Midweek Oasis Bible Study begins Wednesday, 9/6 at 10AM on the Parkway Campus.
Bible History class for grades 6-7 begins Wednesday, 9/6 at 4:30PM in the lower level fellowship hall on the Parkway Campus.
Valley Teen Night @ Mt. Olive
Our first Valley Teen Night of the 2023-24 school year is happening at Mount Olive in Appleton on September 10th from 6:00 pm - 8:00 pm! We're featuring two guest keynote speakers: Cameron Schroeder, a recruiter from Michigan Lutheran Seminary, and Ezra Blumer, a student at Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. They'll be speaking on vocation, leading music, breakout discussions, and activities. Food and drinks will be provided! Valley Teen Night is open to anyone in grades 8-12. Register online at https://922ministries.churchcenter.com/reg.../events/1887633
2023-2024 Usher/Greeter Announcement & Schedule
Work has begun on the 2023-2024 Usher/Greeter Schedule for our Parkway Campus. We want to thank those who provide this service on our teams so faithfully! If you are interested in serving on a team OR to no longer be in this role on the upcoming schedule, please contact Royal Uhlenbrauck (uhlroy63@hotmail.com or 920-739-0039) asap.
Tech Booth Training
We are looking for anyone who may be interested in learning the various aspects of the tech booth (for both campuses!) Please contact Emily Suedmeier if this is a way you could serve here at church!
Fall Festival - October 7
Bethany’s annual Fall Festival will take place at our Lynndale Campus on Saturday, October 7 from 9-11AM. There will be a trunk or treat, bounce house, food, fun, and more! This is our biggest event all year for our church. Childcare, and community!
Small Group Bible Studies - Sign Up This Weekend!
After Labor Day, Bethany's small group Bible studies will begin again. These lay-led groups meet weekly in three sessions: one during the fall, one in winter, and one in spring. The fall session will begin with a Bible study on the life of Joseph, in which we will see how God graciously equips his people to bless others, and how he even uses evil intentions for the good of his people. Please see signup sheets in the welcome area on both campuses. Space is limited, so be sure to act quickly to reserve your spot! If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact Pastor Johnston to learn more.
Labor Day Weekend Schedule Changes
There will be no Bible study or Monday evening worship service next weekend - Labor Day weekend. Our Shepherd Childcare and Bethany’s Parkway Campus will be closed on Monday. There will be no Tuesday morning men’s Bible study on 9/5 as well.
Family Forum & Voters' Meeting - August 27
Make plans to join us on Sunday, August 27, 2023 at 10:15AM in the sanctuary on our Parkway Campus for a Family Forum/Voters’ Meeting. This is our budget meeting for the 2023/2024 fiscal year. There will be ministry updates and a building project update as well. Bethany & Our Shepherd budgets were emailed out on Friday, and there are hard copies available on both campuses for you to review prior to the meeting.
FVL Announcements for the Week of 8/20
• MLC Student Teacher Housing Needed - Two MLC student teachers will be on campus from October 16-December 22, and are in need of housing. Please contact Principal Alan Nolte for details (principal@fvlhs.org).
Little Blessings Playgroup - 8/12/2023
What kid doesn’t like bubbles? The next session of Little Blessings Playgroup will be at 9:30 AM Saturday, August 12th at Memorial Park in Appleton. Look for the green tablecloth to check in anytime after 9:15 AM. We will enjoy a Bible Story, activities, snack, and picture book all with a bubble theme! Please contact Sammi Stegman (sammipk13@yahoo.com) for questions. To aid in the planning process, please use the following link to register. https://forms.gle/DrR63s7oGXfth51e7
Seeking Bethany Instrumentalists
Do you play an instrument that we don’t already know about? Would you be interested in playing that instrument at church sometime? If you’d like to talk more about it - email churchoffice@bethanyappleton.org
Parkway Parking Lot Work
Parking lot work on the Parkway Campus will continue this week, with the parking lot unavailable Tuesday-Thursday, August 22-24. Street parking will need to be used on these days. Thank you for your assistance while we update our parking lot!
New Sermon Series - Our Shared Vision at Bethany
Our mission statement at Bethany is to live our faith and share Jesus' love with all people—one heart and home at a time. The vision for how we strive to carry out this mission is summed up in just four words: gather, grow, serve, and share. The words themselves are simple enough to understand, but to live them and practice them is a much greater task. In our sermon series beginning next week, we will explore what it means and what it looks like when we are living out our shared vision here at Bethany.
o August 12-14 Gather Pastor Johnston
o August 19-21 Grow Pastor Brown
o August 26-28 Serve Pastor Henke
o September 2-3 Share Pastor Johnston
FVL Sports Center
Exciting addition for 2024-25 - FVL has received an extremely generous gift toward building a Sports Center and outdoor tennis courts. No additional debt will be incurred with this project. Go to fvlhs.org/site-plan to see a video from President Loberger and to see additional details
FVL Host Families Needed
Host families needed! - Five international students at Fox Valley Lutheran High School need host families for the new school year (South Korea-2 males, Italy-1 male, Poland-1 female, China-1 male). Go to fvlhs.org/hosting for hosting information. Contact Monica Uhlenbrauck (muhlenbrauck@fvlhs.org) with questions.
Our Shepherd Childcare Now Hiring - Classroom & Office
Our Shepherd Child Care is looking to hire quality staff to meet the needs of the many families that we serve in our faith-based environment. Potential positions include classroom leads/assistants and office personnel. Both full time and part time are available. We are looking for positive, professional, dedicated, self-propelled individuals. If you have past childcare experience and/or education in early childhood, or you are looking to gain experience, we want to hear from you! We offer competitive wages, paid vacation days, a sign-on bonus, and discounted childcare. If you, or someone you know, believe that you would work well in a fast-paced, friendly work environment, please stop in at Our Shepherd to fill out an application or call 920-733-3344 and speak with Ann Potter.
Little Blessings Playgroup @ Erb Park
Families! Get ready for the ultimate summer road trip as we "visit" some of the best US road trip attractions and learn about Abram's road trip! The next session of Little Blessings Playgroup will be at 9:30 AM Saturday, July 15th at Erb Park in Appleton. Look for the green tablecloth to check in anytime after 9:15 AM. We will enjoy a Bible Story, activities, snack, and picture book all with a road trip theme! Please contact Sammi Stegman (sammipk13@yahoo.com) for questions. To aid in the planning process, please use the following link to register or scan the QR code in the welcome area at either the Parkway or Lynndale campus. https://forms.gle/DrR63s7oGXfth51e7
Rummage Sale Overview
The Who-What-Where-When and Why
As we have begun readying the Parkway Campus for a potential sale, one of the tasks is to declutter the church and annex buildings. We have been going through these buildings room by room and determining what could be tossed and what could be donated or sold via rummage sale. This rummage sale also gives the Lynndale Campus/Our Shepherd Childcare an opportunity to make room for storage in their own preparation of a potential move to a one-site ministry.
This rummage sale is not intended to be a fundraising activity – but rather an opportunity to bless others, and as funds do come in, they will go towards our Building Fund. All items will be “sold” for a free-will donation, except for larger items – which will be priced.
The rummage sale will be held on the Parkway Campus Thursday, August 3 – Saturday, August 5. Weather permitting – it will be mostly outdoors – but may trickle indoors depending on the amount of donations we receive. The hours of the sale will be Thursday and Friday 9AM-4PM and Saturday 9AM-12PM.
- Contact Judy Priebe (847-244-7668 or jpriebe417@gmail.com) or Emily Suedmeier (920-248-2001 or churchoffice@bethanyappleton.org) with questions.
Donations
Donations of gently used items can be dropped off in the Sunday School rooms at the Parkway Campus on the following days:
o Sundays in July (beginning July 9) from after church to 11:15AM
o Tuesdays in July (beginning July 11) 1-3PM
As a general guideline, bigger items will only be accepted if two or less people can carry it.
Once donated, the items will be Bethany’s to do with as we wish after the sale. (donate or throw away) Should the item(s) that you donate not sell in the rummage sale, and you would like them back – you MUST come at 12PM on Saturday, August 5 to retrieve them.
Ways to Volunteer
- Beforehand (if you haven’t already, contact Judy Priebe)
o Lift/carry/and otherwise transport items from the annex to the Sunday School rooms. This can be done at any time throughout the week. (doesn’t have to be at donation times)
o Sorting donations – Can you help sort donations as they come in on Sundays after church or Tuesday afternoons?
- Baking Donations (see the sign up sheets on both campuses)
o Prepare a ½ dozen of cookies or bars to sell. Please put them in a clearly labeled Ziploc bag on a paper plate.
- Day of (see the sign up sheets on both campuses)
o Rummage sale items will need to be set-up and taken down for the sale daily.
o Be a floater – greet visitors and buyers, be of assistance in any way needed.
o Cashiers – this will be a cash only rummage sale. All items (except larger items that will be labeled with a price) will be “sold” for a free-will donation. No haggling necessary.
Advertising
- Take a flyer from either campus to put up in your workplace.
- Share Facebook posts regarding the rummage sale.
- Tell your friends & family about the sale.
- Do you live near Parkway? Would you be willing to put a sign in your yard? (Contact Emily Suedmeier)
Christian Family Solutions - Now Hiring
Christian Family Solutions is expanding their School Based Partnership Program in the Fox Valley. They are recruiting a Mental Health Support Specialist to serve in local elementary schools to provide case management and promote mental wellness. For more information, go to: https://recruiting.paylocity.com/Recruiting/Jobs/Details/1775662
Summer Bash 2023
Bethany’s 2nd Annual Summer Bash will be held in the parking lot at Our Shepherd Childcare on Tuesday, July 25 from 5-7PM. There will be food, a bounce house, games, and tables and chairs for fellowship. If you’d like to assist with some of the work the day of, please contact Emily – churchoffice@bethanyappleton.org