Board member profile: Working at it with all your heart

Mark Reitsma is passionate about the finance industry. From an early age, the Lord opened up doors to work in finance, and after a series of upward career moves, he partnered with two other fellow Christian friends to form Regency Wealth Management in 2011.

“That was a key time,” Reitsma shares. “Building the business and partnerships, and seeing it grow exponentially, was really a blessing.”

Work done with the pursuit of excellence brings glory to God. Colossians 3:23-24 states, “Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working not for human masters, since you know that you will receive an inheritance from the Lord as a reward.”

Eastern Christian School has benefitted greatly from men and women like Reitsma, who have cultivated excellence in their professions. The school benefits from the partnership of many believers who are willing to serve in their spheres of influence.

One of the ways Reitsma has partnered with the school is through the EC board. Reitsma recently completed his third and final term, and officially stepped down in June. During that same time, he and his wife Pam have enrolled five children in the school, and still have two as EC students.

“The folks that nominated me thought I had some skill sets that could help the board. Reflecting on the past nine years, I feel like I have been able to contribute to the life of the school. Being a board member is a wonderful thing. The board really only has power as a unit, and I feel like I was just one piece of a larger group of very talented and smart people. I just felt privileged to serve with them.”

An alumnus of Eastern Christian, Reitsma shares that he was a “beneficiary of the three-legged stool,” which means he was blessed to be raised within the context of a Christian family, Christian church and Christian school. He also gives credit to his wife, who he says taught him what it means to be engaged in the local church and Christian community.

As he reflects back on his board service, he says, “I think I didn’t have a full enough appreciation when I signed on just how complex and well run the organization was until I was able to dive in and experience it. In my time there, I just saw things continue to improve and there was a real focus on excellence across the board.”

He adds, “I was thankful to serve out the remainder of my term at a high point in the history of the school. We had put COVID behind us, enrollment was really strong, and things were stable from a financial standpoint. There was a great admin team and there were great teachers. I felt like I was leaving things in good hands. I’m really excited for the future of Eastern Christian School.”