Our Staff
Romans 12:4-6
Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts
Senior Pastor
Dwight Anderson
Pastor Dwight decided to follow Jesus from a young age, it’s been an adventure of stepping out in faith as he has served overseas doing missionary work, church planting and evangelism in Australia. Pastor Dwight has been asked to shift from outreach focus to executive pastor to help the currents needs at Bethesda church. Dwight has been part of Bethesda from the time he was born and parents served with Bethesda Mission in Bolivia. It is an honor to serve the Bethesda Church family and is something very dear to his heart.
Pastor Dwight Anderson is the executive director of Prison Mission Association (PMA) www.prisonmission.org, one of the fastest growing prison ministries, with goal of developing leaders within prisons to plant churches behind bars.
Dwight and his wife, Darlene, have been married since 1981, have 4 children, 3 grandsons, and 1 granddaughter. They live in Burnsville, MN. Darlene enjoys working with children and volunteers as an instructor with PMA.
Pastor Dwight has a passion to see souls saved and churches planted here in America and around the world! His life verses are Gal. 2:20 and 1 Cor.15:58. Pastor Dwight has been teaching and preaching for the past 40 years across USA and overseas.
Associate Pastor
Cyrus Emelander
Pastor Cyrus Emelander committed his life to following Jesus at a young age, led to the Lord by his grandmother, Doris. His journey into ministry began in his early twenties when he was diagnosed with ulcerative colitis, leading to a profound crisis of faith. As his illness progressed, Cyrus wrestled with deep questions about his beliefs. However, through reading the stories of Job and the Apostle Paul’s suffering, he came to understand how God uses trials to draw His people closer to Him and accomplish His purposes.
With a renewed sense of calling, Cyrus enrolled at Grace Christian University at the age of 27 to pursue pastoral ministry. After completing his degree in 2024, he applied for pastoral licensing through the Grace Gospel Fellowship. Upon successfully passing both the written and oral examinations, he received his pastoral license.
In late 2024, Cyrus connected with Pastor Dwight and the Elders at Bethesda Church. Following a thorough interview and visit, he was called by the Church to join the pastoral staff.
Cyrus married his wife, Janelle, in 2021 after his freshman year of Bible college. Together, they reside in Burnsville, MN.
His favorite verse is
Romans 5:8 (CSB):
“But God proves his own love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.”​​​
Pastoral Administrative Assistant
Celeste Anderson
Celeste has been working at Bethesda since November 2023.
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Her favorite verses are Proverbs 3:5-6.
Bookkeeper/ Custodian
Rhonda Brandt
Rhonda has been the bookkeeper at Bethesda since 1995. Her attention to detail makes the job both challenging and enjoyable.
In addition to being our bookkeeper she has served as our custodian since 2020.
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She loves volunteering at NGYC, and has cooked there for the past 19 years, serving as the kitchen coordinator for seven of those years. She also organizes the van rides to and from camp.
She and her husband Paul have been married for more than 29 years and they have three adult children.