Month: June 2022

Name that Member! And, the BIG REVEAL

Cheri Simonet
Name that Member

About Name that Member!

We’re excited to tell you about a new feature of our social media and newsletter: Name that Member!

We debuted “Name that Member!” on our social channels with Ginny Amen’s 103rd birthday and we’d like to feature YOU too in an upcoming Monday Member Spotlight!

We know how long you’ve been a member of the church and when your birthday is, but what else do we know about you?

Where did you grow up? How many brothers and sisters do you have? What’s your favorite childhood memory? What was your first pet? Or have you not had one yet? What’s your favorite activity? What’s your favorite movie? Favorite song? What’s one thing that no one would ever guess about you?

Tell us your story! Let’s have some fun and get to know each other a little better.

Please email communications@firstpresgreenbay.org with your fun facts so we can feature you in an upcoming Monday Member Spotlight so fellow members can Name that Member!

July – Name that Member – BIG REVEAL!

Earlier this week we featured our July Name that Member through email and our social media and now it’s time for the BIG REVEAL! In case you missed it, here’s our member’s story:

• I grew up in Ames, Iowa until I was almost 7 and then we moved to Green Bay
• I have 1 brother and 2 sisters
• My favorite childhood memory is going to western Iowa to visit my mom’s parents and spend quality time with my cousins
• My first pet growing up was a medium sized dog named Magoo; after we got married, a parakeet named Toby. We ended up having 7 parakeets at one point.
• My favorite activity is spending time with family is first, especially grandkids. Crafting and gardening are a very close tie for second. Traveling in the Midwest is third.
• My favorite movie is Major League
• My favorite song is Sweet Caroline by Neil Diamond
• Something no one would guess about me is that I have a habit of ‘rescuing’ plants from garden centers toward the end of the summer when they end up on a clearance table and they look real sad. I end up with more than I can plant before it gets cold, so they winter in my garage so I can plant them the following spring.

Who am I?

Do you give up?

I’m Becky Christianson! Betcha didn’t know all that about Becky, did you?

Tell us your story! Email communications@firstpresgreenbay.org so you can be featured in an upcoming Name that Member profile!

A Call to Service

Cheri Simonet
Decons
Elders

“There are varieties of gifts, but it is the same Spirit who gives them. There are different ways of serving God, but it is the same Lord who is served…Together we are the body of Christ, and individually members of it.”

These words, taken from the service of ordination and installation in the PC(USA), are a reminder of our calling to service in the church. This is the time of year when our Deacons and Elders complete terms of service and begin new ones.

With many thanks to outgoing Deacons Connie Early and Jean Jacky and outgoing Elder Amy Wittman, we are pleased to welcome new Deacons Kevin Kabacinski and David Young and new Elder Bobbi Holl to service! Joining them are returning Deacon Sara Bostedt and returning Elders Joe Bruette and Lisa Olson. They have each served in various ministries prior to this term and bring a wealth of experience to their roles. The Session has set the date of Sunday July 10, 2022 for their ordination and installation in worship and they begin their service officially at the scheduled July meetings of the respective boards. Please take a minute to thank them all for their willingness to serve and keep them in your prayers as they lead us.

July 2022 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

HAPPY Birthday, Ginney Amen!

Ginney Amen was featured in our debut publication of Name that Member! on her birthday, June 9th, when she turned 103. Wowzah! In case you missed Name that Member, Ginney’s the oldest member of our church being a child of a member since 1931, then confirmed in 1933. In Name that Member we had some fun facts about Ginney being the master organizer of cabinets and closets, her maiden name begins with the letter P, and she went downhill skiing in her 90’s. Again, WOWZAH! We are so blessed to have Ginney in our family of faith!

#FirstPresGB Softball Team continues to hit it out of the Park

Since our June newsletter, our softball team has scored wins for their 3rd (10 to 4) and 4th (25 to 8!) week games but our 5th game we suffered our first defeat at 0-5 and our second defeat during our 6th game on June 26 with a score of 8-14. But we’re not letting that get us down. We plan to come back strong for our upcoming 7th game!

Since our game opener on May 15th our league standing is at 4-2.

We have a bye week for the 4th of July weekend but our final game before playoffs will take place on Sunday, July 10th at 5:30pm on Field 2. Please join us for a night of fun and fellowship! Playoff games to be announced – stay tuned.

Church Chix had a blast

Our Church Chix gathered for their June social on June 9th at the Village Grille in Allouez. We had 14 Chix in attendance. The restaurant was great, service was great and there was great food – but more importantly there was great laughter, fun and fellowship!

Join the Chix for their July social at 1951 West on July 21st at 6pm. Sign-up sheet is on the bulletin board or RSVP to office@firstpresgreenbay.org. Hope you can join the Chix!

Outdoor Worship & Potluck Picnic FUN!

We were blessed to have beautiful weather for our outdoor worship and potluck picnic on Sunday, June 26th.

The Noah’s Ark story was shared in a fun and silly way, with the congregation providing sound effects and a full rainstorm. A paper dove flew over our heads and rainbow streamers reminded us of God’s everlasting promise. Special thanks to the Deacons and Joel Morien for help to make it all happen; Jill Stenson’s solo of “Every time I Feel the Spirit” was a highlight.

After worship, hotdogs on the grill and side dishes were provided by all of you—and we gathered for a potluck picnic with GREAT food and fabulous fellowship. Many recipes were exchanged between members. Thank you to all who were able to join us!

A Message from the Generosity Team

Cheri Simonet

We’re excited to share with you the transformation of our Stewardship Committee to the Generosity Team.

Stewardship is more than just a three-week pledge period every fall, and generosity is more than filling the offering plate on Sunday mornings. Stewardship and generosity combined are a year-round consciousness of our mission as a church to Inspire All to Love and Serve with Christ. Our makeover to the Generosity Team is more than just a name change, we’re looking to bring a substantive shift in the work we do for the church.

Moving forward the Generosity Team will be responsible for coordinating the year-round stewardship ministry of our church. This includes not just the annual stewardship campaign, but all requests for financial gifts. Our primary role will be to develop and implement a plan to highlight and celebrate our congregation’s generous spirit and to share opportunities to invest in the life and mission of the work we are all called to do. A key component of this work will be celebrating the gifts being made and the people who are giving them. To show the impact of your generosity we will be gathering and sharing stories of mission and ministry impact throughout the year.

We look forward to sharing not just our plans with you, but the stories showing what we can achieve when we are able to build a year-round, spiritually based culture of generosity, and the lives we’re impacting.

Vacation Bible School 2022 Registration Deadline July 6

Cheri Simonet
Vacation Bible School

Our 2022 Vacation Bible school is just a week away. Our theme this year is Heroes and our lessons will include learning qualities that make heroes what they are and how we can be heroes to others in our own life. We’ll explore the Armor of God, make our own hero, and learn to trust our hero. Each evening we’ll walk through scripture, activities, crafts, songs, and games. Our goal is to cultivate children’s young faith and inspire the heroes in all of us.

This is an excellent opportunity for friends, neighbors, cousins, and grandchildren. Please spread the word to members and non-members alike, the more the merrier!

Bible School is led by members of our CE Committee and is open to children aged 4 through those who have completed fifth grade. Older children and youth are welcome to participate as volunteers. This year we have four fun-filled evenings planned from July 11 through 14. We ask that children are dropped off shortly before 5:30 so our light meal can begin at 5:30, and our evening ends with class concluding at 7:30.

Registration is online only this year. Register today! Registration deadline is Wednesday, July 6th.

To volunteer or for questions please contact our Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries, Joel Morien, at (920) 437-8121 or ce@firstpresgreenbay.org

We look forward to seeing the children at VBS in July!

Congratulations 2022 Graduates

Cheri Simonet
Graduation

We are so proud of our Class of 2022 high school graduates – Evan Hansen and Morgan Siewert! CONGRATULATIONS! As they take their next steps in life’s post-high school journey, we are there as a community to support them. They’ll be sadly missed in our youth group gatherings, but we look forward to seeing them grow in their faith as young adults. Evan and Morgan’s graduation story and plans for their future are as unique as they are special.

Evan Hansen
Evan Hansen

Evan graduated on June 12th from Bay Port High School. Evan’s immediate plans are pursuing a career with Seura Outdoor TV’s as a technical engineer while also planning to take few classes at NWTC. We wish you all the best in your new career, Evan!

Morgan graduated on June 5th from Green Bay Southwest High School. She plans to continue her education at St. Norbert College where she’ll double major in biomedical sciences and psychology. Megan has received the Presidential Scholarship awarded by St. Norbert College. She’ll miss participating in Student Council during high school years along with her favorite high school memory of homecoming football games, but she looks forward to creating new memories during her college years. Congratulations, Morgan!

Thank you to all who joined us on graduation Sunday, June 19th when we celebrated Evan and Morgan’s educational accomplishments during worship with a special reception that followed.

Morgan Siewert
Morgan Siewert

We also extend congratulations to our college graduates:
• Julia Doenges, daughter of Georjeanna and Vern Doenges, who graduated summa cum laude from the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay with a degree in Communications with emphases in Health Communication and Organizational Communication.
• Olivia Crooks, daughter of Lori and Hank Crooks, who graduated from Concordia University, Mequon with a BS degree in Communication Sciences & Disorders.
• Taylor Wittman, daughter of Amy and Scott Wittman, who graduated from Carroll College in Waukesha with a Bachelor’s degree in Public Health.
• Emma Smith, daughter of Ellen and Al Smith, who graduated from Mt. Mary University in Milwaukee with a Master of Science in Counseling.
• Kerri Gouldkristine, daughter of Sarah Gouldkristine, who graduated from UW Stout with a BA Degree in Advanced Logics.

Blessings to one and all as you move forward in your post-graduate journey!

Church Chix July Social Around the Corner

Cheri Simonet
Church Chix

The Church Chix had an amazing gathering for their June social with 14 Chix in attendance. The Chix are so excited to be back after their Covid hiatus and the July social is already planned for July 21st. Mark your calendar!

Continue to spread the word to women of ALL ages, members, and non-members alike that they’re welcome to become one of the Chix on the roost. The more the merrier – it’s going to be one heck of a party that you and your friends don’t want to miss!

To attend, you can email an RSVP to office@firstpresgreenbay.org or there’s a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board.

Our dinner reservation is for 6:00pm at 1951 West (the old Rock Garden) on Bond Street. Some Chix like to meet up for a cocktail the hour before dinner so that’s an option and before our evening wraps up, we’ll decide where next month’s dinner will be, trying our best to alternate the east side of town with the west side of town. There’s no monthly commitment required – join us when your schedule allows.

For more information, please contact Linda Michael at lindan9woa@gmail.com or by calling 920-347-0261.

So, if you haven’t already RSVP’d, do it today and join the Church Chix July social for a great night of laughter that’s sure to be memorable!

Synod School 2022 – Scholarships Available

Cheri Simonet

July 24-29 at Buena Vista University – Storm Lake, Iowa

Synod School 2022

Synod School is a learning and personal enrichment experience for people of all ages that seeks to create an environment of hospitality, healing, and hope. The week is designed for families with classes and activities for adults, youth, and children.

Scholarships are available through the church to help offset the cost. Transportation is provided there and back on a charter bus at no charge.

Join us…
— To participate in a unique experience of Christian community as we worship, study, play, and live together;
— To grow in faith through action, relationships, and a centering of the spirit;
— For continuing education, for a special family experience, or for individual growth;
— To take it all in, then return home to share and serve.

The 2022 Synod School theme is: Experiencing Belonging
“…so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and
individually, we are members one of another.” Romans 12:5

What does it mean to be a part of the body of Christ and to belong to one another? In the spirit of Christ’s community, we will walk through biblical experiences of belonging. Exploring the communities, we find member­ship within, we will discover how we can belong to one another and to Christ more fully.

For scholarships contact Pastor Katie at kestes@firstpresgreenbay.org or call the office at (920) 437-8121.

To view the 2022 Synod School Catalog, click here. Haven’t registered for Synod School yet? Visit here to complete your registration and reserve your spot on the bus here! Be sure to check out the travel schedule before submitting your bus registration.

We hope you can join us at Synod School 2022!