The NovusWay Board is comprised of 15 board members and 4 Bishops. These individuals all serve on the board and bring unique perspectives and gifts. What unites them all is a love for the vision of NovusWay and camping ministry. Throughout 2026, we will feature one or two members each month and share how they support the ministry of NovusWay in their board service.
This month we introduce Rev. Bill Trexler and Rev. Ginny Aebischer.
The Reverend William “Bill” Trexler
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
I am a retired ELCA pastor who grew up in Asheville, NC, where home was the parsonage of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church. While a pre-med student at Duke University, I began to sense a call to ordained ministry, graduated, and then prepared for ordination at Southern Seminary. In my first call in Miami, FL, I met and married my wife, Karla. Over the next 53 years we have welcomed two sons and a daughter, their spouses, and eight grandchildren into our family. Recently, Karla and I have relocated to the Lutheridge Residential Community where we live in a home whose core was constructed in 1954 by my mom, dad, brother, and me. Over the years I’ve enjoyed backpacking on portions of the Appalachian Trail, renovating the homes while our family lived in them, gardening/landscaping, and as pundits would note: instigating church building projects!
What is your history with NovusWay?
My history with NovusWay began in 1950 when I was present at Lutheridge for the groundbreaking of Efird Hall. As a child I roamed the Lutheridge grounds, helped Grover the maintenance man, assisted with registration in the office. Later, my mom and I ran the Book Store for several summers. At Lutheridge I loved camp as a child and as an adult I co-led trail hikes, presented adult programs, preached for the 50th Anniversary celebration, and participated in Confirmation clusters at both Lutheridge and Lutherock. Luther Springs has a special place in my heart; much of its early development occurred during my term as bishop of the Florida-Bahamas Synod.
What is your goal for your board service?
As I complete my term on the NovusWay Board, I am encouraged by the gifted leaders who will continue to steward this ministry. So many lives have been enriched through our camps and conferences, and it will be important for our board to stay vigilant to shifting patterns in outdoor ministry. Equally important will be the recruitment of capable board members, year-round and summer staff, and generous donors to support programming as well as facility maintenance. In June when I become a board alumnus, I will continue to tell the story of Jesus and his love as experienced through NovusWay.
If you were a fruit, which would you be and why?
I’d be a grape. Grapes are the final gift that comes from their connection to the vine and its branches. As a bunch, they form a community that is delicious in its natural state. They can also be made into wine, which as it ages, becomes even more desirable.
The Reverend Ginny Aebischer, Bishop, South Carolina Synod, board service 2020-2026
Tell us a little about yourself and your family.
Paul and I celebrated our 40th Anniversary last October. We met in 1983 when we attended training to become Youth Staffers in the Lutheran Church in America. Paul served a year in the Iowa Synod and I served in the Southeastern Synod doing youth ministry. We are graduates of Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary, class of 1989, and we have had the honor of serving as the pastors at The Lutheran Church of the Redeemer, Charleston and Mt. Tabor Lutheran Church, West Columbia. Paul has also served on staff of Portico Benefits Service and most recently as Pastor of Ebenezer Lutheran Church, Columbia. I was called to serve as Assistant to the Bishop in 2008 and as Bishop of the Synod in 2020. This summer we are both retiring and looking forward to having as much time together and with our family to travel and read all the books that we didn’t get to yet. Our immediate family includes Joshua and his wife Addie, and our granddaughter, Rosie who live in the Columbia area, and Micah and Reid who live in Greenville.
What is your history with NovusWay?
Lutheridge and Lutherock Ministries have been part of my life and our family for as long as I can remember. Paul, Addie and Micah were counselors at Ridge, and Joshua served as Counselor at Rock and Ridge. I served two terms on the Board of Lutheridge + Luthrock Ministries in the 1990’s and especially loved bringing groups from our congregations to camp for the Annual Apple Festival and for Campfirmation Weeks. As Bishop I have served on the NovusWay Board from 2020 – 2026. These “places apart” feel very much like part of home to our family and have had significant impact in forming our leadership in ministry. I pray that my work with the board is faithful and thoughtful. I am aware that the experiences which each of the NovusWay Camps provides great impact to the church and the world.
What is your goal for your board service?
My hope is that people feel welcomed, included and loved in the name of Jesus whenever they step foot on camp grounds, and as a result they carry that love from Jesus with them back to their home communities. I pray that the board can listen carefully and continue to build on the faith that is at the center of all this ministry does.
What is the most embarrassing song on your phone right now?
I am a city girl who loves cows. I find the visions of cattle in the pastures to be a vison of peace and calm. Perhaps those who truly know something about cattle would have a different view of my idealism, but I have never seen a picture of a cow, or one passing by my windshield that doesn’t make me smile and give thanks to God for this marvelous creation.
