August Newsletter

Dear Friends,

I have always appreciated the way you, our church family, has stepped up to the plate and helped others in our community. You have helped others with a delicious meal through the Community Table, and blessed children in our community through Vacation Bible School. You have given regularly and generously to our Deacons Fund and to the Red Cross Food Pantry in order to help others in need. You even helped to build a house working in partnership with other churches and Habitat for Humanity.

This month, in addition to VBS, you (we) have another opportunity to help people in our community. There are many in the Fox Cities who are struggling to get by day-by-day. They may have lost their jobs, or be under-employed. They may find life’s challenges overwhelming at times and are unsure which way to turn. Whatever their story may be, they are people in need that the Convoy of Hope wants to respond to.

What is the Convoy of Hope? It is a community ministry. shared by many churches and businesses, reaching out to people in need with the Good News of Jesus Christ in Word and in deed. What is the Convoy of Hope offering? It’s offering free services such as haircuts, 35,000 pounds of groceries, health screenings, job support, resume assistance, family portraits, shoes and school supplies, a kids carnival, lunch, live entertainment, community services, and much more. There will also be an opportunity for “guests” to have someone pray for them.

As you can see, this is quite a community event. My prayer and hope is that just as you have responded to other ministry opportunities in our community, you will respond to this one as well. How can you help? There is a need for about 1,000 volunteers to help with services such as bagging and handing out groceries, serving lunch, etc. You can be one of those volunteers! How? Well, on Friday evening, August 13th, a rally will be held at Appleton East High School at 7:00 pm. At the rally you will learn of the ministry opportunities for the following day, August 14, which is the day of the event. You will be asked to pray about where you would like to serve. And then on Saturday, come to Maplewood Middle School in Menasha at 7:30 am, where you will choose your ministry and receive training in what you will be doing.

Our church is a “Connections Church.” This means we will be one of about 20 churches welcoming people and asking them if we can pray for them. We will also be presenting the Good News of Jesus if they are interested in hearing more about him. I will be involved in this and I am looking for others to join me from our church. Training for this ministry will take place on Thursday, August 12, 7:00 pm, at Pathways Church. If you are interested, please see me.

Our church’s vision is “to impact the lives of people in our church and community, discovering needs in all areas of life, and striving to meet those needs with the love and power of the Good News of Jesus Christ.” The Convoy of Hope will provide us a great opportunity to do this. I hope you will join us in this great outreach to our community.

Peace,
Pastor Jim.

P.S. If you would like to make a financial contribution to the Convoy of Hope, make a check out to our church and earmark it for the Convoy of Hope. Thanks!

Vacation Bible School

Vacation Bible School is here! It is an exciting time for not only the kids who come, but also for our helpers as well as for our whole church! Below are some things that will be of interest to you concerning our VBS:
· Our theme is High Seas Expedition, and the Bible stories are based on stories from the Book of Acts.
· It begins on Sunday, August 1, and concludes on Thursday, August 5
· Each day VBS begins at 6:00 pm and concludes at 8:15 pm
· You are invited to a kickoff dinner on Sunday, August 1, at 5:00 pm. (This means everyone!)
· Our mission emphasis is a water theme, so we’re collecting cans of tuna, boxes of tuna helper, Hi-C drinks, and other such items, for the Neenah-Menasha Red Cross Food Pantry.
· We are also collecting financial donations for the ministry of Mercy Ships, which is a hospital ship that goes to ports around the world, providing medical help to those in need.
· You are invited to our closing program for VBS, which will begin at 7:45 pm, on Thursday, August 5th. This is a great way to hear and see what our VBS was all about and how kids were blessed with the Good News of Jesus.
· Please pray for us. Thanks!

Church Finances

Church Finances
Below is our Church Economic Picture for the month of June:
General Funds Needed for June: $6,793
General Fund Monies received in June: $5,210
General Fund over or (short) for June: ($1,583)

Mission Funds Needed for June: $922
Mission Fund Monies received in June: $1,213
Mission Funds over or (short) for June: $291

Actually, we have been short of our budget goals every month this year, and except for January, we have spent more money than we have received, which means we are operating at a deficit for the year. Please pray about your giving. Is it reflective of how God is blessing you? “Remember this – a farmer who plants only a few seeds will get a small crop. But the one who plants generously will get a generous crop. You must each decide in your heart how much to give. And don’t give reluctantly or in response to pressure. “For God loves a person who gives cheerfully.” And God will generously provide all you need.”
(2 Corinthians 9:6-8a).

The Convoy of Hope

On Saturday, August 14th, a tremendous ministry blessing people of the Fox Cities, will take place at the Maplewood Middle School in Menasha. There will be a kids carnival, entertainment by Christian music groups, a free lunch, free groceries, free haircuts, free school supplies, as well as other free resources. This event is for people who are struggling and just need to know someone cares about their needs, both physical and spiritual. It begins at 10:00 am, and will last until about 2 or 3:00 pm. So if you need to be blessed, come to the Convoy of Hope. You will be glad you did!

American Baptist International Missions

Duane and Marcia Binkley serve ethnic Karen and Chin refugees, originally from Burma, who now live in the United States as legal immigrants. They also keep connected with those still remaining in refugee camps along the Thai-Burma (Myanmar) border.
Duane and Marcia have been busy this summer helping the Karen find jobs at farms and poultry plants, visiting churches across the U.S. that are working with the refugees from Burma, and attending various conferences and meetings. One conference was the annual General Assembly of the Cooperative Baptist Fellowship (CBF). This year it was held in Charlotte, NC, and after the conference they visited with a new Chin congregation. This July, the Binkleys attended the Karen Youth Conference in St. Paul, MN, which drew hundreds of Karen youth and young adults from all across the country. This is the first event of this kind in the U.S.
Another exciting project for the Karen people is the production and printing of the first parallel Karen/English New Testament. This project is being sponsored by the Scottsdale Bible Church in AZ.
Continue to pray for the Karen and Chin people as they adjust to the day to day challenges of a new culture and language.

From The Samaritan Counseling Center of teh Fox Valley

“Train a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it.” (Proverbs 22:6)

The Samaritan Counseling Center announces an opportunity to participate in a special ministry. Our Treatment Foster Care Program has been firmly established and is open to receive host families. Have you ever considered fostering a child? We are looking for individuals and/or couples with big hearts and lots of love to give: to provide much needed care, structure, and stability for treatment foster children. Our goal is to provide a safe, loving environment for a child or adolescent who would otherwise be in an institutional setting, hospital, unsafe or abusive situation. These children and adolescents require a more specialized setting than traditional Foster Care can provide since they have greater needs.
Treatment foster care parents will receive training, support, and compensation for their care-giving. You can make a big difference in the life of a child or adolescent who has been through really tough times. You have a lot of love to give! We invite you to share it by fostering a child or adolescent through our Treatment Foster Care Program.
Prayerfully consider whether you are called to this special ministry. For more information, contact our Treatment Director, Amy Plettner (886-9319).

Thoughts on Taking a Vacation (from PreachingNow)

· No man needs a vacation so much as the person who has just had one. ~Elbert Hubbard
· A good vacation is over when you begin to yearn for your work. ~Morris Fishbein
· A vacation is what you take when you can no longer take what you've been taking. ~Earl Wilson
· A vacation is like love -- anticipated with pleasure, experienced with discomfort and remembered with nostalgia. ~Author Unknown
· A vacation is having nothing to do and all day to do it in. ~Robert Orben
· The alternative to a vacation is to stay home and tip every third person you see. ~Author Unknown
· We hit the sunny beaches where we occupy ourselves keeping the sun off our skin, the saltwater off our bodies and the sand out of our belongings. ~Erma Bombeck
· Those who say you can't take it with you never saw a car packed for a vacation trip. ~Author Unknown
· The rainy days a man saves for usually seem to arrive during his vacation. ~Author Unknown
· Vacation: Two weeks on the sunny sands -- and the rest of the year on the financial rocks. ~Sam Ewing
· No vacation goes unpunished. ~Karl Hakkarainen
· Vacation: a period of travel and relaxation when you take twice the clothes and half the money you need. ~Author Unknown
· Vacations prove that a life of pleasure is overrated.
~Mason Cooley

August Birthdays

4 Lori Bowers
8 Andy Bowers
9 Jenne Steffen
10 Dottie Dowman
12 Trudi Woods
14 Brittany Kesselhon
14 Donna Mentink
16 Dave Mentink
16 Denise Schmitz
18 Joy Veldboom
19 Myrna Lopas
21 April Bachorz
21 Robert Bell
21 Grace Zoglman
22 Mikayla Hoehne
23 Christi Lewis
29 Ellen Lehl
29 Luke Moravec

Wedding Anniversaries

14 Trudi & Mike Woods
15 Joy & Brian Veldboom
16 Sheila & Rick Piunti

August Worship

For the month of August our Sunday worship is at 9:00 am.