News at ABWE
Butch Frerichs with the Lord
Butch and Jean Frerichs
“Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of His saints” (Psalm 116:15). On Sunday September, 9, 2007, Chuck “Butch” Frerichs was called home to heaven by his Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Butch continued faithfully testifying to the very end of his life. On Saturday, he received word that there was nothing else the doctors could do. He took advantage of his last day to talk with a nurse about her salvation experience. She told him with tears in her eyes that although she was saved, she had gotten away from the Lord. Butch reminded her to get back to church and service for Christ. God called him home the next day.
Butch was born August 11, 1938, in Kalispell, Montana. He accepted Christ at a family camp in Idaho in 1954. He married Judy Curtis September 1, 1962. They both graduated from Whitworth College and Butch from Los Angles Baptist Theological Seminary in 1966. Through the influence of ABWE missionary, Bill Scherer, they felt God calling them to missionary service. They were accepted as missionaries by ABWE and appointed to the field of Lima, Peru in 1966.
They arrived in Peru in 1969 and were active in evangelism, discipleship, church planting and teaching in the seminary throughout their missionary career. God blessed them with the birth of Ruth in 1967, Sarah in 1968 and Steve in 1970. Chuck and Judy both encountered serious health problems and battled cancer. Judy went home to heaven in 1994.
On November 17, 1995 Butch married Jean Gustave, a widow of 13 years, who was a short-term MK teacher. They continued to serve the Lord in Lima, Peru, until July 2002 when they transferred to ABWE-USA to minister to the large Hispanic population in the State of Washington.
Early in 2007, Butch began to have a number of health problems and he temporarily moved to Rockford, Illinois, to be near his daughter whose husband is a doctor. He had emergency surgery and other treatment but his body was unable to recover and the Lord took him home.
In spite of health challenges, Butch continued to reach out to the Hispanic population with the intensity and grace that had always characterized him. In his last email to Norm Nicklas, ABWE administrator for North America, he wrote: “Continue to pray for more contacts with the Hispanic population here in Rockford and Belvidere. We have given out some tracts and had the opportunity to witness to some.” As always, Butch was concerned about reaching the lost for Christ. May we follow his example!
The family is asking that instead of flowers, please send gifts to the memorial fund set up under ABWE C/O Steve Frerichs, Acc. # 0110881-016, designated for the Las Vinas Church construction fund. This is the last church that Butch and another couple started in Lima, Peru. The funds are needed for additional construction. Butch’s son Steve is the missionary pastor of this growing church in Lima, Peru.