Pastor Thurman Payton Thurman was born in 1965 in the Philippines two months after his missionary parents "smuggled" him into the country in utero. Growing up in a third world country, as a part of his parents' church planting ministry was, in Thurman's mind, the best life a child could have, with snorkeling, body surfing, and playing countless hours of tennis, basketball and other national games with his Filipino friends. For high school, Thurm went to a missionary boarding school in Manila, followed by four years at Cedarville University in Ohio, where he graduated with a History major, Bible minor and a deepening relationship with a cute girl from Wappingers Falls, New York named Lisa Beth.

It wasn't long before they married (1988), entered ministry life together (1990), welcomed Drew (1993) and Margaret (1995) into the world, finished two Master's degrees at seminary (1997 & 2004) and were surprised by Elijah (2003) showing up. As a family, the Paytons enjoy biking and reading together. But in their home, perhaps bigger than anything (even the countdown to Christmas) is the anticipation of a camping trip with friends, like their annual trek to the Smoky Mountains every spring.

Thurm loves golf and racquetball and he even gets in a little tennis now and again, even though he has largely put tennis aside since playing competitively in high school and college. He enjoys reading widely, remodeling projects and analyzing worldviews through classic and contemporary novels and film. He also runs and motorcycles with Lisa, and together they often spontaneously welcome friends around their dining room table to play games.

Mark Harbison

Mark grew up in the Detroit area as the oldest of four boys. He graduated from MSU (heard of it?) in 1973 with a BS degree in Civil Engineering.

After working as a city engineer for East Lansing, he had his first mid-life crisis and changed careers, spending the next 19 years in the ministry as a pastor.

After his second mid-life crisis, (how many does one guy get?) Mark went back to engineering with MDOT as a Staff Engineer for Local Agency Programs (read:  he gives out our Federal bucks for roads).

He occasionally claims a 3rd mid-life crisis in becoming a grandfather. Mark and his wife, Linda enjoy their relationships with their three grown children and their one and only, spoiled rotten, grandson, Avery (read: Mark may not look like a grandfather, but he sure acts like one!).

Mark is into things that make a lot of noise:  guitars, power boats, testosterone laden cars, middle-aged racquetball, and....preaching. (Linda says, to be sure to include snoring in that list.) Most people don’t know he once raced a Porsche at MIS (and finished without hitting anything.. “Way to go, Mark!”)

Mark and Linda became part of Lighthouse in 2001, attracted here by the grace-filled environment we enjoy....that, and he thought the church was cool...no one wears a tie....way cool! (read: Mark still doesn’t know how to tie a tie.)

Dana Gretzinger

If you visit Lighthouse on a Sunday morning, you will likely feel the warmth of genuine family, contagious joy and gentle passion.

That atmosphere is largely set by just who Dana is, as she invites us to worship with her and leads the children’s ministries staff to lovingly teach our children.

Dana was born in South Dakota, moved a lot, and has settled in Williamston with her husband Jimmy, and their two children, Jamie and Charlie.

Her experiences at Taylor University uniquely prepared her for the work she has done in elementary teaching in the Williamston Schools and now as worship team leader, children’s ministries team leader and adult small groups leader at Lighthouse.

She enjoys camping, reading and writing songs, which she shares (with some coaxing) with her Lighthouse family.

Dana first visited Lighthouse on the second Sunday we met and was captivated by the vision that the founding pastor cast for this new church plant. Since then, Dana has enjoyed (and enhanced) the community feel at Lighthouse, where it truly is a family that is very genuine and real about life.

Jimmy Gretzinger

For a guy who owns fifteen guns (and counting), safety isn’t usually a highly valued word. 

But for Jimmy, it’s one of the things he likes most about Lighthouse.

Jimmy shot into the world as a resident of Ludington and went to MSU (The University of Michigan). 

He works as the hired gun in front of the camera as the Executive Producer for Michigan United Conservation Clubs’ “Michigan Out of Doors” television program (which, he’s quick to shamelessly advertise, airs on Thursday nights at 8:30 on WKAR).

Basically, Jimmy is into anything that you can hunt, shoot or hit...meaning animals, video editing or a round of golf.
Unknown to many people, however, is the fact that in one of his hunting trips, Jimmy was actually run over by a bull elk in Colorado.

We’re glad he didn’t use any of those techniques in trying to pursue his wife, Dana, because we wouldn’t be able to enjoy their family, who he tells us includes two children, a dog......and, yes, fifteen guns. 

Jimmy came to Lighthouse when he and Dana moved to the Lansing area several months after trying to hire our founding pastor for another church.  (See?  He’s really into hunting and stalking.  Scary, huh?). He’s been here since the second service in 1999, and in his world of hunting and large, charging animals with menacing racks, he continues to enjoy this safe place to ask questions, be real, and know Jesus in a deeper way.

Jay Jenkins

Jay has called the Lansing area his home since the time he was born as the last of four children. It would seem that since his parents couldn’t improve on anything by having another child after Jay, they stopped.  And we think he’s been improving things ever since.

After graduating from Mason High School and attending Lansing Community College (the other LCC) a few classes short of a pre-law degree, he’s been improving properties for 22 years with Wolverine Development Corp. (a name which he can only spit out by also hurriedly adding that the sister company is Spartan Oil).

Jay met wife Jan in March, 1974 at a church camp and 6 months later he improved his general social standing by getting her to marry him.  Together they improve the lives of their four kids and two grandkids.

Jay enjoys softball and motorcycles, especially dirt bikes, and you can always find him tinkering....on the bikes and his pitching.  What most people don’t know though, is that Jay is not limited to two wheels. He also rides a unicycle.  It’s more of a challenge, and if there is anything that can get our resident “MacGyver” into something, it’s the idea that it’s too hard to do or can’t be improved upon.

Jay has been with Lighthouse since the beginning, when he and Jan left their church of eighteen years because they saw planting a new church as an exciting challenge.  If there was one word Jay would use to describe his experience at Lighthouse it would be “freedom” – in structure, worship, and new ways of doing ministry. 

It seems he’s not interested in improving on that.

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Linda and  Michael Mitchell

Linda Mitchell
Linda was born in Ionia MI, the firstborn of four children, graduated from Garden City High School. Linda and husband, Michael, have blended their families together and enjoy the company of their grown children, two grandchildren and chocolate lab named Kaza.  If Linda could pick anything to do, you’d find her gardening, cross-stitching or camping.

 Linda came to Lighthouse very soon after we began meeting and has been involved in several areas of service ever since. She enjoys the atmosphere of openness at Lighthouse to trynew experiences, to get out of one’s comfort zone, that have drawn her into a deeper fellowshipwith the Lighthouse family over the years.

Michael Mitchell
A Cherokee by birth, but a Spartan by choice, Michael was born in Lansing though his father was originally from Oklahoma and a member of the Cherokee Indian Tribe. Michael is a proud MSU alumnus and football season ticket holder, a fact which all but the completely oblivious who walk into his State Farm Insurance Agency office are likely to pick up.

 Michael owns a set of barely used golf clubs and a more consistently used camping trailer in which he and wife Linda enjoy the outdoors. He was a running back and defensive half back for his High School football team which was recently inducted into the Greater Lansing Sports Hall of Fame.  At the same time, he is no stranger to the stage or camera, since he also has a spot in the Screen Actors’ Guild and has been a professional model.

 Michael has been with Lighthouse since just about the beginning, and loves it for the availability of fellowship and opportunities to serve.  As everyone at Lighthouse has seen, Michael tirelessly takes those opportunities in whatever forms they present themselves.