Meet the Pastors of Bethel

Back row, left to right: Pastor Duane Hanson, Pastor John Swanson, Pastor Bill White, Pastor Curt Everson Front row, left to right: Pastor Katie Baardseth, Pastor Rick Lund, Pastor Pedro Suárez, and Pastor Laura Sutherland.

Pastor Bill White, Senior Pastor
bwhite@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Bill White spent most of his youth as a student at Wisconsin institutions. He graduated from Viroqua High School and the University of Wisconsin- Eau Claire. Following college he attended Luther Seminary in St. Paul.

While in Seminary he married Sally Lee. They celebrated 40 years of marriage in 2004.

Pr. White first served Hollandale-Trinity Lutheran Parish in Hollandale and Blanchardville, Wisconsin. In 1968 he accepted a call to become Director of Camping for the Michigan District of the American Lutheran Church. In 1970 he became an Assistant to the President (now called Bishop) of the Michigan District, continuing his camp work on three sites in Michigan, and assuming staff positions for the District Office. While in Michigan Bill was elected to the Wayne-Westland School Board and served as chair of the ALC Lutheran Camp Directors.

In 1976 Bill and Sally moved to Mt. Pleasant, Michigan in the center of Michigan's lower peninsula to start a new congregation. They remained there for 15 years while the church, Immanuel Lutheran, experienced significant growth. In addition to three church building programs, the congregation built Immanuel Village, a low income apartment complex. In Mt. Pleasant Bill helped establish and chaired, AIM/DD, the Association for Interfaith Ministries for the Developmentally Disabled, Christmas Outreach, an organization that provide clothing, food, toys, winter coats, bicycles, and boots to those in the county who were in need. He also served on the Council and Executive Committee of the American Lutheran Church leading to the merger that formed The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

Pr. White has published four books on storytelling: Speaking In Stories, (1982), Stories for Telling (1986), Stories for the Journey (1988) and Stories for the Gathering (1997), one book of Sermons, Fatal Attractions: Sermons on the Seven Deadly Sins (1992), and In Over Our Heads: Meditations on Grace (2007) . He is also the author of numerous magazine articles and shorter works on worship.

His wife, Sally, an elementary school principal, is now retired. The Whites have two children, Sara (an associate producer of major motion pictures, Sweet Home Alabama, Catwoman, etc.) and Scott (who holds a PhD and is employed by the Kansas Geological Survey of the University of Kansas, in Lawrence).

Pastor Duane E. Hanson, Director Bethel Horizons
bhorizons@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Duane Hanson was born and raised in southwestern Wisconsin and is a graduate of Luther College and Luther Seminary. He was called to Bethel Lutheran Church in l968 and named director of Bethel Horizons when it was incorporated in 1969.

His wife, Ruth, is an elementary school counselor in Sauk City, WI. He and Ruth have two children: Bjorn, attending Luther College and Solveig , a graduate of Grinnell College, an organic farmer near Postville, Iowa.

His involvement in the American Camp Association spans national, regional, and statewide involvement. Working in conjunction with Herb Brokering, he has led numerous trips to eastern Europe, the most recently in August of 2004. Pastor Hanson is planning another trip to Poland and Slovakia in 2006.

Pastor Katherine Baardseth, Family/Congregational Life
katieb@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Katherine Baardseth was called in January of 2002 to attend to Family and Congregational Life for Bethel. Pastor Katie has brought many new ideas into Bethel programs involving women, families, small groups, and education for adults interested in Christianity. Prior to Bethel, Pastor Katie served congregations in San Diego and Huntington Beach, California.

A member of Phi Beta Kappa, Rev. Baardseth graduated magna cum laude from Luther College in Decorah, IA. Katie completed her internship at St. John Lutheran Church in Kailua, Hawaii in 1996 and received her Masters of Divinity degree at Luther Seminary in St. Paul, MN in 1997. She was ordained into the ministry on July 19, 1998.

Pastor Baardseth is married to Rev. Blake Rohrer, who serves as pastor at Midvale Lutheran Church in Madison. Katie and Blake are busy at home with their two small daughters, Kristina and Sigrid.

Pastor John Swanson, Confirmation/Mission/Visitation
jswanson@bethel-madison.org

Pastor John Swanson was born in Rice Lake, Wisconsin, but spent most of his early years in Iowa, first in Des Moines and then in Bettendorf as the son of Lutheran pastor. John graduated from Augustana College in Rock Island, Illinois with a degree in Elementary Education. After working several jobs, including the position of Director of Christian Education and Youth at a Lutheran Church in Sterling, Illinois, he entered the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago.

During the summer between his first and second year in seminary John married Beth Miller in the summer of 1992. After seminary graduation and ordination, John was called to Bethel as an associate pastor in the summer of 1994.

Beth, who is a Speech Language Pathologist, works at the University of Wisconsin - Whitewater, where she supervises graduate students. She also has a private practice, working with children facing a variety of speech and language challenges. John and Beth have two children: Lydia, born in 1997, and Caleb, born in 2002.

John is an avid sports fan. His areas of ministry at Bethel include Confirmation, Mission, and Visitation.

Pastor Rick Lund joined Bethel in 2006. His primary ministry emphasis is evangelism and mission. He leads the Sunday Night Worship Service, which is focussed on reaching downtown residents and UW students. He is particularly passionate about bringing new people into the Church, especially those who have come to believe that the Church is irrelevant and boring. Though he speaks Norwegian, he does not find that helpful in speaking the language of today's non-churched population.

Rick and his wife Katherine grew up in Tacoma, WA. After high school, they went their separate ways--she to University of Washington and he to Pacific Lutheran University. Rick worked for the television's "The Frugal Gourmet" through college, then was a Commercial Banking Officer in the Seattle area for 9 years. Sensing God's call, he studied at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley, CA. His first call was to Family of God Lutheran Church, Bremerton WA then Bethany Lutheran Church, Rice Lake, Wisconsin, for 8 years, and 3 years at First Lutheran Church, Duluth, MN before coming to Madison.

Pastor Rick and Katherine have two sons, Trygve and Peter, at Madison West High. Their shared interests are in Academics, Football, Music, and ChurchYouth group. Peter loves his Latin and Spanish studies, as well as History and volunteers for the UW sports program; Trygve is enjoys Debate Club, English, Math and Science, and Latin Social Dance. Katherine works at Clifton Gunderson Financial Services in Madison.

Pastor Curt Everson, Associate Pastor
Visitation and Worship

Pastor Curtis Everson was born just west of Madison in the township of Black Earth. During the Korean conflict, he served four years in the U.S. Air Force. He is a graduate of St. Olaf College, Northfield, Minnesota, where he was a History major and a member of the St. Olaf Choir. He holds a Master of Divinity degree from Luther Seminary, St. Paul, and did graduate work for two years at the UW-Madison.

Pr. Everson interned at North Community Lutheran Church, Columbus, Ohio; was senior pastor of Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Warren, Ohio; and for 30 years (1967-1997) at West Middleton Lutheran Church on Madison's western edge. Since his retirement in 1997, he has been on the pastoral staff of Bethel where he serves part-time in the areas of worship and visitation.

Pastor Pedro Suárez, pictured with his wife, Aura
Latino Ministries
padrepedro@bethel-madison.org

Pastor Pedro Suárez was born and raised in Venezuela, South America. He received his bachelor's degree at SEA, an interdenominational seminary in Maracay, Venezuela. His first call was in 1980 to serve as a missionary with an international broadcasting ministry, Trans World Radio (TWR) International in Bonaire, Netherlands Antilles. The following year he married Aura Celis who joined him at Bonaire. Their first child, Rafael, was born there in 1985, and that same year he was transferred to lead the TWR branch in Venezuela. In 1987 a daughter, Melinda, was born in Maracay. They relocated to Chicago, IL in 1990 for both to study for masters degrees at the Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago. After ordination as a Lutheran Pastor in 1992, Rev. Suárez received a call to St. Mary's Hope Lutheran Church in Chicago. In 1995 he was called to develop a Latino Ministry in Aurora, IL, (now St. Francis Lutheran Church) and to begin a Latino Ministry at St. Andrew's Lutheran in West Chicago.

In July of 2002 Pastor Suárez was called to Bethel Lutheran Church to develop a Latino Ministry here. Bethel's first Latino worship service was held on Sunday, October 6, 2002.

Pastor Suárez is fluent in English, Spanish , and Papiamentu, the language of the Netherlands Antilles.