Rev. Luis Coronado. (Photo: Johanna Heidorn, ILV social media.)

VENEZUELA – The Lutheran Church of Venezuela (Iglesia Luterana de Venezuela – ILV) has announced that their former president, Rev. Luis Gregorio Coronado, has been murdered.

Rev. Coronado was reported missing on December 12. He was found deceased, with his hands and feet bound, on December 16 in a vacant missionary residence building owned by the church.

“The blood of a saint cries out,” the Venezuelan church wrote, announcing his death. “His work for both the local and national church was faithful and constant…. As a national church, we thank God for his service, his friendship, and his love.”

Rev. Coronado was elected to a two-year term as President of the Lutheran Church of Venezuela in November 2009. He had previously served the ILV as Vice President, and was pastor of Lutheran Church Fountain of Life (Iglesia Luterana Fuento de Vida) in Puerto Ordaz (Guayana City) for more than two decades. At the time of his death, Rev. Coronado was also serving as Pastoral Counsellor for southern Venezuela.

Rev. Coronado is survived by his wife and three children.

The ILV issued a prayer remembering Rev. Coronado and asking comfort for his family which reads in part:

“O God of grace and glory, we remember our pastor who is now in your eternal presence. We thank You for making him a shepherd of your flock, and for giving us the opportunity to know him as your servant in our pilgrimage on earth. In your kind compassion, comfort the Coronado family and your church in these moments of grief. Give us faith to see that death is the door to eternal life, so that with confidence we can continue our journey here on earth, until You call us to meet with those who have gone in the faith before us—through Jesus Christ, Your Son, our Lord, who lives and reigns with You and the Holy Spirit, one God now and forever. Amen.”

The Lutheran Church of Venezuela is a member of the International Lutheran Council, a global association of confessional Lutheran church bodies.

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