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 watching the grandchildren participate at TCU 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.

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 2020. 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 reside in Oconomowoc. Their daughter, Anne, is a 2023 graduate of Luther College in Decorah, Iowa.

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. Julianne is completing her work on a counseling degree at UW- Milwaukee.

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.

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. This summer Larry has been supplying at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Johnson Creek while the Pastor is on sabbatical.

Larry has been married to Mary for 30 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. This summer Larry has been supplying at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Johnson Creek while the Pastor is on sabbatical.

Larry has been married to Mary for 30 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. Gerald Mansholt

Pastor Jerry Mansholt has spent the past year serving as Interim Senior Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Green Bay. He also serves on the Strategic Vision Committee for 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. Early in his ministry Jerry served as parish pastor in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Wichita, Kansas. Later he served as bishop, first in the ELCA Central States Synod (Missouri/Kansas) and then in the ELCA East Central Synod of Wisconsin. In 2021-2022 Jerry served as Interim Pastor of Hosanna Lutheran Church, Mandeville, Louisiana. Pastor Jerry and Anita live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of First English Lutheran Church.

Pastor - Rev. Gerald Mansholt

Pastor Jerry Mansholt has spent the past year serving as Interim Senior Pastor of Calvary Lutheran Church in Green Bay. He also serves on the Strategic Vision Committee for 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. Early in his ministry Jerry served as parish pastor in Oklahoma, St. Louis, and Wichita, Kansas. Later he served as bishop, first in the ELCA Central States Synod (Missouri/Kansas) and then in the ELCA East Central Synod of Wisconsin. In 2021-2022 Jerry served as Interim Pastor of Hosanna Lutheran Church, Mandeville, Louisiana. Pastor Jerry and Anita live in Appleton, Wisconsin and are members of First English Lutheran Church.