Pastor Mark Hein: Faithfully fulfilling his duty to his flock and firefighters

Mark Hein had a career as a hospital administrator – but 24 years ago, he left that job to answer the call into ministry. After a short assignment in North Carolina, Hein and his family landed in Lockport to serve at St. Paul’s Lutheran Church.

“I have the desire to serve the Lord. I always had the desire to go beyond serving as a Christian and becoming a pastor," Hein said. "My role is a shepherd to what is a wonderful flock of men, women, children and teens."

Hein said each week, that flock comes to hear him speak the truth of God’s word and to remind those in attendance – and himself – that they are not an island to themselves, and the church needs to be of assistance to the community.

“We need to help one another deal with what we deal with on the other days of the week. It’s a tough world and people need comfort and peace,” Hein said.

In addition to role as sole pastor at St. Paul's, in 2004 Hein was asked to come on board at the Lockport Fire Department as chaplain to assist on calls. He said his role was to attend to those involved in an incident, whether a fire or an accident.

“Hein has filled a longtime void in the department," Lockport Fire Department Chief David Skoryi said. "He lends a service needed that the firefighters are not trained to do. He’s an asset to the community and the people who come in contact with him."

Skoryi said when the department gets called out to an incident, they are trained to respond to the emergency – but when done, the people involved are grappling with loss, whether of life or property, and that’s where Hein comes in.

“Before Pastor Mark came, we didn’t have anyone available to deal with people after the emergency. He steps in and addresses the people’s needs post-emergency and has been a tremendous help,” Skoryi said.

Hein even uses Samuel, his Golden Retriever, for his work with the fire department. Samuel has been trained to be desensitized to sirens, lights and firefighters in full gear. Samuel also assists Hein with yet another passion, Lutheran Church Charities Comfort Dogs.

Hein and his wife Donna take Samuel throughout the country to offer comfort to those who have endured tragedy. Samuel has been to Texas after an explosion killed 13 firefighters, deployed to the tornado in Washington, Illinois, and has been trained to help those going through with emotional difficulties.

“We are currently doing a lot with Kendall County court system with victims of sexual crimes. The dog goes into the courtroom with the child to calm them as they testify. They love to have Samuel by their side,” Hein said.

Hein feels a sense of duty to those in the church and community, which has kept him in faithful service.

“It’s a joy to use my God-given talents and abilities to change people’s lives," he said. "I take a real involvement in the lives of those in my church and I love being with the firefighters."