Church Worker, Congregation, and School Anniversaries

2026 Church Worker Anniversaries

It is both a custom and a privilege for the Nebraska District to recognize the anniversaries of our professional church workers—active and retired Ministers of Religion–Ordained and Ministers of Religion–Commissioned. According to our records, the church workers currently listed below will be celebrating anniversaries in 2026. Congregations are encouraged to have some kind of recognition of these important events as one way to express love, care, and appreciation for the church workers.

Ministers of Religion–Ordained

70 Years

Orville Jank (StL’56)

 

55 Years

Stephen Bartelt (StL’71)

Eugene Gierke (Spg’71)

Michael Volk (StL’71)

 

50 Years

Richard Kothe (Spg’76)

 

45 Years

James Carretto (FtW’81)

James Dahlke (FtW’81)

Norman Friedmeyer (FtW’81)

Robert Lindau (FtW’80-Cqy)

Glenn Meyer (FtW’81)

Mark Zehnder (StL’81)

 

40 Years

Charles Adams (StL’86)

Daniel Barbey (StL’86)

Richard Bringewatt (StL’86)

Douglas Gaunt (FtW’86)

Roger Henning (StL’86-Cqy)

Darrel Kois (StL’86)

Ronald Kuehner (StL’86)

David Muench (StL’86)

John H. Schmidt (FtW’86)

Brion Tolzman (StL’86)

 

35 Years

Steven Felton (FtW’91)

Paul Holtorf (StL’91)

Bernhard Huesmann (FtW’91)

Brent Kuhlman (StL’90)

Scott Porath (FtW’91)

Donald Schulz (FtW’91)

 

30 Years

David Dobbertien (FtW’96)

Jose Flores (StL’96-Cqy)

John Gierke (StL’96)

John Kunze (StL’96)

Roger Leavitt (FtW’96)

Paul Warneke (FtW’96)

 

25 Years

Ronald Benson (FtW’01-AR)

Bryan Drebes (StL’01)

Paul Dunbar (StL’01)

David List (StL’01)

Brent Smith (StL’01)

Greg Stuckwisch (StL’01)

 

20 Years

Kurtis Busskohl (StL’06)

David Feddern (StL’06-AR)

Daniel Wing (StL’06)

 

15 Years

Mark Anderson (StL’11)

Justin Bell (StL’11)

Brian Bucklew (FtW’11)

David Coe (StL’06)

Ryan Eden (FtW’10)

Seth Flick (StL’11)

Don Pobanz (FtW’11)

Jonathan Rusnak (StL’10)

 

10 Years

Paul Albers (StL’16)

Adam Archer (StL’16)

Kevin Foley (FtW’16)

Brent Horne (FtW’16)

Ryan Janke (FtW’16)

Lucas Miller (FtW’16)

Nathan Scheck (StL’16)

Timothy Wells (StL’16)

Brian Wright (StL’16-AR)

 

5 Years

Justin Bangert (StL’21-AR)

Alexander Blanken (FtW’21)

Eric Gradberg (StL’21-AR)

Martin Hill (FtW’21)

Ryan Maser (StL’21)

 

Ministers of Religion–Commissioned

(Anniversaries for commissioned workers mark years of service, and do not include years on candidate or non-candidate status.)

 

70 years

Victor Peter (S’56)

 

65 years

Virginia Kohtz (S’61)

Jerrald Pfabe (RF’60)

 

60 years

Gary Drefke (S’66)

Eunice Goldgrabe (S’66)

Courtney Meyer (S’65)

John Roeber (S’66)

Thomas Ruppert (S’67)

 

55 years

Caroline Heidorn (S’74)

Neal Kurtz (S’70)

Marcheta Long (S’63)

Betty Meyer (S’66)

Don Sylwester (S’71)

 

50 years

Russell Moulds (S’76)

Catherine Niemeyer (S-Cqy’87)

 

45 years

Eunice McCarty (S’78)

Jenny Mueller-Roebke (S’73)

Elizabeth Obermueller (S’64)

David Ricke (S’77)

Kenneth Sankey (S’80)

Clee Wolske (S’73)

Monique Wolske (S’73)

Robert Ziegler (S’81)

 

40 years

Marcia Bliss (S’78)

Rob Cooksey (S’84)

Laura Deardoff (SJW’85)

Karen Einspahr (S’79)

Annie Rumsey (S-Cqy’01)

Lori Uden (S’85)

 

35 years

Laura Asplin (S’91)

Denise Bitter (S’71)

Rebekah Blanco (WI-Cqy’02)

Chris Deeter (S’86)

Lavonne Fleer (S’77)

Ann Gardels (S’91)

Gretchen Gebhardt (S’75)

Mark Meehl (S’79)

Edward Reinke (S’85)

Pamela Simpson (S’90)

Thaddeus Warren (S’91)

 

30 years

Ann Anderson (S’96)

Mark Anschutz (S’77)

Jonathan Baumgartel (S’96)

Jeremy Geidel (S’96)

Jeff Rickords (S’95)

Amy Stradtmann (S’91)

Sheila Wallingford (S’96)

 

25 years

Phillip Carlson (S’01)

Juanita Ebert (CH-Cqy’04)

Charles Gebhardt (S’91)

Amy Hubach (S’01)

Jennifer Janousek (S-Cqy’25)

Candace Jurchen (S’01)

Paula Kapels (S’84)

Shannon Meyer (CH’01)

Karen Prelerson (S’87)

Lauren Sommerer (S’93)

Todd Voss (S’92)

Darcy Willers (S-Cqy’05)

Matt Wiltse (S’00)

 

20 years

Amy Harms (S’04)

Nicolai Love (S’06)

Natasha Onnen (S’06)

Nicholas Onnen (S’06)

Shanna Opfer (S’99)

Amy Schmidt (S’06)

Vanessa Seifert (S’03)

 

15 years

David Borcherding (S’89)

Rebekah Freed (S’11)

Natalie Heidtbrink (IV-Cqy’15)

Ann Henny (S’10)

Rebecca Jeseritz (MQ’04)

Caroline Kober (S’97)

Katherine Krause (S’11)

Andrew Rathe (S’10)

 

10 years

Katelyn Cody (S’13)

Rachel Jank (S’09)

Zachary Kollbaum (S’16)

Christina Long (S-Cqy’22)

Jeremiah Majorins (S’12)

Wendy McCarty (S’77)

Kelly Shaver (S’12)

Keaton Sturm (S’12)

Chase Winter (S-Cqy’19)

 

5 years

Kaitlyn Bolin (S’19)

Jenny Carlson (S’09)

Bethany Gebers (SP’21)

Camille Hamer (S’21)

Callie Hammes (S’21)

Julia Holle (S’21)

Evan Johnson (S’20)

Angela Kollbaum (IV’21)

Chelsey Liess (S’07)

Sarah Love (S’06)

Toria Richardson (S’18)

 

2026 Congregation and School Annivesaries

According to our records, the congregations and schools currently listed below will be celebrating anniversaries in 2026.

Nebraska District Congregations

155th Anniversary

Christ, Columbus

St. Peter, Elk Creek

Immanuel, Louisville

Christ, Norfolk

St. John, Pierce

St. Paul, West Point

 

150th Anniversary

Immanuel, Hooper

First, Papillion

 

145th Anniversary

St. Paul, Falls City

Trinity, Lincoln

Zion, Scotia

First Trinity (Altona), Wayne

St. John, Wilcox

 

140th Anniversary

Zion, Garland

St. John, Ogallala

Trinity, Ogallala

Zion, Omaha

 

135th Anniversary

Immanuel, Daykin

St. Paul, Winside

 

130th Anniversary

Golgotha, Wausa

 

125th Anniversary

Christ, Falls City

Zion (Harbine), Jansen

St. John, Palmer

 

120th Anniversary

St. Paul, Chambers

 

100th Anniversary

St. John, Burwell

Grace, Franklin

Our Redeemer, North Platte

Our Savior, Odell

St. Paul, Ogallala

Mt. Calvary, Omaha

 

95th Anniversary

St. Paul, Cambridge

Mt. Olive, Norfolk

 

90th Anniversary

Trinity, Walthill

St. Peter, Wymore

 

85th Anniversary

Christ, O’Neill

Grace, Platte Center

 

80th Anniversary

Hope, Omaha

Christ, St. Paul

 

70th Anniversary

Grace, Grand Island

Faith, Hastings

St. Mark, Omaha

 

65th Anniversary

Peace, Columbus

 

50th Anniversary

Peace, Grand Island

 

45th Anniversary

Lord of Life, Elkhorn

 

10th Anniversary

GraceHill, Omaha

 

Nebraska District Schools​

 

155th Anniversary

Christ Lutheran School, Columbus

Christ Lutheran School, Norfolk

 

150th Anniversary

St. Paul’s Lutheran School, Arlington

 

140th Anniversary

Immanuel Lutheran School, Polk

 

120th Anniversary

Trinity Lutheran School, Madison

Immanuel Lutheran Preschool, Osmond

 

110th Anniversary

St. Paul Lutheran School, Beatrice

 

60th Anniversary

Our Redeemer Lutheran School, Staplehurst

 

45th Anniversary

Trinity Lutheran Preschool, Auburn

Holy Cross Lutheran Preschool, Kearney

 

35th Anniversary

Lambs of Christ Lutheran Preschool (Bethlehem), Crete

 

30th Anniversary

Noah’s Ark Christian Preschool (St. John), Burwell

Lutheran High Northeast, Norfolk

St. John Lutheran Preschool, Tecumseh

 

25th Anniversary

Concordia Lutheran Schools, Omaha

 

15th Anniversary

Little Lambs Christian Preschool (Christ), St. Paul