Our Bethel Staff
Lead Pastor
pastoramy@bethelwahpeton.com
My name is Pastor Amy Eisenmann, and I joined the staff of Bethel in November of 2024 to serve as their Lead Pastor.
I have previously served calls in Cedar Falls, IA. Thompson, ND, Sioux Falls, SD, and Palo, MN.
My favorite part of working at Bethel is how we get to work with all age groups as well as learning and growing across ages, families and cultures. I have a passion for helping people discover their gifts and find ways to use them, as well as caring for those on the margins, and helping to remind them that they are beloved, forgiven, children of God!
My immediate family is my 3-year-old Cavachon Adalee who keeps me very busy! The rest of my family lives in the Twin Cities. I have one brother who has four young adults, and spending time with my nieces and nephews is my favorite thing to do. I also am blessed to be "Great Aunt" to Baby Wes, and love to hold him when possible. I also enjoy playing guitar, writing poetry, reading, and sharing a cup of coffee or tea with friends.
My favorite Bible verses come from Romans 12 and tells us to "Be good friends who love deeply; practice playing second fiddle." My favorite Bible Story is either The Road to Emmaus, where Jesus shows up in the midst of the disciples confusion and fear and breaks the bread with them, or the story of Ruth, where she promises to stay with her new found family, and "where you go, I will go". It truly is my pleasure to be on the road together.
I would love to get to know you, learn about your hobbies and passions and hear about your family. Let’s set up a time to get together for coffee or lunch or just to get to know each other better!
Intern Rod Thompson
Pastoral Intern internrod@bethelwahpeton.com
I begin my year-long pastoral internship at Bethel in August as part of my Master of Divinity program at Wartburg Theological Seminary. I have the privilege of learning from Pastor Amy and her staff, even more importantly, learning alongside the people of Bethel.
I will be doing a little bit of everything-which is exactly, what an internship should be!
As a seminary student, I will preach, help lead worship, teach Bible studies and small groups, make pastoral visits, spend time in the community, laugh and have fun, and learn what it really means to serve as a pastor. You may find me in the sanctuary on Sunday, visiting someone during the week, drinking coffee with a Bethel member, or simply listening to someone's story.
I am not sure yet what my favorite part of working at Bethel is yet, but I most look forward to the people. I love hearing people's stories, laughing together, sharing a cup of coffee, and being invited into the important moment's of people's lives. I'm discovering more and more that some of the best ministry happens in ordinary conversations and unexpected places.
I'm especiallty grateful that Bethel has welciomed me and is willing to be part of my journey toward becoming a pastor. We're going to learn a lot together and hopefully have plenty of fun along the way.
My wife, Lori, and I live in Moorhead with two of our five children still at home. Our three older children have begun their own careers. We are grandparents to two grandchildren.
One of my favorite songs is "Hard Fought Hallelujah by Brandon Lake featuring Jelly Roll because it is about praising God through struggle, scars, and redemption rather than through an easy life. Its message reflects many of our faith journeys from failure and brokenness to grace, calling and ministry.
Lisa Bassingthwaite
Director of Youth & Family Ministries
lisa@bethelwahpeton.com
Hi, I’m Lisa Bassingthwaite, Director of Children, Youth, and Families at Bethel Lutheran Church.
I encourage the spiritual growth of children, youth, and families by creating safe, engaging and faith-centered programs. I coordinate Wednesday and Sunday programming, and special events.
My favorite part of working at Bethel is the families and people that I get to work with and for.
I have been married to my husband Mike for 34 years. We have three children, Jenna, Rachel, and Carson. One granddaughter named Lillian. I love the Green Bay Packers, time at the lake, tropical vacations, and spending time with my friends and family.
My favorite Bible story is when Jesus turns water into wine. We get a rare glimpse of Jesus' very human, very real relationship with his mother.
My favorite saying is “There’s grace for that.” It’s inspired by my favorite Bible verse, Ephesians 2:8: “For it is by grace you have been saved through faith – and this is not from your own doing; it is a gift of God.”
One of my favorite hymns is "Will You Come and Follow Me"
Kim Prosser
Office Manager
betheloffice@bethelwahpeton.com
I have been serving as the Office Manager at Bethel for 3 years. I greet people, answer phone calls, do multi office tasks, and help anyone that needs help with any project.
My favorite part of working at Bethel is that every day is different, no day is the same. Also I get to work with some awesome people, and meet some pretty neat parishioners too!
I'm married to Brian (we will be celebrating our 40th Anniversary this year!!) We have 2 sons, Andrew & Justin. We have 5 grandchildren and 2 great grandchildren!! We moved back to Wahpeton/Breckenridge after being gone for about 36 years to be closer to family, especially the grandkids! In my free time I love to do projects (anything artsy) from puzzles to DIY things. We have been doing a lot of DIY projects in the past couple of years as we purchased a 1900 home and have been doing some renovations and just trying to restore some of it back to that era. When not working on projects, we also love to travel! An item on our bucket list is to get to all 50 states; we are pretty close to achieving that goal!
My favorite Bible verse is 1 Corinthians 13:13. (that verse was my confirmation verse and also the verse that we picked out for our wedding day!)
My favorite Christian Group is Point of Grace, and I love their song "He Holds Everything" (I pretty much can listen to their CD over and over, I like a lot of their older songs)
Bookkeeper
missy@bethelwahpeton.com
April Finnie
Hospitality Coordinator afinnie10@gmail.com
I am a lifelong member of Bethel, and joined the staff in 2025. I am the coordinator of Weds and Lenten Meals as wellk as other meals as needed. I love being able to talk and work with everyone. We have a lot of fun as we serve together!
I love plants, and have over 33 varieties and counting!
My favorite Bible Verse is Psalm 28:7 "If it wasn't for the struggles, you wouldn't be as strong as you are today. God is always building you up, even when it feels like He's breaking you."
Mary Jane Pauly
Organist
I have served as the organist for over 25 years. My favorite part of working at Bethel is how the congregation participates in worship services, especially by singing!
Stacy Owens
Organist/Accompanist
I have served at Bethel 16 years. I help with the music during Wednesdays night services as well as play organ every other week at the 9:00 Sunday morning service.
My favorite part of working at Bethel is being able ot be part of the services and share my love for music with everyone!
I am married to Sean and we have a son, Quinn. We live in Wahpeton. I work for NDSCS as the Director of the Allied Dental Programs. Sean works for Sanford and is an Athletic Trainer at NDSCS. Quinn is in 4th Grade.
Some of my favorite songs are: Hallelujah, Pass it On, and Blessings
Senior & Bell Choir Director