Join us on September 20th for our 85th anniversary celebration! 9:00-10:00 AM: Social hour with coffee and other beverages. 10:00 AM: Festival service with the Lord's supper, sermon to be offered by Pastor Mark Henke. 11:30 AM: Fellowship meal. The main course to be provided, and our members can sign up to bring either a salad, potato dish, or a dessert. Sign-up sheets to let us know that you’re coming for the meal, to sign up to bring a salad/potato dish/dessert, and sign-up sheets for cleanup are on the counter in the welcome center.
FVL Giving Day
FVL Giving Day is September 15! We are kicking off our $1.5 million match effort with a $250,000 goal for Giving Day. Contributions will help us pay vendors now, and meeting the match in full by July 2028 will reduce our annual mortgage payments by nearly $200,000 each year. Go to fvlhs.org/giving for details. If you have questions, contact the Director of Mission Advancement, Rev. Tom Mielke (tmielke@fvlhs.org).
Zambia presentation at St. Paul
St. Paul Lutheran in Appleton is hosting Pastor Philip Birner and his wife, Susan, who will give a presentation about their missionary work. They were WELS missionaries in Zambia, Africa, for over 30 years and retired from service about two years ago. Pastor Birner currently serves as the part-time visitation pastor for St. Paul. The presentation will be on September 17, 2026, from 6:30 PM - 7:30 PM. St. Paul will provide snacks and drinks at the presentation.
Midweek Oasis Bible Study
Looking for a mid-week respite? Our Mid-Week Oasis Bible Study is designed for our 55+ members and works through the books of the Bible – we will be working through the book of Revelation in the near future. Join Pastor Belter and fellow members for God’s Word, fellowship and maybe even some baked goods!
Devotions
Our synod website at WELS.net has a lot of great devotions to help keep you connected to your Savior. From Daily Devotions to devotions on Unique Callings, there are devotions for everyone. Check them out by hovering over the Serving You menu at the top of the homepage and clicking on one of the categories under the Devotions heading. Want the Daily Devotion sent to your email every day? Click on the Daily Devotions option under the Devotions heading and click on the Get It Delivered link on the right side of the page.
Meditations is a quarterly devotional booklet published by NPH (Northwestern Publishing House) that is available for free. Pick up a copy of the latest edition on the bookcase just outside of the Sanctuary.
Another Landscaping volunteer opportunity!
Weather permitting, we will be having a Planting Project Day on Saturday August 29th beginning at 9:00AM. We have 30 trees and shrubs to plant around the church. We could use at least 10 volunteers with gloves and a shovel to finish this project in a few hours. Please let Judy Priebe know if you plan to help so that we can notify you of a date or time change due to inclement weather. Thanks for your help!
Small Group Studies
Looking for an opportunity to study God’s Word in a more relaxed environment? Join one of our Small Group Bible Studies beginning the week of September 13th. Members will gather in groups of 7-12 people and delve deeper into God’s Word through a study on the previous Sunday’s sermon. Can’t make it every week? That’s ok! The studies also break for Thanksgiving/Christmas and Lent. Look for the sign-up sheets in the entryway.
Would you be willing to lead your own Small Group? Pick where you want to host the study, and study guides are prepared for you to make it easy to facilitate the studies. If you are interested, please contact Kent Uhlenbrauck at kentuhlenbrauck@gmail.com. Have an idea for a study not based on the sermon? Contact Pastor Matt at mdkrenke@bethanyappleton.org.
Sunday School Help
Looking for a way to help out on Sunday mornings? We have a new Sunday School Director, Ruth Lehmann, and she could use more teachers to help teach our kids valuable Bible stories and lessons. Lessons and materials are provided, and you don’t have to teach every Sunday (unless you want to, of course!).
If you are interested, sign up via the sign-up sheet in the Welcome Area, or contact Ruth at ruth.h.lehmann@gmail.com, or come to a short meeting for teachers on Sunday, Aug. 30th right after Sunday Studies (about 11:20 a.m.). Current Sunday School teachers are welcome to attend this meeting as well.
Family Bible Study Hour
You and your family are welcome to join us after the service on Sunday mornings at 10:15 a.m. for Family Bible Study Hour starting Sunday Sept. 13th. Children meet in the lower level classrooms for Sunday School (6th-8th grade meet upstairs), and adults meet in the lower-level fellowship hall for Sunday Studies. We look forward to enjoying this time of fellowship and Bible Study with you!
Anniversary Choir Invitation
Do you enjoy singing? We'd love to have you join the choir for Bethany's 85th Anniversary Celebration on Sunday, September 20! No matter your level of experience, if you enjoy singing and would like to be part of this special celebration, you're warmly invited to join us.
Rehearsals:
Wednesdays • 6:30–7:00 p.m.
Church Balcony
- August 26
- September 2
- September 9
- September 16
Come celebrate this special milestone through music. I hope you'll join us!
-Rhoda Belter
Service team volunteer opportunities
Watering Team
The newly seeded grass around the church and the annex needs watering twice a day until it gets established. Each area requires about 20 minutes of sprinkling so switching on or moving sprinklers would take about an hour of your time. A team of volunteers would ensure this gets done without making it an overwhelming task. If you are willing to take a morning or evening shift a couple times a week contact Judy Priebe (847-244-7668 or jpriebe417@gmail.com) for more information and to be put on the schedule. A watering system with timers will be in place and a brief training on its usage will be provided.
Window Team
The new storm windows for the church lower level have arrived and installation is starting. After removing the old storm windows, the framing and inside windows need to have loose paint, caulk and glazing removed. Then reglazing the inside windows, caulking the framework and painting the inside window sashes, casings and framework. And last but not least, installing the new storms. Help with any portion of this project will be greatly appreciated. Anyone interested in helping with any part of this project can contact Russ Wagner (920-515-7591 or wagner.russell1@gmail.com).
Usher/Greeter Teams being prepared
Usher/greeter teams are being prepared for October 2026 through September 2027. It will be assumed that you will continue to serve unless you contact the church office or Royal Uhlenbrauck (920)739-0089 or uhlroy63@hotmail.com). If you are not currently serving as an usher or greeter and are interested in doing so, please contact Royal Uhlenbrauck. All contacts should be made by Tuesday, August 18th.
Video Production Help
Do you have video production skills that you would like to put to good use? The Growth Team is looking for someone to help produce some promotional videos for our various Bible Study opportunities here at Bethany. If this would be of interest to you, please contact Kent Uhlenbrauck at kentuhlenbrauck@gmail.com.
FVL Legacy Magazine online
The Summer 2026 edition of the Legacy Magazine is online. Read where the members of the Class of 2025 are headed, see the FVL photo flashback focused on football through the years, and catch up on FVL news. Go to fvlhs.org/legacy to find the magazine.
Apple Vally Food Pantry News
WELS Apple Valley Food Pantry News: The August 2026 collection for the pantry is Saturday, August 8. Make sure all things are at church by August 2. The following is the list of items currently in need of at the pantry: Adult cereals, canned pasta, canned peas and corn, jam/jelly, mashed potato sides, boxed potato sides, all canned fruit and applesauce, tomato and chicken noodles soups, spaghetti noodles and spaghetti sauces, women's shampoos and conditioners and body washes, boxed rice side dishes and paper towel. Thank you for your support of the pantry!
Call the office before stopping in
The month of July is full of vacations for our staff members. The vacation days for each person are all listed on the July Calendar if you would like to see the exact dates. If you aren’t sure when/if people will be in the office, call 920-733-9561 beforehand to make sure someone is there before you stop in. If you need immediate pastoral assistance, feel free to call either Pastor Krenke at 920-728-6097, or Pastor Belter at 920-277-5914.
FVL Parking Lot work
Summer work on the FVL parking lot has begun. Concrete upgrades are continuing in the tower parking lot on the south side of school and the south driveway off Meade Street. The JJ/Edgewood driveway and the north Meade Street driveway will remain open. Please use the south lot to access the School and SCRIP Offices through mid-July.
FVL Online Calendar
Check the online calendar (fvlhs.org/calendar) for summer School Office and SCRIP hours. Both offices will be closed on Fridays and have reduced hours during the summer.
FVL Choice Program
The Wisconsin Parental Choice Program July application window is open July 1-20. Go to fvlhs.org/WPCP for details and the registration link.
Service Team Update
The service team has been busy with a number of projects over the past couple of months. The church landscaping update is well underway. With the removal of the shrubs and plants, weed fabric, stones and edging will be replaced around the foundation. Failing concrete has been replaced and railings are coming. Watch for emails and weekly newsletter articles about opportunities to help.