Summertime… and the living is easy. Things slow down a bit in the summer, but there are still a number of things that are worth your attention as we head into Ete (as the French call it… I credit my interest in crossword puzzles for that bit of knowledge).
Clean Up Day at the Ellington Union Cemetery
Many of our members whose souls have gone home to heaven have their mortal remains buried at the
Ellington Union Cemetery, located just south of the town of Stephensville. The members of the cemetery board are looking for some help in getting the cemetery in shape after the past fall and winter. If you would like to help, show up at the cemetery on Saturday, May 7 at around 9:00 AM. If the weather is not good, they will be having the clean up day on Saturday, May 14.
And, speaking of the Ellington Cemetery, remember that there will be a Memorial Day Observance on Sunday, May 29 at 11:00 AM. This is an event that includes patriotic readings and songs. The highlight is the laying of a wreath at the grave at a recently deceased veteran. All are invited to come.
Lutheran Women’s Missionary Society (Wolf River Circuit) Spring Rally.
The details of this event are on the graphic below. All are invited, men and women alike.
FVL News
The next several items all have to do with happenings at Fox Valley Lutheran High School as the students prepare to move on to another year or to another institution of higher learning. Whatever the case, it is an exciting time for the students and there are ways that you can celebrate along with them.
FVL Spring Prom Frolic Talent Show
Twice a year (in connection with their Homecoming in the fall and their Prom in the spring) the students of Fox Valley Lutheran High School have the opportunity to strut their stuff on the stage of the auditorium in a talent show called the Frolic. If you go, you will see singers and musicians, comedians and dancers. There will be a video or two filled with jokes that are (mostly) only understandable to FVL students and faculty members (but they’re still fun). For an entertaining night out, you are invited to the Prom Frolic on Wednesday, May 4 at 6:30 PM.
FVL Spring Concerts
The choral and instrumental groups of FVL are getting ready to present their final musical offerings for the year. Here are the events to keep in mind…
FVL Band/Choirs Spring Concert: On Sunday, May 15 at 2:00 PM, all of the different musical organizations of FVL will be presenting their spring concert. It is always fun seeing how much about the arts that the students have learned from their first exposure to playing instruments in middle school until they reach the age of graduation. All are invited to this free concert.
FVL Jazz Ensemble/Choraliers Concert: On the following day, Monday, May 16 at 7:00 PM, the Jazz Ensemble and Choraliers will be presenting their final concert of the year. The Jazz Ensemble is made up by members of the larger FVL band and plays various forms of Jazz in order to learn about this uniquely American musical style. The Choraliers are FVL’s touring/swing choir and performs a great variety of musical styles and accompanies their music with dance. As the Beatles said, a splendid time is guaranteed to all.
Appleton Memorial Day Parade: On Monday, May 30, the FVL Band has its last performance of the year as they march in the Appleton Memorial Day Parade. This takes place along College Avenue and continues on to Riverside Cemetery and begins around 9:00 AM. Come and enjoy the parade and give honor to those who gave their lives in the service of their country as well.
FVL Graduation
The class of 2022 will graduate from Fox Valley Lutheran High School will graduate on Saturday, May 28 at 10:00 AM. This class has been through a lot with having to make do with distance learning for much of their Sophomore year because of the Covid-19 pandemic. If you are able to, get to the graduation service and congratulate them on their major life passage and wish them God’s blessings on their future endeavors.
If you know anyone connected with our congregation who is graduating from high school, college, tech school, night school, or prison, please let us know. We will give them recognition in our church bulletin.
Sermon on the Mount Sermon Series
For the last several years, we have had special sermon series for the summer months. Last year, we had a series of sermons based on the Beatitudes, the introduction to the Sermon on the Mount. This year’s series is kind of a continuation of that series as we take 13 weeks to go through the rest of the Sermon on the Mount. You will hear Jesus show us how he changes our lives as he sheds his light on us and makes us to shine the light of faith in this world.
Here is a schedule for this upcoming series…
June 5: Matthew 5:13-16: “You Are the Salt and Light of the World.”
June 12: Matthew 5:17-26: “But I Say Unto You… on the Subject of Murder.”
June 19: Matthew 5:27-32: “But I Say Unto You… on the Subject of Marriage and Adultery.”
June 26: Matthew 5:33-37: “But I Say Unto You… on the Subject of Oaths and Truthfulness.”
July 3: Matthew 5:38-42: “But I Say Unto You… on the Subject of Revenge.”
July 10: Matthew 5:43-48: “But I Say Unto You… on the Subject of Love for One’s Enemies.”
July 17: Matthew 6:1-4: “What Jesus Says about Charity and Fasting.”
July 24: Matthew 6:5-14, 7:7-9: “Jesus Teaches His Disciples about Prayer: Its Makeup and Use.”
July 31: Matthew 6:15-24: “Jesus Teaches Us about Our Treasures in Heaven.”
August 7: Matthew 6:25-34: “Jesus Teaches Us about Being Worried and Being Content.”
August 14: Matthew 7:1-6: “Jesus Tells His Disciples not to Judge.”
August 21: Matthew 7:13-23: “Jesus Teaches Us about the Broad and Narrow Paths.”
August 28: Matthew 7:24-29: “Jesus Tells the Parable of the House Built on the Rock.”
