Weekly Updates

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.

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 has now graduated from her program in counseling at UW-Milwaukee and has opened a grief counseling practice.

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 has now graduated from her program in counseling at UW-Milwaukee and has opened a grief counseling practice.

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 31 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.

Larry has been married to Mary for 31 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. Harold Usgaard

Rev. Harold “Huck” is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He holds degrees from Luther College and Luther Seminary, and was ordained a pastor in 1973.

He served as a pastor at Zumbro Lutheran in Rochester, MN; Mt. Hope Lutheran in West Allis, WI; and St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin, MN. Between 2001 and 2013, Huck was elected to two terms as Bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. Prior to retirement in 2018, he served as Assistant to the President for Church Relations at Portico Benefit Services, a ministry of the ELCA.

Huck and his wife, Lynette, live in Rosemount, MN, with their three adult children and three grandsons living close by… perfect for attending games, concerts, family gatherings, and dog sitting.

Bethany Lutheran and Door County have been a valued summer experience for the whole family over a number of years. Activities shared and relationships renewed have been a blessing.

Pastor - Rev. Harold Usgaard

Rev. Harold “Huck” is a pastor of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. He holds degrees from Luther College and Luther Seminary, and was ordained a pastor in 1973.

He served as a pastor at Zumbro Lutheran in Rochester, MN; Mt. Hope Lutheran in West Allis, WI; and St. Olaf Lutheran in Austin, MN. Between 2001 and 2013, Huck was elected to two terms as Bishop of the Southeastern Minnesota Synod. Prior to retirement in 2018, he served as Assistant to the President for Church Relations at Portico Benefit Services, a ministry of the ELCA.

Huck and his wife, Lynette, live in Rosemount, MN, with their three adult children and three grandsons living close by… perfect for attending games, concerts, family gatherings, and dog sitting.

Bethany Lutheran and Door County have been a valued summer experience for the whole family over a number of years. Activities shared and relationships renewed have been a blessing.

Pastor - Rev. Peter Strommen

Rev Peter Strommen has served congregations in Oldham, SD, First Lutheran Church (Sioux Falls), First Lutheran Church (Duluth), Bishop of NE Minnesota Synod from 1996-2008, Shepherd of the Lake (Prior Lake, MN ) as well as interim pastorates at St. Stephen (Marshall, MN), Bethel (Madison, WI), St. John (Jamestown, ND), Trinity (Owatonna, MN), Bethlehem (St. Cloud, MN), and Zumbro (Rochester, MN).

Peter is married to Norma Jean. They have three children and six grandchildren.

He received his B.A. from Augsburg College and MDiv from Yale Divinity and Luther Seminary as well CPE chaplaincy residencies at Methodist Hospital, Minneapolis. He is currently enjoying his 4th retirement.

Pastor - Rev. Victoria Simon

Pastor Vicki Simon serves at Immanuel Lutheran Church in downtown Cedarburg, WI. This year they have marked a milestone of sharing ten years together! She is passionate about meditation and has been a student of Lama Surya Das for eight years now, doing many week long, weekend and day long retreats a year, as well as having a daily meditation practice. She loves to read and is in several book clubs. She has three nephews and a niece and loves being an Aunt and loves spending time with them and family. Vicki is so excited to return to Bethany and see her Bethany family this year!

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.