Pastors who have served the Deerfield congregation since the beginning are: J. A. Otteson 1890–1891, M.K. Ble-ken 1892–1897, J. Grevstad 1897–1902, R.O. Brandt 1902–1904, Th. Ringoen 1904–1906, Adolph Bredeson 1906–1913, D.J. Borge 1915–1926, A.J. Lee 1926–1927, A. C. Odden 1927–1943, E. J. Tetlie 1943–1966, R. Weidenhoeft 1967–1971, J. Nesheim 1972–1976, T. Hoversten 1977–1982,

F. Olsen 1983–1992, and Pastor Larry Sexe, from 1993 to the present.

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Deerfield Lutheran has a diverse membership made up of families from various ethnic, racial, and religious backgrounds; the congregation is welcoming to all. They practice “open communion” where everyone who believes in Christ’s presence in Holy Communion are welcome to receive the sacrament. At the 2015 Annual Meeting, the congregation voted to extend to same gender couples the right to be married and fully participate in the life of the congregation.

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“The church is called upon to minister not only to its own membership but also to those outside.” That statement from a brief history of the congregation written for the 50th Anniversary celebration is reflected in the current mission statement, “Called In Worship To Care For Others By Sharing Christ’s Love.” This mission is reflected in a service-centric ministry that has included hosting refugee families, sponsoring mission teams who have served others here in the U.S. and abroad, and has led the congretgation recently to join LUAD (Lutherans United Assisting After Disasters). This service flows from the congregation’s primary focus which has been on worship and spiritual renewal. The music ministry of Deerfield Lutheran which currently includes adult, children’s, and handbell choirs, has been part of the DNA since the church’s beginning.

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Milestone ministry has been a special emphasis of the church since the 1990s when Deerfield Lutheran participated in workshops conducted by Dr. Dick Hardel of what was then the Youth and Family Institute (now Vibrant Faith) with a focus on faith formation in the homes of members. One of the tangible reminders of this ongoing ministry are handcrafted faith chests given to each of the baptized. Begun by Jerry Storms this ministry is carried on by builders who honor his legacy. As the congregation celebrates milestones in a child’s life, age appropriate Bibles, devotional books, and other faith resources are added to these chests to help parents in nurturing a child’s faith in their home.  This partnership between congregation and home continues to be a vital and growing part of the ministry today.

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Deerfield Lutheran has always been deeply rooted in the local community and reaches out to serve others in a variety of ways.

Members were instrumental in organizing the Deerfield Community Center. In 2012 a Deerfield Lutheran Commun-ity Garden was established that provides fresh produce to the Deerfield Community Center Food Pantry on a weekly basis during the summer. Throughout the year, non-perishable items are collected for the food pantry at the Community Center. They also coordinate the annual CROP Walk that collects dollars for global hunger as well as the local Deerfield Community Center Food Pantry.

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Looking ahead, the church’s members are in the process of redoing the parking lot to make it more environmentally “safe” and also so it might expand the community garden area to reach more people and make it a convenient place for the Community Farmer’s Market.

Special offerings are collected for ministries that include the Dane County Jail Chap-laincy, Lutherdale Bible Camp, Skaalen Home, Lutheran Social Services, Lutheran World Hun-ger and Disaster Assistance, as well as fundraising events that help local families in need because of fires, illnesses, or natural disasters.

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Over the years Deerfield Lutheran has sponsored Boy Scouts and have benefited from Eagle Scout projects such as picnic tables, landscaping by the new ramp, installation of an AED unit, and digitalization of our historical photos.

Deerfield Lutheran and St. Paul’s Liberty Lutheran co-sponsored two families in 1975 who came from Cambodia and one in 1986 from Romania.

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The church’s mission to care for others led to a Prayer Shawl Ministry where handmade shawls and lap robes are given to those in special need to let them know they are being prayed for and loved.  The church regularly sponsors families at the holidays with food and gifts. The youth have helped with raking and shoveling snow for the elderly and disabled. Adults in the congregation have organized work groups to paint homes and also to assist with building Habitat houses. Recently, the church members organized meal chains for families that have had an illness or emergency.

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The Vacation Bible School and Sunday School are open to all members of the community; you do not need to be a member of Deerfield Lutheran to attend. Deerfield Lutheran initiated and hosts an annual Baccalaureate Service, which includes blessing of graduates, as an ecumenical service planned by parents and students of graduates.  The church is staying vital in the community by keeping up with the changes in society and in the community - by going outside our walls doing youth and adult mission trips throughout the United States as well as internationally to Guatemala and through the Vengs to Cambodia.

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To keep in contact with the community as a whole as well as with members, the church still uses the weekly newspaper The Deerfield Independent but have added a website (http://deerfieldluthernelca.wixsite.com)

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The congregation of Deerfield Lutheran celebrated the 125th milestone with several special events throughout 2015:

 

Deerfield Lutheran has a strong history of music: a Handbell Choir, Deerfield Lutheran Choir, a Sunday School Choir; a pipe organ, and a baby grand piano. A vital part of the history of Deerfield Lutheran Church has always been music. As the first project for this anniversary year, the Music and Worship Committee initiated a fundraising project to purchase a new baby grand piano and new wood flooring for the sanctuary. The fundraising project was begun on March 15. With the generous donations of current and former members, including several large memorials, volunteers from the congregation and community installed the wood flooring and with the donation of a professional moving service, the new baby grand piano was purchased and delivered. On Sunday, June 7 a special dedication service was held which included special musical selections on the new piano offered by Angie Williams, Patricia Cook, and Madison and Martin Kimmel - piano students of Jane Holland. As Martin Luther said, “Next to worship, music deserves the highest form of praise.”

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On Sunday, Aug. 16, a Reunion of the Youth and Adult Mission Teams was held at Deerfield Lutheran. This event was a return service for the 2015 High School Mission Team who served as the “hands and feet of Christ” this past summer in Chicago. In addition, the church welcomed back the participants from mission teams sent by Deerfield Lutheran over the past 15 years. In 2000, the church had called Kathy Miles, the first Youth and Family Ministry coordinator (2000-2007). She helped not only with youth and family ministries which included the confirmation mentor program and the Wednesday Faith Night Ministry, but also the mission trips. The church has sent over 125 members of the congregation - both youth and adults - to various places as the hands and feet of Christ. Youth groups have traveled to St. Louis, Mo.; the Appalachian Mountains in West Virginia; Atlanta, Ga.; Blackfoot Indian Reservation in Montana; the East Coast-Onancok, Va.; Cass Lake Indian Reservation in Minnesota; New Orleans; Twin Cities in Minnesota; Swan Quarters in North Carolina; as well as several mission trips to Chicago. In addition, several adult groups have taken mission trips to the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina as well as to Guatemala to help build homes.

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On Sunday, Sept. 13, the church honored the senior members of the congregation with a special Octogen-arian/Polka Worship Service. Pastor Tom Hoversten (who served Deerfield Lutheran from 1977-1982) was the special guest speaker for this service. Susie Egre and Darlene Thorstad (accordion-playing cousins) led the polka worship service which also featured members of the Promised Band (Laura Connor, Steve Holmes, and Leo Jazdzewski) as well as Jane Holland leading the congregation in singing songs with liturgy set to familiar polkas and waltz melodies. Following the polka service, attendees enjoyed a brunch and fellowship.

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On Sunday, Oct. 11, the Rev. Jim Mehltretter - a native of Deerfield - was a guest speaker for the 9 a.m. service.

Jim grew up in Deerfield, the son of Maurice and Evelyn Mehltretter. He graduated from Deerfield High School in 1984, received his bachelor’s degree from Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, his Master in Education degree from Drake University in Des Moines, and his Master of Divinity from Wartburg Seminary in 2001. He has served as the pastor for several congregations in Iowa and Wisconsin and currently serves as a chaplain at Finley Hospital in Dubuque, Iowa.

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As we plan for the future, Deerfield Lutheran Church will continue to be deeply rooted in the community of Deerfield. The mission is to share the Good News of Christ’s love for all people whether rich or poor, and regardless of race, ethnicity, sexuality, or social background. For the church this means growing the vital partnership between the church and the home which has been central to the milestone ministries and which sees the church as helping families nurture faith in their daily lives.  The church will also continue to adapt to changes in society by finding new ways to serve others in the local community as well as throughout the world.

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As we continue into our second century, we pray for God’s Holy Spirit to renew us in the mission that we  are

“CALLED IN WORSHIP TO CARE FOR OTHERS BY SHARING CHRIST’S LOVE.”