Weekly Updates

Pastor – Rev. Emily Tveite

Pastor Emily Tviete began her work at Lutheran Campus Ministry in August 2015. She was born and raised in Austin, TX. She completed her seminary studies at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

Some of Pr Emily’s favorite parts of campus ministry include walking alongside young adults as they discover where God is leading them in their careers, witnessing the compassion and commitment students have to issues of injustice, and learning more about everything from engineering to history from students.

She is married to Paul, a software engineer. Their daughter, Eleanor, was born in January and the family lives in Madison, WI. They all enjoy cooking, eating, and discovering America’s National Parks.

Off-Season Livestream

While Bethany is closed for the winter season, we direct viewers to Emmanuel Lutheran in Naples, Florida. Their services are streamed Sunday at 8:30 am Central Time (9:30 am Eastern Time).
Bethany services will return in May 2018.

Pastor – Rev. Dennis E 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 Savior’s Lutheran Church in Appleton, WI in 1976. During his tenure, Our Savior’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.
 
Pastor Ellisen and his wife Cathy have 4 children and 8 grandchildren. They enjoy traveling, golfing, and watching the grandchildren participate in a myriad of sporting events. They also enjoy quiet sunsets at their cottage on the bay outside of Dycksville.

Pastor – Rev. Dennis Tollefson

Pastor Dennis Tollefson is currently retired and lives with his wife Mary in Minnetonka, MN. He has served parishes in Vermillion and Wakonda, SD; Fargo, ND; Madison, WI; Cambridge, MN and Ham Lake, MN.
 
Dennis graduated from St. Olaf College and served three years as an infantry officer in the U.S. Marine Corps. He attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. Dennis and Mary have three married daughters and eight grandchildren.
 
He recently taught 4-hour classes at Westwood Lutheran Church in St. Louis Park, MN on “Reformation, Then and Now” and “Homeless Youth Jesus’ Words and You”.
 

Pastor – Rev. Joel Schlachtenhaufen

This is the 17th year Pastor Joel and Susan Schlachtenhaufen have enjoyed coming to Ephraim and Bethany. Pr. Joel is a graduate of Wartburg Seminary. He served in the Lutheran Council/USA in New York City. He then directed Arizona Indian Ministry and the Milwaukee Urban Semester for St. Olaf and Carthage Colleges. He served Wilderness Lutheran Church of the Stockbridge Mohican Community and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Neenah until his retirement in 2007. Susan worked with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services for ten years and then taught German until her retirement.
 
Pr. Joel and Susan have two sons, Steffen and Andrew. Steffen and Melissa are the proud parents of three-year old Felix. Both Pr. Joel and Susan continue to be involved with the Lutheran Church Sibiu/Hermannstadt in Transylvania, Romania.

Pastor – Rev. Joel Schlachtenhaufen

This is the 17th year Pastor Joel and Susan Schlachtenhaufen have enjoyed coming to Ephraim and Bethany. Pr. Joel is a graduate of Wartburg Seminary. He served in the Lutheran Council/USA in New York City. He then directed Arizona Indian Ministry and the Milwaukee Urban Semester for St. Olaf and Carthage Colleges. He served Wilderness Lutheran Church of the Stockbridge Mohican Community and St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Neenah until his retirement in 2007. Susan worked with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Services for ten years and then taught German until her retirement.
 
Pr. Joel and Susan have two sons, Steffen and Andrew. Steffen and Melissa are the proud parents of three-year old Felix. Both Pr. Joel and Susan continue to be involved with the Lutheran Church Sibiu/Hermannstadt in Transylvania, Romania.

Pastor – Rev. Darin Wiebe

Rev. Darin Wiebe and Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe are graduates of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. They have served together and separately in their 25 years of ordained ministry. Currently, Rev. Wiebe serves Our Savior Lutheran Church in West Bend, WI where he has been the senior Pastor for the past seven years. Rev. Mortensen-Wiebe currently serves as the Interim Lead Pastor at First Lutheran in Beaver Dam. WI. They have two adult children. Elida works for the Milwaukee symphony orchestra and Julia is currently spending a semester in Central America as part of her studies at Capital University in Bexley, OH.
 
Darin and Joy live out in the country where they enjoy walking their dogs, having campfires, and watching the lightening bugs.

Pastor – Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe

Rev. Darin Wiebe and Rev. Joy Mortensen-Wiebe are graduates of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN. They have served together and separately in their 25 years of ordained ministry. Currently, Rev. Wiebe serves Our Savior Lutheran Church in West Bend, WI where he has been the senior Pastor for the past seven years. Rev. Mortensen-Wiebe currently serves as the Interim Lead Pastor at First Lutheran in Beaver Dam. WI. They have two adult children. Elida works for the Milwaukee symphony orchestra and Julia is currently spending a semester in Central America as part of her studies at Capital University in Bexley, OH.
 
Darin and Joy live out in the country where they enjoy walking their dogs, having campfires, and watching the lightening bugs.

Pastor – Rev. Diane Dardon

Pr. Dardon is from Prospect Heights, Il and is the Protestant Chaplain at DePaul University in Chicago. She completed her undergraduate work at University of Wisconsin-Stout and her Master of Divinity at Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. She is currently working on her Doctorate.
 
Pr. Dardon is married to Estuardo who is from Guatamala and they have two children. Brian is 19 and an engineering student at U of I and their daughter, Cathryn is 15 and a sophomore in high school.
 
The family likes to travel and especially enjoys road trips, camping, biking, swimming and kayaking. They have also made numerous trips to visit family and work on School of the Saints in Guatamala, Mexico.

Pastor – Rev. Mick Roschke

Pastor Mick is retired but still helps out at Incarnation Lutheran Church in Milwaukee’s inner city. Judy Roschke retired after 37 years of teaching in Milwaukee.
 
Their son Micah and daughter Melissa are both social workers. Micah’s wife Gloria is a teacher and Melissa’s husband Jeremy is a fire fighter. Both families have blessed Mick and Judy with two grandchildren each.