Tornado damages WELS church and school

Around noon on Monday, July 27, a tornado ripped through northeastern Wisconsin, causing damage to Bethel, Menasha, a bilingual WELS church with about 500 members. The tornado also damaged the Menasha location of Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Preschool, which is located on Bethel’s property and is a shared ministry of Bethel and Mount Calvary, Harrison.

Watch video: Tornado damage and cleanup in Menasha, Wis.

The National Weather Service has classified the tornado as an EF-3 with sustained winds of 140 miles per hour. The tornado traveled 12.1 miles, significantly damaging property in Menasha, Appleton, and several other nearby communities. No fatalities have been reported.

WELS Christian Aid and Relief is supporting Bethel and area WELS members with recovery efforts and financial aid as needed. About 75 volunteers helped clear fallen trees and clean up properties damaged by the storm. Mount Calvary has served as the relief team’s deployment base and provided food and water for the team.

“The volunteers got an amazing amount of work done,” says Ethan Cherney, pastor at Bethel. “We had so many trees down that it looked like they cleared a small forest. It was so nice to have lots of hands on deck to help.”

Cherney is gradually hearing from members as electricity and cell service are restored, but it’s still not clear how many members were affected by the storm. Many members were able to come together on Sunday, Aug. 2, to worship in a special service at Eternal Love, Appleton, a nearby WELS church. Counselors from Christian Family Solutions, a WELS-affiliated ministry that offers counseling care and services, were available after worship.

Although parts of Bethel’s roof and some trusses were damaged, the interior suffered minimal damage, so Cherney believes that Bethel’s worship services should continue as normal going forward and that Shepherd of the Valley will be able to open for the first day of school at the end of August.

“Overall, we just are filled with gratitude,” says Cherney. “Gratitude to God for the support being offered and gratitude to those who are offering that support.”

For more information on how to support WELS Christian Aid and Relief in these recovery efforts, visit wels.net/relief.

View photos of the impacted areas below:

This is a developing story, and it will be updated as additional information comes to light.

Originally written on July 28, 2026

Most recently updated on August 4, 2026