Summer 2023 Worship Service Schedule

Sunday Mornings | 9:00am

*Starting Sunday, Sept. 10, worship service times will return to 8 am & 9:40 am.*

Church Office Closed on Labor Day!

In Observance of Labor Day, the Church Office will be closed on Monday, September 4. Beginning Tuesday, Sept. 5, church office hours will return to Mon - Thurs, 9 am - 3 pm.

Have a wonderful and safe holiday weekend!

Last Sunday Recap:

A Baptism, Recognizing Pastor Jennifer's 30^th Ordination Anniversary & PoP Electric Vehicle Event

This past Sunday was one of joy and much to celebrate! We celebrated the sacrament of baptism of an adorable baby girl. Congratulations to the Huttsell family on this special occasion and milestone in your little one's Faith Journey! We continue to pray for her parents and sponsors as they fulfill their baptismal promises to her, now and in the years to come.

Pastor Jennifer was recognized by the Personnel Committee for marking her 30^th anniversary serving as an ordained pastor in the ELCA on August 22. Our heartfelt congratulations go to Pastor Jennifer! Please read her thank you to the congregation, below.

Lastly, the 2^nd annual PoP Electric Vehicle event took place following worship. Coffee and locally sourced treats enjoyed in the Narthex were provided by the PoP God's Earth - Our Hands Team. Around 15 people joined members of the team in the CLR for a brief informational session and discussion, followed by approximately 25 folks checking out the cars in the west parking lot. Three cars were available for viewing: Tom McNeely's Tesla Y, Kathy McNeely's Nissan Leaf and Roger and Leah Johnson's brand-new Chevy Bolt EUV. Lots of folks viewed, compared and asked questions about the cars. Thank you to Tom McNeely, Ron Jones, and everyone else who had a hand in making this wonderful event happen!

Feel free to check out more photos from the morning.

A Thank You to the Congregation from Pastor Jennifer

Prince of Peace,

Thank you so much for remembering my 30-year Anniversary serving as an ordained pastor in the ELCA with a beautiful card and generous gift card. The years have gone by quickly filled with many blessings of God’s love. I have received many gifts of kindness, faithfulness, and joy here at PoP as we have shared the ministry together of growing in faith and reaching out in love. May God continue to strengthen us in word and deed as we proclaim the good news of our Lord and Savior Jesus the Christ.

Thank You!

Grace and Peace, Pastor Jennifer

Ring Them Bells!

Look who's all polished and shiny for a new season of ringing! Fall 2023 Soli Deo Handbell Choir rehearsals kick off this coming Wednesday, September 6 at 9:30 am. We are always looking for subs, both for rehearsals and for performances, and so, would love to hear from you! We also have some openings this year, so please consider joining us! Email Sondra for more info OR call: 920.213.2713 OR 920.739.5255 ext.8.

SAVE THE DATE: Sunday, 9/17

Play Date at the Park!

Calling all kids and kids at heart! Join us for some outdoor fun with "Play Date at the Park!" Following the 9:40 am worship service on Sunday, Sept. 17, meet fellow PoP families and member at Lions Park directly across the street from the PoP east parking lot. Stay for as long as you'd like and let's pray for beautiful weather! See you there!

2023-24 Faith Formation & Confirmation Registrations Deadlines are Quickly Approaching — Register TODAY!

The Prince of Peace 2023-2024 Youth Ministry Program Kickoffs are just around the corner!

Register your child(ren) for Faith Formation (3K/Preschool - 5th grade), which kicks off NEXT Sunday, Sept. 10 with an Open House at 9:15am and class beginning at 9:35am. Registration due THIS Sunday, Sept. 3!

Register your youth for Confirmation (6th - 9th grade), which kicks off on Wednesday, Sept. 13 at 6:30pm with a Parent/Student Orientation meeting. Classes begin the following week on Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 6pm, with a meal beforehand at 5:30pm. Registration due THIS Wednesday, Sept. 6!

Visit the PoP website Youth Ministry pages for all the details!

We are looking forward to another fun and fantastic year of serving our youth in His name as we learn and grow in God's teachings together!

PoP Welcome Video

Check out our Welcome Video, put together by several PoP members, to see what we're saying about why we love Prince of Peace and choose to make PoP our church home.

It's not too late to send in your video!

If you didn't get around to making your brief, 30-second "Why I Choose PoP" video (in landscape mode, please), sharing why Prince of Peace is the place to be, we will still take it and incorporate it into a future welcome video. You can email your video to Lynn Pennings. Thanks and keep 'em coming, folks!

PoP Advocacy Update

Truth & Healing Movement | Learn & Act

The ELCA’s Truth & Healing Movement is an opportunity for this church to increase our understanding of our colonizing impacts on Indigenous people in the past and present. Over the next several months, there will be opportunities to learn, raise awareness and engage in other ways to impact hearts and lives across this church. We believe that the truth, and our knowing and embracing it, is the first step toward healing for all of us.

September Opportunities

September is the month of remembrance for Indian Boarding Schools for the ELCA’s Truth and Healing Movement. Click the button below to learn about all the upcoming opportunities.

SAVE THE DATE: PoP Fall 2023 Kickoff!

Sunday, Sept. 10

We're gearing up for lots of fun activities this fall and into the coming year at Prince of Peace! Mark your calendars for the PoP Fall 2023 Kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 10! Worship services return to 8 am & 9:40 am, and Faith Formation kicks off this day, as well, with an Open House at 9:15 am and Large Group starting at 9:35 am. See you then!

Essential Jesus Sermon Series Kickoff on Sept. 10!

Are you ready for the Essential Jesus Challenge? We talk about Jesus every week at worship, but how about going on a trip with the entire congregation, all your spiritual siblings, to learn about him together?

In January and February of this year, the Connections to the Cross (CTTC) Ministry surveyed the congregation about their interests in Adult Education at PoP. Based on the responses, we are planning on two action steps:

1. The Essential Jesus sermon series, kicking off on Sunday, Sept. 10 (PoP Fall 2023 Kickoff Sunday!)
2. Providing opportunities for more adults to participate in small group studies to grow their faith

Coinciding with the PoP Fall 2023 Kickoff on Sunday, Sept. 10, we are kicking off a new sermon study series to take us through April 21, 2024. CTTC Ministry has purchased The Essential Jesus book for the entire congregation – available to you for FREE starting Sept. 10!

We are finalizing all the details of what both of these efforts will look like, but please check out the reading guide for more info on this exciting new sermon series!

Also, we were pleased to have received 33 Adult Ed survey responses that we feel give us direction for this Fall. Feel free to review the results here.

Stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks, and get ready for Essential Jesus!

Council Corner

(from Tuesday, August 15 Council Meeting)

Our church council is excited to share some upcoming events as we begin the new church year this September.

• On September 10, we will begin distributing the book entitled, The Essential Jesus, which will serve as the basis of sermons for this next year. An outline of the scheduled sermons will be included at that time.

• On September 17, between services, we will gather for a discussion on small group ministries based on the previous concepts of ChristCare. We welcome your insights as to how we can better appeal to our congregation as we hopefully form additional small ministry groups.

Blessings to all, Jack Anderson, Council President

PoP Adopt-A-School Fall 2023 Volunteer Opportunity:

UFRS (United for Reading Success)

The PoP Helping Hands Adopt-a-School Team is getting ready to participate in Horizons Elementary's United for Reading Success (UFRS) Program for the second year in a row.

We are thrilled to offer this exciting and rewarding opportunity again for members of Prince of Peace to reach out and “give back” to our community, particularly to the young children of the area. The UFRS Program was a wonderful launching pad in developing our partnership with Horizons Elementary last year! UFRS is a high-quality, well-established, and well-structured program that provides curriculum, instructions, guidelines, and training to its volunteers. All it is missing is YOU, the volunteer!

To register as a new UFRS volunteer tutor, please fill out this online form. As PoP is partnering with Horizons Elementary in this program, please indicate Horizons as your school of preference.

The 2023-2024 UFRS start date is Monday, October 16.

The team would like our members to prayerfully consider volunteering their time and energy to connect with a first-grade student for one hour per week at Horizons this upcoming school year. The relationships that will emerge, grow, and develop over time will be invaluable for everyone involved. Just ask any of our volunteers from last year!

If you would like more info or have any questions regarding the UFRS program, or any upcoming Adopt-a-School opportunities, please reach out to PoP member and Adopt-a-School leader, Jill Heinritz.

Let's invest in our children, our futures. We CAN be the difference we want to see!

SAVE THE DATE

Sunday, 9/17 | 1-4 pm

UN International Day of Peace Event

You are invited to a free, fun and family-friendly event to celebrate the UN International Day of Peace!

The spiritual community, Unity of Appleton, community partners and sponsors are hosting the event. Join your neighbors and friends for live music, storytelling, peace pole painting, games and crafts for the kids, dancing, treats and more!

Visit the Facebook event for more info and to RSVP, or just show up that day!

PoP Nursery Open Again For Fall | Help Watch our Littles!

Summer is quickly winding down, and we are gearing up for another fun year at Prince of Peace! To better meet the needs of our youngest members (4 years old and younger) and their families, we are now ready for the nursery to be filled again with the laughter and busy-ness of our youngest PoPs during the school year!

Nursery supervision coverage began again on Sunday, August 20 during worship. Beginning Sept. 10 with Fall Kickoff, coverage will occur during the 9:40 am worship service only.

Our nursery is 100% volunteer-run. We could always use more help from qualified volunteers: parents, grandparents, supervised youth, etc. If you are interested in serving in this important area of our church, or have questions about this opportunity, please connect with Anna Reinhold, Pastor Jennifer or Pastor Roger.

We are eager to offer this service once again to our members, and thank you in advance for your consideration of helping to staff the Nursery!

WANTED: Youth Ministry Volunteers!

Fall is practically here! As you've already read, Faith Formation for the 2023-2024 school year kicks off on Sunday, Sept. 10, with Confirmation Kickoff on Wednesday, Sept. 13.

Thank you to our helpers and teachers who have agreed to volunteer again this year — your dedication to the faith journey of our children and youth is greatly appreciated!

We would LOVE to see some new faces step up and help out with our Youth Ministry programs! If you'd like to help by being a Faith Formation Teacher or Helper and/or a Confirmation Small Group Leader, Service Project Helper or Faith Mentor, or would like more information on what these opportunities entail, please email Youth Ministry Coordinator, Barbara Ekern. She would be happy to chat with you and answer any questions you may have.

Thank you for considering these important and fun volunteer opportunities at PoP!

Help Greet at PoP this Fall!

Thank you to everyone who has helped in our Usher and Greeter Ministries over the summer — it is very much appreciated!

Sign-up opportunities for GREETING THIS FALL are also available online. Feel free to check out the form and choose some Sunday mornings in Sept. and Oct. to greet at PoP!

We look forward to worshipping with you on this final summer Sunday as we look ahead to the new fall season!

Library Corner

ATTENTION ALL BOOK LOVERS: The Book Store at 800 W. College Avenue has a large credit balance under a Prince of Peace account. Marilyn Lee turned in a lot of books. Anyone from the congregation can take advantage of this. I call them first when I look for books for the church library, but they don’t often have the books I am looking for in their used inventory. This is their book purchasing policy that applies only to used books: They can order new books for you, but the credit does not apply to new books.

Used books generally are 50% of the cover price of the book. There is a sticker on the inside of the cover with their price listed. The credit on account reduces the price another 50%. A $10 book would be marked $5 and with the credit, you would pay $2.50 for the book. What a deal! If you are looking for a specific book, you can check their inventory on their website under online sales and there’s a search box to enter the information. Check it out!

Make a Sanctuary Flower Donation for the Fall!



If you would like to provide sanctuary flowers for a Sunday worship service sometime this fall, you may do so by signing up on the Worship Support bulletin board in the narthex OR, easier yet, by signing up online.

You can access the online form through our website or mobile app. After signing up, plan to purchase your plant/flower (home-grown garden flowers are just fine, too), and contact Cindy in the church office to arrange a drop-off.

If you have any questions, please contact Erin Larson or Sondra Joten.

Thank you for helping to beautify the sanctuary, this summer and throughout the year!

September 2023

Last Sunday Summer Worship Service – Sunday, 9/3 | 9 am

Labor Day – Monday, 9/4 – Office Closed

Fall/Winter Office Hours Resume – Tuesday, 9/5 | Mon - Thurs, 9 am - 3 pm

PoP FALL KICKOFF – Sunday, 9/10

Startup of Sept. 2023 – May 2024 Worship Times: 8 am & 9:40 am

1^st Day of Faith Formation | Open House at 9:15 am | Large Group at 9:35 am

Fellowship Hall

Confirmation Parent/Student Orientation – Wednesday, 9/13 | 6:30 - 7:30 pm

Fellowship Hall



Fox Cities Marathon – Sunday, 9/17 | 7 am

Barbara Ekern's & Youth Ministry Volunteers Installations – Sunday, 9/17

Confirmation Classes Kickoff – Wednesday, 9/20 | 6 - 7:05 pm (meal at 5:30 pm)

Fellowship Hall

Summer Music Concert: Voices of Peace (Gospel) – Sunday, 9/24 | 2 - 4 pm

Linwood Community • South Lawn | 425 N Linwood Ave, Appleton

2^nd Graders Receive Bibles & Class – Sunday, 9/24 | During 9:40 am Worship / Class Time TBD

New Member Orientation – Saturday, 9/30 | 9 am | CLR

October 2023

New Member Sunday – Sunday, 10/1

PoP Fall Food Drive - Sunday, 10/1 – Saturday, 10/7

Stewardship Campaign Kickoff Sunday – Sunday, 10/8

PoP's Pumpkin Patch – Details to Come!

Commitment Card Sunday – Sunday, 10/29

Lots of exciting things happening now and on the horizon at Prince of Peace and in the community! Please also check out the archive of Weekly Announcements on the PoP website!