Suffering Well: Pastor Skip Heitzig

Pastor Skip Heitzig is the senior pastor of Calvary Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico, and a long-time board member of Samaritan's Purse. He has traveled all over the world with Franklin Graham, getting to witness Samaritan’s Purse projects firsthand. Kristy Graham, host of On the Ground with Samaritan’s Purse, recently talked with Pastor Skip about how he got involved with Samaritan’s Purse after praying for ways he could participate in ministry outside of the local church. God’s heart loves the world, and Pastor Skip believes the church should have a vibrant mission focus with projects that send people out into the world to proclaim the Gospel.

“I've always been impressed whenever I've traveled to different field settings with Samaritan's Purse, just the caliber of skill as well as the depth of spirituality. You have committed believers who are highly skilled, who are risking their lives in these areas. So, when I go, … it boosts my faith.”—Pastor Skip Heitzig

In 2020, Samaritan’s Purse responded to the COVID-19 pandemic in Cremona, Italy. This opened the door for Franklin Graham to speak in Milan and Rome years later. These are places where Franklin’s father, Billy Graham, never had the opportunity to preach. The crisis response opened up the door for more Gospel opportunities. Pastor Skip reflected on his time at the crusade in Rome and how impactful it was to lead a pastors’ conference there where the participants were so hungry to understand the Word of God more.

Pastor Skip came to know Christ in 1973 as a young adult. He was raised Catholic, but he had never heard the Gospel. One day when he was bored, Skip turned on the television, and Billy Graham was preaching. This changed Pastor Skip’s life forever.

“I heard the Gospel. I heard from Billy Graham what I never heard in church. That I could have a personal relationship, that I could be born again. There was something that invited me into that truth.”—Pastor Skip Heitzig

God is good, even in the hard, unforeseen circumstances of life. We are all in affliction, and we always will be on Earth, but we can be faithful in the midst of it. Pastor Skip gave encouragement to those that are in difficult times and difficult places and shared how to stay fruitful. Pastor Skip also walked through the story of Joseph from the Bible, a phenomenal example of how we can persevere through suffering.

“We should change our question when we are going through suffering. Usually, our question is, ‘How can I get out of this?’ And our question ought to be, ‘What can I get out of this?’”—Pastor Skip Heitzig

Please pray for Pastor Skip as he leads Calvary Church and serves on the Samaritan’s Purse board. Pray that the Lord would continue to provide him with wisdom and discernment as he helps make decisions. If you’d like to keep up to date with more stories from On the Ground, please visit SamaritansPurse.org.