Category: Events

Annual Meeting of the Congregation 2025

Cheri Simonet
Congregational Meeting

Sunday, February 9th is an important day in the life of our congregation as we hold our Annual Congregational Meeting to review 2024 and look forward to plans and dreams for 2025.

The annual report, available in print and digitally by February 2nd, will include reports of committees, statistics, and financials including the approved budget for 2025.

As a congregation we will vote on changes in the terms of call for our Pastor. The meeting will take place immediately following the 10:00am worship service in the Sanctuary, and all members are encouraged to attend.

Please note that while our worship service will be livestreamed as usual, we apologize that we cannot livestream the Annual Meeting due to the confidentiality of certain portions of the meeting. If you cannot be with us in person, feel free to contact any member of the Session with any questions or concerns you may have.

Super Bowl of Caring 2025

Cheri Simonet
Souper Bowl of Caring

February 9, 2025

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches that means it’s time for our annual Souper Bowl of Caring!

It’s an annual event where communities come together, inspired by the Super Bowl, to tackle hunger locally. For over three decades, the Souper Bowl of Caring has empowered individuals, organizations, and schools to raise food and funds for food banks and community-based charities.

As millions of people tune in to watch the Super Bowl, we’re also tuning in to the needs of our neighbors. The Souper Bowl of Caring is about taking action to fight hunger at the local level, ensuring that no one has to go without the food they need.

Our #FirstPresGB Souper Bowl of Caring is led by the Christian Education Committee along with Youth Group and is held annually on Super Bowl Sunday. The event is meant to bring an awareness to hunger and to curb hunger through soup. The cost will be $5 per person and there will be 8 different soup stations for people to experience. Each soup sampler will have a chance to vote and judge our Souper Bowl winner.

We invite each person to bring a muffin tin to hold the soup samples. (One muffin tin per person.) Disposable cups will be available to place in your muffin tin to avoid the mess. You will be asked to try all the soups but you can only vote for one. The Souper Bowl awardee will receive the cherished Golden Ladle that’s passed on year after year to the awarded winner. The current Golden Ladle holder from our 2024 Souper Bowl of Caring was chef Cassandra Aceituno with her stuffed pepper soup.

There’s no need to sign up—ALL are welcome—we hope to see you there!

An Evening in the Highlands 2025

Cheri Simonet
An Evening in the Highlands

Mark your calendar for February 28th at 6pm and make your reservations for our 4th annual “Evening in the Highlands” gathering! It’s returning to the Green Bay Distillery located at 835 Mike McCarthy Way. Join us for a very special evening celebrating the music, poetry, and dance of Scotland and Ireland in a one-of-a-kind event.

Entertainment will include the Irish Heritage Dancers, a Piper, trivia, games, haggis, raffles, and much more! Dinner will be served at 6:30pm and includes family-style broasted chicken and baked cod with stuffing/dressing, potatoes (baby red, garlic, and mashed), California style vegetable, coleslaw, rolls, coffee and tea.

Dress is business casual with a Scottish theme.

Tickets for the dinner and program are $50 per person. Register Now!

Before the dinner beginning at 5pm, Bruce Deadman and friends will be holding forth with “Mixology 101, or What Is An Old Fashioned Presbyterian And Why Do They Call It That?” This will include a discussion of mixology basics as well as teaching participants how to make (and consume) a perfect Old Fashioned Pres and 2 other super cocktails. Tickets for this are $25 per adult. Purchase Tickets Now!

You can also find the reservation links on First United Presbyterian Church of De Pere’s website under Give Now.

You’ll enjoy an incredible evening and help raise funds to support the Ecumenical Partnership for Housing. Reservations are due by February 20th, so get your tickets today.

Don’t miss this very special evening!

February 2025 Fourth Sunday Forum

Cheri Simonet
Fourth Sunday Forum

Please join us for our February Fourth Sunday Forum which takes place at 9am before worship on Sunday, February 23rd.

Our speaker for the month will be Jamie DeLorey who’ll present Essential Oils of the Bible.

Essential oils, as we know them today, were described in the Bible many times. From Myrrh and frankincense as gifts for Jesus when he was a baby, to the oil that was rubbed on his feet as an adult. The Bible mentions various fragrant substances and oils that were used for anointing, healing, and other religious rituals.

Come explore other essential oils in the bible with us and dive deeper into what essential oils were used and some that are still available today!

Scout Sunday 2025

Cheri Simonet
Scouts of America Logo

February 16th

Calling all scouts: young, old, and in-between!

A Sunday in February is usually set aside to lift up and celebrate scouting in our midst. We have invited the scout troop who meet in our facility to join us for worship and we will recognize them and offer a blessing. We also hope to include others in our congregation who are currently involved or have been involved in the past in the Scouts program.

If you were or are a Scout, please wear your shirt or other garb and help us in this celebration.

We hope to see you then!

Epiphany Sunday 2025

Cheri Simonet
Epiphany

Sunday, January 5th

There are twelve days of Christmas (and not just in the song with all the gifts from your true love!) and then the church calendar turns to Epiphany. This is the traditional day celebrating the arrival of the Magi to visit baby Jesus, but Biblical scholars tell us it was probably not just twelve days after his birth but maybe even a few years! We celebrate it as a whole season of the church year, all the way up until Lent begins with Ash Wednesday on March 5th this year.

The word “Epiphany” means revelation, showing forth. When we say we have an epiphany it means we suddenly recognize or understand something important. So during the season of Epiphany at church we celebrate the recognition and revelation of Jesus Christ and the light he brings to the world. 

For the last several years we have celebrated the season of Epiphany with a “star word”. A star word is a random word that becomes your prayer guide, your focus, your way to watch for God in the world. God can use anything to speak to us. There is nothing magic about a star word. But a star word begins as a mystery—you do not get to choose it. And so, it invites investigation, attentiveness, waiting. A star word orients you to watch for God in a particular way, to be receptive to the Spirit who is moving right now in the world around you.

On Sunday, January 5th our 10am worship celebration of Epiphany will include the distribution of “star words” for everyone present. Come and see what word might guide you in 2025!

2025 Cozy Kids Campaign

Cheri Simonet
Cozy Kids 2025

January 1st—31st

The Cozy Kids Campaign this year will benefit 265 children from nearby Lincoln Elementary School. Our community at First Presbyterian aims to keep those kids cozy with a collection of items needed this year of:

  • Stretchy pants size 5-7 and 6-8
  • Sweatpants size 5-7, 6-8 and 10-12
  • Gloves for boys (bigger is better)
  • Waterproof Gloves
  • Zip-up Sweatshirts size S/M/L
  • Chapstick
  • Wide-Lined Notebooks

Anything that will help the kids get through the winter would be greatly appreciated. All donations can be gently used – we’ll find a home for them.

Place the items – by January 31st – on the table at the back of the sanctuary.

Please help keep Lincoln Elementary School kids COZY this winter.

The Outreach Committee thanks you for your support!

Save-the-Date: Souper Bowl of Caring 2025

Cheri Simonet
Souper Bowl of Caring

February 9, 2025

As Super Bowl Sunday approaches that means it’s time for our 3rd annual Souper Bowl of Caring!

The Souper Bowl of Caring is the signature event for Tackle Hunger. This program boasts millions of dollars raised for food charities and thousands of mobilized groups across the country. We sponsor the Souper Bowl of Caring each year as it demonstrates the power of community mobilization and the importance of local action to Tackle Hunger.

Our #FirstPresGB Souper Bowl of Caring is led by the Christian Education Committee along with Youth Group and is held annually on Super Bowl Sunday. The event is meant to bring an awareness to hunger and to curb hunger through soup.

The cost will be $5/person and there will be 8 different soup stations for people to experience. Each soup sampler will have a chance to vote and judge our Souper Bowl winner. The awardee will receive the cherished Golden Ladle that’s passed on year over year to the awarded winner. The current Golden Ladle holder from our 2024 Souper Bowl of Caring is chef Cassandra Aceituno with her stuffed pepper soup.

More details will follow in February’s newsletter but in the meantime, we’re looking for 8 soup chefs to help us pull this off! All you need to do is craft a crock pot full of your favorite soup.

If you’re able to be one of our 8 soup chefs, please contact Director of Children, Youth and Families, Joel Morien, at ce@firstpresgreenbay.org or there’s a sign up sheet on the bulletin board.

January 2025 Fourth Sunday Forum

Cheri Simonet
Fourth Sunday Forum

Sunday, January 26th

Please join us for our January Fourth Sunday Forum which takes place at 9am before worship on Sunday, January 26th.

Our speaker for the month will be Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges who’ll present Finding Awe in Everyday Moments: Boosting mental health and happiness.

In this forum, Georjeanna will explore the profound impact of experiencing awe in our daily lives.  By paying attention to the beauty around us – whether it’s a blooming flower, a child’s laughter or a stunning sunset – we can create small moments of awe that significantly boost our mental health and cognitive functions.  Join us as Georjeanna delves into practical ways to cultivate these moments, fostering a more joyful and mentally enriching environment for everyone.  Let’s discover how the simple act of noticing can transform our well-being and bring a sense of wonder to our everyday lives.

2024 Advent Workshop

Cheri Simonet
Advent Workshop

Sunday, December 1st

“Advent” means coming or arrival. Rather than just waiting for Christmas to get here, we use the season of Advent to prepare for Christ’s coming. Advent begins this year on Sunday, December 1st and we will kick off the season with our annual Advent workshop following worship.

Open to all ages, this event will feature crafts, activities, and Kevin’s famous chili lunch. Brenda has designed some great crafts once again, including reindeer ornaments and Loni has an aroma therapy potpourri project for us to create. And of course, as always, we’ll have Loni’s cut-out cookies to decorate (and eat!).

New this year is a reverse Advent calendar. With this project we’ll provide you with a list of items and a box. For each day of Advent you’ll place an item from the list in the box and by Christmas you’ll have a full box of items that include dried and canned goods, hygiene items and cleaning supplies that you can then donate to a local pantry, homeless shelter or other organization that helps members of the community that are in need and less fortunate than ourselves. We believe that it’ll prove to be a very enriching experience for everyone.

Please join us for this all-church celebration.