Meet the Editorial Staff ~ Tom Jeske

Elizabeth Hudock, Forward in Christ, Issue: March 2004

Ever ask yourself, “Who are these people who write for Forward in Christ magazine?” Through this series you can find out. Read on:

Sent to serve

“Yes, I’m from Milwaukee, where so many of us are from,” admits Tom Jeske, Forward in Christ’s newest editorialist. His roots may be in the dairy state, but Jeske soon experienced Rocky Mountain highs and Grand Canyon lows as he went from Arizona to Colorado to Nebraska, serving WELS.

“Wherever you go, you run into God’s people,” says Jeske, “and they will be grateful that you have shared [his Word] with them.”

One year after graduating from the seminary in 1984, Jeske married soil scientist Liz Malone. Six years passed without the pitter-patter of little feet, and “we didn’t really think we were going to have any children. We were getting used to that idea.” Think again.

First God sent Matthias, then August, Peter, and finally Hannah, a Korean orphan the Jeskes adopted in 2000. “When we heard about Hannah’s need for a family, we thought, ‘How hard can this be? We’ll just set one more cereal bowl on the table.’ ”

Currently, the Jeskes reside in Omaha, Neb., where Jeske serves Living Hope, a small congregation of around 100 members. His hobbies? “I used to have some, but it’s getting harder and harder to remember what they were! I spend time picking up Legos and putting puzzles and books back on the shelves. There’s also a canoe in the backyard with a hole in the hull.”

He may not be prepared for a spontaneous canoe trip, but Jeske is prepared to serve God’s family, no matter what the coming years may hold. As he notes, “the Lord Jesus protects and provides, even when events are unsettled or the future is unclear.”