Call Received - Mrs. Leah Schuh

Leah Schuh, Bethany member and one of our preschool teachers at Our Shepherd, has received a call to teach 3K/4K at Mount Olive here in Appleton for the 2025-2026 school year. She wrote saying, “t is truly a blessing to be able to deliberate the call I received as well as my hired position at Our Shepherd. I ask that you keep me in your prayers over the next few weeks as I consider where I can best use my abilities.”

Generational Choir Request

Our Sunday School Christmas program is December 15th at 9AM. We are looking for choir participants to sing a verse and chorus of “Go Tell It on the Mountain” as part of a “generational choir.” NO CHOIR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY. We specifically are looking for individuals that would fall in the following age ranges: individuals who would be around the age to have children (high school or younger); individuals that would be around the age to have grandchildren. (Having children or grandchildren is not required; we are simply looking for individuals to create the picture of passing the Gospel from one generation to the next.) We will have three practices prior to singing on the 15th, dates TBD. Please let Sammi Stegman know by Nov. 25th if you are willing to sing.  (Text your name and that you are willing to sing to 920-428-2033 or email Sammi at sammipk13@yahoo.com)

Christmas Tree for Parkway

The Parkway Campus Sanctuary is getting a new Christmas tree! Our church decorators have been planning this move for quite some time, as it is getting more and more difficult to set up and string the lights on the current trees. The new tree will be pre-lit. Would you consider donating towards the cost of this new tree? Large 15 ft. pre-lit Christmas trees are quite expensive, so anything would help defray the cost for Bethany.

New Midweek Oasis

Perhaps the most common answer to the question, “Are you religious?” is, “Well, I pray every day.” But is that what makes you religious? Is that what makes a Christian? The amount that we pray? Join us at the Midweek Oasis Bible Study from now until Christmas, as we consider the topic of Prayer. We will learn more about this wondrous gift from our heavenly Father, and the fact that we can come before his throne of grace with our thanks and praise, as well as our needs and requests. And we'll be reminded of why we have this wondrous privilege at all. Wednesday mornings, 10:00 am, Parkway campus, hope to see you there!

"Buy Nothing Appleton" Group at Bethany

Bethany’s Parkway Campus will be hosting the “Buy Nothing Appleton” Facebook page’s toy swap. The group will use the downstairs fellowship hall area on Saturday & Sunday, November 9-10. “Shopping” can occur on Sunday, November 10 from 1-4PM (1-3 is for members of one of the “Buy Nothing Appleton” groups, but the last hour is open for the community.) Sunday morning Bible study will occur upstairs in the sanctuary on that day.

"The End" - Sermon Series

Next weekend the church enters a new season of the church year, "End Times." Our series focus for the next 4 weeks is "The End." Usually I don't like to read the last chapter of a book before I have read everything leading up to it. I don't want to spoil the ending! But in this case, when the eternal welfare of my soul is on the line, when knowing the end will help me get through the middle, I want to know what happens next. God gives us a glimpse of the end. He has promised to be with us through all of the difficulties of this life, and he promises a good ending to life in a broken world. On Reformation Sunday next week, we will see how God gives us strength to face danger and persecution so that we can stand firm to the end.

November AVFP Collection

The November collection for the Apple Valley Food Pantry will be held on Saturday, November 9, 2024. The following is a list of items currently in need of at the pantry.: Healthy adult cereals, chicken noodle and tomato soups, chunky soups, canned chilis and stews, canned pasta, boxed and bagged potato side dishes, assorted boxed crackers, jam/jelly, pork n beans/baked beans, womens shampoo/conditioner and body washes, mens 2-1, 3-1 shampoo/body washes.  Thank you all for your support of the pantry during these trying times.

Church Library

Bethany's church library is growing, and it could use your help! We are currently seeking donations of gently used books to improve our range of children's materials. Primarily, we are seeking children's devotionals and Bible story books. We are not looking for general children's fiction at this time. Donations can be dropped off with Pastor Johnston on weekdays when he is in the office, as well as during weekend services. Thank you for helping Bethany's little ones grow in their knowledge of God's Word!

Bargain Garden Volunteers

Volunteers Needed at the Bargain Garden. The Bargain Garden is blessed to have about 100 volunteers.   Sounds like a lot, right?  While that is an impressive number, there are many shifts to cover.  In a typical month, there are approximately 48 shifts.  If there are 3 workers per shift (4 is preferred), 144-192 volunteers are needed per month, which means many volunteers work more than one shift. Our winter staff is also somewhat smaller because a number of volunteers are snowbirds. This is an appeal for both men and women (there are “jobs” for everyone) from the Federation congregations.  If you can work a shift (3 ½ hours) or two a month, please stop at the store (2725 N. Meade St., Appleton) to pick up a volunteer form.  You will be welcomed and appreciated. The Bargain Garden recently exceeded $2,000,000 in donations to support the teen ministry at Fox Valley Lutheran High School and $209,000 to other WELS charities.  Many thanks to the donors, volunteers, and shoppers who have made this success possible.  To God be the glory; great things He has done!

New Sermon Series - God's Government

Understanding, or perhaps misunderstanding, the relationship between God and rulers, church and state, Christians and government, is not a new concept. We see examples from throughout the Bible of Christians struggling with the proper balance between these and, in many cases, just plain getting it wrong. In our sermon series that begins this weekend, we will look at what God has to tell us in his Scriptures about how we should properly view things like government, conspiracy theories, war, peace, and the stress that all of these things can put on the mind and the conscience of a Christian.

Bethany Lutheran Church

920.733.9561

Parkway Campus - 530 W. Parkway Blvd. Appleton, WI 54911

Lynndale Campus - 3335 N. Lynndale Dr. Appleton, WI 54914