At the Session meeting this month, we continued to talk about the current realities facing our congregation, as well as what the future looks like for us. (Keep an eye out for a future newsletter article giving more information about the ideas we’ve been mulling over!) The work of change and envisioning the future is a slow process; but if you have any questions on what Session is up to, you are always welcome to talk to Pastor Deb or a Session member with thoughts, ideas, and concerns.

In other news, Pastor Deb has joined an organization called Breakwater, which is a substance use prevention coalition in Winnebago County working to prevent and reduce youth and adult substance use in our county. Pastor Deb is part of the steering team which provides leadership for the coalition, and she is acting as a representative of the faith communities in our county to help generate ideas and resources on how faith can help prevent substance use as well as provide support for those in recovery. This is another way our church is gaining recognition in the community as we live out our mission to serve the heart of Oshkosh!

Stewardship

As we continue our journey, we are excited about what God has in store for our faith community. We believe that with your continued support, we can make an even greater impact and reach even more people with the message of love, hope, and salvation. Thank you for your generosity, faithfulness, and commitment to our church’s mission!

Seeking Reconciliation on the Road

While traveling across the American Southwest last spring, Kathy Mitchell was caught by surprise by the stories of her fellow travelers.

“Everybody has a story,” said Kathy, a Native American ruling elder at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Chinle, Arizona, in the heart of the Navajo Nation. “Everybody deserves to be heard.”

Kathy’s desire to share peace and seek reconciliation — both “with those parts of yourself and who you are called to be” as well as through others along life’s journey — unfolded on the road from Albuquerque, New Mexico, to Phoenix during a travel study seminar hosted in 2023 by the Presbyterian Peacemaking Program. 

The “Native Lands of the Southwest: The Doctrine of Discovery and its Legacy Today” Travel Study Seminar was a collaborative effort with the Presbytery of Santa Fe and the Synod of the Southwest.

The seminar included opportunities for participants to visit historic sites, hear about Native American experiences and interact with PC(USA) Native American churches to understand the implications of the Doctrine of Discovery, which gave Christian European governments the religious and legal justification to claim lands occupied by Indigenous peoples. 

The seminar is made possible, in part, by gifts to the Peace & Global Witness Offering. Traditionally received on World Communion Sunday, which this year falls on Oct. 6, the Offering is unique in that half of it is directed to peacemaking and global witness efforts at the national church level to address critical issues around the world. Twenty-five percent is retained by our congregation for our own peace and reconciliation work, and 25% goes to mid councils for similar ministries on the regional level.

One congregation deeply committed to the healing and repair of Indigenous nations and communities — thanks to two of its members who participated in the seminar — is Second Presbyterian Church of Richmond, Virginia. 

“Living in Virginia and having never visited the Northern Plains states, we learned a great deal about the Indigenous nations in that area,” said Lucretia McCulley and her husband, Dan Ream. “The opportunity that the seminar offered for us to have conversations about history with Native Americans made this trip ideal for us.”

Not long after they returned to Richmond, Lucretia and Dan gave a presentation to their congregation about their life-changing experiences with the travel study seminar. As a result, Second Presbyterian approved a large gift to help with necessary repairs and improvements at Native American churches and chapels.

“We are committed to sharing our gifts that will help address systems of conflict and injustice in the world,” they said. “We also need to live out the denomination’s commitment to peace and justice in our communities and across the world. Small and large contributions to the Offering work together to make significant changes for peace.”

Please give what you can to the Peace & Global Witness Offering — for when we all do a little, it adds up to a lot. If you feel the call to donate, please send in your offering to the church office or donate online. Donations are requested by Sunday, October 6th.

Let us pray~ 

God of Every Nation, we thank you for the gift of diversity, and we commit to a future where all people, equal in your sight, are treated as equal in our world. Bless us by your Holy Spirit to be agents of change as we work to live out your reign in this place today and every day. In your Son’s name, we pray. Amen.

Community Breakfast

Saturday, September 28, 2024 | 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. | First Pres Magnolia Hall

In addition to a hot, healthy meal, the Community Breakfast provides the opportunity for the community to develop new friendships and offer an encouraging word to one another. It’s a chance to show how much we care. So, please help spread the word that this is the place to be whether you’re seeking assistance, looking to help, or simply want to be part of a community that cares. Together, we’re not just sharing a meal; we’re nurturing the roots of our community. Can’t wait to see you at breakfast!

Corn Factoids & Fun: Last Week's Trivia Answers

• What is the average number of rows on an ear of corn?
• 16
• Corn is a major ingredient in which popular American beverage?
• Soda (high fructose corn syrup is often used as a sweetener)
• Which U.S. state is known as the “Corn State”?
• Iowa
• Corn was first domesticated by indigenous peoples in which region?
• Mesoamerica
• What is a corn’s favorite music genre?
• Pop

Fox Valley Take Back the Night 2024

Wednesday, October 2, 2024 | 5:00. – 8:00 p.m.

Culver Family Welcome Center | 625 Pearl Avenue, Oshkosh

Take Back the Night is an annual event that provides attendees with the opportunity to become educated on and take a stand against sexual assault and domestic abuse in our community.

This event, hosted by Christine Ann Domestic Abuse Services, INC., Reach Counseling, and UW Oshkosh Women's Center, stands against sexual and interpersonal violence. Join us for a resource fair, a powerful program, and a march through Oshkosh.

This year’s focus is on the disability community.

• 5:00 p.m. Activities & Resource Fair
• 6:00 p.m. Program and Call-to-Action
• 7:00 p.m. March

Community Clothes Closet: Critical Need for Children’s Clothing

1465-B Opportunity Way, Menasha 

Donation Hours:

Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

Monday evenings 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

With families having shopped for back-to-school outfits, CCC’s inventory of boys’ and girls’ clothing in sizes 2T – XL (14) has become DEPLETED.

Can you help with new or gently-used items? Tops, pants, socks, and underwear would be so appreciated by the over 10,500 clients CCC currently serves at its Menasha storefront or through its Traveling Closet (which includes visits to Oshkosh). Every donation makes a difference.

Reminder: You don’t need to drive over to Menasha to make a donation. Just stop by local Oshkosh Gunderson Cleaners. Gunderson’s accepts items on behalf of CCC!

Hispanic Heritage Month*

Each year from September 15 to October 15, millions of Americans celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month. It’s an exciting time of year to learn about what it means to be Hispanic (itself a complicated label) and take time out to recognize the achievements Hispanic communities have made in the US and the world. Here’s what you need to know about this important month.

Hispanic Heritage Month is a time to honor the history, culture, and civic contributions of Americans with heritage from Mexico, Central and South America, and the Caribbean. It began as a “Hispanic Heritage Week”’ in 1968, then was expanded to a month-long observance in 1988. This period shines a spotlight on American Latino communities and its first day coincides with the independence days of several, including the following:

• Costa Rica
• El Salvador
• Guatemala
• Honduras
• Nicaragua 
• Mexico (September 16)
• Chile (September 18)

Here are some key things to know about Hispanic Heritage Month.

In observing this important month, it’s essential to start with its name. “Hispanic” is a problematic pan-ethnic term that groups all Americans of Mexican or Latin American descent in one category. It was used by President Lyndon Johnson, whose administration implemented the observance in 1968. “Hispanic” has also been entrenched by the US Census beginning in 1980, alienating millions of people of diverse identities and ethnicities as a government-enforced term that fails to acknowledge the individuality of these groups.

At the same time, the people this umbrella term is intended to cover are also becoming increasingly multiracial and multiethnic. This means that their identities, like those of many other Americans, are fluid and complex, and can’t be defined by any single term. In addition, the descriptor “Hispanic” can be useful for uniting and mobilizing people from countries once colonized by Spain around shared social concerns. Although these facts make the descriptor “Hispanic” more convenient, they don’t necessarily justify the term or make it more accurate.

In short, we largely continue to use the word “Hispanic” for lack of a better option, whenever we don’t know the exact identity of an individual or group, and when we fail to learn about the rich variety of cultures included in this broad term.

Hispanic culture is American culture — in ways you may not realize. Many of the cultural traditions that define us as Americans are, in fact, the contributions of Mexicans, Latin Americans, and Caribbean groups. Here are a few that may surprise you:

• Cowboy culture. Cowboy hats, rodeos, and the livelihood of ranching all originated in Spain and Mexico.
• BBQ. The word “barbecue” is derived from the Spanish word barbacoa and comes from a mix of Spanish and Caribbean traditions.
• Military service. Hispanic soldiers have served and sacrificed their lives in every American war, domestic and abroad. As of 2017, over 1.2 million American war veterans were of Mexican, Latin American, or Caribbean descent.
• The “mainstream” population. Hispanic Americans make up over 18% of the US population, making this group the second largest (so-labeled) demographic in the nation.

*Source: Anti-Racism Commitment Coalition

Putting church panels to their highest and best use

A Presbyterian church in Maryland uses solar power for all its electrical needs, and supplies discounted energy to neighbors in need

by Mike Ferguson, Editor, Presbyterian News Service

September 19, 2024

As one of two PC(USA) churches recently honored as Cool Congregations by Interfaith Power & Light, Warner Memorial Presbyterian Church in Kensington, Maryland, relishes telling the story of how it covered its roof in solar panels to provide all the electricity it needs, as well as filling some of the needs of its neighbors, including very low income adults in mental health recovery.

It recently fell to Dr. Mark Eakin and his wife, June, to share highlights of the congregation’s journey with Presbyterians for Earth Care, an organization Mark Eakin, a retired oceanographer with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, has served for many years.

June Eakin spearheads the Earth Stewardship Team at Warner Memorial, an Earth Care Congregation since 2009. “We are striving to follow Jesus’ instruction to love our neighbors,” she said. “We may be in a red brick church, but we’re working to be green stewards.” Read more.

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