Meet our Pastor and Staff

Pastor John was born in Alameda, California. Raised in Claremont in Southern California, he attended Lutheran High School in La Verne, then earned a teaching degree at Concordia, Nebraska. He taught High School and coached Basketball at his former Lutheran High School and then at Martin Luther High School in Maspeth, Queens, NY. He was Principal at Redeemer Lutheran (N-8) School in Glendale, NY for four years. He moved back to the West Coast when he was called to be Director of Education for St. Luke in Reno, NV, where he led programs for youth and adults for twenty years, while also earning his Master’s degree in Theology through Concordia University, Irvine CA; he was subsequently being called to be Associate Pastor at St. Luke. Pastor John was then called in 2018 to serve as senior pastor at Trinity in Gardnerville, NV and served that church until called in 2023 by Ebenezer Lutheran Church.

Pastor John is married to Martha, nee Grijalva, (whom he married in 1990) and has twin sons Aaron and Andrew. Aaron is a member and elder, choir member, and cantor at Ebenezer, and he is married to Narae; they have two children, Paul and Sarah. Son Andrew lives in Reno, NV, and is engaged to Megan, and helps provide assistance to Pastor’s mom who also remains in Nevada.