Pastor Curtis Lilly and wife Shirley

Pastor Curtis Lilly, was born in a log cabin along the Bluestone River in Lilly, West Virginia. His family moved to Detroit when he was 8 years old. Although he was not raised in church and didn't know anything about the Bible he began searching for God. He went to many different churches looking to fill the void in his life. Sunday morning January 8th, 1957 he attended the East Side Free Will Baptist Church in Detroit, and when the alter call was given he made is his way to the front and asked God to save him. He brought his mother to church the following Tuesday, and she was saved. About a year and a half later she died from the effects of a stroke.
Pastor Lilly answered the call to preach in April of 1957 at just 14 years of age. In April of 2007 we celebrated our pastors 50th year Anniversary of preaching. He started Pastoring when he was 18, and has been in the pastorate for the most part of the 46 years since.
He married at the age of 19 to Shirley (Ayers) his wife of 45 years. They raised three children, Kim, Sam and Randy. All three of his children are in Church and serving the Lord. Kim (Ball) is the piano player for her church and sings with her husband Richard and their children (The Ball Family). Sam works the sound board and runs the tape ministry, and Randy is our song director and one of the Deacons here at Friendship FWB Church.
Pastor Lilly started his ministry in a old store front building on skid row in Detroit. Since then he has pastored in Auburn Hills, two churches in Ferndale, Madison Heights and in Flint,
at the old Friendship Free Will Baptist Church on Leith Street. In 1999 after worshiping in the Genesee Christian Schools gymnasium while the new Church was being built we moved into our new church here in Davison.
Pastor Lilly's schooling includes a Masters of Ministry degree from Covington Theological Seminary in Rossville, Georgia.
Both Shirley and Pastor Lilly have a heart for people, missions, and revival. They endeavor to be a blessing and a help people in any possible way. It is their desire to see people saved, growing and serving in the local church.