Pastor Gerald “Jerry” Reinke was born July 13, 1945 to Louis and Doris Reinke. His parents farmed in Twin Falls, Idaho. Jerry grew up on the farm. He attended Immanuel Lutheran church and Memorial Lutheran School through the eighth grade. He attended Twin Falls high school.

Karen, his wife, also attended Immanuel Lutheran church and Memorial Lutheran school from the fourth grade through the eighth grade. Karen and Jerry knew each other from those early years until they married in August, 1966. They also knew each other because Karen’s parents, Marlin and Margaret Ruhter farmed only a few miles from the Reinke family.

Jerry and Karen both attended the University of Idaho briefly before starting their career in farming. They have two children, Langdon, now a living in Salem Oregon with his wife Cheri and two sons Brandon and Corin and Cheryl Neylon who lives in Tigard, Oregon with her husband and two sons, Dexter and Mason. During the farm crisis of the Eighties, Jerry and Karen decided to change the direction of their lives. They left Twin Falls in 1985 to attend college at Concordia University, Mequon, Wisconsin. In fact, they both enrolled as Freshmen at Concordia University together with their son, Langdon. All three enrolled as Freshmen. Their unofficial motto at the time was “Don’t send your kids to college, bring them with you.” Cheryl began her first year of High School at Grafton, Wisconsin because of the move.

Following undergraduate studies, Jerry decided to continue his education at the Concordia Seminary, St Louis, Missouri. Following the four years of seminary studies, he was placed in a large congregation in Arlington Heights, Illinois, near Chicago. Karen worked downtown Chicago, commuting daily by train to work. They had many great experiences there, including the opportunity to travel to Russia and South Africa.

In 1999 Jerry accepted the call to become an Idaho Circuit Rider pastor. He and Karen were hired by the Northwest District, of the Lutheran Church Missouri Synod as missionaries to small and remote communities in Southern Idaho. They worked in that position for six years. During that time they purchased a semi-truck equipped with an outdoor stage and climbing walls and traveled throughout the area with college students, doing community Bible School activities and giving concerts.

In 2005 Jerry took the call to be pastor of St. John Lutheran church in Idaho Falls, where he served until October of 2012 when he retired. Pastor Jerry now lives in Hailey and works part time at Valley of Peace.