Greetings! we are pleased to present your 2019 July-August First Presbyterian Church of Green Bay newsletter!
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Transition Update by
Kirke Ryder, Chairperson
The Transition Team has been working hard to put plans in place to help transition the church after Pastor Randy’s retirement. We have met many times as a team, and have communicated and met frequently with the Commission on Ministry (COM), which is a part of the Winnebago Presbytery. We’ve learned that there are a few different options to replace a pastor. Traditionally a church searches for an Interim Pastor to come in and lead the church through a discernment process, lasting up to a year or more. In our case, the Presbytery has granted us permission to move ahead without an Interim Pastor, which means we can go ahead and appoint a Pastor Nominating Committee (PNC), and begin the search for our called and installed pastor. This is good news, since it will shorten the process to find a pastor!
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Vacation Bible School
Vacation Bible School is scheduled for August 5-7 from 5:00-8:00 pm each day. The theme is "Fruit of the Spirit" and it is free, but registration is required. We will have games, crafts, music, snacks, and fun with surprises built in. All are welcome! More information
here
. Register your child(ren)
here
. If you are interested in helping out, please let us know at
office@firstpresgreenbay.org
.
Your children/grandchildren can be part of the fun by registering online! Click on this link:
2019 VBS Registration
. Let your child's friends' parents know about this great opportunity so they can be part of the fun as well. You can also stop by the Church during our office hours to register (9:30 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Monday - Thursdays.) It will be a great time!
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If our dates/times don't work for you, consider First United Presbyterian Church, De Pere's VBS which will be held July 21-25 during the morning. Their theme is "Roar!" and there is a $10 cost per child for the entire event.
Find out more about their VBS here.
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Christian Formation
Calling Junia to the Pulpit
by Ben Menghini
Transition is the word on everyone’s mind at First Presbyterian, and with it comes mixed feelings. There is often worry and doubt: how will we fill the pulpit while we search for a pastor, what if I need counseling or a baptism during that time, will people leave if we don’t fill the position soon enough? Yet alongside those concerns come hope, and the energy of new beginnings: what new talents will our congregation be blessed with, what new relationships are on the horizon, how can we learn new ways to love our neighbors and one another while we make the transition?
I want to make a suggestion (and it is only a suggestion) that while we dream about the future we consider what it could look like to call a female pastor to lead our church. In the PC(USA) tradition we do not limit our candidates for ordination on the basis of sex, gender expression, or sexual orientation, and that is a tradition we can be very proud of. I also know that First Presbyterian has been served by a female interim pastor before in the past, so this isn’t really new territory.
Read the rest of Ben's article here.
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Newsong Youth Group
July 7-12
The Youth Group from Newsong Fellowship Church in Edwardsville, IL will be here on a mission trip July 7-12 and will be using our church building as a place to sleep. If you happen to see any of them, please provide them with our warm First Pres welcome!
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Thank You and Congratulations
July 14 Ordinations and Installations
Thank you to Pete Blashka, and John Early as they rotate off Session as Elders, as well as to Phil Mikulsky for his service. Thank you also to Kevin Kabacinski, Linda Michael, David Young, and Zach Wittman
for their service as Deacons. We very much appreciate your generosity in serving the congregation.
On June 23 following worship, the congregation elected a new class of Elders and Deacons. Elders include: Bruce Deadman, 1 year vacancy; Lisa Olson, 1st term; Jay Rietz, 1st term; Amy Wittman, 2nd term; and Nancy Siewert, Clerk of Session. Deacons are: Sara Bostedt 1 yr youth (1st); Connie Early, 1st term; Jean Jacky, 1st term; Zach Wittman, 1 yr. youth (2nd). We t
hank them for their willingness to serve.
Congrats also to the 2020 Nominating Committee at-large members: Ross Early; Linda Michael; Leah Mott; and Dennis Siewert.
Thank you to the current at-large members Jenn Christensen; Bruce Deadman; George Hubbard; Jean Maes; Linda Michael; Dennis Siewert; and Jon Tessier.
Ordinations and Installations will occur Sunday, July 14.
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Deacon's Brat Fry
July 14
On July 14, the Deacons are sponsoring a brat, hot dog, and hamburger fry at Festival Foods on University Avenue from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. The proceeds will benefit Feed My Starving Children and the Presbyterian Pantry. If you are able to help, look for a sign-up sheet on the bulletin board in the hallway. And make sure to mark the date, to stop by and enjoy some!
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Softball Tournament
July 14-28 - tourney (July 7 - game)
The softball team has one more game on July 7 at 5:30 pm, and then the tournament will be July 14-28. More details to follow, but plan on being there to support our very own co-ed softball team at Ashwaubenon Sports Complex!
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Youth Triennium
July 16-20
The following will be headed to Purdue University, Indiana for the event-filled Youth Triennium:
Hannah Bauer,
Sara Bostedt,
Ellie Gauthier, Katie Gauthier, Evan Hansen, Hailey Hansen,
Aaron Schoffelman, Rose Schumacher, and Ben Menghini. Please pray for them while they soak in the learning, conversation, worship, recreation, and fun!
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Organ Concert Series
July 23, 30; August 6, 13
The Power of the Pipes organ recital series is returning for summer 2019, including our very own Bob Nickel on 7/30. They include:
- July 23, First Methodist - Jeffrey Verkuilen
- July 30, First Presbyterian - Robert Nickel and Jennifer Hanson
- August 6, St. Norbert Abbey - Devin Atteln
- August 13, Grace Lutheran - John Kopp, Denise Zenko, Rose Schumacher, and a Combined Choir
The start time for each is 6:30 p.m., and a free will offering of non-perishables or cash will be accepted at each location to benefit pantries associated with each of the churches.
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Presbyterian Pantry
July & August Needs
For July, Presbyterian Pantry volunteers are requesting donations of personal items, especially shampoo and conditioner; and for August, cereal. You can place them in the shopping cart in the narthex at your convenience. Don't forget, the Pantry can always use monetary donations! (Pictured are members of First United, De Pere, one of the Pantry partners.)
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BTS Drive for Tank
August 1-31
August 1-31 are the dates for the Tank Back to School supply drive! Tank Elementary School is one of the most ethnically diverse and needy schools in the Green Bay public school district. First Pres has "adopted" Tank and has a long history of supporting and interacting with the school and students.
Every kid should have new pencils, crayons, glue, etc. for school. Find the list of supplies needed here. There will be a table at the back of the Sanctuary to deposit your donations when you are here on Sundays (or any other day) from August 1-31. Thank you!
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Triennium Youth Service
August 11
On August 11 at 10 a.m., First Pres will be graced with a service presented by the youth who were able to attend the 2019 Youth Triennium. We look forward to seeing and hearing what the youth learned and found inspiring during their Triennium experience.
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Registration Deadline
August 21
If you would like a 2019 Feed My Starving Children (FMSC) 5K Run/Walk t-shirt, be sure to
register here by August 21. The run/walk will be held on Saturday, September 7 at 8 a.m. at Green Bay Community Church, and while you can still register after August 21, you just won't be guaranteed a t-shirt. All proceeds from the run/walk will benefit the FMSC Mobilepack October 7-10.
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Choir Bootcamp
August 29
Chancel Choir will start the new season with a "choir bootcamp" on Thursday, August 29, from 6:30 to 8:00 p.m.
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New in the Library
Inspired: Slaying Giants, Walking on Water, and Learning To Love the Bible Again
— Rachel Held Evans
Often we have the vague feeling that we should be reading the Bible, but we lack the skills to actually approach it. How is the Bible meant to be used? How do we interpret difficult passages? What does it mean for the Bible to be inspired? These big questions leave us feeling rudderless, depending only on our pastor for biblical insight. This book is an exercise in wrestling with scripture that doesn't require a degree in biblical hermeneutics. "If the biggest story we can imagine is about God's loving and redemptive work in the world, then our lives will be shaped by that epic." Rachel Held Evans was regarded for her wit and humour as well as her inclusive and empowering voice. She died unexpectedly on May 4, 2019, leaving behind her husband and two young children.
Inspired
is her last book.
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Esther Circle
2nd Tuesdays (starting in September)
Esther Circle will be studying the Ten Commandments this year.
“Love Carved in Stone, A Fresh Look at the Ten Commandments”
, written by the Rev. Eugenia Gamble, will engage participants to consider the commandments or Ten Words as a love letter from God to that community stuck in the wilderness. These words are both addressed to the community and, in new ways, create that community; as true for us today as then. Please join Esther Circle on the 2nd Tuesdays at 1:00 p.m. beginning in September.
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3rd - Kenneth Kabacinski
7th - Aubrey Early
10th - Susan Mikulsky
12th - Rosemary Minehart
15th - Brenda Hubbard
16th - Ann Argall; Teresa Schoffelman
18th - Mary Belanger; Julia Hansen
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19th - Michelle Lardinois
20th - Hailey Gossen
22nd - Marjorie Crowl
26th - Marjorie Holmes
28th - Robyn Gehri
30th - Patti Mancheski; Eric Sperduto
31st - Mary Nickel
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5th - Holly Gehri
6th - Ryan Batal
7th - Nana Berko
8th - Blakeley Menghini
10th - Samantha Belanger; Joan Reynolds
12th - Cindy Fermanich
13th - Mamme Yaa Berko;
McKenzie Verheyden
14th - Jordan Doenges
15th - Jill Stenson
16th - Ciera Rowell
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17th - Mary Silverberg
21st - Matthew Christensen
23rd - Jacqueline (Jacki) Jensen
25th - William Klass
26th - Johnny Davis; Matthew Early;
Clarence Mickelson
27th - Evan Hansen
29th - Bobbi Holl; Zachary Wittman
30th - Susan Jenson
31st - Stacy Bostedt; Jacob Kabacinski
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