Reverend Lawrence Pilkington

Beloved husband, father and retired pastor, Lawrence (Larry) Lee Pilkington, went home to be with the Lord on December 31, 2020. He died in his home, surrounded by his family, after a long illness. His in-person funeral service will be by invitation only due to coronavirus limitations on Wednesday, January 6 at 10:00 a.m. It will also be livestreamed on Youtube (https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCEDWj_onyTRkPrEVZc3uYDg) and Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/EBCBerwyn). Larry Pilkington was born on February 27, 1943 in Kansas City, MO to Joe Lee and Lydia Pilkington. He earned a B.A. in Pastoral Studies from Calvary Bible College, an M.A. in Secondary Education from University of Missouri KC, and an M.Div degree from Dallas Theological Seminary. On the day that he completed his ordination, he was also drafted into the U.S. Army. He served his country as an officer (1st Lieutenant) at Fort Story, Virginia and later at DaNang Airbase in Vietnam. Larry and his wife Shirley began their ministries at a small church in Ottawa, Kansas. They spent many years as church planters in Texas, Kansas, and Idaho. He also traveled extensively doing short-term missionary work in Russia, Venezuela, Taiwan, and India. He settled with his family in Berwyn, Illinois, where he served as lead pastor of Emmanuel Bible Church for 24 years. He loved being out in the mountains - hiking, biking, rafting, or camping with family. He was known for his infectious laugh and love for people, providing pastoral care for all in need and shepherding many toward a saving faith in Jesus Christ. He is survived by his wife of 53 years, Shirley Pilkington of Berwyn, IL; four children, Jon Pilkington (Laurie) of Sugar Grove, IL, Steve Pilkington (Chris) of Lyons, IL, Cheryl Ward (Zach) of Holland, MI, and Shara Brniak (Andrew) of Berwyn, IL; eight grandchildren - Sabrina Anderson (Jeremy), Samantha Pilkington, Angelina Pilkington, Jonny Pilkington, Jared Pilkington, Alexa Pilkington, Lincoln Brniak, London Brniak; one great-grandchild, Peter Anderson; his sister, LeAnn Swank and his nephews, Josh Swank and Daniel Swank.

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