Church Information

Bethlehem Lutheran is a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Our Vision Statement tells us and others that we are "God's Family Serving Christ with Love." Our hope is to live this vision. To be a caring, connected community that works together in serving, Christ, and the community with compassion and love.

Celebration of Holy Communion

 Holy Communion is celebrated at each worship service. All baptized people of God are welcome to receive God's grace at communion.

Nursery Services

Here at Bethlehem we encourage family worship. However, for the convenience of families, we do provide nursery care for children up to age 4. The nursery is located in the east wing across from the Fellowship Hall which is on the left side of the Narthex.

Celebration of Holy Baptism

Baptisms are scheduled in conjunction with our worship services. As a preparation for baptism, Pastor Dick will share with you in a Baptismal Conference. To plan for this important event for your child, please contact the church office (742-8502) to schedule an appointment.

Church History

Bethlehem Lutheran Church was formally organized on November 27, 1938 after Rev. Dwight Shelhart, a synod missionary arrived in Portage in June of 1938 to establish a congregation. Charter members included 68 confirmed and 38 baptized. Worship services were first held in a hall at the local St. John’s Episcopal Church. In 1939 the congregation purchased the former Engle Funeral Home, remodeled and dedicated it. The building served as church and parsonage for 12 years. At a congregational meeting in May, 1949 it was voted to purchase the property at the corner of Franklin and DeWitt Streets. The corner stone was laid on October 28, 1951 and on November 30, 1952 the members of Bethlehem dedicated the new church. As the congregation grew expansion was necessary. In 1964 a Parsonage house was built and in 1966 additional property was purchased on which a Parish house was completed in 1976. The church then spread out into these various structures using them for Christian education, administration and community purposes for many years until the multiple buildings became cumbersome and lacked efficient accessibility. In 1998 this prompted the purchase of 20 acres of land for the current building on Highway 33 East. Construction began in Spring 2004 and in February 2006 the congregation moved into our new building and held the first worship services. Our membership today numbers about 475.

What is the ELCA

Bethlehem Lutheran is a part of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (referred to as ELCA). In 1988, the American Lutheran Church, the Lutheran Church in America and the Association of Evangelical Churches merged to become the ELCA. There are 6 million ELCA members and 11,000 congregations in the USA. Almost a half million ELCA members live in Wisconsin. Bethlehem is one of the 765 ELCA congregations in Wisconsin. The ELCA views the church as a people created by God in Christ, empowered by the Holy Spirit, called and sent to bear witness to God's redeeming activity in the world. We support the ELCA as a coordinating agency for the sake of our world-wide mission. 

Church Mission

Bethlehem Lutheran has a tradition of opening its doors to others and reaching out to the community. The congregation also participates in volunteer capacities with Meals on Wheels, the Portage Food Pantry and the Clergy Relief Fund. The Clergy Relief Fund is a coalition of churches organized to serve the needs of the homeless and hungry in our community as well as those passing through the area.

How to Join

Becoming a member of Bethlehem Lutheran is easy! We invite you to worship with us. If you decide you would like to join the people of God here at Bethlehem you can either indicate your interest on your communion card or you can call the church office to let us know or complete the form below. When we have a group of people interested in joining we will invite you to new member orientation sessions. There generally will be held on Sunday mornings. Following this orientation you will formally be received as a member of Bethlehem Lutheran Church.