07/20/2026
Dear Dr. Lugo and Mrs. Maritza Lugo, and to your dear mother, sister, and the entire Lugo family,
On behalf of Pastor Peter and Tessa van Dyk, and our whole church family, we want to express our deepest and most heartfelt condolences on the passing of your beloved father, husband, grandfather, and faithful servant of the Lord.
Our hearts are with you in this tender and painful time. We know that your daddy has been ill for some time, and we also know how faithfully and lovingly you have traveled to Puerto Rico as often as you could to help care for him alongside your mother and sister. What a beautiful testimony of love, honor, and family devotion.
The Word of God reminds us in Psalm 116:15, “Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints.” Though our hearts grieve, heaven rejoices as a faithful servant of God has come home. Your father was a pastor, a shepherd of God’s people, and a man who served the family of God. His life and ministry have left a lasting testimony. We also know he was very proud of you, Dr. Lugo, and of all that God has done in and through your life.
Today we hold tightly to that blessed assurance: Jesus is ours. Oh, what a comfort and what a glorious assurance we have in Christ. We are saved by grace through faith, and that not of ourselves; it is the gift of God—not by works, but because of the finished work of Jesus Christ on the cross.
Because your father placed his faith in Jesus Christ alone, we do not grieve as those who have no hope. He is not lost. He is not suffering. He is not sick, frail, or weary anymore. He is very much alive in the presence of the Lord, whole and rejoicing in the glory of heaven. By the promises of God’s Word, we believe he is now in the presence of Jesus, reunited with the family of God and loved ones who have gone before him.
To Dr. Lugo’s dear mother, his sister, Dr. Lugo, Mrs. Maritza, and all the family left behind in this world: may the peace of God surround you, may the comfort of the Holy Spirit strengthen you, and may the hope of heaven carry you in the days ahead.
Please know that your church family loves you, mourns with you, and is praying for you. May the Lord hold you close and remind you that this goodbye is not forever. In Christ, there is resurrection, reunion, and eternal life.
With our deepest love, prayers, and condolences,
Pastor Peter and Tessa van Dyk
and your Church Family
