Reverend David S. Bilyeu, M. Div.
Education: Judson College (Elgin, IL); Northern Baptist Theological Seminary (Lombard, IL)
The Reverend David S. Bilyeu, M. Div, has served as Senior Minister of the First Baptist Church of Marietta since October 2005. Pastor David, a native of Illinois, has served churches in Illinois and Ohio as a pastor, youth pastor, and music minister.
Pastor Bilyeu is a graduate of Judson College, earning a Bachelor of Arts degree in Fine Arts. Pastor David earned his Master of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary in Lombard, IL. He is ordained through the American Baptist Churches of the Great Rivers Region (Illinois/Missouri).
While growing up in Illinois, Pastor David was active in the Boy Scouts of America. He is an Eagle Scout (having earned scouting's highest honor in 1980). He also received the God and Country award, a religious honor of Protestant scouts. He was elected by members of the Lincoln Trails Council to receive the Vigil Honor in the Order of the Arrow, an honored camper's society. Pastor Bilyeu has hiked the mountains of Philmont Scout Ranch (Cimarron, NM), attended the 1979 National Order of the Arrow Conference, and the 1981 National Scout Jamboree. He recently completed a 76 mile canoe trip in Michigan with his oldest son.
While a student at Judson College, Pastor David served as a president and business manager of the college choir. During that time, he traveled extensively throughout the United States, Haiti, Jamaica, Mexico, and several European countries.
Pastor is a member of several professional organizations including the American Baptists Minister's council, the Boy Scouts of America, and the National Eagle Scout Association. He has also been a member of Rotary International, where he was a member of the Board of Directors, and Kiwanis International. Pastor David currently serves on the Marietta Bantam Baseball Board of Directors.
The pastor is Vice-President of the Marietta Baptist Association, one of several associations affiliated with the American Baptist Churches of Ohio (ABC/OH). First Baptist Church is currently in a covenant relationship with the ABC/OH and committed to a transformational process called Rise Up & Build! Most recently, Pastor David, along with 10 others, traveled to the Gulf Coast of Mississippi to assist in rebuilding a community ravaged by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina
Pastor David is married to the Reverend Patricia K. Bilyeu. Patty is a graduate of the University of Toledo (OH) with a Bachelor of Arts degree in Communication. Rev. Patty also earned the Master of Divinity degree from Northern Baptist Theological Seminary, and has served churches in Illinois as interim pastor, youth pastor, and minister of Christian education. Rev. Bilyeu was ordained to the Christian ministry in her home church (The First Baptist Church of Greater Toledo) through the Toledo Baptist Association and the American Baptist Churches of Ohio.
The Bilyeus have three children, Andrew, Jacob, and Mark.
Sean Brakey
Hometown: Shaker Heights, OH
Education: Allegheny College (Meadville, PA)
Sean attended church from a very young age, but didn't know what it really meant to be a Christian. He had morals and values in his background, but there was not much in the way of a personal relationship with God. The church Sean grew up in was not an evangelical church, and so he was not always spiritually fed.
It was while attending college Sean began to pursue a real relationship with Jesus as his Lord and Savior. He attended St. John's Full Gospel Baptist Church during his freshmen year. In his sophomore year, he became involved with Fellowship of Christian Athletes (FICA), became a leader in his junior year and led again in his senior year. Throughout his college years, Sean's faith constantly grew. Sean says, "In just three years I went from being a guy who thought of himself as a Christian but didn't rally know the Lord, to a Christian man on fire for the Lord and doing ministry, leading, and discipiling others on campus."
From the encouragement Sean received from his advisors (his pastor and advisor for FCA), he began to realize that God was calling him into ministry. While he resisted at first because he felt God wanted him to become a teacher, he later realized just what the Lord was doing in his heart and through his ministry at Allegheny College, that God wanted him to serve in ministry.
Sean is thrilled to be able to serve as the Youth/Young Adult Minister and try to help those in the church as well as on campus come to know the Lord and fall in love with Him just like he did. Sean has a heart for high school and college age people and is excited that God has given him the opportunity to reach out and change lives.
Here's what members of our interview committee had to say about Sean:
Our congregation officially welcomed Sean to its staff in August 2006.