people would be led to God, through faith in Jesus Christ, that we would say with our hearts and lives, “You show me the path of life; In Your presence is fullness of Joy; At your right hand are Pleasures forevermore!” (Psalms 16:11) GOD IS SO GOOD! May you find lasting, eternal Joy and pleasure in God, now and forever!
Serving you towards your Joy in Christ,
Pastor Kyle W. Detmers