Pastor Jim Duehring was appointed by Bishop Finegan of the Northern Great Lakes Synod to serve as Administrative Interim Pastor at Zion Lutheran beginning August 18, 2025. Pastor Jim retired from fulltime pastoral ministry after having served as Assistant to the Bishop and Director for Evangelical Mission in the Northern Great Lakes Synod for seven years. He also served as pastor at Prince of Peace Lutheran in Harvey from 2008 to 2017. He and his wife, Gisele, moved to the Marquette area in March 2008 and continue to reside between Skandia and Harvey. Pastor Jim taught High School Mathematics for over 10 years in Montana, North Dakota and Texas. His first pastoral call was at First Lutheran in Williston, North Dakota where he learned to eat lefse and lutefisk! He enjoys hiking, traveling, doing projects around the house, and sports of all kinds. Pastor Jim grew up in Ripon, Wisconsin, where his parents were farmers and dad a farm implement dealer. He was nurtured in the Christian faith by parents and the amazing community of faith at Grace Lutheran. During his teenage years he felt a call to pastoral ministry. He graduated from Wartburg Seminary in 1987. He and Gisele have been married for 22 years. Gisele is a “semi-retired” mechanical engineer having spent her career working in power plants. She worked almost 10 years at NMU. Gisele has two adult children—Ellie living in Lafayette, Louisiana and Jason living in Corpus Christi, Texas. They have two granddaughters, Bonnie (3 years old in July, 2026) and Lucy (2 years old in September, 2026)! A third grandchild is due in April 2026! They are enjoying the new experiences of being grandparents! As an Administrative Interim Pastor, Pastor Jim assumes the basic responsibilities of a “parttime pastor”—leading worship and preaching; attending council meeting; providing pastoral care; and attending to other administrative duties. He also assists Zion Lutheran in discernment during this time of transition without a regularly called pastor. He wants people to consider these questions: “What is God calling us to be and do as churches in the Manistique area at this place and time?” “How can we best be faithful?” Pastor Jim reminds us that we aren’t alone. We believe in the love of our God demonstrated to us through Christ in the power of the Spirit. We believe that God is still on the move. We are still the church. The church is the people of God called to serve in Jesus’ name. The church is much more than a pastor or any one individual. There is a place for you in this call to be the church in 2026 and beyond. Please don’t hesitate to contact Pastor Jim. Cell: 906-251-0247 Email: homegrownpackerbacker@gmail.com Yes, he is a Packer fan born in Wisconsin 🙂

Linda Levin

Organist

Cyndee Miske

Financial Secretary