“I’m In!”

I'm In! Generosity 2024 Campaign

We say “I’m in!” when we have a commitment to something, when we are enthusiastic about it, when we approve of it. We say “I’m in!” when we want to be included in something, or when we feel like we are already part of it. Continuing our emphasis on the amazing generosity of our church, we want to encourage members to say “I’m in!” for the ministry and mission of this congregation with their financial commitments as well as their contributions of time and talent for the calendar year 2024.

Each week of the month, our service of worship will focus on being “in” in a different way. On October 1, World Communion Sunday, we will consider how we are invited to the Lord’s table, invited to make a commitment to our church, and invited to participate in the mission here. Other weeks will have us addressing how we are included and how we include others, how we are involved in various ways, in what ways we are inspired in this place and in our lives, how we invest in the church, what captures our hearts and makes us say that we are “in”.

Watch for a mailing toward the middle of the month that will include a “best guess” representation of where our church will spend our money in 2024, as well as a pledge card for you to use in making your own commitment. Generosity Sunday is set for October 22, when we will all say “I’m in!” and join together for a celebratory meal.

Thanks for your generosity, your involvement, your commitment to our future together in God’s good world. It is good to be “In” this together.

Generosity Sunday – Grazie, Grazie, Molte Grazie!

Commitment Sunday Spaghetti Dinner

Spaghetti Dinner October 22nd

Imagine red-and-white checked tablecloths, wine bottle centerpieces with dripping candles, and waiters in berets and mustaches…what?

Sunday, October 22nd is Generosity Sunday, the conclusion of our “I’m In!” pledge campaign toward the 2024 budget for our congregation.

The Generosity Team wants to say “grazie” to all who have contributed to make it happen, from video participants to pledgers to volunteers throughout our church, so we’re hosting an Italian dinner to thank you all.

Following our service of worship, everyone is invited to Banner Hall for a spaghetti dinner featuring marinara and Bolognese sauce, garlic bread, and salad. Dessert is a special Italian surprise!

Please sign up on the bulletin board so we know how much food to prepare!

Gestures of Generosity, September 2023

Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

We have struggled for years over the challenge of cooling the Fellowship Room during the hottest summer months, and in an amazing gesture of generosity an anonymous donor has done the research, arranged for the electrical work, and installed a room air conditioner in the window for us! If you haven’t been in the Fellowship Room much in the last month, be sure to stop by and see for yourself just how cool and comfortable it can now be. Deep gratitude to the donor for caring for our physical as well as spiritual health.

St. John Shelter Donations

Also, in early August we were blessed to have so many members who answered the call for blankets and backpacks for donation to St. John’s Shelter.

It didn’t take long after asking before people opened their hearts and generously donated to this great cause! Stephanie Fahringer’s car was overloaded with all the donations that were received.

A special thanks to Elliot Stensen who spent that morning helping out at the Pantry and the afternoon helping load up the blankets and backpacks that were given. Susan at St. John’s helped unload the car and it was just amazing how guests lined up immediately and asked for a blanket. Within just a few minutes all the blankets were passed out.

A BIG THANK YOU to all who contributed, especially Lisa and Dave Solper’s friends who donated MANY! God has blessed us so we could in turn bless many folks truly in need.

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

Gestures of Generosity, August 2023

Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

How does the Presbyterian Pantry get all the food we give away?

Some of it is given directly by church members, some is purchased through various discount programs available to food shelves around the city, and some just seems to fall into our laps (or into Stephanie Fahringer’s car!).

In the last two weeks we’ve received two cars full of food from Treehouse Foods, and we are so grateful for their generosity. This recent gift included orange immunity drink mix, energy bars, instant oatmeal, pasta, honey mustard sauce, ranch dressing, pickles, graham crackers and cookies. This came about because Stephanie swims at the YMCA with the head of Treehouse Foods, and her granddaughter’s husband also works there. Good connections makes for great generosity!

The Pantry also recently received a large quantity of yogurt and cheese from Schreiber Foods…we weren’t sure if we could take the generous offer, as our refrigerator has been struggling to remain chilled, but Gene Stenson was able to fix it and we’re now stocked with lots of yogurt and cheese for our families.

Thank you to Gene, to Schreiber Foods, and to Treehouse Foods for all this generosity!

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

Gestures of Generosity, July 2023

Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

We are blessed with so much generosity in our family of faith that it is hard to recognize it all!

In the past month the church has received special gifts from members to help pay for the new softball jerseys our team wears, a very generous contribution to help cover the cost of the new server for the computer system in the office, and several very helpful gifts to the Emergency Assistance fund that allows us to purchase gas cards and provide rent assistance to those in need.

The Outreach Committee reports that our response to the Pentecost offering, one of the four annual special offerings we receive for the PC(USA), was the largest in recent years by a huge margin!

This offering is divided, with 60% going to denominational programs that support children and youth especially, and 40% remaining in our local community to be given to a program or agency that also supports young people in our midst. The committee decided to divide this portion of the offering between a new YMCA program for children on the autism spectrum and sponsorship of Fly A Kite Fest 2023 with Family and Childcare Resources of N.E.W. That event was held on Saturday, June 24 and celebrated its tenth year. Our church name was included in advertising and flew on a flag at the event grounds. Your generosity to the Pentecost offering allowed us to be generous with both these excellent programs in our community.

Presbyterian Pantry & Brown County United Way
Presbyterian Pantry & Brown County United Way

Also, the Presbyterian Pantry was given thirteen cases of canned veggies from Brown County United Way. This is a gift of their annual campaign to help all the pantries in the area. A special thanks to Sierra who serves as the co-coordinator for this event.

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

Gestures of Generosity, June 2023

Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

It was a wonderful turnout and a delightful time to learn and share together in early May when the Generosity Team hosted The Rev. Kyle Nolan of the Presbyterian Foundation for our Legacy luncheon workshop. Thanks to all who attended and helped focus our attention on how to give in new and different ways to our church.

One attendee was inspired to go directly to their bank the next day and set up a special account that will come straight to the church upon their death. This is a restricted account that was opened with a particular amount of money, but can be added to over the years. What a gesture of generosity!

Other attendees liked the presenter’s suggestion that one way to think about leaving a legacy when dividing your estate is to consider the church as another “child.” This couple has three adult children among whom the estate will be divided—but as they are all doing fine for themselves, they’ve decided to add the church as a fourth recipient and let the kids know about the new plan. Again, a wonderful gesture of generosity!

We all took away a new understanding of the importance to our congregation of legacy gifts—how they have sustained us in the past, continue to do so today, and will provide for a long and healthy future for this church. The amount of your legacy gift doesn’t matter so much as the heart with which it is given: your generosity demonstrates your faith today and tomorrow as well.

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

May, 2023 – Composing a Legacy Workshop

Gestures of Generosity

How do we tell the story of God’s grace and love—not just today, but for generations to come?

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.

We have set aside Sunday – May 7, 2023 as a time to focus our attention and intentions on legacy giving, from wills and bequests to life income plans that will benefit this church for generations to come.

The Rev. Kyle Nolan, a Ministry Relations Officer for the Presbyterian Foundation, will be with us on that day to preach and lead a workshop after the 10 am worship service offering tools to help us craft our faith legacy. He will cover topics including donor advised funds, charitable trusts, retirement accounts and more.

A luncheon will be served following the Fellowship coffee hour for all who wish to attend this workshop—please make your reservation by signing up on the bulletin board or calling the church office at (920) 437-8121 by May 4, 2023.

Gestures of Generosity, May 2023

Gestures of Generosity

Thank you for your Gesture!

We are still basking in the glow of a spectacular Holy Week and Easter celebration, and it took a village to make it all happen. From Palm Sunday to Maundy Thursday and Good Friday to Easter morning, we had worship, music, food, fellowship, scripture, prayer, and praise together.

We are grateful for the generosity of all who made it happen: Mary Steeno and Amy Wittman for leading the children’s choir, the folks who put together our second-annual Palm Sunday brunch, the Worship Committee who hosted dinner and foot-washing and a lovely Last Supper on Maundy Thursday, the faithful few who came on Good Friday to walk through meditation stations and consider the sacrifice of Jesus, Patcee Bucher and Jane Bies who picked up and arranged 42 pots of Easter flowers for display on Easter morning, Becky Christianson who made beautiful bows for each pot, all those who donated the flowers, Tom Schoffelman and Andy Parks who pulled together our Easter choir, and all who sang. Thanks be to God for each one!

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

Gestures of Generosity, April 2023

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.

Gestures of Generosity, March 2023

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.