Category: Youth

2023 Vacation Bible School

Cheri Simonet
VBS Ready-Set-Move

August 7 – 10, 2023

The Christian Education Committee is excited to begin preparations for our 2023 Vacation Bible School! Our theme this year is Ready, Set, Move! Follow Jesus Here, There and Everywhere!

Ready, Set, Move Vacation Bible School will inspire kids to: DO What He Says, BELIEVE Who He is, LOVE Who He loves, SHARE What he did, and GO where He leads.

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 August 7 through 10. 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.

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!

Registration is online only.

REGISTER NOW!

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 August!

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!

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 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Pastor Katie and Joel Morien were thrilled to attend the annual conference of the Association of Partners in Christian Education in late January, held in Birmingham Alabama. They appreciated plenary sessions with speaker John Pavlovitz whose most recent book is If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk, worship with local gospel choirs and nationally-known preachers, and a multitude of workshops. It was also an opportunity to network with others in ministry as the event drew more than 500 participants from around the country.

2nd Annual Burns Night—an Evening in the Highlands

Thanks to everyone involved in last Saturday’s second annual Burns Night Benefit Dinner: An Evening in the Highlands! More than 100 people gathered at the Green Bay Distillery to raise funds to help Hurricane Ian victims and to enjoy an wonderful evening. An optional Scotch tasting session was followed by a hearty feast of Whiskey Glazed Salmon or Whiskey Glazed Pork Loin with lots of extras. We also enjoyed amazing entertainment and activities including the Clan Donald Pipe Band, the Irish Heritage Dancers, sword dancing, Address to the Haggis, and more! It was a great evening, but don’t you think it’s a little cold for kilts?

  • Burns Dinner 2023
  • Burns Dinner 2023

Annual Ski Trip

This year’s ski trip was a fabulous time! We were fortunate to have our friends from First United along for the fun. The weather was perfect for a day on the slopes and the day was filled with fellowship and fun. And, this year everyone was off the bunny hill by 10:30 check-in!

Happy 100th Birthday to Theda Nero!

Wishing you a blessed day on your birthday and all the days ahead in your 100th year!

Theda Nero 100th Birthday
Stephanie Fahringer and Donna Jansen join Theda Nero for her 100th Birthday Celebration

January 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

FMSC is a WINNER and awarded $10,000!

Thank you to all who voted in Thrivent Financial’s “Carols for a Cause” contest! We placed third so our Feed My Starving Children: Green Bay MobilePack will receive $10,000. That’s over 41,600 meals for children in need! It also means that our 2022 fundraising goal has now been met and we have started raising money to kick off the efforts for 2023. We are so incredibly grateful to the team at Thrivent for selecting our organization to be a part of this amazing contest and for their generous support, not only of our cause, but others from the Green Bay area as well.

Advent Workshop

We kicked off the Advent season with a wonderful chili lunch and workshop to get us all in the mood for the Christmas season. Cookies were decorated and eaten, candles were crafted, and hot chocolate spoons were created for gift-giving. We stuffed 48 pair of wool socks with necessary toiletries and other goodies for people experiencing homelessness. What a great day! Thank you to everyone who participated in this wonderful event.

Christmas Prayer Baskets

Our three adopted families had a beautiful Christmas thanks to so many wonderful people! All the tags were taken from our baskets to fill each family’s wish lists. Many people within the church and several outside of our church helped make this possible. The Outreach Committee thanks everyone so much for the wonderful presents and for spreading joy!

Toy Shop

This year’s Toy Shop on December 13th for our Pantry guests was a great success! We served 51 families and gave away toys for 221 kids! Thank you to everyone for your generous support with monetary gifts and toys, and special THANKS to our elves that were personal shoppers. Thanks to everyone’s support there’s 221 kids who found presents under the tree on Christmas morning!

Youth Lock-In

Our Youth had a great time with their annual lock-in on December 16th! Presents were wrapped for our three adopted families for our annual prayer basket campaign. There was Christmas trivia with prizes and one of the prizes was a 1 pound gummy bear! Who wouldn’t be happy to win a 1 pound gummy bear as a prize? It was a wonderful time of fellowship. As youth wrapped for our adopted families, they were reminded just how fortunate we are to have presents under our own trees and grateful for the opportunity to help others in need.

December 2022 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Trunk-or-Treat

Ten decorated trunks, 50+ costumed guests, and hundreds of tasty treats! Our first annual Trunk or Treat was a spooky success. Thanks to all who hosted a trunk and all who turned out for treats!

Thanksgiving with our friends at First United

A glorious joint service of thanksgiving was held on Saturday November 19, 2022 at First United Presbyterian Church in De Pere with more than 75 people present from the two congregations. The service was followed by a delicious turkey dinner for everyone present. We raised $366.48 in free will offering, plus a grocery cart of canned good for the Presbyterian Pantry. Thank you, everyone, for your generous support!

You’re Invited to Trunk-or-Treat 2022!

Cheri Simonet

Spread the word to friends, family and neighbors!

All are invited to our

Halloween Trunk-or-Treat event!

Sunday, October 30th at 2pm

Trunks of cars will be open and decorated for Halloween and parked around the perimeter of First Presbyterian Church’s parking lot located at 200 South Ashland Avenue, Green Bay.

We invite everyone to come and trick-or-treat at our trunks moving from one car to the next to collect treats, and perhaps play a game along the way.

Please pass this on to all those little ghouls and goblins that you know, and join us!

FMSC 2022 MobilePack Rundown

Cheri Simonet
FMSC MobilePack

The 2022 Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) Mobilepack was a great success during the week of October 3rd! 

Over 614,520 meals were packed during the Mobilepack, which will feed 1683 kids for an entire year!! 

There were over 2,800 volunteers that came to pack food during the 10 different packing sessions. There were also 75 different event support volunteers from the churches that worked in greeting, registration, and roving to make sure everything ran smoothly.

While the Green Bay Mobilepack is finished for the year, we are still in need of donations to help cover the cost of the food that was packed. 

Please prayerfully consider a generous donation to this worthy cause. Select FMSC in the dropdown menu and Donate Now!

And, check out our 2022 Photo Gallery!

Thank you for your support!

November 2022 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Congratulations Eric Sperduto!

Aaron and Jody Sperduto’s son, Eric, was recognized in October by the Green Bay West Rotary Club as one of their Students of the Month. Eric is a senior at Pulaski High School. Congratulations on your accomplishment, Eric!

Fall Clean-up THANKS!

We couldn’t have asked for a more beautiful fall day to do our fall clean-up! It was sunny, warm and in the 70’s which made our chores feel far less chore like. The yard was cleaned up and the windows were washed. So much was accomplished thanks to the help of our amazing volunteers—Pat McCormick and his granddaughter, Grace, Pete Blashka, Dave and Lisa Solper, Judy Knutzen-Nerad, Kirke Ryder (our magician on windows), Joel Morien and John Belanger. Mary says a big THANK YOU to one and all! We couldn’t have gotten it done without you!

BURM Conference

What can be said about connecting with our partners in Russia, the Christians in Ukraine who are suffering from the war, the refugees in Belarus who are being used as pawns in a political game, the authoritarian regimes that are rising to political power in Europe and elsewhere, and the fact that we’re fighting wars over access to fossil fuels that are also degrading our planet?

Lots can be said, and lots was said – we learned so much at the Belarus, Ukraine, Russia Mission (BURM) Network conference October 6-8. We were honored to host the event in-person and virtually via our Facebook Livestream. There was a LOT of great information. Ellen Smith, our mission co-worker shared her recent newsletter telling us about how refugees in Belarus are at risk and details about her recent travels. Everyone walked away with a better understanding of the region, its challenges and what we can do to get involved. For more visit BURM 2022 Network Conference Rundown.

Confirmation Class and Apple Crisps

On Sunday, October 23 our Confirmation Class gathered to make and bake apple crisps for some of our homebound members. There were lots of apples to peel and dice, LOTS—dozens of apples. Later that afternoon the crisps were delivered to great acclaim and appreciation. Thank you to our confirmation class for your outreach efforts!

Trunk-or-Treat 2022

Cheri Simonet
Trunk-or-Treat

Sunday, October 30th

Has your neighborhood ‘aged out’ of trick-or-treating? Do you buy too much candy and then get stuck eating it all on your own? Or, are you happy enough to turn off your lights and hide in the basement on Halloween?

We have a whole new deal for you!

In the spirit of trying something new and seeking to meet our neighbors and community where they are, we are hosting a Trunk-or-Treat event this year!

Trunk-or-Treat will happen in our church parking lot beginning at 2:00 pm on Sunday October 30.

The trunks of our cars will be open and decorated for the Halloween season, parked around the perimeter of the lot. Each car needs to be hosted by its owner. Children of this church and those from the neighborhood are invited to come trick-or-treat at our trunks, moving from one car to the next collecting treats and perhaps play a game or otherwise interact with each trunk host.

Sounds like fun, right?

Now we need the trunks to make it happen!

With your trunk open and your heart wide, 
please volunteer to join us!

Experienced Trunk-or-Treaters plan a theme and include an interactive element for their clientele—

  • Decorate your trunk as a fairy forest and let the kids pick a tootsie pop from the trunk of a Styrofoam tree you create.
  • Plan a bathtub theme and set up a small duck pond from which they’ll choose a rubber duck with a prize marked on the bottom.
  • Or, go all out and create a giant monster mouth in your open trunk and have kids reach into the darkness for their treat!

We need enough trunks to make this work!

To participate, sign up on the bulletin board or call the church office at 920-437-8121 or email office@firstpresgreenbay.org to get on the list.

Questions may be directed to Joel Morien and the Christian Education committee at ce@firstpresgreenbay.org.