Meet the Staff Rev. Mark Wenger - Pastor Bethany Lutheran Church & School “How great is the love the Father has lavished on us, that we should be called children of God! And that is what we are! The reason the world does not know us is that it did not know Him.” 1 John 3:1 Welcome to Bethany Lutheran Church and School. I have been serving as Pastor of Bethany Lutheran Church since January, 2007. Our mission at Bethany is to share the Gospel so that others may come to know the love of our heavenly Father and be called the children of God. The school is one of the avenues we use to share the Gospel with the students and their families. I pray that you and your children will be blessed by our ministry to you as we are blessed by your involvement in the school and church. If there is a spiritual need within your family, I stand ready to assist in any way, and invite you to contact me. (office 316-265-7415 or home 316-788-8878). May God’s grace and peace be yours in Christ Jesus. Pastor Mark Wenger Miss Barbara J. Mertens - Principal & Morning Kindergarten e-mail: barbmertens@cox.net I received my Bachelor of Science Degree and Lutheran Teachers Diploma from Concordia College in Seward, Nebraska in 1993. I received my degree in Elementary Education with a concentration in Early Childhood. My master’s degree is in Administration that I earned from Concordia University in Seward, Nebraska in 2008. I taught first grade for three years in Greeley, Colorado, at Trinity Lutheran School. In 1996 I accepted a call to Messiah Lutheran Preschool as their preschool director. I taught preschool for 12 years. During those twelve years and by the work of God’s people, Messiah Lutheran School opened an elementary school in addition to the preschool. I served as the Principal and part-time teacher. I am currently the Principal and part-time kindergarten teacher at Bethany Lutheran School. I have16 years experience in Lutheran Schools. I am from Sioux City, Iowa, where my parents currently reside. I have a brother Bruce, who lives in Janesville, Minnesota with his wife and three children. My other brother, Michael lives in Sioux City, Iowa with his wife and two children. I enjoy reading, traveling, walking, and the great outdoors. I also have a passion to work with parents and educators implementing a discipline plan in the home and schools as a Love and Logic National Facilitator. I am an active member of Bethany Lutheran Church. You can reach me by phone at Bethany Lutheran School 316-265-3033 or by e-mail.
Mrs. Sonja Genke- Computer Lab & Art e-mail: sjtgenke@juno.com In 1994 I received my Bachelor of Arts in Elementary Education. After graduating I married Quentin Genke and we moved to St. Louis, MO. While in St. Louis he attended Concordia Seminary. I worked as a secretary at Lutheran Hour Ministries before teaching third grade at Atonement Lutheran School. We spent a year in Illinois during Quentin’s internship. While there I taught fourth grade at St. John’s Lutheran School. After his internship we returned to St. Louis and I taught first grade at Atonement Lutheran School. Quentin’s first call was to Grace Lutheran Church in Peotone, IL. I was able to teach third and second grade at Green Garden Elementary. It was in Illinois that I received my Master of Arts degree from Governor’s State University. Life changed for us in 2001 as Quentin took a call to Cross of Christ Lutheran Church in Greensboro, NC. At that time we were in the process of adopting our oldest daughter. Anticipating her arrival, I choose to stay home and be a mom. We were able to bring Atanaska home from Varna, Bulgaria in June of 2002. God surprised us with another daughter, Annika, in January of 2006. After much prayer and discussion my husband joined the Air Force as a chaplain. Our first assignment brought us to McConnell AFB in November 2009. Our family has enjoyed exploring Wichita and getting to know the Bethany family. If you would like to speak with me, please send an e-mail or give me a call at 316-519-5816.
Mrs. Marcia Ashton -Interim Preschool Teacher e-mail: blsoffice3033@gmail.com My name is Marcia Ashton. My family were charter members of Bethany Lutheran. I attended Bethany Lutheran school. My husband John and I love to travel. We were blessed to go to Israel in March, and to go to Mexico in Rocky Point three to four times a year to see our grandchildren. My grandson Alex lives in Denton Texas. I graduated Friend's University in 2002 with a Bachelor's in organizational management. I began substitute teaching in 2008 in the Wichita and Haysville school district. I've worked with children's ministry for over 30years. This includes Awana's, Bible Club, and Sunday School, as well as being a substitute teacher at Bethany for the past several years. I love to scrapbook and to quilt. Mrs. Ashley Sanchez - Kindergarten Teacher-Afternoon My name is Ashley Sanchez, I am 25 years old, married and a mother of two. I married my husband in 2006, and gave birth to our first born in 2007. My son is now four years old. My daughter was later born in January 2010. My husband Todd is an Iraqi War Veteran and serves as a Chaplain in the National Guard. Through his love and strength I have become the person I am today. I previously worked as a paraprofessional at South High School, there is where I realized my passion for teaching. I graduated from Bacone College in Muskogee, OK with a journalism degree in 2008. After moving to Wichita, I realized that Journalism was not what I wanted to do as a career for the rest of my life. After working at South High for a few months, I knew in my heart that I wanted nothing more than to become a teacher, help students, and make a difference in the classroom. Mrs. Patrica Wenger- 1st & 2nd Grades e-mail: mpw1972@hotmail.com Welcome to Bethany Lutheran School. God has entrusted your first or second grader into my care. This is my third year at Bethany. I came to Bethany via my husband's call to serve as shepherd of Bethany Lutheran congregation. Most of my teaching years have been spent in the primary grades. I have also taught sixth and seventh grade English. I received my teacher training at Concordia University in Seward, NE. Mark and I met while we were both students at Condcordia. Upon graduation, he received a call to serve as a Director of Christian Education in Minnesota. I taught in a two room Lutheran school, grades 1-4. While serving in Minnesota he was encouraged to go into the pastoral ministry. So with our three week old daughter we embarked on the adventure called "seminary". Mark received a vicarage assignment in Saskatchewan Canada. During a pre-call interview during our last year Mark said he would return to Canada if it could be closer to the mountains. So we were sent to Alberta, Canada. While in Alberta, I taught pre-school two mornings a week. After returning from Canada I returned to full time teaching. I served at St. John's in Hannibal, MO, Messiah Lutheran in Independence, MO and Timothy Lutheran in Blue Springs, MO. I received my Masters Degree in Curriculum and Instruction from Central Missouri State University in Warrensburg, MO. My passion in teaching is seeing the light come on when a child says I CAN READ! Reading can open the doors to so many adventures!! My other passion in teaching is learning more about ways to help students who have learning challenges. Mark and I have been blessed with four children. Joy and her husband Matt live in Houston, TX., Karl and his wife Amy presently reside in Topeka, KS, but are trying to sell their home to return to MO, Derek and his wife Christa live in Grain Valley, MO and Bryce is finishing his Air Force National Guard Training and will be returning to MO. One of our hobbies right now is traveling to visit our children. I enjoy reading, walking, and cooking. I value developing a partnership with parents of my students. Please don't hesitate to contact me with concerns or blessings you want to share. I can be reached at school, my cell phone: 316-616-4491.
Mrs. Karla Ohmie- 3rd - 5th Grades e-mail: five.ohmie@yahoo.com I began teaching at Bethany in 1993 after graduating from Concordia University in Seward, NE. I taught grades 1 and 2 for five years and then kindergarten for two years. During my first few years of teaching I met my husband John who is also from Bethany. We started a family and then decided that I would stay at home and focus on raising our children. We've been blessed with three children: Brandon - 12, Krystal - 10, and Alyson - 7. And this summer we added a one year-old Black Lab/Bordie Collie named Barkley to our household!
Mrs. Kathy Traffas l- School Secretary & Website Administrator e-mail: blsoffice3033@gmail.com I am so pleased to be serving the families at Bethany Lutheran School. I have over 25 years experience working as an administrative assitant, primarily in the medical and banking environment. My passion is children and families. My husband Terry and I have been married for 23 years. We have one child, Katyanne which we adopted at birth, she is now 20, and has given us a beautiful grandson Jaxson in 2010. My husband Terry graduated from WSU in 1997 with his BSN, and works in management at Preferred Health Systems. My love for children, family, and Bethany came from my parents Jack and Vi Cannon who have been members of Bethany for over 20 years.
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