Lake Wisconsin Evangelical Free Church

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About LWEFC

Our Vision

We are a thriving, Christ-centered church committed to reaching the lost and making disciples both in our community and around the world. Our Vision is to see lives changed by the transformative power of Jesus Christ!

Our Values

Connect to Jesus
We connect to Jesus through worship, reading His Word, studying with others and gaining knowledge of His power. We want everyone to know the love and grace that only Jesus can provide in a world that can sometimes feel chaotic. ​
Make Disciples
We want to raise up disciples to go out and minister to the world. In the workplace, in the community and within the church, we want to teach others how to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Reach the World
We want to reach near and far with the love of Christ through serving and partnering with other ministries to grow the body of Christ. We serve locally, globally and within the walls of our building.

Our Beliefs

God
We believe in one God, Creator of all things, holy, infinitely perfect, and eternally existing in a loving unity of three equally divine Persons: the Father, the Son and the Holy Spirit. Having limitless knowledge and sovereign power, God has graciously purposed from eternity to redeem a people for Himself and to make all things new for His own glory.
The Bible
We believe that God has spoken in the Scriptures, both Old and New Testaments, through the words of human authors. As the verbally inspired Word of God, the Bible is without error in the original writings, the complete revelation of His will for salvation, and the ultimate authority by which every realm of human knowledge and endeavor should be judged. Therefore, it is to be believed in all that it teaches, obeyed in all that it requires, and trusted in all that it promises.
The Human Condition
We believe that God created Adam and Eve in His image, but they sinned when tempted by Satan. In union with Adam, human beings are sinners by nature and by choice, alienated from God, and under His wrath. Only through God’s saving work in Jesus Christ can we be rescued, reconciled and renewed.
Jesus Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ is God incarnate, fully God and fully man, one Person in two natures. Jesus-Israel’s promised Messiah-was conceived through the Holy Spirit and born of the virgin Mary. He lived a sinless life, was crucified under Pontius Pilate, arose bodily from the dead, ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of God the Father as our High Priest and Advocate.
The Work of Christ
We believe that Jesus Christ, as our representative and substitute, shed His blood on the cross as the perfect, all-sufficient sacrifice for our sins. His atoning death and victorious resurrection constitute the only ground for salvation.
The Holy Spirit
We believe that the Holy Spirit, in all that He does, glorifies the Lord Jesus Christ. He convicts the world of its guilt. He regenerates sinners, and in Him they are baptized into union with Christ and adopted as heirs in the family of God. He also indwells, illuminates, guides, equips and empowers believers for Christ-like living and service.
The Church
We believe that the true church comprises all who have been justified by God’s grace through faith alone in Christ alone. They are united by the Holy Spirit in the body of Christ, of which He is the Head. The true church is manifest in local churches, whose membership should be composed only of believers. The Lord Jesus mandated two ordinances, baptism and the Lord’s Supper, which visibly and tangibly express the gospel. Though they are not the means of salvation, when celebrated by the church in genuine faith, these ordinances confirm and nourish the believer.
Christian Living
We believe that God’s justifying grace must not be separated from His sanctifying power and purpose. God commands us to love Him supremely and others sacrificially, and to live out our faith with care for one another, compassion toward the poor and justice for the oppressed. With God’s Word, the Spirit’s power, and fervent prayer in Christ’s name, we are to combat the spiritual forces of evil. In obedience to Christ’s commission, we are to make disciples among all people, always bearing witness to the gospel in word and deed.
Christ's Return
We believe in the personal, bodily and glorious return of our Lord Jesus Christ. The coming of Christ, at a time known only to God, demands constant expectancy and, as our blessed hope, motivates the believer to godly living, sacrificial service and energetic mission.




other matters of faith (defined by lwefc) god the father

We believe there is only one God and Father of all who reigns with providential care over the universe and all creation, according to the purpose of His grace. (Romans 8:28-30, 1 Cor 8:6, Eph 4:6, Is 8:6, Ps 47)

The Father is revealed through His Son, Jesus Christ.  (John 14:9-11) God is Father to those who by faith in Jesus Christ become children of God.  (John 20:17, John 10:30, John 1:12, Romans 8:15-16, 2 Cor 6:18, Gal 4:6) God is love.  (1 John 4:8)

We believe that the Father concerns Himself mercifully in the affairs of all people (2 Cor 1:3-4). He is a Father to the fatherless and protector of widows (Ps 68:5). He hears and answers prayer. (Matt 6:6, 9, Matt 21:2) He has blessed us in Jesus Christ with every spiritual blessing in heavenly places (Eph 1:3).

final authority for matters of belief and conduct
The Statement of Faith does not exhaust the extent of our beliefs.  The Bible itself, as the inspired and infallible Word of God that speaks with final authority concerning truth, morality, and the proper conduct of humanity, is the sole and final source of all that we believe.  For purposes of LWEFC's faith, doctrine, practice, policy, and discipline, our Elder Team, under the direction of the Holy Spirit, is our final interpretive authority on the Bible's meaning and application on all theological and doctrinal matters beyond the Constitution and By-Laws.
Response and Eternal Destiny
We believe that God commands everyone everywhere to believe the gospel by turning to Him in repentance and receiving the Lord Jesus Christ. We believe that God will raise the dead bodily and judge the world, assigning the unbeliever to condemnation and eternal conscious punishment and the believer to eternal blessedness and joy with the Lord in the new heaven and the new earth, to the praise of His glorious grace. Amen.
other matters of faith (defined by lwefc) Statement on marriage, gender, and secuality

We believe that God wonderfully and immutably creates each person as male or female.  These two distinct, complementary genders together reflect the image and nature of God, and as such, one's biological sex is not to be rejected (Gen 1:26-27; Matt 19:4).

We believe that the term "marriage" has only one meaning: the uniting of one biological man and one biological woman in a single, exclusive, lifelong covenantal union, as delineated in Scripture (Gen 2:18-25; Matt 19:5-6).  We believe  that marriage is not merely a human institution but is a special divine metaphor that is supposed to illustrate the union of Christ and the church (Eph 5:22-32).  Pastors of LWEFC will abide by this belief when they are asked to perform marriages.

We believe that God intends sexual intimacy to occur only between a man and a woman who are married to each other (1 Cor 6:18; 7:2-5; Heb 13:4). We believe that any form of sexual immorality (including adultery, fornication, homosexual behavior, bisexual conduct, and use of pornography) is contrary to Biblical teaching (Matt 15:18-20; 1 Cor 6:9-10).  We believe that God offers redemption and restoration to all who confess and forsake their sin, seeking His mercy and forgiveness through Jesus Christ (Acts 3:19-21; Rom 10:9-10; 1 Cor 6:9-11).

We believe that every person much be afforded compassion, love and kindness, respect, and dignity (Mark 12:28-21; Luke 6:31). Hateful and harassing behavior or attitudes directed toward any individual are to be repudiated and are not in accord with Scripture nor the doctrines of LWEFC.

Our Team

Robert Dennison

Senior Pastor

About Robert Dennison

Pastor Robert started ministry at the age of 18 when he began studies at Mid-South Bible College in Memphis, TN. Initially he worked with youth and worship and over the years has served in a variety of pastoral positions. While serving in Maryland he attended Lancaster Bible College where he completed his masters in pastoral studies. During his years of full-time ministry, he has moved from Maryland to Virginia to Florida and most recently to Wisconsin. He also taught elementary music in Memphis for four and a half years. Pastor Robert and Merry have been married since 1985. They met on a blind-date in 1982 that was arranged by mutual friends. They have four children and twelve grandchildren. They both have undergraduate degrees in music. For fun, they enjoy music, biking, cooking, walking, playing board games, and spending any time that they can with their family. Pastor Robert gave his heart to the Lord as a small child and discerned God calling him into full-time Christian work at the age of 15. His greatest joys in ministry are pastoring and teaching. If you find him alone, he will probably be drinking coffee, listening to music, and studying.

About

Hunter Newton

Youth & Outreach Director

About Hunter Newton

Hunter came to know Jesus going into his senior year of high school in Markesan, WI. He and his wife Leah met through a mutual friend while they were in college. Together they enjoy going to the movies, walking their dog named Rusty, and going to sporting events. In his spare time, you'll catch him hanging out with friends/family, watching baseball, bow hunting for deer or turkeys, and reading reformed theology books.

Before coming to Lake Wisconsin, Hunter served as the Student Ministries Intern at RiverValley Church in Oshkosh, WI. During his time there he earned a Bachelor of Science in Education from UW-Oshkosh. He holds a Master of Arts in Ministry Studies from Moody Theological Seminary along with a ministerial license from the Evangelical Free Church of America. Hunter is currently pursuing ordination. He's been serving as Youth & Outreach Director at Lake Wisconsin Church since June of 2021 with a passion to reach and build up students with the gospel of Jesus Christ.

 
About

Darla Niebuhr

Office Administrator

About Darla Niebuhr

Darla has been our Office Administrator since September of 2011.  Her work experience gives her an in-depth understanding of the needs of our church office management.
Feeling God’s call to service in this area, Darla's passion is to equip all of her church family, i.e., pastors, ministry leads & church members and attendees with the daily resources they need.
Darla is married to her wonderful husband Mark and together they have 6 children and 12 grandchildren. 
 
About

Isaiah Deaton

Church Custodian

About Isaiah Deaton

Isaiah Deaton is a recent homeschool graduate who lives in Poynette. He grew up in Montana before his family moved to Wisconsin in 2016. He has attended church his whole life, professing faith and being baptized in 2018. He continues to further his faith through Bible study. He aspires to become an author, and also enjoys art. He is very creative and tidy. He enjoys spending time with his family and walking his 3 dogs, as well as watching good media such as The Chosen, Sonic the Hedgehog, and Ninjago. He is thankful to bring his "loaves and fish" to serve at LWEFC.
 
About

Tom Midthun

Elder

About Tom Midthun

Tom and his wife Kitty have lived in Merrimac for the last 27 years and have 2 children and 2 grandchildren. Tom has been teaching adult Bible study for the last few years and served on the Pastor Search Committee. Study of Bible prophecy has been of particular interest for a number of years. Hobbies include fishing, playing with a chain saw, and enjoying Kitty's cooking. Finding a welcoming Bible-centered church as been a great blessing for us.

About

Matt Jesse

Elder

About Matt Jesse

Matt and his wife, Tracy are lifelong residents of Lodi. They have 3 adult children: Sam (Maggie), Henry and Audrey. Their family raises beef cattle and crops on a farm between Lodi and Dane. Matt has served as elder and leader for men’s ministry, small groups, Awana and adult studies. He has also traveled to Guatemala on 5 mission trips. He currently oversees the Trustee Team and the Mission Action Team. In his free time, Matt enjoys fishing, camping, roller coasters and spending time with family. He has experienced the faithfulness of God, in good times and bad, and loves sharing that hope with others.

About

Elder

About Jack Berry

About

Brad Roosma

Elder

About Brad Roosma

Brad and his family have been living in the Lodi area for nearly 10 years and have been at LWEFC for 6 years. Brad and his wife Becky have two wonderful children, Johanna and Stephen. Brad serves LWEFC as a Men’s Ministry leader, Elder, Greeter and substitute Sunday School teacher. His wife Becky serves as a ministry director for the Lodi Community Mom's Group. He has been walking with the Lord for 21 wonderful years. He has a passion for Christ and loves watching Him work in and through other people. He is in awe of God’s sovereignty and compassion for His church. His hobbies are canoeing, fishing, hiking, gardening, and last but not least, spending time with his family.

About

Matt Vanderkool

Lead Elder

About Matt Vanderkool

Matt is a native of Muskegon, MI and has lived in Harmony Grove since 1996 with Anne his wife of 30 years. He and Anne have been bless with two adult children, Ian and Emma. Matt and Anne founded New Life Physical Therapy (Portage, Baraboo, Reedsburg, Westfield) in 2002. Matt has been leader of small group, part of praise team, chairman of the elder board, and leader of adult education classes. Currently, he has oversight over worship, women’s ministry, and the mission action team. His wife Anne teaches Sunday school and co-leads small group. With each passing year, Matt is more and more amazed by the incredible holiness and grace of God demonstrated through his Word and by the gift of eternal life through Jesus Christ. His hobbies include alpine skiing, mtn biking, wind surfing, and water skiing.

About