At our call meeting on Monday, March 7, the voters of Bethany extended a call to Pastor Daniel Johnston, who currently serves at Rocky Mountain Lutheran High School. Please pray for Pastor Johnston and his family as he begins his deliberation over where to serve.
Call Meeting - Monday, March 7
Our next call meeting is Monday, March 7 at 7PM, following our Monday evening worship service. Please join us in person or via Zoom.
Easter Instrumental Ensemble
Do you play an instrument (brass or woodwind) and are in 8th grade or older? We are gathering a small ensemble to play preservice music for our Easter services. If interested, contact churchoffice@bethanyappleton.org
Midweek Lenten Services
Our Midweek Lenten services are on the Wednesdays leading up to Easter. Services are at 10AM and 6PM on the Parkway Campus. The theme for these midweek services is “Crucial Hours” where we ponder key words and moments from the account of Jesus’ passion that demonstrate the thorough completeness of his saving work for us, the breadth and depth of his love for us, and the strength of his union with us.
Foster Family Support Opportunity
Kingdom Workers Foster Support ministry is seeking to connect volunteers to support foster families in the Appleton area. We currently have a need for volunteers that are willing to share support through providing occasional meals. Are you available to help once a month? To learn more about this outreach opportunity and how you can help to provide life-changing support for vulnerable children in your community, contact Kara Witthuhn at kwitthuhn@kingdomworkers.com or 920-540-4995.
LWMS Spring Rally
The Spring Rally of the Paperland Circuit (Bethany is a member) will be held April 2, 2022 at St. Peter Lutheran Church, N2740 French Rd., Appleton 8 am-registration/coffee; 9 am- 12:15pm-meeting/speaker. The theme is “I Am Jesus Little Lamb.” The speaker will be Mrs. Susan Nitz, who will speak on her work as a missionary wife in Malawi, Africa.
Each year the Paperland Circuit decides on two mission projects to support - this year they are:
--Home Missions - Language Training - Your gifts will assist Home Missions in providing the needed language training of called workers to become proficient in the languages spoken in the ethnic communities of our mission fields in North America.
--World Missions - Academia Cristo Project - Your gifts will help support this Spanish-language website which offers video and audio Bible studies and live online training to reach out to non-Christians as well as to teach Latin American church members how to share their faith.
If you would like to contribute to these 2021-2022 Mission Projects, please make checks payable to LWMS Paperland Circuit. Place the check in an envelope marked LWMS. A receptacle will be provided in the Welcome Center to deposit the check or drop it off in the church office by Tuesday, March 15th.
If you are interested in attending the April 2 Spring Rally, please sign up on the sheet in the Welcome Center at either the Parkway or Lynndale campus. The deadline for signing up is March 15th. Also, indicate if you will be staying to eat lunch..
Ash Wednesday Worship
Our Midweek Lenten services begin March 2 with Ash Wednesday. Services are at 10AM and 6PM on Wednesdays during Lent. The Lord’s Supper will be offered at these services. The theme for these services is “Crucial Hours” where we ponder key words and moments from the account of Jesus’ passion that demonstrate the thorough completeness of his saving work for us, the breadth and depth of his love for us, and the strength of his union with us.
Ash Wednesday - A Part for the Whole? (Luke 23:13-16)
Pastor Dave Backus – Eternal Love, Appleton
News from Fox Valley Lutheran High School
o FVL's International Program needs host families. Students stay for 9 months and pay their own expenses. Families receive a stipend to offset costs. Contact Monica Uhlenbrauck (muhlenbrauck@fvlhs.org) to learn more about this opportunity.
o The FVL Theatre will perform Disney's The Little Mermaid on March 4 & 5 at 6:30 PM, and March 6 at 2:00 PM. Visit fvlhs.org/mermaid for more info and a link to buy tickets. Reserved seating tickets are available online. You can also purchase tickets at the box office.
o The FVL General Board meets Monday, 2/28 at 7 PM in the auditorium. Important issues include early work on the 2022-23 budget. The meeting is open to all Federation members.
Support "New Beginnings - A Home for Mothers"
Bethany is participating in the “Change for Life” program to support New Beginnings – A Home for Mothers, a WELS-based ministry that helps single mothers pave the way to self-sufficiency. You can bring your baby bottles back to church filled with spare change on March 26-28. We’ll count the change and send the money to support New Beginnings!
Bethany Choir
If you’d like to be a part of Bethany’s choir on Sunday, February 27, join us for practice on Wednesday February 16 & 23 at 6:30PM on the Parkway Campus. Contact Corrie Koepsell for more information - corrie.koepsell14@gmail.com or (920) 428-1576.
New Location for AVFP
The WELS Apple Valley Food Pantry has been asked to find a new location. If you know of any suitable available space in the Fox Valley, please contact Brian Elmer - 920-277-7496 or elmer.brian@gmail.com. The ideal location should have 2,400 square feet at street level with parking and easy access for unloading and loading.
TECH-ED for Adults
This technology education program is designed for adults ages 50+ who would like to participate on a one-on-one basis, as a couple or with a small group of friends to address technology concerns. All participants are encouraged to bring their own technology devices (phones, tablets and laptops) to the class, which will be held at several host sites in Appleton. We also have iPads to loan at no cost to enrolled participants who are interested in trying this device. Tech-ED for Adults will help expand social connections and stay active in the community, facilitating independent living. If you are interested in enrolling or have questions, contact Chelsea Vosters at 920-832-9360 or chelsea@volunteerfoxcities.org.
Men of His Word Conference 2022
The 13th annual Men of His Word Conference (Theme: MORE THAN CONQUERORS) will be held at the Best Western Premier Waterfront Convention Center in Oshkosh on Saturday, February 19, 2022. Please go online at www.menofhisword.org to register and get details about schedule, breakout sessions, keynote speaker, cost, etc. Please join us for a day of worship, praise and fellowship in God’s Word.
Family Forum & Voters' Meeting - January 30, 2022
Please make plans to join us for a Family Forum and Voters Meeting on Sunday, January 30 at 11:45AM in the lower level fellowship hall on the Parkway Campus. Our main topics will be to share updates on the building project, ministries, and call. We will also have a vote to confirm our Leadership Team for 2022. There will be a Zoom option for this meeting as well.
GriefShare Sessions at St. Luke, Little Chute
A Loss of a Spouse session is scheduled for Saturday, February 5 @ 10am. Pre-registration is required, no walk-ins. Limited number of spots still available. In-person only, we don't offer virtual options at this time. Registrations may be made online (preferred) https://www.griefshare.org/loss/events/4699 or by phone to 920.788.4408
The 11 Week Journey from Mourning to Joy GriefShare sessions will run on Saturdays at 10am from Feb 12-Apr 30 (no class Easter weekend). Registrations may be made online (preferred) https://www.griefshare.org/groups/144675 or by phone to 920.788.4408.
New DivorceCare Session Starting at Immanuel-Greenville
Monday, January 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
DivorceCare is a tool that can be offered to those that may be struggling with divorce or separation. It is a Bible-based 13-week program designed to help those who are separated or divorced deal with life challenges that come with their situations. The weekly meetings cover topics like anger, depression, loneliness, financial survival, childcare, and forgiveness to name a few. Past participants in the program have indicated that they have grown significantly closer to Jesus while adjusting to life as a single person as a result of their attendance. Past participants have also been very thankful for the fellow Christians they meet while attending the sessions. Many past attendees have developed long-lasting friendships as a result of their time together in the DivorceCare program.
Follow this link (https://www.divorcecare.org/groups/143531) to the registration page. This page contains a 2-minute video that explains what DivorceCare is and what it does for the people who attend. The video is towards the bottom of the page on the right.
FVL Musicfest - February 6
FVL Musicfest 2022 will be held Sun. 2/6 from 1-4:30 PM. Admission is free for all. Join us to enjoy music, fellowship, and homemade desserts. Event donations will go toward replacing 25-year-old tuxedo components for the band and for performance risers. Find out more at fvlhs.org/fvl-musicfest or call Megan Beyer at 920-560-5122.
WELS Night at the Wisconsin Herd
The Wisconsin Herd will be hosting a WELS Night for congregations within Wisconsin to bond in a family, entertaining environment! The game will be held at the Oshkosh Arena on Saturday, February 12 vs. NBA G League Ignite. Tip-off is at 7PM. To purchase tickets go to : https://fevo.me//herdwels All congregations are invited to take a photo together on court after the game to commemorate the experience together.
Discipleship.101 to Begin
Meets Tuesdays at 5:15 P.M. at the Lynndale Campus/Our Shepherd Childcare beginning January 18
Discipleship.101 is a starting place. If you’re new to Christianity, new to Bethany, or just wanting a brush up on the basics of the Christian faith, we’d love to have you join us. This 10 week class provides an overview of the chief teachings of the Bible and presents what we believe and teach here at Bethany.
Childcare will be available on site at no charge by one of our staff members.
Apple Valley Food Pantry Collection Weekend
The January collection for the Apple Valley Food Pantry (129 S. Mason St., Appleton) will be held the weekend of January 8 & 9, 2022. The following are items currently in need of at the pantry:
cookies, canned tomato products (paste, sauce, plain diced), pudding and gelatin desserts, sugar-free pudding, women's body washes, laundry soap, frosting (we have plenty of cake mixes on hand), and small boxes of snack bars. As always, monetary donations are appreciated.
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our 2021 a very successful year for our recipients!