Briarwood Baptist Church honors Pastor Larry Mattis' 57 years of ministry

Posted on Fri, Oct 22, 2010 : 6 a.m.

Briarwood Baptist Church honors Pastor Larry Mattis' 57 years of ministry

By Pam Stout

Artist Kay Rowe presents a painting of Briarwood Baptist Church to Pastor Larry Mattis to honor Mattis' 57 years of ministry and 37 years leading Briarwood Baptist Church in northeast Ann Arbor.

Photo courtesy of Anita Burns

Reverend Larry Mattis was prepared to welcome a guest speaker at the harvest celebration and luncheon at his church last Sunday. But he didn’t know the primary focus of the celebration was to honor his 37-year tenure at Briarwood Baptist Church in northeast Ann Arbor, along with 57 years of ministry.

Mattis, 87, the founding pastor of the small congregation, is still active and ministers to seven senior homes a month, according to Anita Burns, a Briarwood parishioner. He attended Grand Rapids Baptist Seminary and started several churches in his lifetime. Briarwood Baptist Church was started on Liberty Street on Ann Arbor's west side, where it remained for about five years before moving to its permanent location at 7910 Warren Road.

Donald Potocki, a missionary in Mozambique, Africa, for the past 25 years, returned to Ann Arbor this month to begin sharing pastoral responsibilities with Mattis.

At services last Sunday, local artist and parishioner Kay Rowe surprised Mattis with a painting of the church he helped build. On the perimeter of the painting Rowe painted smaller vignettes with Bible verses of special meaning to Mattis, such as a lighthouse, a manger scene and a pastor in the pulpit.

Burns said Mattis was surprised and overwhelmed by the painting and said he was touched by the time and thought that was put into this very special painting. "He is a very kind, loving and caring man and a great Pastor that I hope will continue preaching for a long time," Burns said.