Pastor Krenke’s installation will be Saturday, February 10 and Sunday, February 11 at our worship services. There WILL be a Monday service that weekend – but it will be without an installation. There is information and a signup sheet in the Welcome Area on both campuses to help provide food items for Pastor Krenke's reception after both of the installation services. Thanks for any help you can provide.
WELS Valley Teen Night - January 14
God Loves Nobodies is a fact clearly stated in the pages of the Bible and is a precious truth that we can cling to. Using Matthew Doebler’s excellent book, “God Loves Nobodies”, we’ll examine this truth and explore what it means at the next WELS Valley Teen Night that will be held on Sunday, January 14th, 2024 at The CORE, 820 W. College Ave, Appleton, from 5:45-8:00 PM. Register here: https://922ministries.churchcenter.com/reg.../events/2052317
Parkway Campus Undecorating
Please join us in “un-decorating” the Parkway Campus on Saturday, January 13 at 9AM.
Little Blessings Playgroup - January 13
Little Blessings Playgroup will meet in the multipurpose room at Our Shepherd Childcare on Saturday, January 13 at 10AM. Young children and their parents are invited to attend!
Sunday Studies begins January 7
Sunday Studies will begin on January 7 at 10:15AM and study the book of 1 Corinthians. In this study, we will consider how we ourselves are not so unlike the Corinthians. Satan works tirelessly to sow seeds of division, complacency, and worldliness among Christian congregations, ultimately trying to drive people away from that Word which nourishes and strengthens faith. Even more importantly, we will see how God’s love for us in Christ Jesus is both restorative and transformative. Whatever problems we may face as a congregation, our answers are always found in him!
Midweek Oasis begins January 3
Midweek Oasis Bible Study will meet on Wednesdays at 10:00AM beginning January 3. The group will learn more about the great gospel events in the lives of Elijah and Elisha. As we see the Lord’s grace and power on display through these two faithful servants, we will also marvel at how God steps in today to rescue his people from the spiritual dangers which threaten us.
Joining Jesus Sermon Series
Would you like to get to know Jesus? In our Epiphany sermon series, we are going to join Jesus and follow him through the Gospel of Mark. We’ll see Jesus calling people like us to join him, ordinary people, working class individuals, even skeptics. Joining Jesus draws us into discipleship. Watch as Jesus reveals himself to be true God and true man as he unleashes his power help the hurting, heal the sick, and destroys the devil. We pray that this Epiphany journey with Jesus in his glory will prepare you for joining him in the darkness of his suffering during Lent.
Joining Jesus...
At the River - Epiphany 1 - Mark 1:4-11
To the Fig Tree - Epiphany 2 - John 1:43-51
To the Sea—Epiphany 3 - Mark 1:14-20
To The People - Epiphany 4 - Mark 1:21-28
At Rest - Epiphany 5 - Mark 1:29-39
On the Mountain - Transfiguration Mark 9:2-9
Small Group Bible Studies
Small group Bible studies will begin following the weekend of January 6-8. If you haven’t joined a small group, and are interested or would like to learn more information, please contact the church office – churchoffice@bethanyappleton.org
New Year's Weekend Worship Schedule
New Year’s Weekend Worship Schedule
Saturday, December 30 4:30PM at the Lynndale Campus
Sunday, December 31 9AM at the Parkway Campus
There is no Monday evening church service on January 1, 2024
Holiday Closures
Our Shepherd Childcare will be closed in the week between Christmas and New Year’s. It will open back up for care on Tuesday, January 2.
The Bethany church office will be OPEN Tuesday and Wednesday (December 26 & 27) but closed the remainder of that week. The office will also be closed on Monday, January 1. To ensure someone is here, should you need to stop by, please call (920) 733-9561 ahead of time.
Adopt A Family Update & Thank You
Thank you for your generosity for this year’s Adopt-A-Family! We were able to not only purchase all of the items for 4 larger families this year, but we also received donations that allowed us to purchase 20 Christmas gift bags for even more clients at the Hope Center!
Our Shepherd Childcare Hiring
Our Shepherd Childcare and Family Ministry is looking to hire quality staff to meet the needs of the many families that we serve. Potential positions include classroom leads/assistants and kitchen assistance. Both full time and part time positions are available. We are looking for positive, professional, dedicated, self-propelled individuals. If you have past childcare experience and/or education in early childhood we want to hear from you! We offer competitive wages, paid vacation days, a sign-on bonus, and discounted childcare. If you 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 Heather Neta or Christina Coon.
FVL Announcements - Week of 12/22
FVL grads who were a part of the band program, please consider joining us for a special alumni band performance at Musicfest on Sunday, 2/4. Go online (fvlhs.org/news) to view details and registration link. Registration deadline is 1/9.
Join us for a free seminar on Long Term Care, sponsored by the FVL Mission Advancement Office. Hear professionals share information regarding options so that you can determine what is right for you and your family. Go to fvlhs.org/seminar to find details and the RSVP link for the seminar on Thursday, 1/18 at 6 PM.
Pastor Matt Krenke Accepts Call
Please find a letter from Pastor Krenke below:
Dear Members of Bethany Lutheran Church, greetings in the name of our Advent King!
I am writing to inform you that after prayerful consideration I have been led to accept your call to serve as one of your pastors, and I am excitedly thinking about what good things God has in store for us all in the future!
I'll be seeing to the needs of my current congregation as well as a vacancy I'm serving, and with Christmas celebrations just around the corner, final plans for a moving date and start date are still to be determined. My family and I will be celebrating one last holiday here in Las Vegas, and then looking forward to starting the New Year with you there. And we can't wait to get to know all of you! But in the midst of these unknowns, we praise God for the certainty of his Word and its promises, like the one of a Savior, kept by the Babe in Bethlehem!
My Christian Worship Journals Available
Thanks to a generous Thrivent Action donation, we were able to purchase a limited number of “My Christian Worship” journals for our congregation to use to take notes during worship services.
These journals can enhance and facilitate a more mindful participative worship experience, a more personal connection to the hymnal, and it offers suggestions for using the hymnal beyond Sunday for personal devotional use throughout the week. You can find them in the Welcome Center area on both campuses.
2024 Offering Envelopes
2024 Offering Envelopes are now available in the welcome area on both campuses.
Adopt A Family
Bethany is again teaming up with The Hope Center to support and show God's love to families in need this holiday season. We have been given the ambitious task of supporting 4 families this year, but we know Bethany's members will rise to the occasion and let God's love shine. You can select an ornament (or more) from the tree in the foyer on the Parkway Campus. Please purchase the item listed on the tag, wrap the gift individually and then tape the tag from the tree back on the package. With four families and multiple children in each family this is SO IMPORTANT that the tag stays with the gifts to keep all gifts accounted for and given to the correct families. Please make sure all items are purchased, wrapped and brought back to the giving tree by Monday, December 19th at 7pm.
- If you have any questions, please contact Char Schall-Krokosky (920-475-7410) or Lindsey Kraft (920-470-0213).
Christmas Services
Please invite your family and friends to one of our Christmas services. There are “events” on Facebook that you can share with your friends list there as well.
Christmas Eve 10AM at the Lynndale Campus
4PM & 6PM at the Parkway Campus
Christmas Day 9AM at the Parkway Campus (with Lord’s Supper)
Little Blessings Playgroup - December 9
Family with kids ages 0-6 years looking for some Christmas festivities: Join our Little Blessings Playgroup next Saturday, December 9th at 10 AM for a Bible story, snack, and activites! Our theme is Christmas! We will meet in the multipurpose room at Our Shepherd with check-in and free play beginning at 9:45 AM. If you have any questions please contact Sammi Stegman (sammipk13@yahoo.com). To aid in the planning process, please use the following link to register and sign-up. https://forms.gle/w9LxfNfcKGkoqtzZ6
Sunday School Christmas Program
The Sunday School children will present their Christmas program on Sunday, December 17 at 9AM. This will be the worship service that day. There will be no communion during this service. (Saturday and Monday that weekend WILL have communion.)