Salem Lutheran Church

Rev. Michael Thomas - Senior Pastor

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Originally from Detroit, Michigan, Pastor Thomas received his Bachelor of Arts degree from Capital University and his Masters of Divinity from Trinity Lutheran Seminary both in Columbus.  Following graduation he served a two-point parish in Westfield, WI and then served as the associate pastor at St. James in Verona, WI.  His next call was as an associate pastor at Our Savior’s in La Crosse, WI.  In 1989 he was called to serve as Senior Pastor at Messiah Lutheran in Ralston, NE.  After 10 years he resigned to work for a few years as Trauma Night Chaplain at UNMC in Omaha, NE.  During 2000 he served as an interim pastor at Salem until his call in 2001.

 Mike and his wife, Jackie have three boys and he enjoys walking, dancing, scuba diving and golf.  Mike has been a volunteer fire fighter for many years and currently serves as the Chaplain and Honor Guard member of the Ralston Fire Department.  In addition he serves as the Vice-President of Fremont Midland Entertainment Series Board.  He is a member of the Fremont Ministerial Association, Midland Cluster of the NE Synod and serves on the Mission Interpreter Task Force of the NE Synod. 

Salem is a wonderful congregation that is friendly, warm and energized for the gospel!  It is a joy to serve here and I am grateful for the many volunteers who make a difference for the ministry.

Rev. Delvin Hutton - Visitation Pastor

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Dr. Delvin Hutton has served as Visitation Pastor at Salem since March of 2003.  His primary responsibility is to minister to Salem’s senior members who may be home-bound or who reside in retirement facilities.  He also assists in leading worship at Salem, occasionally preaches, and provides support for the adult education program.  Planning and leading special worship services for the residents of nursing homes in Fremont are also among his responsibilities. 

Ordained to the Lutheran ministry in 1964, Pastor Hutton spent the first 35 years of his ministry in higher education, serving as Professor of Greek and Religion at DanaCollege in Blair, NE.  Since retiring from Dana, he has supplied the pulpit for many congregations in the Nebraska and Western Iowa Synods of the ELCA, and served as interim pastor at St. Mark’s LutheranChurch, Pender, NE from 2000-2002.

Pastor Hutton and his wife, Trudy, reside in Blair and are the parents of four married children who live from coast to coast.  They also have eight very special grandchildren.

John Cooper - Music and Worship Director

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John joined our staff in November of 2008 as organist, and assumed the role of music and worship director in June of 2009.   A graduate of the University of Nebraska at Omaha, John taught vocal and instrumental music for 33 years, the last 6 at North Bend Public Schools, before retiring and coming to Salem.  John (originally from Omaha) and his wife Peggy (originally from Sidney, Iowa) have three grown daughters (Christine, Susan, and Angela), a lovely granddaughter (Lauren), and live in Fremont with their two dogs (Dutchess, 12 and LuLu, 6).  Our third dog, Cassie, 17, recently passed away in November of 2011-we truly miss her! John and Peggy are passionate about their work at Salem and thoroughly enjoy the friendly atmosphere.

Music and worship meetings are now being held on the 4th Tuesday of the month at 5 pm in the library.

Adult Handbells rehearse at 5 pm in the balcony, while the Adult Choir rehearses at 6:30 in the same location. Rehearsals have begun, so come join us for fun and music! If you are interested in becoming a part of our music ministry through one of our choirs, handbells, or Spirit and Truth worship teams, please contact John.  We need you! John's home phone is 402-909-6055.

Regarding our Wednesday evening schedule: Beginning February 22, our schedule will change slightly to accomodate our Lenten worship times. Please consult the schedule on our home page for more details. We also want to invite you to worship with us on Wednesdays during Lent, as we discover "Service In Light Of The Cross". We will have various local and state agencies here to detail their ministry and share a message concerning our service to God. Please come and enjoy a light meal beforehand, followed by worship. Your walk with Christ during this Lenten season is important to us.

John's e-mail: salemjcooper1@q.com

Rick Strong - AIM, Director of Youth and Family

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Rick joined our staff in July of 2010 as Director of Youth and Family.   Rick grew up in Fremont.  He is a graduate of Fremont High School, completed his Bachelor of Arts degree in Education from Wayne State College with double majors in English and History and also a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Management and Information Management from Dana College.  He has worked in the areas of Accounting and Computers in the corporate environment.  He decided 6 years ago to pursue work in the Lutheran Church and has taken Seminary classes through Trinity Lutheran Seminary’s Select program.  He became and Associate in Ministry and was commissioned in August of 2009.  Rick is married to Sharon and they have two grown Children.  They have two cats who let them live with them in a house here in Fremont.  Their names are Emma and Chloe.

email Rick at salemrstrong@q.com

Nannette Witte - Administrative Assistant

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Nannette Witte joined our staff in April, 2011.  She grew up in Fremont and graduated from Archbishop Bergan High School.  She also graduated from College of St. Mary's with an Associate Degree in health information management.  She has received her bachelor's degree from the University of Nebraska at Omaha, majoring in journalism.

Nannette previously worked for FAMC, before having children.  She was a stay at home mom, just recently returning to work now that her youngest has started school.  She enjoys running, cooking, and just recently took up knitting.  She is an officer with the Parent Knights (PTA) and has served on the Friends of the Keene Memorial Library board.

Nannette and her husband Mark live in Fremont.  Mark is originally from York,Nebraska and graduated from York High School.  He received a bachelor's of science degree from Nebraska Wesleyan University and a Doctor of Optometry from Pennsylvania College of Optometry in Philadelphia, Pa.  Mark is an optometrist and works in Omaha.  He enjoys hunting and fishing.

Nannette and Mark have three children.  They include 9 year old twins Emma and Georgia and 7 year old Adelaide.  The girls attend Bergan Elementary.  They enjoy soccer, swimming, golf, and playing the violin.

Nannette and Mark are members of St. Patrick's Parish.

Nancy joined our administrative team on Friday, December 9, 2011.  She will cover the position on Fridays.

Denise Burns - Christian Education

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I was born in Omaha but spent most of my years growing up in Papillion.  I graduated from Papillion-LaVista High School.  I attended college at Dana in Blair and continue to take classes at Doane on occasion.  The majority of my education is in business with an emphasis in marketing and management.  I am currently employed full time at Valmont Industries.  I work as an Order Manager in the irrigation division and have been there since November of 1998.  I have had a lot of practice in organizing and developing educational programs for credit professionals, and now I am eager to use those skills to continue working with Salem's educational program.  I believe that my past experience along with my most recent Sunday School teaching will allow me to continue building our current education programs.  I am eager to jump right in and see what we can accomplish together.

Rosie Parde - Adult Choir Director

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Rosie and her husband Les have been members of Salem Lutheran twice.  First from 1972-1977, and then again from 1982 to current date.  She began her work at Salem by working initially with the Children's Choir which later expanded to the addition of the Adult Choir.  She has also been a member of the praise teams since blended services have been a part of Salem's ministry.  Rosie taught vocal music in public schools for 20+ years, which she still continues to do.  Education includes degrees from Dana College and UNL in Music Education.  She has also taken various continuing education courses from the University of Northern Colorado and the Vandercook School of Music in Chicago, IL.

Rosie and Les have three children and presently one grandchild.  (They are anxiously awaiting the second one.)

Salem is always looking for more people who love to sing to the glory of God.  Rehearsals are fun at the same time of being very productive. 

Peggy Cooper - Bookkeeper

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Peggy joined our staff in February 2011 as the bookkeeper and has been a member of Salem since 2009.  She has worked in the bookkeeping field for 40+ years and is looking forward to her new challenges at Salem.  She is also the Assistant Manager at Schwesers in the Fremont Mall.  Peggy enjoys honoring and serving her Lord in many areas at Salem.  She is a member of the Spirit and Truth Team.  Besides singing, Peggy enjoys sewing, knitting, counted cross stitch, and spending time with her husband John.  She spearheaded the project Bonnets-4 Babies at FAMC.  She is honored to say that this wonderful group of ladies has donated over 700 hats since the project started in February, 2009.

Leah Dinoso - Director, Salem Little Saints Daycare

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Leah has been Director of the Child Care Center since its' opening in 2003.  She graduated from Fremont Senior High and has a Bachelor's Degree in Elementary Education with an emphasis on Early Childhood Education from Midland Lutheran College.  She is also the Child Care Center's Preschool Teacher. 

Leah lives in Cedar Bluffs with her husband and 3 children.  She is a member of Salem's Spirit and Truth Team and enjoys singing and spending time with her family.

Rusty joined our church staff officially on Friday 6/17/2011.  A Fremont native, Royal (his official name), graduated from Fremont High in 1986. He is single and enjoys riding his bicycle, hiking, and football. He likes the friendly people here at Salem, and has done an excellent job in the few months he has been our custodian.

Dave has started working for Salem part-time.  He also works at the Baptist Church.  He helps Rusty with some set-ups and is primarily responsible for taking care of the Annex.