Jesus Appears as the Compassionate One
 Our natural tendency is to see only our own needs and wants and lose sight of those in need around us. We are tempted to dismiss their needs and challenges as unimportant or to make excuses not to help them.
Again and again in the Scriptures, the Lord shows himself to be a compassionate God. He sees those in need whom everyone else ignores. He loves those whom others dismiss and despise. When Jesus came into the world, he showed that compassion to the world in his words and his actions. He appeared to help the helpless.
This week, our guest preacher will be Pastor James Mattek, from Christian Family Solutions, a WELS-affiliated organization that seeks to reflect that same compassion and help for the helpless through Christian counseling, in-home care services, and senior living solutions. Come and celebrate your Savior's compassion for you in all of your needs, and learn about how God is working through this important ministry to help many people, including members of our own congregation. Pastor Mattek will also give a presentation about the ministry of Christian Family Solutions in the Fellowship Hall (Room 208) during the Bible study hour (9:20-10:10). Come and join us.
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Prayer Requests
Please keep the following in your prayers:
- Duaine Stillman, as he recovers from his recent illness and hospitalization
- Jerry Glaze, whose grandson was called home to heaven on December 27
- Brian Werth, who continues to wait for a kidney transplant
- Lois Little, who is undergoing shoulder replacement surgery today
- Grant Shea, who will undergo surgery on Tuesday
- WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership, being held next week in Chicago and attended by eight Riverview members
Christian Family Solutions Sunday
 Our January door offering will support the ministry of Christian Family Solutions, which will be highlighted in our worship and bible study hour this Sunday. To learn more about this ministry, visit www.ChristianFamilySolutions.org. To support this ministry, give at the door this Sunday or throughout the month using the "other" line on your offering.
Pastor at Leadership Conference
Pastor Wagner will be attending the WELS National Conference on Lutheran Leadership in Chicago January 16-18. If you need pastoral care during this time, please call his cell phone (920-757-4535).
Also attending the conference are Tim Schmidt, Bob Becker, Andy Zidek, Elisabeth Wagner, Liberty VanDenHeuvel, Teagan Selle, and Ethan Melso. May God grant them safe travels and growth in their roles as present and future church leaders.
LWMS Meeting
Our next Riverview Lutheran Women's Missionary Society (LWMS) meeting is coming up on Saturday, January 21, at 9:00 a.m. As we all heard in the recent December WELS Connection what wonderful things LWMS does in support of missions around the world, please consider joining us to see what we are doing here locally at Riverview and what you too can do to join in support of these missions. Hope to see you there.
We wish to thank you for your generosity this past Advent season in giving to our Mitten Collection. With your support we are able to share over $2400.00 with the Vulnerable Children’s
Foundation and mi Amigo Jesus (k.i.d.s. Care). What a blessing this is. On behalf of these two organizations, we would like to say Thank You so very much.
RLS B Team Basketball Tournament -Help Needed
Riverview is hosting the B Team basketball tournaments for both boys and girls on Friday night (4 games) and Saturday (multiple games), Feb. 3-4. We'd love to have some help from the congregation for this event. Sign up sheets are available in the gym entryway during the week and in the church entryway on Sunday. Please look at your general schedule for the weekend and sign up by January 18 so that we can get a finalized plan out to everyone. Thank you!
Divine Call Meeting
Our next divine call meeting will be February 7 at 6:30 pm.
Ministry Recruitment Sunday
 "The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest to send out workers into his harvest fields." That was Jesus' encouragement for his disciples, as he also sent them out to carry out mission work. The need for workers in the church (pastors, teachers, staff ministers, missionaries) is great (hundreds of vacancies throughout the synod). Riverview is blessed to have six of our members currently preparing for ministry at Martin Luther College or Wisconsin Lutheran Seminary. But more workers are needed. On Sunday, February 5, Pastor Evan Chartrand from Luther Preparatory School, Watertown, WI, will be our guest preacher at Riverview for a special Ministry Recruitment Sunday. Join us. And be sure to encourage members (young or old) who might have the gifts for ministry to be here as well!
Barb Arndt - 40th Anniversary in Ministry
 On Sunday, February 12, we will celebrate God's blessings upon 40 years in the teaching ministry for Miss Barb Arndt, one of our 2nd grade teachers. Special services will be held at 8:00 and 10:30 am. A meal and program will follow the late service in the Activity Center. Sign up to attend the meal in the church entryway or by calling the school office.
Volunteers Needed
Please contact Pastor Wagner or the church office if you are looking for ways to volunteer in 2023, including serving as a greeter, altar guild assistant, substitute usher, powerpoint assistant, helping with worship visitor follow-up, and several other opportunities.
College & Military Addresses Needed
Riverview would like to remember our college students and those serving in the military with encouragement throughout the year. If you or your child fall into one of those categories, please contact the church office with your contact info (school/branch, address, phone, email) or complete this form as soon as possible! Thank you!
Serving this Weekend
8:00 Service
- Greeters - Kevin & Cindy Wundrow
- Powerpoint Assistant - Pete Wolfgramm
- Ushers -Peter Wolfgramm, Don Eichsteadt, Steve Lehmann, Levi Wolfgramm, Pete Wolfgramm, Will Toshner
10:30 Service
- Greeters - Jeff & Ann Gentz
- Powerpoint Assistant - Dylan Krueger
- Ushers - Mike Melso, Aaron Melso, Ethan Melso, Ryan Melso, Rob Walker, Lucas Walker, Reagan Walker
Worship Links:
Worship Times: Sundays 8:00 am (with livestream), 10:30 am
Fox Valley Lutheran High School Notes
- Click here to read the January 2023 President's Report.
- Do you enjoy baking? Consider making and donating homemade desserts (pies, cakes, tortes, candy) for Musicfest on February 5 Musicfest. Event proceeds benefit the FVL Music Program. Go to fvlhs.org/musicfest for details and to sign up.
- Semester Break is Monday, 1/16 - NO SCHOOL. The School and SCRIP Offices will have special hours from 8 AM-1 PM.
- FVL is accepting applications for a part-time custodian and a maternity-leave substitute teacher. Go to fvlhs.org/about/employment for details.
- Whether retirement is less than 5 years or more than 25 years from today, you have this special opportunity to hear from experts and get questions answered. Join us for the Retirement Planning seminar at FVL on Thursday, 1/19 at 6 PM. Go to fvlhs.org/seminar to register and get information.
- FVL Musicfest 2023 will be held Sun. 2/5 from 1-4:30 PM. Admission is free for all. Join us to enjoy music, fellowship, and homemade desserts. Event donations will go toward replacing 25-year-old tuxedo jackets for the band and for performance risers. Find out more at fvlhs.org/fvl-musicfest.
- Nominations for FVL's Trout Educator Award are open through 1/31. This annual award recognizes an outstanding FVL teacher and assists with their professional development. For details, go to fvlhs.org/Trout-Award
Area WELS News
- COMMISSIONING SERVICE: Please join us for Pastor Joel Hoff's Commissioning Service on Saturday, January 21. The service will be held at 11AM at Trinity Lutheran Church (407 Oak Street, Neenah). There will be a sendoff lunch and fellowship following the service. The Hoffs will begin their ministry in Africa at the end of January.
- WELS YOUTH NIGHT Local WELS congregations have joined together to offer a new teen ministry program - WELS Youth Night is a series of youth-focused events, where youth will experience an inspiring evening of games, music, prayer, Bible message, small group discussion, and fun with high school youth (9th-12th grade) from local WELS congregations in our area. WELS Youth Night is about building relationships, creating a community, and experiencing faith together. Our area’s second WELS Youth Night is Sunday, January 22 at The CORE (820 W College Ave. Appleton) from 6–8 PM. There will be pizza and ice cream sundaes! Register for WELS Youth Night at this sign-up link (https://922ministries.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1576696) or if you have any questions, contact Jodi Slominsky at student.ministry@mountoliveappleton.com.
- Praise Him Concert You are invited to the annual Praise Him concert at St. Matthew Lutheran Church (129 S. Mason Street, Appleton) on Saturday, February 4th at 1:00 pm. Join area WELS choirs as they come together to sing praises to our Savior!
- The Wisconsin Herd are excited to be hosting our annual WELS Night on Saturday, January 28, 2023! There will be some in-game promotions to celebrate WELS and we wanted to invite you out to enjoy the game together. All congregations are invited to take a photo together on court after the game to commemorate the experience together. For tickets, visit https://fevo.me/welsherd.
- TBRI® 101 Course Especially for Adoptive and Foster Parents Coming Soon! This course offers an informal, yet thorough approach to Trust-Based Relational Intervention®, an evidence-based intervention for children from hard places of abuse, neglect, and/or trauma. Videos will be shown to guide the viewer through the principles and strategies of TBRI® and offer practical tips for implementation. Topics include Understanding Trauma, TBRI® Empowering, Connecting, and Correcting Principles, as well as real-life examples and testimonials from caregivers and professionals who use TBRI®. Through the blessing of a grant from the Antioch II Foundation, the WELS ministry Light for Parents is able to present this course to a group of parents in the Fox Cities area. The course will be presented on three consecutive Saturday mornings--February 4, 11, and 18, 2023--from 9 a.m. - Noon at Eternal Love Lutheran Church, 1011 E. Midway Road, Appleton, WI 54915. The course will be presented from a Christian perspective by an adoptive couple trained as trauma practitioners, one of whom is also a TBRI® Practitioner. The course is free, but participants are asked to register by emailing staff@LightforParents.com with the names of those who will be attending.
- It's time to register for the 2023 Oshkosh Men of His Word Conference: MAN UP: in a man down world. It will be Saturday, February 18, 2023, 7:15 AM – 3:30 PM, at the Best Western Premier Waterfront Hotel and Convention Center, 1 N. Main Street in Oshkosh, WI. The day includes a keynote from Pastor Dan Solofra (CrossWalk Lutheran Church in Laveen, Arizona), your choice of sixteen heart-hitting, soul-searching sessions based on God’s Word, continental breakfast and buffet lunch, and worship led by Koine. Spend the day growing and bonding with Christian brothers. Find more information and register at www.menofhisword.org
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