Church Staff - St John Lutheran Church

Church Staff

Donald Bauer :  Don started "popular music" organ lessons in 1st grade, and by his early teens, he was already playing organ at his church.  While at Limestone High School, he started playing piano and played in the Limestone Jazz Band all four years, and advanced into the Bradley Jazz Band while majoring in Computer Science/Math/Industrial Engineering and studying Classical Pipe Organ under Margaret Sayer.  He's self-taught on Piano and Accordion.  Don and wife Pepper transferred to St. John in 1978, when Don began accompanying the choir, and took over as choir director in 1986.  He became one of four "alternate Organists" in the early 1980's and has been our official organist since 2004.  Don's musical tastes are wide and varied: from 14th century chants to Classical composers like Bach and Mozart, to the very singable Gospel Hymns of composers like Fanny Crosby, to the traditional Lutheran hymn standards, to the folk hymns from the 1960's to contemporary composers like John Michael Talbot and Michael Card.  Don's philosophy on "church music" is that it should be part of the worship experience to enforce the themes of each service, not just a "commercial" to entertain people.  He plays our 3 manual, 58 rank Allen Digital Pipe organ and piano, and was the creator of our ever-popular Polka service each fall.  

John Wetterauer :  As a life-long member of St. John Lutheran Church, John is excited about the opportunity and challenge of growing the St. John Parish Education ministry.  Being an educator, John received his Bachelor of Arts in Education at Eureka College in 1989 and his Masters of Art in Educational Administration in 1996.    In his leisure time John enjoys swimming, bike riding and working in his yard.  Accepting the position of the Sunday School Superintendent just last year, John is looking forward to applying new and traditional ideas to teaching the Word of God to young people.  The St. John Lutheran Church Sunday School Program invites people of all ages, all the way from Pre-K through High School taught by the staff of teachers, to Adult Sunday School taught by Eric Jones.  There is a place for everyone as we learn in a fun and meaningful way about the salvation of God through Jesus Christ.