First Congregational Church introduces Dennis and Wendy Mannering as new co-pastors

TOMAHAWK – Following the retirement of its longtime pastor, First Congregational Church of Tomahawk recently introduced the couple who will be leading the church going forward.

Dennis and Wendy Mannering began as the new co-pastors for First Congregational on Sunday, June 22, replacing Pastor John Miskimen, who retired in May. Prior to stepping in as full-time pastors, the Mannerings had served as interim pastors.

Dennis and Wendy were married in 1981, and soon after, they joined the Presbyterian Church in DePere, Wis., where they were recruited to be youth group advisors at their church, First United Presbyterian.

The Mannerings worked with the youth there for approximately five years, taking their group on "work trips" during their Easter break, learning how to communicate their faith and realizing they had a gift for working youth and ministry in general. They also served as leaders in the church government, each serving three-year terms on the Session, the governing board of the church.

Dennis and Wendy’s pastor later called on them to facilitate weekend evangelism training on weekends in various churches of their Presbytery. They were recruited to serve as leaders in a nationwide evangelism group, Knox Fellowship, which originated on San Mateo, Calif.

All of these experiences served as learning experiences, preparing them for the next phase of their Christian service.

Both Dennis and Wendy studied for two and a half years in preparation to be pulpit supply and visitation pastors. Eventually, they were recruited to serve as lay pastors of the Forest Larger Parish, a three-point parish in northeastern Wisconsin. For seven years, the Mannerings lived in Wabeno, Wis., co-pastoring the Laona, Wabeno and Lakewood Churches. They retired from that parish in 2012 when they moved to Tomahawk and began attending First Congregational Church.

After a few years, Dennis and Wendy offered to be volunteer outreach pastors, since their pastor lived out of town during the week. They served for 12 years, volunteering to lead sing-along groups and Communion services at the nursing homes and assisted living facilities in Tomahawk.

After serving as interim pastors for a few weeks, Dennis and Wendy realized that God was actually calling them to full-time ministry as lead co-pastors of First Congregational Church, located at 5^th St. and Washington Ave. in Tomahawk.