Pastor Peter Heckmann brings a lifelong Lutheran faith, decades of pastoral service, and a genuine love for God’s people to his work among us at Bethlehem Lutheran Church. As our yearlong “Vacancy” Pastor, he served our congregation at 1515 South Loop 256, Palestine, TX 75801, with the steady care of a pastor who knows the lasting hope we have in Christ.
Born and raised in Houston, Texas, Pastor Heckmann comes from a family of preachers: both his grandfather and father served in the ministry. After attending public schools in the Houston area, he earned a Bachelor of Arts degree from Concordia Lutheran College in Austin, Texas, in 1988. He then completed his ministerial training at Concordia Seminary in St. Louis, Missouri, in 1992.
Pastor Heckmann served St. Mark Lutheran Church in Edmond, Oklahoma, from 1992 to 2002. He then served Hope Lutheran Church in Austin, Texas, from 2002 to 2022. He and his wife, Terry, married in 1997 and have four adult children and one grandson, all living in Texas.
Pastor Heckmann leads Bible study once a month at the Trinity Men’s Breakfast at Trinity Lutheran Church. Bethlehem’s men join this fellowship for breakfast, study, and encouragement in the Word. “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another,” Scripture reminds us. — 1 Peter 4:10
Pastor Heckmann has also enjoyed tennis for more than 40 years, beginning with recreational games alongside his father and continuing through high school and college tennis. That tradition reaches into another generation through his children, with whom he played, and now his grandson. He and Terry also enjoy long road trips and time outdoors in God-created beauty. They recently visited Boston’s Freedom Trail and art museums, as well as Phoenix’s Botanical Garden and Frank Lloyd Wright sites.
We give thanks that Pastor Heckmann and Terry live nearby in the Tyler area and that he is serving among us in this important season of his life.
