2023 Offering Statements were mailed out this past Friday. These statements are for regular offerings only. These offering statements will NOT include QCDs. For those that may have given via a QCD from their IRA, you may use the letter sent after your donation for tax purposes.
Family Forum & Voters' Meeting
There is a Family Forum & Voters’ Meeting on Sunday, January 28th at 10:15AM in the sanctuary on the Parkway Campus. Topics to discuss include: 2024 Leadership Team Members, a financial update, ministry updates from Bethany and from Our Shepherd, and a building project update. Please make plans to join us as we make and share plans for our congregation and childcare!
Krenke Family Welcome
If you are able, please join us after church Saturday and Sunday this weekend to say hello to Pastor Krenke and his family as we celebrate his installation! There is no Bible Study or Sunday School this weekend. We are also hosting a card shower for the Krenke family as they get settled in Appleton. There is a special donation bin on both campuses this weekend.
FVL Announcements - Week of January 28
FVL is looking for volunteers! Go to fvlhs.org/news to see Musicfest and VEX Experience opportunities.
FVL Musicfest 2024 will be held Sunday, 2/4 from 1:00-4:30 PM. Admission is free for all. Join us to enjoy music, socializing, and homemade desserts. Event donations will go to support the FVL Music Department. Find out more at fvlhs.org/musicfest.
Join us for the Sports Center Groundbreaking on Sunday, 2/4 at 5:00 PM. The ceremony is expected to last approximately 30 minutes, and will take place in the FVL auditorium. Join us for the ceremony and stay for cookies!
Reserve your seat today for our spring musical, Disney and Cameron Mackintosh's Mary Poppins. Performances are March 1 & 2 at 6:30 PM and March 3 at 2 PM. Purchase tickets at fvlhs.org/mary-poppins.
Discipleship.101 begins Thursday, 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 class provides an overview of the chief teachings of the Bible and presents what we believe and teach here at Bethany. This class meets on Thursdays beginning January 18th at 5:30pm at the Lynndale Campus/Our Shepherd Childcare.
Pastor Krenke Installation Information
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.