September 2024 Fourth Sunday Forum

Fourth Sunday Forum

With our new program year, our 4th Sunday Forum will resume on Sunday, September 22nd before the 10am worship service at 9am in the Fellowship Room.

Our speaker for the month of September will be, Outreach Committee Member and Board Member of the Presbyterian Pantry, Stephanie Fahringer. Stephanie will share with us stories about how the Pantry affects the lives of Pantry guests along with the Pantry’s history and the number of families that they impact in the community.

The Presbyterian Pantry has been assisting families for over 40 years. The Pantry began in the early 1980’s to provide basic food for Asian refugees when they settled into the area around the church. Over the years, the Pantry has grown to include all racial demographics, age groups and economic factors. As the needs of the Pantry grew, other Presbyterian Churches in the area were asked to join this effort. Today the Pantry is supported by First Presbyterian Church of Green Bay, First United Presbyterian Church of DePere and Wequiock Presbyterian Church. The Pantry is a 501(c)3 Charitable Organization. Please join us to learn more about the Pantry’s rich history and the needs that they serve in our local community.

Fall 2024 Women’s Retreat

Women's Retreat

A Recipe for Connection

Would you be interested in a women’s retreat this fall? This was requested (maybe by you?) on a survey done a year ago and we’re finally going to try it. We plan to hold the event at Imago Dei Village retreat center in Clintonville, less than an hour’s drive from here. We will begin with dinner on Friday night October 25th and conclude after lunch on Saturday, October 26th. Accommodations are in a lodge with bedrooms for 2 or 3 women and private bathrooms with showers. Cost would be less than $75 for each participant, and scholarships are available. There is a full kitchen, so we would share cooking duties and provide 3 meals: dinner, breakfast, and lunch.

Our proposed theme for the retreat is A Recipe For Connection. We hope to spend the time together thinking about food, family, traditions, and the connections we create as women together. We will view the 2009 movie Julie & Julia, which is a wonderful biographical comedy drama written and directed by Nora Ephron starring Meryl Streep and Amy Adams in the title roles. The film contrasts the life of chef Julia Child in the early years of her culinary career with the life of young New Yorker Julie Powell, who aspires to cook all 524 recipes in Child’s cookbook in 365 days, a challenge she described on her popular blog, which made her a published author.

We certainly can’t promise to “master the art of French cooking,” (the title of Julia Childs’ cookbooks) but we might attempt a few fun recipes from it together! We need a minimum of ten participants to hold this retreat. Please let Pastor Katie know if you are interested or sign up on the bulletin board at the church. 

Church Chix Gather September 5, 2024

Church Chix

Please join us, women of all ages, for our September Church Chix Social on Thursday, September 5th!

Our dinner reservation is for 6:00pm and we’ll dine on the East side of town at Mackinaws Grill & Spirits located at 2925 Voyager Drive.

Some Chix like to meet up for a cocktail the hour before dinner so that’s always 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. No monthly commitment required.

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

For more information, please contact the office at (920) 437-8121.

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

2024 Choir Camp

Music notes

Calling All Singers!

If you’re interested in becoming part of the music ministry of First Presbyterian, mark your calendars for Choir Camp that will take place on Saturday, September 7th beginning at 10am till 2pm. Lunch will be provided.

This will be a time to preview music for the upcoming year and to socialize a bit, welcoming back current choir members and welcoming new singers interested in joining our music ministry.

Our regular rehearsals will take place on Sundays at 9am prior to the Worship Service and we’ll be providing special music for the first time the day after camp on Sunday, September 8th.

If you’re interested in attending, there’s a sign up sheet on the bulletin board. Please RSVP so we can plan accordingly for lunch and if you have any questions please contact Michael at MRFR920@aol.com.

Hope to see you at camp!

2024 Ordination and Installation

Deacons
Elders

Sunday, July 14th

“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 Deacon Linda Christensen and outgoing Elders Jane Bies and Jon Tessier, we are pleased to welcome new Deacon Mike Melton, as well as new Elders Kirke Ryder and Deb Shober to service! 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 14, 2024 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.

June Senior Moments Event

New Zoo Adventure Park logo

Our senior adult fellowship group, Senior Moments, is going to the NEW Zoo on Monday, June 24th—all are welcome to join us! We will gather at 11:30am at the zoo entrance at 4378 Reforestation Road in Suamico.

Please bring a lunch for yourself and plan to pay for your own zoo admission. Senior tickets are $9.00 each. For more information, contact Nancy Siewert at 920-609-2051.

In need of a meal or a ride?

Deacon Carpool

If you are temporarily in need of a meal or a ride to church, the Deacons have a network in place to help you get through your difficult time.

Please let us know if you are recovering from an illness or surgery and are in need of a few meals to help you get by until you are recovered. You can call the church office at 920-437-8121 and we can get that arranged for you.

If you are in need of a ride to church the Deacons also have a network in place for you to be picked up and brought to church. Again, you can just call the church office and arrangements can be made.

As Deacons of First Presbyterian Church our primary goal is taking care of our members when difficult situations arise. If you are in need of a helpful meal or a ride to church please call the church office at 920-437-8121 or the Deacon Moderator, Linda Michael at 920-347-0261.

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

The PC(USA) Store has resources for children and adults.

For information on mental illness contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10am – 10pm, ET.

Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “HelpLine” to 62640 or email at helpline@nami.org.

In an emergency dial 911. Ask the operator for police officers trained in crisis intervention or trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency.

988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline – 24/7 free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Dial or text 988.

Crisis Text Line  – Text HOME to 741-741
Connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.

Letter Carriers Food Drive 2024

Letter Carriers Food Drive

The Letter Carriers food drive is on Saturday – May 11, 2024. We need to supply two individuals to help out at the Cofrin post office that day (this is very important, as if we don’t provide people, we will not be able to participate in the food drive next year).

Volunteers are needed at 9:00am and will be given a route to pick up food on. Stephanie Fahringer and Al Smith will be loading the bags into totes but we could really use donations of paper shopping bags, preferably with handles.

We are also in need of four people to help at church at 3:00pm that day by unloading, sorting, and putting away the food that our Presbyterian Pantry receives.

Please contact Gene Stenson at 920-241-4370 if you are able to help. Thank you for your support!

Batter Up!

FirstPresGB Baseball

It’s that time of year when we prepare for our return to the field with our #FirstPresGB co-ed softball team. The season gets underway in May and ends with playoffs at the season end in late summer. The schedule will be released soon so stay tuned for that, but we’ll be playing at the same field we’ve been at for the last seven years, Cornerstone in DePere. Our time of play will vary with each game on Sundays at 4:15, 5:45 or 6:30pm.

Men, women and youth age 14 and older are welcome to join the team! Practices are primarily getting together before game time and when it comes to the playing schedule matching up with your schedule, you play ball when you’re able to play ball. No commitment required.

If you’re not up for joining the team, volunteer field and plate umpires are always needed. No experience required. You just need to say – “you’re out”, “you’re safe”, “ball” or “strike”. It’s that easy!

So, mark your calendars for Sundays this summer to play, cheerlead or umpire our softball games. It’s a night of fun, fellowship and a little bit of exercise that you don’t want to miss out on!

For more information or to sign up to batter up or umpire contact George Hubbard by calling or texting (920) 680-1421 or email georgeahubbard@yahoo.com. See you at the ballpark!