Covenant pastor Ted Law passed away from a rapid onset of cancer on September 12, 2024, in Houston, Texas. He was 53.
Theodore “Ted” Law was born to parents Gabriel Hei-Kok Law and Cecily Hing-Dai Ho in Long Beach, California, on December 5, 1970. He was raised in a churchgoing family and learned about the Christian faith at a young age. After his parents divorced when he was in grade school, church attendance was one of the ways they tried to keep him grounded during a turbulent time. But his experiences were largely negative, and he didn’t enjoy attending. Then in high school, a friend invited him to attend church, and Ted said he accepted the invitation in order to meet girls.
But along the way, he had an encounter with God. During a time of prayer, he received a mental picture that God would rebuild his life from the ground up. From that time forward, his spiritual pilgrimage was marked by a deep personal connection to Jesus. Ted graduated from Palos Verdes High School in 1989 and went on to study mechanical engineering and sociology at the University of California in Berkeley, eventually earning a bachelor’s degree in sociology.
During his time at UC Berkeley, Ted felt God’s call to full-time ministry. Upon graduation, he applied and was accepted to Talbot School of Theology, where he earned a master’s of divinity in 1997. In 1994, he met Amy through his home church, Bread of Life in Torrance, California. They were married on June 15, 1996, and their union produced two daughters, Emi and Mia.
From 1994 to 1999, Ted served at Bread of Life Church in the college, adult, and worship ministries. In 1999, Ted and Amy moved from Los Angeles to Houston to begin ministry at West Houston Christian Church, first as youth pastor and then as the English adult congregation pastor, where he served until 2007.
In 2007, Ted became the lead pastor of Access Evangelical Covenant Church in Houston, a congregation committed to living life with God in soul, community, and mission. In 2008, he founded a nonprofit called Vox Culture, an arts and advocacy group for the unheard and the marginalized. In 2012, he was ordained to word and sacrament into the Evangelical Covenant Church after transferring his ordination from West Houston Chinese Church. In 2016, Ted joined the board of directors of Plant with Purpose, and eventually served a five-year term, embracing the holistic mission of reversing poverty and restoring God’s creation. He also had a part-time position with Fuller Seminary in Houston as a vocational formation group leader working with seminarians in spiritual formation.
“I often called him ‘The Natural,’” said Garth Bolinder, superintendent of the Midsouth Conference, “because of his wisdom, skill, and consistency. Ted was a leader in the Midsouth Conference, serving as chair of the Midsouth Ministerium, and on the Midsouth Executive Board. Access Covenant Church reflects its departed founding pastor; it is a leadership church in our conference and in the Covenant. We all grieve the loss of Pastor Ted Law, prayerfully come alongside his family, encourage Access, and thank the Lord for Ted’s friendship, leadership, and influence in our lives.”
In his free time, Ted enjoyed traveling around the world with family; spending time with Amy, Emi, and Mia; eating out with friends; art; photography; playing guitar, electric bass, and video games; tinkering with his project cars (all BMWs); swimming; practicing at the gun range; and training and walking his beloved dog, Jax.
After struggling with health issues over the summer of 2024, Ted and Amy went to urgent care to get an answer about what was causing swelling in his ankles and feet and how to resolve it. To their shock, tests revealed he had a large tumor in his kidney that had spread into his heart. He was transferred to MD Anderson Cancer Center, and the team of medical specialists tried everything they could, but multiple organs were failing. There simply wasn’t anything more they could do.
A community of family and close friends came from near and far to spend time with him in his remaining moments. His final day was an intimate gathering of family members, church leaders, and close friends. They surrounded Ted, spent time in Scripture and worship, told him they loved him, and said goodbye. Shortly after that beautiful sendoff, Ted passed away peacefully. Their hearts are shattered because they miss him so much, but they rejoice that he is no longer suffering and is whole again, resting in the loving arms of Jesus.
“I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. Now there is in store for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day—and not only to me but also to all who have longed for his appearing” (2 Timothy 4:7-8, NIV) .
Ted was preceded in death by his father, Gabriel Law, and is survived by his wife, Amy; daughters Emi and Mia; mother and stepfather Cecily and Rick Jaynes; brothers Dennis and Michael; and stepbrother, Andrew.
A memorial service will be held at West Houston Christian Church, 10638 Hammerly Blvd in Houston, on Saturday, October 5, 2024, at 2 pm.
The live stream will be available here >>
In memory of Ted and in lieu of flowers, his family invites you to continue the work to which Ted was dedicated by planting trees in his honor. These will be a living legacy, reversing poverty, restoring the environment, and bringing spiritual renewal to vulnerable families.
Peace be to his memory.
