St. John Lutheran Church (Genesee, Idaho)

On July 14, 1889 an itinerant missionary pastor of the Joint Synod of Ohio, Rev. Henry Rieke, accepted the call to become the first pastor of St. John’s. Construction of the church began in June of 1890, and it was dedicated on November 30 of that year. In 1898 the congregation became self-supporting. It was not until the turn of the century that services were held in English. In 1905 the church was enlarged and used often as a school. The present church was completed in 1915. By 1930, German services were dropped.

Rev. Marcus Rieke, a grandson of the congregation’s first pastor, was installed in 1935 and served until 1941. In 1960 St. John’s joined with Genesee Valley Lutheran Church to form a parish of two congregations to be served by the same pastor. This arrangement continues to this day.

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