Category: Adults

April 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

2—4—2 @ the U

Thank you to all who helped make 2-4-2 @ the U happen! We served 22 kids plus workers and all were happy. The menu was homemade chili (vegetarian too!) with all the fixings along with wonderful desserts. The kids were appreciative about everything. Thank you again for your support!

Dear Souper Bowl Makers and Tasters

The Outreach Committee would like to extend a thank you to all for the Souper Bowl Sunday! The Pantry appreciates your gift and thanks to your contributions raised we’re giving each Pantry family a ham for Easter. Blessings to all who helped us succeed in giving our folks a beautiful Easter dinner!

Composing a Legacy Luncheon Workshop

Cheri Simonet
Gestures of Generosity

We have been blessed with many special gifts and estates over the years of our history in this church, and our endowment provides a great support to who we are and what we can do together in the kingdom.

But what does our call to discipleship say about how we follow Jesus now in our lifetimes and later, after we die?

The Generosity Team is pleased to offer a special luncheon conversation and workshop called “Composing A Legacy” on Sunday, May 7th with Rev. Kyle Nolan, area representative with the Presbyterian Foundation.

This workshop is appropriate for all adults, whether you are thinking about your legacy yet or not! Kyle will provide resources and ideas for how our gifts can impact the ministry of our congregation today and in years to come. Sign up on the bulletin board or call the church office to make your reservation.

Gestures of Generosity, April 2023

Cheri Simonet
Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

Sometimes the needs are not as focused on monetary donations but on caring people power. A member of our congregation was recently informed that she had to leave her apartment after 29 years of living there, and we all know that moving is a very stressful situation.

Through our Deacons, the word went out that this person needed our help. We were able to set up teams of two and three people at a time to go in and help with sorting, packing and the actual move.

Our deep gratitude goes to Judy Knutzen-Nerad, Judy Exl, Jacki Jensen, Lisa & Dave Solper, Nancy & Dennis Siewert, Becky Christianson, Lyn Early, Linda Christensen, and Pat McCormick for answering this call. Your gestures of generosity are much appreciated!

If you have a Gestures of Generosity story to share, please contact Cheri at communications@firstpresgreenbay.org and tell us your story.

March 20, 2023 – Name that Member BIG REVEAL!

Cheri Simonet
Name that Member

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

  • I was born and raised in Green Bay.
  • Some of my favorite childhood memories come from time spent up north with my cousins.
  • I am the youngest of two siblings.
  • I am currently married with three kids and two grandkids.
  • My favorite thing to do is spend time with my family watching my kids participate in their activities, relaxing up north, and traveling.
  • I love the sense of community in our church. It is such a welcoming environment. Coming to church feels like being at home.
  • I have been a member of our church my entire life. I was baptized, confirmed, and married in our church.
  • Some of my best vacation memories revolve around a cruise taken with extended family in 2018. Lots of laughs were had!
  • I am very passionate about anything that is important to me. When I am doing something, I love to give it my all.
  • I had a role in the movie Ed Gein: The Musical. I played a patient in the crazy house (some days, that seems appropriate!). It was a locally filmed, independent movie, and I had the greatest time during shooting!
  • In my spare time, I love baking, but oddly enough, I don’t eat much of what I bake. My family and coworkers are usually the benefactors!
  • I love dance, and I have been a dance teacher for the past 26 years.
  • I am currently working towards my black belt in karate after years of being badgered by one of my kids to start. I loved doing karate so much, I also became an instructor.

Who am I?

Do you give up?

I’m Jill Stenson!

Were you stumped? Or, did you learn something new about Jill?

Tell us your story! Complete our Name that Member Form or email csimonet@firstpresgreenbay.org so you can be featured in an upcoming Monday Member Spotlight of Name that Member!

We’re officially COOL! We text now!

Cheri Simonet
Text Messaging

Surprise, we can text now! We’re officially COOL!

If you’re a church member and we have your mobile number in our Online Directory,

You’re signed up to receive text messages!

Here’s how it works:

  • When our first message is sent to Members, you’ll also receive a welcome message to let you know that you’ve been opted-in to receive text messages from us.
  • If you’d rather not receive future messages, simply reply STOP and you’ll be opted-out.
  • You can opt-out of our text messages at any time.

And,

  • You have our commitment that we WILL respect your text message box.
  • Members will ONLY receive relevant, church related, time-sensitive communication from us.

You’ll only receive text messages if your mobile number is in our Online Church Directory. If we don’t have your mobile number but you’d like to receive text message reminders and alerts, please forward your mobile number to office@firstpresgreenbay.org and we’ll have it added to our text list. Not sure if it’s in there? Check the Online Church Directory. If it’s not there you can add it in yourself or simply email us and we’ll take care of it for you!

If you’d like to receive text messages but would rather not have your mobile number in the Directory, no problem! You can still receive our text messages even if you’d rather not publish your mobile number for other members to see. Just let us know that you’d like your mobile number private but that you’d still like to receive text messages and we’ll set you up.

More details about our text program:

What you need to know:

  • The maximum text messages you’ll receive from us each month is 3-4 (if any)
  • All messages will be church related, relevant and time sensitive in nature
  • If there’s nothing to communicate during any given month, then you won’t hear from us
  • Once we opt you in, you can opt out at anytime

What we WON’T DO:

  • We WON’T send reminders about when worship is (we assume you know that!)
  • We WON’T remind you of communion days (we assume you know that, too!)
  • We WON’T send reminders about when Pantry days occur
  • We WON’T text you outside of 8am to 9pm
  • We WON’T clutter your message inbox with irrelevant messages
  • We WON’T disrespect your message inbox

What we WILL DO:

  • Above all we give you our promise that we WILL respect your message inbox!
  • We WILL only send relevant, church related, time sensitive messages such as weather alerts that might cause cancellations or reminders of important events about to happen

Coming Soon – Did you know? Tuesday Trivia!

Cheri Simonet
Did you know? Tuesday Trivia

Our Name that Member! feature gave us the opportunity to learn just how well we really know each other. But how well do we know our church?

Well, we’re delighted to tell you that you’ll soon have the chance to learn just how well you know the church. Coming soon in April is our newest feature Did You Know? Tuesday Trivia!

Each month we’ll share with you our church fun facts that we’ve learned from various sources like past minutes, annual reports, the Board of Trustees, and more! Much like Name that Member! you’ll receive your Tuesday Trivia in your inbox with a multiple choice or true/false answers for you to choose from. The correct answer will be revealed through a link to our website Tuesday Trivia portal, which can be found in our Happening Now section.

But wait – there’s more! We want you to do more than play Did you know?, we’d also like you to contribute! If you have some church fun facts to share, please send those to Cheri at communications@firstpresgreenbay.org and we’ll have your contribution added to an upcoming Did you know? Tuesday Trivia!

Our Church Directory – Picture Time!

Cheri Simonet
Instant Church Directory

We hope everyone’s had a chance to download the Instant Church Directory app on your phone or signed up on your desktop to view the directory on your computer! If not, please let us know when we can be of assistance to help you.

If you’re already set up, now we’d like you to take a few minutes and swap out the placeholder image that’s in your profile for an actual picture of yourself or your family.

  • On the app, select the Menu in the upper left hand corner
  • Select Edit My Family
  • Choose an image from your phone
Instant Church Directory

And, that’s it!

If the image isn’t perfectly centered don’t worry, once your changes are submitted we’ll go into the directory and make sure the image is centered perfectly. And, if you’d rather we take care of inserting the image for you, simply email it to communications@firstpresgreenbay.org and we’ll get it taken care of.

For step by step instructions on how to change the picture from the website visit https://help.instantchurchdirectory.com/article/638-navigating-the-online-member-directory

And just a reminder, if you’re not set up with the mobile app yet you can download the app to your Apple device at https://bit.ly/3ZsoR2w.

To download the app to your Android device visit https://bit.ly/3Gwr2JN.

And, from your computer visit https://members.instantchurchdirectory.com/.

We hope to see your picture in the directory soon!

Instant Church Directory

Gestures of Generosity, March 2023

Cheri Simonet
Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

A devastating earthquake hit Syria and Turkey last month, causing irreparable damage and the loss of more than 35,000 lives so far.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance was very quickly on the ground with teams to help with rescue, recovery and rebuilding. We included an insert in the bulletin with information on how we could give directly to the cause, and a wonderful gesture of generosity demonstrated how to extend one person’s gifts to much more.

Sue Russell took home that bulletin insert and spent a few days walking door to door in her neighborhood, explaining the effort and soliciting contributions. After just a few hours’ work, she was able to send in a check to PDA for $650. Way to go, Sue!

Thanks for your generous heart!

If you have a Gestures of Generosity story to share, please contact Cheri at communications@firstpresgreenbay.org and tell us your story.

March 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Souper Bowl of Caring Tackles Hunger!

Our Souper Bowl of Caring was a great time of food and fellowship! Using muffin tins (genius!) everyone had the opportunity to sample 8 amazing soups. The judging was tough because all were delicious! We had nearly 40 votes and the grand prize winner was chef Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges with her Christmas Corn Chowder. Georjeanna was awarded the golden ladle during worship on February 26th.

We raised $285 for the Presbyterian Pantry but thanks to a generous, anonymous donor, that amount was matched and the grand total raised was $570—wow! Thanks to everyone who attended and voted, and thanks to our amazing chefs—Brooke Bruette, Russ Christensen, Al Smith, Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges, Brenda and George Hubbard, Ross and Lyn Early, Joel and Brittany Morien and Pastor Katie.

Thanks also to our CE Committee who made the event possible and to Mary Belanger who helped configure our crockpot outlets so we didn’t blow a circuit!

Cozy Kids are cozy thanks to you!

THANK YOU to everyone who made our Cozy Kids January Campaign such a success! The kids were so grateful for all the generous contributions! Our community of faith is truly blessed to have so many members who give back to our local community, especially to our friends and families in need at Tank School.

February 20, 2023 – Name that Member BIG REVEAL!

Cheri Simonet
Name that Member

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

  • About my childhood – we always had a piano, which my parents were very proficient at (wish I could say the same about me). I tuned into music and Christianity at an early age.
  • I grew up watching Billy Graham Crusades.
  • We went to church every Sunday followed by my Mom making chicken dinner. In the afternoons we visited relatives at their house, or ours, or those at the cemetery.
  • As a family we would visit other churches often. Yes, FPC was on the visit list.
  • I was supposed to be a middle child…I have one brother.
  • I have one wife (one and only), 3 children and 4 grandchildren.
  • I have too many blessings to have just one favorite thing in the world, however I’ve been going to a place of refuge for about 48 years which is an excellent place for mental and physical therapy.
  • What I like most about being a member of our church is that it’s Bible based (more than some churches). Prayer, Praise and Worship are in a ‘reverent’ manner.
  • I’ve been a member of our church for close to 30 years (though not continuous…been around the block a few times).
  • My parent’s wedding was held at FPC. So was mine (one and only).
  • Even while being members of another church ‘we’ would regularly spend the closest Sunday of our wedding anniversary ‘here’.
  • My favorite place to visit is my place of refuge (located on a road less traveled).
  • Couldn’t tell you my ‘best’ vacation spot, because the ones I’ve visited have something special about each one.
  • What I’m most passionate about is keeping this little light of mine lit, in an ever increasing windy world (and passing that light on to our kids, grandkids, and whomever else might be interested).
  • I’ve attended 4 colleges and went to all the colleges I wanted to attend.
  • I have 3 degrees and graduated from one college twice.
  • I’ve always graduated college debt free.
  • I came very close to enrolling at Wartburg Seminary, Dubuque Iowa. (Did my ministry in another way/career.)
  • My family has a very ecumenical history (although in a very conservative way).
  • I bought my first car when I was 14 years old for $75 (and still have it!)
  • Also, still use my first toaster, a ‘flip flop’ one.
  • I’ve already had a ride in a hearse, but not in the back. Great ride!
  • I’ve never gambled but if I were to buy a lottery ticket the numbers would be: 1, 13, 15, 40, 53 & 12.
  • I’m not comfortable being in the spotlight. I like recognition as much as anyone but I don’t seek or glory in it.
  • I’ve participated in 3 polar bear plunges and, yes, for it to be an official plunge, you have to go under.

Who am I?

Do you give up?

I’m Russ Christensen!

I bet you didn’t know I was such an academic or that I use a fire hazard antique toaster!

Tell us your story! Complete our Name that Member Form or email csimonet@firstpresgreenbay.org so you can be featured in an upcoming Monday Member Spotlight of Name that Member!