A Lutheran Home on Kohler Memorial Drive
First United Lutheran Church has stood on Kohler Memorial Drive in Sheboygan for more than ninety years, gathering a congregation that describes itself as caring, generous, friendly, warm, and loving. The church is a member of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, one of the largest Christian denominations in the United States, and it carries a clear mission to share God's word, strengthen faith, and serve the community. Senior Pastor Travis Kern leads the congregation alongside a staff that includes Director of Music Ministry Angela Bisek, Director of Children and Family Ministry Mary Gorges, and Youth Ministry and Technology coordinator Thom Nicla.
Three Weekly Worship Services
First United offers three weekly worship opportunities. Two Sunday services are held at 8:30 a.m. and 10:30 a.m., with a Thursday evening service at 6:30 p.m. Services are livestreamed on YouTube, and the congregation stays connected through a monthly newsletter called Good News. The Sunday services are led by the Blended Musicians, who weave together contemporary hymnal music with traditional numbers on vocalists, guitars, bass, percussion, woodwinds, and strings. The Thursday service is led by the Contemporary Band and features the kind of music heard on stations such as K-Love.
Worship runs on volunteer hands. Ushers welcome and seat worshippers, communion helpers serve Holy Communion, scripture readers proclaim the lessons, camera operators run the livestream system, and coffee hosts set up the donuts and fellowship between services. Altar Guild members prepare the altar and surrounding spaces for communion and baptisms throughout the year. During the service, Children’s Time Plus offers an activity in the chapel for three-year-olds through second graders while the sermon is preached.
Music for Every Age and Voice
Music is central to life at First United, and the program offers something for nearly every age and skill level. The Traditional Choir, open to high school students through adults of all abilities, rehearses Wednesday evenings during the school year and sings soprano, alto, tenor, and bass parts in a college-style setting. The Handbell Choir meets Monday evenings with an optional Wednesday rehearsal and welcomes musicians who do not read music fluently. Junior Leaders, students in seventh grade through high school, mentor younger children in the Sing & Play program on select Wednesday afternoons and help lead music at Sunday worship performances.
Sing & Play gathers three-year-olds through sixth graders for singing, playing, celebrating faith, arts and crafts, story time, and prayer. The group meets on select Wednesdays throughout the year and offers an optional monthly performance during Sunday worship. The Contemporary Band rehearses Thursday evenings before leading the 6:30 p.m. service, and the Blended Musicians warm up Sunday morning before the first service.
Sunday School, Milestones, and Camp
Sunday School runs from 9:35 to 10:20 a.m. between the two Sunday services during the school year. Children ages three through second grade learn in a traditional classroom setting, while third through ninth graders connect their lessons to the worship readings and gospel of the day. Adult volunteers lead the classrooms.
First United marks important moments of faith through its Milestone Ministries. Baptisms are scheduled throughout the year. Bibles and Blessings are presented to children each September, and backpacks belonging to students, teachers, and bus drivers are blessed on the last Sunday of August. High school graduates are recognized in early June. First Communion, which was once a group event, is now offered through individual family sessions with one hour of instruction, followed by a scheduled Sunday or Thursday worship service.
Vacation Bible School draws families each summer around a different theme, with middle and high schoolers serving as crew leaders and adults coordinating food, games, science, movie, preschool, and craft stations. Students in third grade through high school head to camp for a week in mid-July, and confirmation students spend a week at camp in early July.
Confirmation as a Three-Year Journey
Confirmation at First United is described as a three-year journey of education, building relationships, and service that culminates in the Reaffirmation of Baptism. Seventh and eighth graders meet on Wednesday evenings from 6 to 7 p.m. from October through April. Ninth graders meet two Wednesday evenings a month from 7:00 to 8:15 p.m. during the same window. Adult volunteers guide and mentor the students throughout the program.
Great Beginnings Preschool
Great Beginnings Preschool is a ministry of First United, welcoming all children ages three and four, whether or not their families belong to the congregation. The preschool meets Monday through Thursday from 9:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m., and families may choose between two and four days per week based on availability. Lead Teacher Ellen Yedica and Assistant Teacher Kelly Harms lead a play-based, theme-based program built around stories, art, science, music, movement, reading and math readiness, and plenty of time outdoors in the fenced play yard or the indoor gym.
Bible stories, prayer, and Christian holidays are woven into the curriculum, and the program’s philosophy centers on kindness, cooperation, self-discipline, and creativity. Children must be fully potty trained before beginning. Enrollment for the 2026-27 school year is open, with a non-refundable fifty-dollar enrollment fee to hold a spot.
Faith Formation for Adults
Adults at First United have several ongoing ways to dig deeper. Morning Glories is a women’s Bible study with lunch that meets on Wednesday mornings at 11:30 a.m. Naomi Circle gathers on the second Tuesday of each month at 1:30 p.m., and New Spirit Circle meets the same evening at 7:00 p.m., both with refreshments and a current topic posted on the church calendar. Occasional book and Bible studies meet on a variety of dates and times throughout the year.
A Food Pantry and a Heart for Sheboygan
First United runs a year-round food pantry out of its building, accepting non-perishable donations at any time. Volunteers staff the pantry on the second and fourth Mondays from 9:00 a.m. to noon and on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 1:00 to 4:00 p.m. A Thursday morning prayer group lifts up the needs of the congregation, community, and world at 9:00 a.m.
Beyond the pantry, the church works alongside several local partners. Members deliver meals to homebound neighbors through Meals on Wheels once or twice a month. Laundry Love sends volunteers to a local laundromat on the first Wednesday of each month to help designated families cover the cost of washing their clothes. The congregation also partners with Sheboygan County Interfaith and Bridgeway & Beyond to address broader community needs.
Seasonal and Global Outreach
Each summer, high school students and adults travel to the Appalachia region with the Appalachia Service Project, a ministry dedicated to making homes warmer, safer, and drier for families in need. First United has been sending teams to the mountains since 2008. The church also hosts an annual Feed My Starving Children MobilePack in the spring, raising funds and packing meals that feed people around the world.
Seasonal outreach includes Christmas in July, which sorts donated school supplies for local children, and Adopt-A-Family, which provides gifts and food gift cards to Sheboygan-area families at Christmas. A Tanzania Committee supports a long-standing partnership with the Maangashiny Parish in Tanzania, the church’s companion congregation. During Advent and Easter, volunteers deliver flowers to homebound members.
Lutheran World Relief Collections
First United takes part in regular Lutheran World Relief collections, gathering personal care items and school supplies to load onto a semi-truck one Saturday each October. The church also celebrates milestones with the wider community, blessing those who are returning to school each fall and recognizing high school graduates in worship.
Fellowship and Connection
Between Sundays, the congregation gathers in a variety of ways. Bakers contribute homemade goods for fellowship time once or twice a month. The church picnic brings the whole congregation together one Sunday morning in the summer for outdoor worship and lunch. Indoor Winter Pickleball fills Fellowship Hall on Tuesday nights from 6 to 8 p.m. between January and March. Office support volunteers help assemble bulletins, label newsletters, and assist with special mailings.
How to Get Involved and Stay Connected
Visitors and members can connect with First United in several ways. Giving is available online, and sign-up pages make it easy to volunteer as a reader, usher, communion helper, coffee host, slide show operator, or Children’s Time Plus leader. A church directory runs through Instant Church Directory, with an app available for phones. The staff can be reached at the church office at 920-452-2401, by email at office@firstunitedelca.org, or in person at 2401 Kohler Memorial Drive, Sheboygan, where the office is open Monday through Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. and on Fridays from 8:30 a.m. to noon.