“If any PFA member has a visitation need, I’ll try and fill it. I’m here for people in a stressful time.”
Anyone with a sick or injured loved one is welcome to call Phoenix First Assembly to request prayer and a visit from Pastor Howard Kratzer. As the Pastor for Hospital Visitation, he can usually be found walking the halls of one of the more than 40 hospitals and surgery centers in the Valley of the Sun.
Pastor Howard has been fulfilling this ministry for 25 years, 18 of them at PFA. “I love people and I am comfortable being with them during their times of difficulty,” he says.
Pastor Howard likes preaching a message of love and the gospel of salvation through Jesus. In fact, chaplains sometimes contact him for additional spiritual support for patients. His daily schedule varies considerably. He might start one day providing prayer and pre-op comfort to a surgical patient, and then stay with the family for hours while they wait for the outcome. Other days he might make several briefer visits to encourage patients.
“I do whatever I have to do,” he says. That might include late-night or weekend phone calls and visits for emergencies. “No matter what the reason, I go immediately,” he says.
He invites anyone who is not familiar with Phoenix First to “Come and see” what a difference Jesus can make in their lives. “They need to come for praise and worship where people can pray for them and they can pray for others. It’s a learning commitment,” he says.
Pastor Howard served as a youth pastor many years ago, but it would be many more decades before he would step into his truer calling. “When God leads you into a calling, you will be comfortable doing it,” he says.
“A big part of my ministry is just listening,” he says. “I am someone who can listen to their hurts and help them connect their faith together.
Pastor Howard is the father of three adult sons.
