About Us
OUR LEADERSHIP
Meet the Pastor
Pastor Scott Ehle loves living and serving in the Upper Peninsula and Northern Wisconsin. He was raised in Rudyard, MI, and attended college at Northern Michigan University, where he graduated in 2003 with a degree in History. During his college years, he was active in Lutheran Campus ministry, and on staff at Fortune Lake Lutheran Camp. It was in these places that he began to discern a call to ordained ministry.
He attended Wartburg Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and was ordained to the ministry of Word and Sacrament in 2007. His first call was at Zion Lutheran in Fairwater, WI, and he has been serving Bethel in Menominee since 2012. He enjoys parish ministry, and is always willing to welcome and meet the needs of members and newcomers alike.
Pastor Ehle enjoys fishing, reading science fiction and fantasy, playing cards, and spending time in the beauty of the outdoors with his family. He is active on the boards of Northland Lutheran Retirement Community, the LGBT Pride Center of UW Green Bay-Marinette Campus, is a volunteer chaplain with the Menominee Sheriff’s Department, and the Twin County Ministerial Association.
Bethel’s Church Council
Bethel’s Church Council members are elected trustees who act on behalf of the church membership to fulfill Bethel’s mission and provide general oversight of the life and activities of the congregation. Elections for council members are held annually and delegates may serve up to two 3-year terms.
2024 Bethel Church Council Members
Pastor Scott Ehle, Spiritual Leader
- Dave Doubek, President
- Scott Palmer, Vice-President
- Terri Falkenberg, Secretary
- Audra Johnson, Treasurer
- Suzanne Forrest
- Anne Kelley
- Addison Lacy
- Adrienne Lacy
- Jesse Leiphart
- Sheila MacIntyre
- Maxine Oleszak
- Dale VanDuinen
“For it is by God’s grace you have been saved through faith. It is not the result of your own efforts, but God’s gift, so that no one can boast about it.” Ephesians 2:8-9
What is a Lutheran?
A Lutheran is a follower of Jesus Christ who believes that we are saved by grace through faith. Lutherans accept the Bible as their source of doctrine and guidance and hold the ancient beliefs stated in the Apostles, Nicene, and Athanasian Creeds. Lutherans believe in the Holy Trinity – Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. We proclaim that Jesus Christ was crucified, died, and rose from the dead so that we may have eternal life with the communion of saints who have gone before us.
There are more than 70 million Lutherans in the World and more than 9 million Lutherans in the United States. The ELCA (Evangelical Lutheran Church in America) makes up 60% of the Lutherans in America, while the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod, the Wisconsin Evangelical Lutheran Synod, and a few smaller denominations make up the rest.
A merger of three Lutheran churches formed the ELCA in 1988. They were the American Lutheran Church, the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches, and the Lutheran Church in America. As members of the ELCA, we believe that we are freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in Jesus Christ’s name throughout the world.
We trace our roots back through the mid-17th century, when early Lutherans came to America from Europe, settling in the Virgin Islands and the area that is now known as New York. Even before that, Martin Luther sought to reform the church in the 16th century, laying the framework for our beliefs.
Who was Martin Luther?
Martin Luther was a German monk, priest, professor, author, composer, and reformer who lived from 1483-1546. He came to challenge and reject several teachings and practices of the Roman Catholic Church and is known for nailing his Ninety-five Theses of 1517 to the castle church door in Whittenberg, Germany. Luther taught that salvation and, consequently, eternal life are not earned by good deeds, but are received only as the free gift of God’s grace through the believer’s faith in Jesus Christ.
OUR HISTORY
History of Bethel
Bethel Lutheran Church was founded on October 12, 1885 by Swedish immigrants who were tired of taking a boat across the Menominee River to worship with other Swedes at Zion Lutheran Church in Menekaunee (currently Zion of Marinette).
Initially organized as The Swedish Evangelical Lutheran Bethel Congregation, ties to Zion continued for its first ten years as the congregations of Bethel and Zion shared pastors.
Today Bethel and Zion still partner together for ministries such as Vacation Bible School, Confirmation Classes, and God’s Work. Our Hands. Sunday.
Swedish heritage is not a requirement to worship at Bethel; however, displays of traditional Swedish rosemaling can be found throughout the church and a Swedish Pancake Supper with lingonberries is an anticipated community tradition.
Bethel’s first church building stood on the corner of what is now 6th Street and 9th Avenue and was dedicated on August 9, 1886.
The cornerstone of where Bethel currently stands on the corner of 13th Street and 14th Avenue was laid September 10, 1910 after the congregation decided they would prefer to build a new church than try to move the existing one.
An addition for Sunday School rooms was put on in 1949 and the fellowship hall was added in 1979.
Translated as “House of God” in the Hebrew language, Bethel is more than just a building. WE are the church. The people at Bethel have a long tradition of welcoming all people to hear and experience God’s radical love to the world. We are not perfect, nor do we expect anyone else to be. Instead, we point to the perfect love of Christ and welcome you to experience the fullness and wholeness of God’s boundless love.
As a member of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the ELCA, Bethel encourages all people to apply their faith both globally and in their local communities.