Weekly Updates

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 following their grandchildren at various college campuses and schools. They also enjoy quiet sunsets at their cottage on the bay outside of Dycksville.

Pastor - Rev. Clare Cheney Sedlacek

Pastor Clare Cheney Sedlacek is a graduate of Oconomowoc High School and the University of Wisconsin-La Crosse. Pastor Clare previously worked as a high school teacher and coach, as well as in the television industry. In 2010, she earned a Master of Arts degree in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary. Following this, she served for eleven years at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin, as their Children's Ministry Director.

In May 2020, Pastor Clare completed her Master of Divinity at Luther Seminary. Before her ordination, she served as Bridge Pastor for Living Hope Lutheran and Christ the King Lutheran in Ozaukee County. She was ordained and installed at Dr. Martin Luther Church in Oconomowoc on May 22, 2021.

Pastor Clare resides in Oconomowoc with her husband, Jim, an elementary physical education teacher with Milwaukee Public Schools. Their daughter, Anne, a 2023 graduate of Luther College, is currently pursuing a Master's of Music in Vocal Performance at Georgia State University in Atlanta.

Pastor - Rev. Robert Rosenberg

Pastor Rosenberg was born in Shawano, Wisconsin, moved to Appleton where he graduated from Appleton West High School in 1957. He went to Wartburg College, Waverly, Iowa, graduating in 1961. He met his wife, Toby, at Wartburg and they were married in August, 1961. They have three children, Chris, Eric, and Beth, two dogs, Lady and Tramp, and a cat, Ellie. Pastor Rosenberg graduated from Wartburg Seminary in 1965. His first parish was in Waubun, Minnesota, and then Caroline, Wisconsin. In 1973 the Rosenbergs moved to Calvary Lutheran Church in Oshkosh from which he retired in 2005. Pastor Rosenberg preached at Bethany twice while at Calvary, the first time on Memorial Day weekend in 1979. He says,”It’s good to be back.”

Pastor - Rev. 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 includes learning building skills while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, learning about horses while helping kids with special needs at an Equine Therapy Center and the joys of new relationships working with refugee resettlement.

Pastor - Rev. 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 includes learning building skills while volunteering with Habitat for Humanity, learning about horses while helping kids with special needs at an Equine Therapy Center and the joys of new relationships working with refugee resettlement.

Pastor - Rev. Gerald Mansholt

Pastor Jerry Mansholt and wife Anita live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of First English Lutheran Church. Jerry has served as a parish pastor in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Wichita, Kansas. Later he served as bishop, both in the ELCA Central States Synod (Missouri/Kansas) and the ELCA East Central Synod of Wisconsin. Since leaving the office of bishop Jerry has served as interim pastor in Mandeville, Louisiana; Green Bay and Sheboygan,Wisconsin. He currently serves on two Boards of Directors: Wartburg Seminary and the We Raise Foundation.

Pastor - Rev. Gerald Mansholt

Pastor Jerry Mansholt and wife Anita live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of First English Lutheran Church. Jerry has served as a parish pastor in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Wichita, Kansas. Later he served as bishop, both in the ELCA Central States Synod (Missouri/Kansas) and the ELCA East Central Synod of Wisconsin. Since leaving the office of bishop Jerry has served as interim pastor in Mandeville, Louisiana; Green Bay and Sheboygan,Wisconsin. He currently serves on two Boards of Directors: Wartburg Seminary and the We Raise Foundation.

Pastor - Rev. Ben Nelson

Pastor Ben Nelson serves way over yonder on the western side of the state at Zion Lutheran Church in Woodville. He lives in St. Paul, Minnesota with his wife Megan in a small house full of pets, and in his free time they enjoy a good meal at a nice restaurant, gardening, and taking advantage of the outdoors. Ben and Megan honeymooned in Door County and are excited to have the excuse and opportunity to be back in a place they hold dear with family and friends.

Pastor - Rev. Troy Troftgruben

Troy is an ordained ELCA pastor who serves as Associate Professor of New Testament at Wartburg Theological Seminary, where he has taught since 2013. Before that, he served for five years as a pastor at Calvary Lutheran church in Grand Forks, ND. A graduate of Luther Seminary (M.Div.) and Princeton Seminary (Ph.D), Troy’s areas of focus are Luke and Acts and early church communities. He has written Rooted and Renewing: Imagining the Church's Future in Light of Its NT Origins (Fortress, 2019) and Bearing Witness in Acts and Today (Cascade, 2025). Troy also contributes regularly to Augsburg's Sundays and Seasons: Preaching.

By vocation, Troy sees himself as a pastor with a specialized call: the spiritual formation of church leaders. He is married to Maria, and together they have two children in high school. On Sabbath time, Troy enjoys playing music in a local band, biking, being outdoors, and practicing the discipline of hope by following Minnesota sports teams and the Chicago Cubs.

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 32 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.