History of Immanuel Evangelical
Lutheran Church
Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran Church of Rhinelander, Wisconsin, is a congregation of the Northern Great Lakes Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America.
The congregation was originally organized on June 4, 1890, as the Scandinavian Lutheran Church Society of Rhinelander. On October 6, 1890, they purchased property to build the church building. They held their first service in a half-completed building November 19, 1890. Members of the congregation had done much of the work.
There was a continual conflict concerning which language, Norwegian or Swedish, should be used for worship. This led to the development of two congregations organizing
September 7, 1891, Immanuel's official starting date.
In 1922, the congregation voted to have half of the worship services in English and half in Swedish. This practice continued well into the 1930's.
The church also purchased the property where Immanuel currently stands in 1922. In 1929, the congregation built the orginal building on this site at a cost of slightly more than $17,000. Members added an addition in 1960. In 1981, Immanuel purchased two more lots for further expansion. The old buildings on these lots were torn down, and in 1997 Immanuel constructed its latest addition.
The mortgage for that addition in 1997 was paid off in June 2018, with a mortgage burning party held on July 29, 2018.
Throughout its history, the congregation of Immanuel has served the community proclaiming the good news of Jesus Christ. Rhinelander grew from a small logging community in the late 1800's to a town of almost 8,000 in 2016. Immanuel has seen many changes, but remains faithful to the ministry to which we are called.
Currently, the congregation has a membership of 212, and an average Sunday attendance at two services of 110.
Previous Pastors
Confirmation Classes
Pastor Norman Peterson
(1980-2013)
Pastor Norm Peterson served Immanuel from 1980 to 2013. He was born and raised in Chicago, Illinois, and attended Augustana
Lutheran College in Rock Island, Illinois. He graduated in 1972. Peterson then attended Northwestern Theological Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota, earning a Masters of Divinity degree in 1976, with his ordination into the Lutheran Church in America (LCA) on May 23, 1976.
Pastor Norm's first parish was at a small rural church, Bone Lake Lutheran, in Luck, Wisconsin. Four years later he moved his young family to Rhinelander, Wisconsin, and began serving Immanuel on June 1, 1980.
From left, Gage Bierman, Pastor Tammy Barthels, Callie Kress
From left, Emma Bierman, Pastor Tammy Barthels, Payton McCue, Brittany Landphier (Youth Leader), and Johanna Dellenbach.
From left, Lizzy Snyder, Gavin Denis and Isaiah Willoughby.
From left, Will Fortier, Pastor Tammy Barthels, Lily Fortier, Brittany Landphier (youth rep.), Tyler Morrison.
Front row, from left, Mariah McCue, Anna Wood and Brock Snyder. Back row, from left, Pastor Tammy Barthels and Brittany Landphier (youth leader).
From left, Kathryn Borski, Gabby Dennis, Pastor Tammy Barthels, Alex Fortier and Jeremiah Bellow.
From left, Pastor Tammy Barthels and Lexi Morrison
Front, from left, Eric Grulke, Ethan Snyder and Jake Wilmot. With Pastor Tammy Barthels.
From left, Joe Schmitz, Lay Minister Jill Kusek, Clint McCue
From left, Seth Hargraves, Kristina Jacobson, Lay Minister Jill Kusek and Madison Gregory.
Pastor Norm Peterson, Tara Mann, Ryan Dart, Lay Minister Jill Kusek.
Front row, Katie Rogalla, Brad Siede, Emily Fortier. Back row, Lay Minister Jill Kusek, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Nathan Schmitz, Taylor Payne, Andrew Kroll. Back row, Pastor Norm Peterson, Adam Schmits, Lay Minister Jill Kusek.
Front row, Kelsey Hargraves, Brittany Borski, Oliva Esqueda. Back row, Pastor Norm Peterson, Jenna Dart, Megan Wallace, Lauren Biscobing.
Front row, Brittany Kircher, Megan Piehl. Back row, Matthew Shruck, Pastor Norm Peterson, Kaden Oldenburg.
Front row, Alyssa Brinkman, Megan Biscobing, Allison Fortier, Taylor Pilat, Samantha Dart. Middle row, Derek Shimeck, Kevin Laspa, Jonathan Kroll, Ethan Rawlsky. Back row, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Megan Dorion, Erin Piehl, Carol Meyer, Jenna VandenHeuvel. Back row, Cody Oldenburg, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Nicole Hansen, Megan Shruck, Kaitlin Rawlsky, Kasi Blumreich, Lauren Wallace, Jessica Brinkman. Middle row, Marcus Kral, Jonathon Allen, Nicolas Diel, Brian Meyer, Daniel Kroll, Steven Chrisinger. Back row, Pastor Norm Peters.
Front row, Amber Claflin, Alexander Dart, Rachel Cornelius. Back row, Michael Zahn, Pastor Norm Peterson, Joseph Dorion.
Front row, Jacob Schultz, Jonathan Cork. Middle row, Brittany Meyer, Andrew Rawlsky, Christopher Uttech. Back row, Bishop Thomas Skrenes, David Chrisinger, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Shauna Vanden Heuvel, Annette Jacobson, Angela Kusek, Bristel Fitzgerald, Danielle Hittle, Johanna Cable. Back row, Brian Johnson, Adam Winkler, Nick Janssen, Jeff Dillenberg, Mike Claflin, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Andrea Sackett, Savannah Peterson, Ashley Eggman, Susanna Ehlers. Middle row, Ray Mode, Kellen Smith, Scott Kirby, Scott Scholtes. Back row, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Charlie Strong, Heather Pilat, Brodee Ewert, Emily Briar, Beth Wetzel. Back row, Jason Kral, Alex Diel, Pastor Norm Peterson, Kristen Olcikas, Bobby Jo Paugel.
Front row, Shannon Kirby, Rebecca Cornelius. Middle row, Emily Ehlers, Cassandra Smith, Tricia Dillenberg, Megan Hoffman. Back row, Paul Peterson, Daniel Wetzel, Robert Williams, Ryan Wetzel, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Nick Olcikas, Michelle Scholtes, Kristi Johnson, Josh Kral. Back row, Andrew Hicks, Pastor Norm Peterson, Jesse Nett.
Front row, Brandee Dunday, Sara Anderson, Amanda Briar, Dana Apfelbeck. Middle row, Lindsey Riemenschneider, Abbey Dall, Alina Janssen. Back row, Jeremy White, Kevin Brost, Daniel Cable, Pastor Norm Peterson.
Front row, Jacob Hoover, Peter Wetzel, Todd Lehne, Dawn Ebert, Eric Johnson, Doug Strid. Back row, Pastor Norm Peterson, Aaron Peterson, Bishop Dale Skogman.
Pastor Tammy Barthels
(2015-2022)
Pastor Tammy Barthels served Immanuel from 2015 to 2022. She was born and raised in the Wausau, Wis. area, and attended Wartburg
Theological Seminary in Dubuque, Iowa, and was an intern pastor at St. Stephen Lutheran Church in Wausau from June 2013 to June 2014. Immanuel was her first, and only, call as pastor.
She did a unit of Clinical Pastoral Education in 197 and worked with Hospice form 1997 to 2001. She completed a 3-year Spiritual Direction Program through the Franciscan Spirituality Center in LaCrosse, Wis., in 2005.
Pastor Tammy and her husband, Randy, have three grown children and four grandchildren.
Past Pastors
C.A. Rosander (1896-1898)
J.W. Johnson (1901-1904)
O.A. Landell (1908-1909)
Carl Silfversten (1915-1917)
Walter Lindberg (1920-1921)
Eben J. Alstatt (1922-1925)
Gunnard R. Grahn (1927-1938)
Albin Olson (1938-1942)
J.W. Raymond (1944-1947)
Chester I. Johnson (1948-1953)
Conrad L. Lindberg (1954-1969)
Earl Berndtson (1969-1980)
Norman C. Peterson (1980-2013)
Maxine Gray (Interim) (2013-1014)
Devon Barrix (Interim) (2014-2015)
Tammy K. Barthels (2015-2022)