Weekly Updates

Pastor - Rev. Lisa Nelson

Ordained in late 1993, Pastor Lisa Nelson has spent her entire ministry in the South Central Synod of Wisconsin. Her congregations have been in a variety of areas, such as rural, urban, and small town. She currently serves at St. Mark’s Lutheran in a low income area in Madison.

St Mark’s is a small congregation with a big mission. We have a food pantry and a free weekly meal for everyone, especially those dealing with food insecurity. In recent years, we’ve had monthly cookouts during the warmer months and invited the neighborhood. Our mission is to live out Jesus’ love for all people.

Pastor Lisa lives in Sun Prairie with her husband and two of their three sons. One of their 21-year-old twins is a Marine at Camp Pendleton and the other is a firefighter in Sun Prairie. Their third son will be going to UW-Whitewater in the fall. Pastor Lisa likes to swim, read, and travel.

David R. Olson

David R. Olson, 85 years old, of Ephraim, died Saturday, September 24, 2022, at St. Vincent Hospital in Green Bay.

A celebration of David’s life will be held at 1:00pm on Friday, October 21, 2022 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ephraim with Rev. Frank Kauzlarich officiating. The service will be Livestreamed and can be accessed through the link below on the right.

Friends may call at the church from 11:00am – 1:00pm until the time of service. Burial will be at Bethany Lutheran Cemetery at the southeast entrance of Peninsula Park.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Bethany Lutheran Church in Ephraim, St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Juddville, or a charity of your choice.

Pastor - Rev. Dennis Ellisen

A native New Yorker, Pastor Ellisen received his college degree at Upsala College in New Jersey. Prior to receiving his Master of Divinity degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, he was a social worker in New York City. He served congregations in Rochester, and Albany, N.Y. before accepting a call to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Appleton,Wisconsin in 1976. During his tenure, Our Saviour’s grew in membership to 2600 members. Pastor Ellisen has served on the executive board of the Large Church Conference of the ELCA. Since retirement in 2008, he has served as an Interim Pastor for the East Central Synod in various congregations. He has recently retired.

Pastor Ellisen and his wife Cathy have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, golfing, and watching the grandchildren participate at Notre Dame for soccer and UConn for baseball. They also enjoy quiet sunsets at their cottage on the bay outside of Dycksville.

Pastor - Rev. Dennis Ellisen

A native New Yorker, Pastor Ellisen received his college degree at Upsala College in New Jersey. Prior to receiving his Master of Divinity degree at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, he was a social worker in New York City. He served congregations in Rochester, and Albany, N.Y. before accepting a call to Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church in Appleton,Wisconsin in 1976. During his tenure, Our Saviour’s grew in membership to 2600 members. Pastor Ellisen has served on the executive board of the Large Church Conference of the ELCA. Since retirement in 2008, he has served as an Interim Pastor for the East Central Synod in various congregations. He has recently retired.

Pastor Ellisen and his wife Cathy have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, golfing, and watching the grandchildren participate at Notre Dame for soccer and UConn for baseball. They also enjoy quiet sunsets at their cottage on the bay outside of Dycksville.

Pastor - Gisele Berninghaus

Pastor Gisele Berninghaus served Faith Lutheran in Marshfield, WI until her retirement in 2021. She worked for 13 years with Hands of Christ Deaf Ministry, an ecumenical ministry supported by ELCA, Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ and Methodist churches. Her daughter, Anastasia, was born in Kankakee, IL where Gisele served American Lutheran Church and her son Nathaniel was born while she served congregations in Caribou and Stockholm, Maine. Gisele graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD and Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. She interned in Baltimore MD, and was a teacher with the Deaf in DesMoines, IA.

Tim Van Eyck met Gisele on a confusing mission trip to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and they have happily been sharing life’s challenges and blessings ever since. Retirement has provided opportunities to volunteer with Afghan evacuees at Fort McCoy and now refugee resettlement as well as working at an Equine Therapy Center.

Pastor - Gisele Berninghaus

Pastor Gisele Berninghaus served Faith Lutheran in Marshfield, WI until her retirement in 2021. She worked for 13 years with Hands of Christ Deaf Ministry, an ecumenical ministry supported by ELCA, Episcopal, Presbyterian, United Church of Christ and Methodist churches. Her daughter, Anastasia, was born in Kankakee, IL where Gisele served American Lutheran Church and her son Nathaniel was born while she served congregations in Caribou and Stockholm, Maine. Gisele graduated from Augustana College in Sioux Falls, SD and Lutheran Seminary in Gettysburg, PA. She interned in Baltimore MD, and was a teacher with the Deaf in DesMoines, IA.

Tim Van Eyck met Gisele on a confusing mission trip to New Orleans after hurricane Katrina and they have happily been sharing life’s challenges and blessings ever since. Retirement has provided opportunities to volunteer with Afghan evacuees at Fort McCoy and now refugee resettlement as well as working at an Equine Therapy Center.

Bishop Anne Edison-Albright

The Rev. Anne Edison-Albright serves as bishop of the East Central Synod of Wisconsin. She previously served as Director of College Ministries and College Pastor at Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, and as pastor at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Stevens Point, Wisconsin.

She’s been a regular writer and curriculum editor for Augsburg Fortress and Sparkhouse since 2008. Bishop Anne loves opportunities to connect her current ministry with experiences from teaching high school English; her time as a short term missionary in China and Slovakia; and a year of residency as a hospital chaplain.

The Edison-Albrights–Anne, Sean, Walter (10) and Sally (9) — live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of Christ the King in Combined Locks.

Pastor - Rev. Larry Pinnow

Pastor Larry Pinnow grew up on a farm south of Brodhead, WI. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Luther College, Bachelor of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, a Master of Sacred Theology and a Doctor of Ministry from Wartburg Seminary.

Larry served congregations in Racine, Monroe and Madison. Since retirement he has served 12 congregations as an Interim.

Larry has been married to Mary for 26 years. He has three children with his first wife who died of cancer, eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

He loves to read history, travel and enjoy their house on the north side of Madison.

Pastor - Rev. Larry Pinnow

Pastor Larry Pinnow grew up on a farm south of Brodhead, WI. He received a Bachelor of Arts from Luther College, Bachelor of Divinity from the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, a Master of Sacred Theology and a Doctor of Ministry from Wartburg Seminary.

Larry served congregations in Racine, Monroe and Madison. Since retirement he has served 12 congregations as an Interim.

Larry has been married to Mary for 26 years. He has three children with his first wife who died of cancer, eight grandchildren and three great grandchildren.

He loves to read history, travel and enjoy their house on the north side of Madison.

Pastor - Rev. John Rollefson

John Rollefson, a native of Oconomowoc is a farm boy brought up in a little Norwegian congregation that was founded in 1844. He is a graduate of Luther College and Yale Divinity School and has served urban and campus congregations in San Francisco, Milwaukee, Ann Arbor and Los Angeles with interims in Solvang and London. He is married to Ruth Gordon, a retired public school vocal music teacher and church musician, with whom he recently celebrated his 50th anniversary of marriage. They live in retirement in San Luis Obispo, CA where they enjoy tennis, golf, hiking, travel, wine tasting and concert–going. They are the parents of two sons: Griff, a professor of musicology who with his wife Mary and two children, Augie and Zadie, live in Cork, Ireland where he and Mary teach at University College, Cork; and Jake, a sales executive with Pandora/Sirius, who with his wife Julianne and two children George and Andrew, live in Shorewood, WI.