From the pulpit to the tennis court: Retired Lutheran minister continues to serve

Ready?

“Rotate. Rackets up. Here we go. Good job. Now, let’s put our rackets down quietly,” Mark Brunner instructed his students.

On any given day, you will see Mark Brunner, at St. Clair Tennis Club in O’Fallon, running programs and events.

Friday was no exception for Brunner, a retired Lutheran minister. He was teaching return skills to four area children.

It’s always an entertaining experience for Brunner, who has taught lessons at the tennis club since 1994. In August 2007, Mark and his wife, Naomi, purchased the club.

Brunner had earlier served as a pastor at the now closed Divine Savior Lutheran Church in Belleville, where he was assigned after he graduated from the seminary in 1981.

Brunner, however, didn’t pick up a tennis racket until he was in high school, where he abandoned his baseball career and opted for more playing time on the tennis court.

His athleticism and influential high school tennis coach allowed him to make the transition quickly. “And I have never looked back,” he said.

Brunner went on to play tennis at Northwestern College in Watertown, Wisc. After college, Brunner entered the seminary, relegating his tennis to recreation.

But Brunner made a career change in 1994 after Divine Lutheran Church closed.

He earned his U.S. Professional Tennis Teaching certificate and began teaching tennis full time.

Hundreds of students, adults and kids, have benefited from his knowledge, expertise and incredible patience over the years.

For years, he also volunteered many hours of his time as assistant coach for the Belleville East High School boys and girls tennis teams. Many of his students have been Illinois State Tournament Qualifiers and have gone on to play college tennis. Several have become tennis teaching professionals.

He now splits his time as a business administrator and director of tennis, overseeing all of the St Clair Tennis programming.

Brunner still enjoys giving tennis lessons, especially to people who are new to the game.

He also continues to play the game.

“I enjoy doing both,” said Brunner, who now lives in Belleville and has five children and 13 grandchildren.

But make no mistake about it: Brunner is not John McEnroe. McEnroe is known for his shot-making artistry and volleying skills; for his rivalries with Björn Borg, Belleville native Jimmy Connors and Ivan Lendl; and for his confrontational on-court behavior, which frequently landed him in trouble with umpires and tennis authorities.

Brunner is quite the opposite. He is more laid back. That doesn’t mean to imply he doesn’t play hard and is intense when he picks up his racket. However, when his tennis match is over, Brunner is still friends with his opponents.

“My matches also don’t stick with me too long,” he said and smiled.

Meet Mark Brunner

Q: Do you have words to live by?

A: “I tell kids all of the time to enjoy the experience. They tend to worry a little too much about winning and losing. But tennis is best when you can enjoy the moment.”

Q: Whom do you most admire?

A: “As a tennis player, I always looked up to Arthur Ashe because of all what he accomplished. As a person, I admire musicians who’ve had to work hard, especially classical musicians.

Q: If you could spend time with a famous person, past or present, whom would it be?

A: “I would like to spend time with Eric Clapton. I listened to a lot of his music while growing up, and I still enjoy listening to his music today.”

Q: What is the usual state of your desktop?

A: “My desktop is somewhat orderly. But I do leave messes, too.”

Q: What do you think is your most outstanding characteristic?

A: “My most outstanding characteristic is my patience.”

Q: What type of music do you listen to?

A: “I enjoy listening to classical music.”

Q: If you were independently wealthy, what would you be doing?

A: “If I were independently wealthy, I would be doing a lot of what I am doing now, and maybe do some traveling.”

Q: What would people be most surprised to know about you?

A: “I think people would be surprised to learn that I was a Lutheran minister.”

Q: When they make a movie of your life, who would play you?

A: “Fred Rogers of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood would play me. He is very mellow like me.”

This story was originally published March 17, 2016 at 4:00 AM with the headline "From the pulpit to the tennis court: Retired Lutheran minister continues to serve."