Pastor Vertein grew up in Baraboo, WI. Their family attended church sporadically, until Grandma Belter finally persuaded Eric's mother to play the organ for their congregation (Christ Lutheran - near Devil's Lake).Soon the whole family was going to church every Sunday and Eric's dad became active in the church ushering and serving on the Church Council. Then the congregation experienced a vacancy. The dual parish of Christ Lutheran, Town of Greenfield (near Baraboo) & St. Paul's, North Freedom, received a seminary graduate, by the name of Gary Johnson.
This young, energetic pastor made quite an impression on the family. First Eric's older brother expressed interest in the ministry. And then Eric himself, at the age of eleven asked, "What do I have to do to become a pastor?"
Pastor Johnson directed his parents to the two Preparatory Schools in Wisconsin - Martin Luther Prep. School in Prairie du Chien & Northwestern Lutheran in Watertown. Pastor didn't want to spend 8 years on the same campus, so he opted for MLPS, where he also had a cousin (Mark Snyder).
At MLPS, Pastor met his wife-to-be, Monica Grimm. But he didn't get the nerve to ask her out until he was just a couple weeks from heading out for Northwestern College. Though they met in a High School that was a good hour and a half away from their homes, they actually grew up only a few miles apart.
To put himself through college, Eric worked at Bethesda Lutheran Home, caring for the Developmentally Diabled. During his Senior year at Northwestern, Eric asked Monica to marry him.
Eric entered the Seminary as a married man. Through grants and an afternoon job, Eric put himself through the Seminary and supported his growing family. Andrew was their first July baby. Two years later, while Eric vicared in Hastings, Minnesota, God blessed their family with Allison.
During Eric's final year at the Sem., he had the opportunity to work with the wonderful staff of WELS Lutheran's for Life (National Office). They have since changed their name to "Christian Life Resources."
During his vicar year, Eric had expressed his interest in missions to his bishop, Rev. Percy Damrow. Of course, he probably should have warned his wife about that interest, because on the day before Call Day, she got a call from him saying, "They've asked us to go to Bulgaria." Wow! What a change in life.
Eric and Monica spent the next 7 and a half years in that former Communist country. Every two years like clockwork in July they added to their family. First there was Alexander, who was born in Thessalonica, Greece. Then Ashely was born in Eric's hometown of Baraboo. Then when conditions improved, Anthony and Amber were born in a private hospital in Sofia, Bulgaria. Amber was the only one born outside of July, but at least she kept to the two year interval.
Missionary Vertein served Christians in many different cities, towns, and villages in Bulgaria. Many contacts were made through our humanitarian mission. Pastor Vertein taught English and Bible classes in an orphanage near the Serbian border, where they could hear Americans bombing on the other side of the mountains. He taught classes where his members were threatened by the IMRO "Internal Macedonian Revolutionary Organization." His family had to vacate one residence, where a chemistry student accidentally detonated himself and the elevator in the middle of the night, blowing the door of their appartment right off of its hinges.
Missionary Vertein would have continued to work in Bulgaria, had not the synod experienced a sad decline in revenue. Around Christmas of 2002, he found out that his call to Bulgaria would come to an end as of July, 2003.
Thankfully, the Lord was done with Pastor Vertein. The Christians of these two congregations were looking for a shepherd. In February of 2003, Pastor Vertein received and later accepted the call to serve at Crandon.
He daily seeks God's help in carrying out this joyous responsibility and privilege.
