WATERTOWN — For nearly 50 years, the little natural light that found its way into the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church came from a narrow skylight in the ceiling.
The Rev. David Groth of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown with the stained-glass windows recently installed in the church's sanctuary. For nearly 40 years, the windows were in a chapel on the campus of Bethesda Lutheran Home that has since been razed. "It was a tremendous gift from Bethesda, and we wanted to be the best stewards of this gift," he said.
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One of the few buildings that remain on the 400-acre Bethesda property in Watertown is the corporate headquarters. The building and the rest of the campus is for sale.
The Rev. David Groth of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown points out the five nails on a stained-glass window representing the crucifixion of Christ. Twelve windows were removed from a chapel at Bethesda Lutheran Home and underwent a $300,000 restoration and installation at Good Shepherd.
A gate blocks a driveway to what is now a mostly empty 400-acre campus that since 1909 was home to Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown.
A group home formerly owned by Bethesda, but now under the ownership of Broadstep, is located next to the former Bethesda Lutheran Home campus in Watertown. Bethesda has sold all of its group homes in Wisconsin due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursements from the state.
A tree house with a ramp is among the amenities at Camp Matz, a fully accessible camp established in 1969 for people with disabilities who lived in Bethesda Lutheran Home facilities. The camp is being sold along with the rest of Bethesda's properties in Watertown.
The windows recently installed in Goof Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown were removed from this chapel on the campus of Bethesda Lutheran Home before the chapel was razed. The chapel was built in 1982 with shorter pews to allow room for more wheelchairs.
This aerial view shows the vast Bethesda Lutheran Home campus located along the Rock River in Watertown. Over the past six years, all of the buildings shown here have been removed. The campus is now for sale.
Bethesda Lutheran Communities' corporate headquarters building in Watertown is for sale, along with the remainder of the campus, from which most of the buildings have been removed.
A stained-glass window that had been in a chapel at Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown depicts Jesus carrying a lamb.
Rev. David Groth, left, senior pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Rev. Victor Tegtmeier, former Religious Life Director at Bethesda Lutheran Communities, walk out of the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown, now illuminated thanks to restored stained-glass windows that had been in a chapel at Bethesda.
Photos: Bethesda Lutheran Home and its restored stained glass windows installed at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Bethesda Lutheran Home
A stained-glass window that had been in a chapel at Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown depicts Jesus carrying a lamb.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
The Rev. David Groth of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown with the stained-glass windows recently installed in the church's sanctuary. For nearly 40 years, the windows were in a chapel on the campus of Bethesda Lutheran Home that has since been razed. "It was a tremendous gift from Bethesda, and we wanted to be the best stewards of this gift," he said.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
The Rev. David Groth of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown points out the five nails on a stained-glass window representing the crucifixion of Christ. Twelve windows were removed from a chapel at Bethesda Lutheran Home and underwent a $300,000 restoration and installation at Good Shepherd.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
Rev. David Groth, left, senior pastor at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and Rev. Victor Tegtmeier, former Religious Life Director at Bethesda Lutheran Communities, walk out of the sanctuary of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Watertown, now illuminated thanks to restored stained-glass windows that had been in a chapel at Bethesda.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
The Bethesda Thrift Store, established in 1960 in Watertown, will be soon be known as the AbleLight Thrift Store. Bethesda is changing its name to AbleLight in January.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
One of the few buildings that remain on the 400-acre Bethesda property in Watertown is the corporate headquarters. The building and the rest of the campus is for sale.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
Bethesda Lutheran Communities' corporate headquarters building in Watertown is for sale, along with the remainder of the campus, from which most of the buildings have been removed.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
A group home formerly owned by Bethesda, but now under the ownership of Broadstep, is located next to the former Bethesda Lutheran Home campus in Watertown. Bethesda has sold all of its group homes in Wisconsin due to insufficient Medicaid reimbursements from the state.
Bethesda Lutheran Home
A gate blocks a driveway to what is now a mostly empty 400-acre campus that since 1909 was home to Bethesda Lutheran Home in Watertown.
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Weeds grow through the cracks in a driveway no longer in use on the campus of Bethesda in Watertown, Wis., Tuesday, Nov. 16, 2021. KAYLA WOLF, STATE JOURNAL
Bethesda Lutheran Home
A tree house with a ramp is among the amenities at Camp Matz, a fully accessible camp established in 1969 for people with disabilities who lived in Bethesda Lutheran Home facilities. The camp is being sold along with the rest of Bethesda's properties in Watertown.
Bethesda campus looks to the future
Photographs culled from the archives of Bethesda Lutheran Communities hint at the organization's long history that included farming.
Bethesda campus looks to the future
The grounds of Bethesda Lutheran Communities feature acres of trees in a park-like setting along the bank of the Rock River.
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Ross Boettcher, public relations specialist with Bethesda Lutheran Communities, is framed in the doorway of a former residence hall on the campus in Watertown, Wis. Wednesday, June 10, 2015. John Hart -- State Journal
Bethesda campus looks to the future
Bonnie Langer, food service manager at Bethesda Lutheran Communites in Watertown, primarily does catering jobs and teaches group home employees on cooking techniques. When she started with Bethesda in the 1970s, the kitchen was a much bigger operation, feeding hundreds of people a day.
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Bethesda Lutheran Communities representatives walk the largely-empty halls of the organization's former residence facility on the campus in Watertown, Wis. Wednesday, June 10, 2015. John Hart -- State Journal
Bethesda campus looks to the future
Ross Boettcher, public relations specialist with Bethesda Lutheran Communities, surveys the grounds of the organization's sprawling 400-acre campus in Watertown. The facility at one time was home to more than 650 residents and 750 employees but is now largely vacant as those served by Bethesda are primarily in community-based group homes. Bethesda officials are formulating plans to repurpose the campus.
Bethesda campus looks to the future
Ross Boettcher, left and Mike Thirtle, president and CEO of Bethesda Lutheran Communities, stand in one of the day rooms of a residential wing that has 20 bedrooms. Thirtle is leading an effort to determine new uses for the facilities on the 400-acre Watertown campus
Bethesda campus looks to the future
Mike Thirtle, president and CEO of Bethesda Lutheran Communities, left, and spokesman Ross Boettcher, look over one of two chapels on the campus. This chapel was built in 1982 with shorter pews to allow room for more wheelchairs.
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Bethesda Lutheran Communities President and CEO Dr. Mike Thirtle, right, and public relations specialist Ross Boettcher view a display case of items relating to the history of the organization in Watertown, Wis. Wednesday, June 10, 2015. John Hart -- State Journal
Bethesda Lutheran Home
This aerial view shows the vast Bethesda Lutheran Home campus located along the Rock River in Watertown. Over the past six years, all of the buildings shown here have been removed. The campus is now for sale.
Barry Adams covers regional news for the Wisconsin State Journal. Send him ideas for On Wisconsin at 608-252-6148 or by email at badams@madison.com.
