Weekly Updates

Pastor - Rev. Michael Brecke

Michael Brecke was born in Ashland, Wisconsin, in 1946. He grew up in Mellen, Wisconsin, and graduated from high school in 1964. Received his B.S. degree from Wisconsin State University River Falls (1968), a Master’s of Divinity from Yale University Divinity School (1971), a Master’s of Sacred Theology from Concordia Seminary (1972), St. Louis and a Doctor of Ministry Degree from Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago (1993). He is currently retired and doing some supply preaching, working on two children’s books, a book of memories, and a biography. He looks forward to working with Write On Door again and preaching at Bethany.

His parallel education was received from the Penokee Veneer Mill, Allis Chalmers Foundry, Mellen Weekly Record, Mellen Country Club (where he dug ditches), and numerous other jobs to make enough money to support his habit of education. He entered ordained ministry in the Lutheran Church Missiouri Synod in 1973. Became a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America in 1989.

He lost his wife Elizabeth “Betsy” Titterington in 2018. He has two children, Matthew and Anna.

Over the years he has written for several publications including community newspapers in Albany, Georgia; Kansas City, Missouri; Overland Park, Kansas, and Door County, Wisconsin. He is a frequent contributor to The Echo a publication effort in conjunction with Northland College in Ashland, Wisconsin. The Echo is devoted to telling the stories of our past.

He has served as a transitional minister in the Central States Synod, ELCA. He also started a homeless ministry called The Listening Post in 2016. Currently he still does some of his homeless ministry in the River Market Area of Kansas City, Missouri. He is also involved in Write On Door County and annually teaches a class on writing.

Pastor - Jerry Tews

Pastor Jerry was born and raised on a farm 20 miles west of Appleton, Wisconsin. The home, originally built by his grandfather, remains in the family, giving ample opportunity for trips “down memory lane.”

His first call was to a congregation in Nipigon, Ontario, Canada followed by one in Ashland, Wisconsin for two years. He joined the ELCA after 10 years in ministry serving as a parish pastor, hospital chaplain, and the Pastoral Director of a Wholistic Health Center. Most of his parish ministry took place in northern Illinois with stops in Mendota, Elgin, and Glenview before moving to Stoughton, Wisconsin in 2008.

Pastor Jerry has served as an interim pastor since coming to the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin. He has assisted congregations of the synod address anxiety and/or conflict in their setting. He now serves as a part time Pastor of Congregational Care at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Evansville, Wisconsin.

He and his wife Lynn have four sons along with four daughters-in-laws and seven grandchildren. They enjoy time together with their families. Hobbies have included wood turning, bee keeping, traveling, reading, as well as following selected sports teams.

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. 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. Janel Kuester

Pastor Janel has been serving in a small town-rural congregation on the Minnesota prairie – Christ Lutheran Church in Cottonwood – for seven years. She served three other congregations in the Saint Paul Area Synod as an ordained Pastor and one as a lay leader, prior to moving back closer to home. She is a second career pastor with an elementary teaching degree where she taught for several years before moving to adult learners for eight years when she worked at a corporate company offering computer and soft skill training courses. During seminary, she worked at the State of Minnesota Board of Barbers and Cosmetologist Examiner’s office as a Database Project Manager and built her own small HR and Bookkeeping business. Almost every evening, you will find her out taking Prairie Sunset photos and in the summer digging in her perennial and vegetable garden.

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 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. 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. Clare Cheney Sedlacek

Pastor Clare Cheney Sedlacek is the pastor at Dr. Martin Luther Church in Oconomowoc. She is a graduate of Oconomowoc High School and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Pastor Clare has previously been a high school teacher and coach and also worked in the television industry.

She received a Master of Arts degree in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary in 2010, and served as the Children’s Ministry Director at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin for eleven years.

Pastor Clare graduated from Luther Seminary in May of 2020 with a Master of Divinity. Prior to being ordained, 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 and her husband Jim, an elementary physical education teacher, reside in Oconomowoc. Their daughter, Anne, graduated from Luther College in 2023, is a graduate student at Georgia State University seeking a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance.

Pastor - Rev. Clare Cheney Sedlacek

Pastor Clare Cheney Sedlacek is the pastor at Dr. Martin Luther Church in Oconomowoc. She is a graduate of Oconomowoc High School and the University of Wisconsin-LaCrosse. Pastor Clare has previously been a high school teacher and coach and also worked in the television industry.

She received a Master of Arts degree in Children, Youth, and Family Ministry from Luther Seminary in 2010, and served as the Children’s Ministry Director at Redeemer Lutheran Church in Plymouth, Wisconsin for eleven years.

Pastor Clare graduated from Luther Seminary in May of 2020 with a Master of Divinity. Prior to being ordained, 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 and her husband Jim, an elementary physical education teacher, reside in Oconomowoc. Their daughter, Anne, graduated from Luther College in 2023, is a graduate student at Georgia State University seeking a Masters of Music in Vocal Performance.

Pastor - Rev. Gerald Mansholt

Pastor Jerry Mansholt is currently serving as Interim Senior Pastor at First United Lutheran Church, Sheboygan, Wisconsin, the city known affectionately as the Malibu of the Midwest. He also serves on the Board of Directors of Wartburg Seminary and on the Board of the We Raise Foundation. Formerly known as Wheat Ridge, We Raise partners with Christian ministries to free people from poverty, violence and inequality. Jerry served as 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 and Green Bay. Pastor Jerry and Anita live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of First English Lutheran Church.