On Sept. 18, during daily chapel at the LCMS International Center (IC) in St. Louis, the Rev. Stephen Heimer was installed as manager of All Nations Ministry for the LCMS Office of National Mission (ONM). In his role, he will support networking across the LCMS among Asian, black, ethnic, Hispanic, immigrant and indigenous congregations and ministry leaders for the sharing of the Gospel and providing of human care in close proximity to Word and Sacrament. He will facilitate the LCMS All Nations Council; identify needs for multilingual resources; and help design and develop resources for witness and outreach, church planting, mercy initiatives and leadership training.
LCMS President Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison preached for the installation on Mark 9:17–29, Christ’s healing of a boy with an unclean spirit, and ONM Executive Director Rev. Dan Galchutt served as liturgist.
In his homily, Harrison highlighted Jesus’ words: “‘All things are possible for one who believes.’ Immediately the father of the child cried out and said, ‘I believe; help my unbelief!’” (Mark 9:23–24). He reflected on how Baptism is a kind of exorcism, “the spirit of Christ chasing away the unclean spirit,” and how it is only the spirit of Christ who can provide access to God: “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (John 14:6). Turning to Heimer, he said, to scattered laughter, “Heimer, I bet you think I forgot about you.”
Harrison continued, quoting John the Baptist, who said, “Behold, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world!” (John 1:29). He continued: “Jesus said, ‘Go, therefore, unto all nations.’ … Thank God we have all kinds of people who have … joined our fellowship … quite in spite of us, sometimes at great cost … because they believe this confession of the faith is true. … God grant your work be blessed richly … according to His gracious promises.”
Prior to serving at the IC, Heimer ministered for 28 years on the U.S./Mexico border in El Paso, Texas, at Ysleta Lutheran Mission Human Care (YLMHC); at Zion Lutheran Church, El Paso; and in Mexico at the mission Iglesia Luterana de la Santa Biblia. His ministry on the border includes 13 years as an LCMS pastor with overlapping service at YLMHC as its chief operating officer, communications director, and founding director of its Adelante and Mariachi San Pablo Hispanic outreach ministries.
As pastor of Zion, El Paso, Heimer ministered to military families from Fort Bliss, veterans, civil servants, teachers, and various homeland security agents during Middle East deployments and the ongoing National Guard border mission. Heimer also has 13 years of experience working in the El Paso Immigration Processing Center, which serves men and women from all over the world who have been detained while awaiting immigration hearings. In response to various community crises on the border related to the economy, gangs, cartel violence, immigration and more, Heimer worked with LCMS congregations, Recognized Service Organizations (RSOs), schools and community partners. It taught him the necessity of building strong networks, which he will cultivate throughout the U.S. for All Nations Ministry.
Since 2022, Heimer has served as vice-president of the LCMS National Hispanic Ministry Convention and the Hispanic Missionary League Board of Directors. With YLMHC, he has assisted LCMS congregations and RSOs throughout the U.S. in Hispanic evangelism and outreach since 2003.
Reflecting on his new role, Heimer said, “Jesus Christ is building His church (Matt. 16:18). We are His church, of ‘every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages’ (Rev. 7:9). The LCMS has been hard at work in mission, and we are not starting at zero when answering Christ’s call today to minister in ethnically and linguistically diverse communities of the U.S. All Nations Ministry will celebrate our unity in Christ and preach the Good News together to everyone around us from all over the world.”
Heimer and his wife, Krysia, who herself served as an LCMS short-term missionary and YLMHC staff member and who has an M.A. in Christian Outreach from Concordia University, St. Paul, are blessed with five children: Jaden, Alivia, Andrew, Elise and Emmalyn. As a family, they were part of a revitalization of Zion, El Paso, and have performed music together throughout the U.S. as part of Mariachi San Pablo. Heimer is the son of the Rev. Karl Heimer, who immigrated from Cuba to the U.S. as a teenager and has served as an LCMS pastor in Hispanic ministry — working alongside wife Jeanette — for 52 years.
Posted Oct. 31, 2024
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