Weekly Updates

Pastor 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 accepted another interim position last August.

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.

Rev. 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.”

Jerry received his theological education in the Missouri Synod system studying at colleges in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Fort Wayne, Indiana, and at the seminary in St. Louis, Missouri. His first call was to a congregation in Nipigon, Ontario, Canada followed by one in Ashland, Wisconsin. After joining the ELCA he served as a hospital chaplain at St. Luke’s Hospital in Milwaukee, Pastoral Director of the Wholistic Health Center in Mendota, Illinois and as pastor of congregations in Elgin and Glenview Illinois. He and his wife Lynn moved to Stoughton, Wisconsin in 2008.

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

Lynn and Jerry have four married sons and seven grandchildren. They enjoy time together with their families. Hobbies have included woodturning, bee keeping, traveling, reading, as well as following selected sports teams. Recently they combined Lynn’s photography skills with Jerry’s writings and produced a devotional book Core Beliefs and Values based on the Prayer of St. Francis and the Lord’s Prayer.

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 Des Moines, 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.

Camilla B. Ross

Camilla Brems Ross, 95, of Ephraim, Wisconsin, passed away on September 13, 2026.

A memorial service will be held at 10:00am on Saturday, October 3, 2026 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Ephraim with Rev. Gisele Berninghaus presiding. Light refreshments and memories will follow the service.

The service will be Livestreamed and can be accessed through the link below on the right.

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 Des Moines, 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 Gerald Mansholt

After 12 wonderful years filled with memories, Pastor Jerry and Anita Mansholt moved to Chesterfield, Missouri in February of this year. They moved to be closer to family though some suspect it is also to get Jerry closer to Busch Stadium and Cardinal baseball. 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. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Wartburg Seminary and the We Raise Foundation.

Pastor Gerald Mansholt

After 12 wonderful years filled with memories, Pastor Jerry and Anita Mansholt moved to Chesterfield, Missouri in February of this year. They moved to be closer to family though some suspect it is also to get Jerry closer to Busch Stadium and Cardinal baseball. 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. He continues to serve on the Board of Directors for Wartburg Seminary and the We Raise Foundation.

Pastor Vicki Simon

Pastor Vicki Simon has been serving at Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Cedarburg, WI for the past 12 years. Pastor Vicki, or “PV” as her church kids call her, is a voracious reader, a member of several book clubs, and will want to know what is on all of your summer reading lists! She and her local ELCA colleagues have been having fun leading their congregations in exploring different spiritual practices of a Christian. Vicki is so excited to return to Bethany and see her Bethany family this year.

Pastor Patrick Jenkins

Pastor Patrick Jenkins has served American Lutheran Church in Bourbonnais, Illinois since 2021. His passion for ministry is preaching, leading worship, teaching the bible, and feeding the hungry. He is dedicated to helping people discover the difference God’s grace makes in their lives, and the difference the community of faith makes as they navigate life’s ups and downs. He is a musician with a background in worship leading and songwriting and delights in helping people experience the joy of ‘singing their hearts out’ to God. Patrick is a 2017 graduate of Luther Seminary (St. Paul, MN) and previously enjoyed serving Grace Lutheran Church, Sisseton, SD.

Pastor Patrick is married to Amy, and together they are raising a blended family of five children, aged 7-16. He is a lifelong learner with a special interest in history and culture.

Rev. Roy Nelson

Although Pastor Roy Nelson retired from full time ministry in 2022, last year he served for 6 months as interim executive director at HOPE Center in Waukesha, WI, an organization that feeds and clothes people while helping them get back on their feet. Before that he served as part time bridge pastor at Vernon Lutheran, Mukwonago, WI and Galilee Lutheran, Pewaukee, WI. Prior to retirement, Pastor Roy served 11+ years at All Saints Lutheran, Wales, WI and 4 years at First Lutheran - DeKalb, IL. Before uprooting Jean and their children, Ben and Calla, in 2004 to attend seminary at Wartburg in Dubuque, IA, he was an attorney for 15 years in Milwaukee, and before that, a police officer for 11 years for the City of Brookfield and 2 other agencies in WI.

Jean and Pastor Roy have been married for 32 wonderful, adventurous years, and have two great kids, Ben and Calla. Bethany already knows their son, Pastor Ben, and Megan, his sister Jan Abrahamson and Ted, and niece Kristin Wisely and Patrick.

Life has been an amazing journey and God has blessed him abundantly along the way. Pastor Nelson is grateful for the opportunity to preach at Bethany Lutheran and spend some time in beautiful Door County this summer.