ESTHER'S annual banquet on Sunday, November 13th promises to be a great evening you won't want to miss. You will have an opportunity to socialize and share ideas with friends from all of the faith communities that make up our organization, and you will also be able to put in a bids for some of the fine items that will be sold in our silent auction. 

Our keynote speaker will be John Nichols. He is a well known author and journalist. Other highlights of the evening will include the ESTHER's annual awards and unveiling of the the traveling mural that LUNA, ESTHER's hispanic youth group, has been working on.

Don't miss ESTHER's annual banquet!

       Where: Liberty Hall in Kimberley

       When: 5:00 PM on November 13, 2011

To buy tickets for the banquet

• Call Sara at 920-731-0663; or
• Request tickets and pay online here using our secure online payment system

Congressman Petri and Congressman Ribble along with over 250 people have committed to Say YES to Transit!!

At the Say YES! to Transit event on Aug. 11, both Rep. Thomas Petri and Rep. Reid Ribble committed to support and work toward a solution to offer flexibility in federal transit assistance, where decisions on how funding is used is made at the local level. Petri has been a long-serving member of the House’s transportation and infrastructure committee and Ribble just recently joined this committee. 

• If you are think objective journalism has declined on TV, you are right!

• If you are tired of propaganda masquerading as reporting on TV, you have lots of company!

If you want to know more about this problem and what you can do about it, join us at the Appleton Public Library for a free screening of the film Broadcast Blues and a discussion with filmmaker Sue Wilson. She is an award winning TV producer and radio personality, and she is a frequent contributor to the Huffington Post.

The presentation of Broadcast Blues is sponsored by ESTHER, The Fox Valley Unitarian Fellowship's Social Justice Ministry and the Appleton Public Library.

Where: the Appleton Public Library, 225 N. Oneida Street,

When: September 19 at 6:30 PM

Transit Summit: August 11th 4:00-5:00 PM

Public Event Sponsored by ESTHER (Fox Cities) and JOSHUA (Green Bay)

Confirmed participants in addition to other community leaders include:

Congressman Reid Ribble & Congressman Tom Petri

 

 

• Do you ride the bus to work or to school?
• Do your children or your neighbors' children ride the bus to school?
• Do any of your employees ride the bus to work?

If you answered "Yes" to any of these questions, you should attend the "Say Yes to Transit" event on August 11th

Public transit is vital to a strong community, to the economy and to those who depend on public transit as their mode of transportation. To learn about the threats to public transit in Green Bay and the Fox Valley, come to "Say Yes to Transit." 

Where: First English Lutheran Church at 326 East North St, Appleton

When: August 11, 2011 from 4:00 to 5:00 PM

Download the flyer (below) for more information. 

En español: content/capacitacion-de-lideres-por-la-justicia-patrocinada-por-esther-y-josue

This is an ideal opportunity for new leaders and for experienced leaders who want to work more effectively.  The training includes:

• Basic overview of faith-based community organizing
• Building relationships through one-on-one conversations
• How to create and strengthen core teams
• How to hold effective meetings and build strong organizations
• Issues and how we work together to address issues
• Planning actions to bring about strong and just communities

Date: August 26-27

Friday: We begin at 5:00 PM with a dinner followed by time for reflection. We continue with the training until 9:00 PM

Saturday: We work from 8:30 AM until 3:30 PM

Place: Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 740 East College Ave, Appleton

Cost: $20 including Meals (dinner on Friday, breakfast and lunch on Saturday)

Languages: You will be able to choose between English and Spanish

Registration: To register, contact Stephanie Gyldenvand by email at esther.foxvalley@gmail.com or by phone at920-216-0891. In the email, include your full name and your congregation or organization. Also, please let us know if you want to stay with a family on Friday night. Please send a check made out to ESTHER to 140 South Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI 54956.

In English: content/leaders-justice-training-sponsored-esther-and-joshua

Esta es una oportunidad ideal por nuevos lideres asi como lideres experimentados que quieren trabajar mas eficazmente en sus organizaciones y comunidades de fe.  La capacitacion incluye:

• Ideas basicas de organizacion comunitaria basada en la fe
• Maneras de construir relaciones por medio de conversaciones cara-cara
• Maneras de crear y de fortalecer equipos
• Metodos para manejar reuniones y para construir organizaciones fuertes
• Problemas y como podemos trabajar juntos para enfrentar las mismas
• Planeacion de acciones para realizar comunidades justas y fuertes

Fecha: 26-27 Agosto

El viernes: Empezamos a las 5:00 PM con una cena y con tiemp de meditacion. Continuamos hasta las 9:00 PM.

El sabado: Trabajamos desde las 8:30 AM hasta las 3:30 PM

Lugar: Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 740 East College Ave, Appleton

Costo: $20 con comida incluida (la cena del viernes y el desayuno y el almuerzo del sabado.

Idiomas: Usted puede escoger enter espanol y ingles

Registracion: Para registrarse, contacte a Stephanie Gyldenvand por email a esther.foxvalley@gmail.com o por telefono a 920-216-0891.  En el email ponga su nombre y appellidos y su congregacion o organizacion. Tambien cuentenos si quiere quedarse con una familia la noche del viernes. Por favor, envie un cheque a favor de ESTHER a 140 South Green Bay Road, Neenah, WI 54956.

Building Bridges:

A Mural Project

Click Here for Flyer

If you could paint just one message to your community, what would it say?

We are inviting high school and college students to participate in a mural project that will work to build bridges between immigrant and non-immigrant youth. There will be two relationship building gatherings for students to get to know each other (lunch included). Students will meet to design the mural in September and will paint the mural design in September through October. Students can paint as their schedule allows. This will be a large traveling mural, all painting will be done indoors.

LOCATION: Emmanuel United Methodist Church, 740 East College Avenue, Appleton. Bridging Gatherings and painting will be done at this location. (See Mural Timeline)

FOR MORE INFORMATION: Contact Stephanie Gyldenvand, (920) 216-0891, esther.foxvalley@gmail.com. There is no cost to participate. Adult advisors will be present for all meetings and painting sessions.

Mural Timeline:

August 6th – 10:00-1:00, Bridging Gathering I

August 20th – 10:00-1:00, Bridging Gathering II

September & October – Plan design, and paint mural

November – Unveiling event and display of mural at community events

This mural project is sponsored by LUNA, a youth group that works to strengthen leadership skills, build positive relationships, and addresses issues that impact Latino youth. LUNA is a project of ESTHER, an interfaith nonprofit that works to impact issues of poverty and injustice in the greater Fox Valley area.