Erick Kaiser – Pastor, Evangelist, Missionary, Builder and Outdoorsman

 

Over two weeks in June of 2000, 72-year-old Rev. Erick Kaiser led a group of young people on a 205-mile walk from Salmon to Idaho Falls, to raise money for an orphanage in Romania.  The Post Register’s report of their trek begins, “They battled blisters, braved the blazing sun and even ran into a couple of snakes…”[1] The money they raised went toward the construction of Idaho House, one of several houses in the City of Hope,[2] a community of orphanages in Bucharest, Romania. 

Born to German immigrants, Erick Kaiser grew up of a farm in eastern Montana.  Following graduation in 1948 from North Central Bible College in Minneapolis, he married, and for the next six years he and his wife Joyce pastored a church in Glendive, Montana.[3] Then they moved to Billings, started a church that met first in their home and then in a building they constructed on neighboring property.[3]

In May of 1958 the Kaisers, now with four children, moved to Idaho Falls to pastor the Central Assembly of God Church, living in the parsonage on the corner of Holmes and Garfield.[4]  In addition to pastoring the church, Rev. Kaiser and his sister Wilma[5] taught the Christian kindergarten that the church had started.  In the 1958-9 school year, the kindergarten had an enrollment of 47,[6] the following year when the enrollment jumped to 115, Rev. Kaiser reported that they had still had a few openings in both morning and afternoon sessions.[7]

An column Rev. Kaiser wrote for the Post Register’s Friday Pulpit[8] “The Father’s Business” from Luke 2:49 is somewhat of a blueprint for the course of his own life:

“…As we examine Jesus’ life, it is found that He called men to follow Him and also that, with His followers, ‘He went about doing good.’ Since the Biblical invitation is still in effect – that men should follow Jesus and be disciples of His – it is also reasonable that these present-day followers should continue to carry out the effective good work that Jesus did.  If it was ‘the Father’s business' when Jesus was on the earth, to call men to Himself and point men to His Heavenly Father, then we, as Christ’s followers, certainly have the same ‘Father’s business’ to fulfill.  It would serve well, perhaps, to outline the ‘Father’s business’ to a limited extent. Jesus being the leader, we may do well to follow His example.  Some, like Peter, James and John, were to follow Him in ministry for life, while others were to sit at His feet and learn of His Ways.  These would serve Jesus for life as well, but rather as a living testimony of His powers to change lives.  It seems that the Scripture Mark 16:15, would fit every believer, ‘Go ye into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature.’ This will demand of His followers holy living, holy preaching and holy work…”

The Kaisers pastored the Assembly of God Church in Idaho Falls for seven years.  In addition to performing all the duties of a church pastor, Rev. Kaiser served for a year as president of the Idaho Falls Ministerial Association, served on a committee[9] of the Eastern Idaho Chapter of the Idaho Allied Civic Forces that included advising a judge on juvenile problems, spoke at meetings of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, spoke at Union services, and in 1963 was co-chairman of a multi-church sponsored evangelistic crusade in Idaho Falls.[10],[11] 

When Rev. Kaiser resigned his position with the church in Idaho Falls, he said he planned to tour the country conducting evangelistic meetings.[12]   A report four years later, when he was leading meetings at the Assembly of God church in Firth, mentioned that he had traveled as an evangelist “to much of the mainland United States, Alaska and Mexico.”[13]  Visiting Idaho Falls a decade after that, in 1977, the Post Register reported, “The Kaisers have spent considerable time in Old Mexico during the past couple years overseeing construction of new churches in the rapidly expanding work of evangelism of the Assembly of God in that country… they have traveled widely in the United States and Mexico sharing the gospel of Jesus Christ and His love to humanity.[14]

During these years of travelling, the Kaiser’s home base remained in Idaho, near Gibbonsville, north of Salmon. When still pastoring in Idaho Falls, the Kaisers had purchased property there, and Erick built a house on the property.  For many years in the summer and fall months, Rev. Kaiser worked for the Salmon National Forest in Recreation Patrolman and fire crew duties. According to his obituary, “Erick was a consummate outdoorsman where he enjoyed hunting, fishing, getting firewood, hiking the mountains, exploring old mining and historical sites. He was an avid rock collector and has collected many unusual specimens…”[3] 

Starting in 1976 Rev. Kaiser’s mission focused even more on new church and Bible school construction. He worked for seven years in Mexico and Brazil, then moved to Jamaica where and his wife served for more than 15 years, raising funds, coordinating teams of volunteers, importing supplies when unavailable locally and doing general church design and construction.[3] 

In 2015 the Kaisers moved onto the property of their son and daughter-in-law in Maple Valley, Washington. On July 27th, 2021, at age 93, Erick passed away peacefully in his sleep.[3]

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[1] “Forging Ahead for The Orphans,” The Post Register, June 25, 2000, p. B-1.

[2] Now known as the Hope Rescue Center, http://eng.hrc.org.ro/.

[3] https://www.tributearchive.com/obituaries/22077297/erick-kaiser

[4] The Post Register, April 24, 1958 and June 5, 1958.

[5] One Post Register article names Wilma, who was Erick’s sister, as a teacher of the kindergarten, while a later Post Register article reports that Rev. Kaiser and his wife taught the kindergarten the seven years that they were in Idaho Falls.

[6] The Post Register, May 29, 1959, p. 2.

[7] The Post Register, September 13, 1959, p. 7.

[8] The Post Register, July 24, 1958, p. 19.

[9] Also serving on that committee were two other Idaho Falls pastors, Rev. Donald F Austin and Rev. Halvor Ness.

[10] The Post Register, April 4, 1964, November 26, 1984 (a column of news from 20 years ago) and others.

[11] The Post Register, July 7, 1963; the crusade was sponsored by 8 Idaho Falls churches, for a summary, see the bullet “Dr. Hyman Appleman Crusade, 1963” in https://jiif140yrs.blogspot.com/2023/10/sharing-gospel-with-idaho-falls.html

[12] The Post Register, July 31, 1965, p. 7.

[13] The Post Register, November 23, 1969, p. 5.

[14] The Post Register, October 1, 1977, p. 2.