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Special Services

Immanuel Lutheran Church of Jackson officially entered a new era of ministry on Aug. 29th with a huge retirement party in Valley Springs for Pastor Gene Davidenas, who then “passed the baton” to the new interim pastor, Rev. Tim Huber.

Pastor Eugene Davidenas has a long history of active ministry. He was born on June 4, 1942, in Hammond, IN, and lived the first 21 years of his life in Calumet City, IL, along with his parents and one sister. He married Reta Marlene Benninghoff on June 15, 1963, at St. John Lutheran Church in Calumet City, IL. This 57-year marriage has blessed them with 7 children, one of whom is safe in heaven with Jesus.

“Pastor Gene”, as he likes to be called, graduated from Concordia Teachers College in Seward, NB with a B.S. in education in 1967 and then taught at St. John’s Lutheran School in Mayville, WI from 1967 to 1971. Thereafter he decided to go into the pastoral ministry and continued with his studies in theology at Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, IL where he earned his M.Div. in 1975 and was ordained in the ministerium of The Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod in 1975.

Since then, Pastor Gene has ministered in various parishes and the foreign mission field. After 18 years serving the Foothill Mission Society, and Immanuel Lutheran Church in Jackson and Foothill Evangelical Lutheran Church in Valley Springs, Pastor Gene retired on September 1, 2020. Now in retirement, he stated, “To GOD be the glory! I will continue to help out both of these congregations as needed in the future”.

After four decades of serving congregations in Michigan, Illinois, Oregon, and California, Rev. Tim Huber and his wife, Judith, retired to Pine Grove seven years ago to be closer to their three children and nine grandchildren. They also became members of Immanuel Lutheran in Jackson, which evolved from a “mission start” Pastor Huber initiated in the 1990’s while he was Senior Pastor at St. Peter Lutheran Church in Lodi. “Pastor Tim”, as he prefers to be called, received his M.Div. in 1974 from Concordia Theological Seminary in Springfield, IL where he additionally pursued doctoral studies. While in parish ministry, he also was one of the founders and authors of Concordia Publishing House’s LifeLight In-Depth Bible Study program that has sold over 1½ million study booklets. Pastor Tim will serve for the next year as Interim Pastor of Immanuel Lutheran in Jackson, as well as its sister congregation, Foothill Lutheran in Valley Springs. “After nearly 18 years of Pastor Gene’s ministry up here,” says Rev. Huber, “I have big shoes to fill until the congregations can call another pastor, but I look forward to working with dedicated people who love the Lord and have a deep compassion for those in need.”

When asked if there might be any new ideas for ministry during his tenure, he responded, “Pandemic restrictions have been a challenge for us, but the Word of the Lord endures forever. That got me to thinking: We meet in the newly renovated Justice Court Building on 42 Summit St., just a half block up from Main St., where businesses and employees have endured a great deal during the pandemic. Maybe it’s time for Immanuel and perhaps several other congregations to begin a ‘Merchants’ Ministry’ to assist them with their unique spiritual, emotional, physical, and material needs during this time. You can be sure we’ll be praying about it as we invite everyone to join us in worshipping our Savior and in reaching out to our neighbors!”