In The Field: Proclaiming the Sure Word of the Lord

By Pastor Ted Krey
Pastor Krey is serving his first call into the Holy Ministry as a church planter in Venezuela. He is a 2001 graduate of Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, IN.

"This past month, I visited a woman whose husband lost his job and committed suicide, leaving her behind with two small children. The same day, I visited in the funeral home a 21-year-old wife with four-month-old twins whose husband was killed in a motorcycle accident. I proclaimed to them the love of God that we have in Jesus Christ and the promise of the resurrection that we have when we believe in Him. "I cannot help but wonder if those two men knew of Jesus Christ. Who was there to tell them of the salvation that we have in Jesus Christ? Only Jesus Christ offers hope, love, peace, and forgiveness, and all these things a pastor is privileged to offer in the Word of God and His Sacraments. "This past week the widow of the man who committed suicide came to church for the first time to find out who we are. I am hopeful that we will be able to baptize her two little ones. "I visited the other grieving widow last week, and she had prepared a shrine in her house and had paid the local witch doctor to come and say prayers for the welfare of her dead spouse. There are still many, many people, like this young lady, who do not know the hope and salvation that is theirs in Jesus Christ. To be a pastor is to have the opportunity and privilege to proclaim Him to a world that is dead in its sin and despairing of its future." These are the words of the Rev. Ted Krey who is serving his first call into the Holy Ministry as a church planter in Venezuela. He received a B.A. in History from the University of Windsor, Ontario, Canada (1997), and then earned a Master of Divinity from Concordia Theological Seminary, Fort Wayne, Indiana (2001). "The first and biggest challenge thus far has been learning Spanish," states Pastor Krey. "After finishing seminary, I was bursting with the opportunity to use what I had learned, only to find out that everyone in my new world spoke only Spanish. So I went to Guatemala for five months for my first-ever Spanish lessons. I worked hard and, by the grace of God, I learned! I then traveled to Maracay, Venezuela, and have been here ever since doing ministry. In worship services Pastor Krey uses the two synodical Spanish hymnals, Cantad al Senor and Culto Cristiano. "This year we have grown from a confirmed membership of 26 to 50 souls. We average between 55 to 65 people in our worship services. We had one man worshiping in our mission a year ago. As a congregation we prayed for more men in our growth. Today, 40% of our congregation is male. Jesus says, ŒWhatever you ask in My Name Š' "It has been interesting learning a new culture," says Pastor Krey. "Venezuela is predominantly Roman Catholic, yet issues like magic, worship of the saints, and new age spiritualism are alive and well, and much of it is blended with the Roman Catholic Church. Fortunately, the Book of Concord addresses all of these issues, and I have found it absolutely vital in teaching Lutheran doctrine and how it is different from pagan religions and Roman Catholicism." As is evident from the example at the beginning of the article, many Venezuelans believe in purgatory, the veneration of the Virgin Mary, worship of the dead, pagan worship, and magical practices. "We've felt firsthand the mission cuts that have faced our Synod. Upon arrival, five LCMS mission pastors greeted me. In less than two years all of them, including my partner and his family, have been cut from the Venezuelan field. This has been extremely difficult, and many missionaries feel isolated. Fortunately our Lord does not abandon us-He commands us in His Word to preach and teach to all nations; therefore, we have the sure word of our Lord Jesus Christ Himself to carry on His ministry in the Name of the Triune God. "In March of 2003, Vicar Ross and Deaconess Mireya Johnson came to assist our mission plant of La Fortaleza Lutheran Church. They are interns from Concordia Theological Seminary and River Forest respectively. Their commitment to the Lutheran Confessions and clear Lutheran identity has assisted us in training Lutheran pastors, deacons, deaconesses, and laity who are well prepared to defend and proclaim their faith. Our goal is to establish Lutheran churches that are founded on the Word of God and that will continue to propagate the Gospel to their communities, their families, and their world. "In this parish they teach courses through a theological extension program that is intended for laity and pastors. Some courses are 13 weeks and others are one week intensives. This year they have taught courses on Matthew, Liturgy, Law and Gospel (Walther), the Life of Paul, the Life of Luther, Basic Christian Doctrine (Koehler), and How to Share the Faith. Apart from this they have a weekly Sunday Bible class that discusses the epistle for the Sunday. The youth also have Bible classes each Saturday. Men, women, and youth all take these courses." Pastor Krey has been privileged to see the Word of God transform lives. "As an example, we have a young man of 18 who was doing nothing with his life except playing video games. In two years, he has gone from this to taking night classes to finish his high school, he has found a job four days a week, he is attending four theological classes that we teach, he has become our head musician on Sundays, and is active in our weekly youth meetings." Pastor Krey comments, "We all have the privilege of serving the Lord in whatever vocation we find ourselves. The church needs more pastors, more missionaries, more teachers, and more deaconesses. The need is great. I highly recommend the deaconess program to all young women looking to serve in the church in a professional capacity. The level of theological awareness and identity given to the deaconesses in supporting the pastor and the mission of the church is one that ought to be recommended as a viable option to all young women of our Synod. I am strongly urging two of my five sisters (one of whom is only nine!) to explore this vocation." " As missionaries, we love to receive mail from people about their churches and their lives. Please feel free to contact us!" Pastor Ted Krey 2111 NW 79th Ave. C-555 Miami, FL  33122 tkrey@hotmail.com Vicar Ross and Deaconess Mireya Johnson: applesmasher@hotmail.com

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