Congregational Council

The Congregation Council of First English Lutheran Church (above) is comprised of
15 elected members. These dedicated members are the governing body of the church:
Back row from left: Steve Ford (co-vice president), Terry Maves (co-vice president), Dong Pham, Rick Sather and Steve Uslabar
Middle row from left: John Zweig, Kathy Larson (secretary), Gordy Jeppson (president) and Dean Haas (treasurer).
Front row from left: Dana Olson, Amy Henderson, and Kathy Freeman.
Not pictured: Ellen Evensen, Jennifer Johnson, Lance Schmidt and Steve Uslabar.

Meetings: The Council meets on the fourth Tuesday of each month, with the exception of July. The meetings in January through June are held in Room 110 at the Downtown Site. Meetings in August through December are in the Sanctuary at the North Site. Check the church online calendar for times.

FELC 2005 self-study includes update in '07. Read more. (2.65 MB)

First English constitution & bylaws: Follow this link.

Covenant & Principles of Conduct: Follow this link.

Ellen Evensen has been a member of First English since 2000. She was appointed in May to take over a vacant Council spot, has served on the Congregational Life Ministry Team, is a confirmation small-group leader, volunteers in many worship areas when needed and enjoys getting up bright and early with the “Women’s Thursday Early Riser Bible Study.” Ellen is an HR Generalist for Alta Resources in Neenah. She enjoys spending time with her family and friends in her spare time and is really looking forward to joining the First English youth at the youth gathering in New Orleans in July.

Steve Ford and his wife, Annette, have been active members of First English Lutheran Church since 1988. They have 3 children, Trevor, Chay and Molly. Steve has served on the Building and Grounds Committee and has been a member of the Church Council, serving as Council President for one term. He has taught Sunday School at the 5th, 7th, 8th and 9th grade levels. He and Annette were Confirmation Small Group leaders for 8 years and also coordinated the Youth Christmas Wreath Sales for many years. He is active in the Men's Ministry and enjoys family, friends, fly fishing and golf.

Kathy Freeman and her husband, Doug, and sons Kelly and Cory have been members at First English since 1993. Kathy works in the financial services department at the Hand & Upper Extremity Center in Appleton. Kathy has served on the church council and as council president in 2000. She was a member of the Evangelism Team for 8 years since becoming a member at First English and most recently served as chair of the Worship & Music Ministry Team. Kathy is a member of the Early Risers Bible Study.

Dean Haas and his wife, Edith, joined First English in 2002 after moving to Appleton from Minnesota. They have two adult children, Angela who lives in Montana and Steven & wife Missy who live in Denver. Dean has served on the Support Minnistry Team, Timber Rattlers baseball committee and the Self-Study Task Force at FELC. He enjoys volunteeringhis time as a welcome host, reader, greeter and communion assistant. Dean and Edith particpate in Tables of Eight, serving for coffee hour and trips to the Gulf Coast on Mission Trips. Dean is a Senior Financial Services Officer and is very active in the Lions service organization.

Amy Henderson has been a member of First English since 1990. Amy and her husband, Dayton, have two adult children: Laura and Kate. Amy was a staff member at FELC from 1990 through May 2006 and served as the staff liaison to the Support Ministry Team. Amy taught Sunday school at both sites; volunteered as a small-group confirmation leader; and served as a chaperone at a National Youth Gathering, a service trip to Slovakia as well as a mission trip to West Virginia. She is a volunteer for the worship ministry and at ECHOES and is a member of the Capital Appeal Committee, Time & Talent Team and counting committee.

Gordy Jeppson and his wife, Mary, have been members of First English since theymoved to Appleton from Iowa in 1988. He recently retired from ThriventFinancial for Lutherans after 23 years. Before working at Thrivent, he had a 27-year career ineducation, primarily in athletic administration and coaching at the college level. Mary and Gordy have three grown sons. Two of their sons are married. They have seven grandchildren. For thepast 4 years, he has been a member of the First English Stewardship Committee.

Jennifer Johnson (not pictured) has been married to her husband, Greg, for 25 years and they have two children, Maren (19, a sophomore at UW-Madison), and Erik (17, a junior at Kaukauna High School). They moved to the Fox Valley in 1986, and have been members of First English since then. Over the years, she has been involved in many ways at FELC from directing the Angelus Choir, volunteering for Vacation Bible School, singing in the Parish Choir, and song leading/cantoring. She has served on the Worship Ministry Team, one term on the Church Council and its executive committee, and also served on the Transition Team following the retirement of Pastors Quello and Bloedow. Jennifer has been active in many ways as a community volunteer from serving as a Girl Scout Leader, serving on the Fox Valley Symphony League and Board, to currently singing with the White Heron Chorale and serving on their board.

Kathy Larson has been a member of First English for 20 years along with her husband Gary, and three children, Erik, Sarah and Anna. Kathy grew up near Eau Claire and moved to the Fox Valley with her husband 29 years ago when he became employed at Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. Kathy is a graduate of UW-Oshkosh with a degree in business administration with an emphasis in finance. Kathy has been employed by Thrivent Financial for the last 18 years and currently works in the Church and Community Engagement unit as a Grant Program Manager. In her current role, Kathy has the opportunity to work with representatives from the national Lutheran church bodies, many Lutheran congregations and Lutheran institutions. Kathy has served the church as a long time Sunday School teacher, small-group confirmation leader, Vacation Bible School and various other roles. Kathy also volunteers as the piano accompanist for the Fox Valley VSA choir, a choir made up of people with and without disabilities.

Terry Maves has been a member at First English for 63 years. He and his wife, Mary, have each been life long members of the church and have five children: Tyler, J.R. (Grawe), Gus, Peter and Suzy. Terry is the Pharmacy Director for United Healthcare-Wisconsin, a pharmacist for Shopko Pharmacies and president-elect of the Pharmacy Society of Wisconsin. Volunteer activities include being a board member of the Fox Cities Community Health Center and the Wisconsin Health Information Exchange. At First English Terry has served 3 terms on the Church Council, was a member of the constitution rewriting committee, the Human Resource team, and the committee to call Pastor Mary Bauer. Over the years he taught Sunday School, sang in the choir, ushered, and played on the church softball team.

Dana Olson has been a member of First English since 1976. She has previously served two terms on the Council and most recently served on the Staffing Needs Task Force. Dana has taught Sunday school and was member of the former personnel subcommittee. She coordinates the annual geranium sale, which is a major youth fundraiser. Dana also volunteers regularly at ECHOES, serves as a greeter and is a member of the “Women’s Thursday Early Riser Study.” She is a graduate of Concordia College in Moorhead, Minn. and worked at the former Aid Association for Lutherans for 13 years. Dana and her husband, Steve, have four children, Kelly, Erik, Jessica, Sonja, and three grandchildren.

Dong Pham and his wife, Sheryl, live in Appleton and have been members of First English since 2000. Along with their two children, Aaron and Carmen, they regularly attend worship services at the North Site. He is a member of the Congregational Life Ministry Team and serves as a greeter, coffee hour host and new member sponsor. Dong works in Oshkosh for Bemis Company as an environmental engineer in the Corporate Environmental Affairs Department. Before joining Bemis, he was an environmental consultant for 15 years. In his free time, he enjoys playing tennis, running and biking.

Rick Sather and his wife, Kris, son Andrew (18) and daughter Megan (15) have been members of First English for 12 years. Rick has served as a member of the Learning Ministry Team, Life and Growth Ministry Team, and is currently a member of the Stewardship Committee. Rick chaired the Life and Growth Ministry team when the team recommended the creation of two separate committees that are now the Congregational Life and Congregational Growth Ministry Teams. This was also when the welcome host role was established. Rick has previously served one term on the Church Council and has also been actively involved in adult learning activities including adult, Lenten and small group study groups.

Lance Schmidt has been a member of five ELCA congregations in four states since 1988. He and his wife, Barbara, are proud parents of Alec(12), Anna(9) and Emily(6). They moved back to their beloved Wisconsin in 2003, built a house in the Town of Ellington and joined FELC in 2004. Both were raised on dairy farms in rural Shawano County. Lance manages the Greenville Branch of Family Insurance Center, Inc. and serves as a junior partner. He has served on the North Site Development Team and the Worship & Music Ministry Team. He has been a member of the Congregational Growth Ministry Team since 2005, chairing the Team in 2008. He also served on the Call Committee for Pastor Dismer. He enjoys serving as worship assistant, communion server and lay reader at the North Site. He also participates in the Friday Morning Men’s Ministry and FELC’s All Pro Dad Ministry. He and Barbara facilitated the Couple Prayer Series this past fall. He enjoys volunteering and is Treasurer of the Greenville Lions Club and is a member of the Greenville Civic Club, Hortonville Chamber of Commerce, Fox Cities Chamber of Commerce, Fox Cities YMCA, Appleton Referral Network and the Fox West Business Association. He also coaches for Hortonville Flag Football and Greenville Youth Sports. He is an avid outdoorsman and enjoys hunting with his son and their golden retriever, Remington. He also enjoys fishing, singing, history and politics.

Steve Uslabar has been a member of FELC since 1999 when he joined with his wife, Kathy Jo and their two sons, Henry and Ethan. He is the past Treasurer of FELC, as well as past chairman of the Stewardship committee. A 3rd generation, lifelong Lutheran, Steve was confirmed at Grace Lutheran in Winchester. Steve’s faith was strengthened while working under the direction of Ted Berkland for two summers at Luther Point Bible Camp in Grantsburg Wisconsin. Steve facilitates the adult bible study at the Drew Street campus, is a welcome host and communion assistant.Steve is a consultant for the McClone Insurance Group, and he is an avid boater, enjoying Kayaking, sailing, as well as power boating.

John Zweig is a native of Illinois and moved to Appleton after he retired from the Army in 1998. John and his wife, Margaret, have been members at First English since 1999. They have three children: Jimmy is a band director and Robert and Christina are in college. In addition to being a member of the Council and chairman of the Support Ministry Team, John works in a variety of roles at First English, including serving as an usher and worship assistant. He chaired the Self-Study Task Force and served on the Call Committee during our recent transition. John is a dentist and is Clinic Director for Dental Associates, Ltd. in Green Bay. John’s volunteer activities have included Scout leader and soccer coach, along with band boosters and Odyssey of the Mind.