Outdoor Worship Service

Sunday, June 25, 2023 | 9:30 a.m. | FPC Oshkosh Campus

Join us as we worship outdoors, enjoying God’s creation. And spoiler alert, this won’t be your typical worship service! Just a reminder - do bring a lawn chair!

Although we won't be streaming the outdoor service online on June 25th, here are some options for online worship at our sister churches. Just click on the links below.

First Presbyterian Church Neenah

Sundays at 9:00 a.m.

FPC Neenah Facebook Live

First Presbyterian Church Winneconne

Sundays at 9:00 a.m.

FPC Winneconne Facebook Live

First Presbyterian Church Green Bay

Sundays at 10:00 a.m.

FPC Green Bay Facebook Live

Embracing Matthew 25

We at the First Presbyterian Church of Winnebago, Minnesota, have recently entered the Matthew 25 program. Our primary focus has been to address systemic poverty through our efforts at our thrift shop called the Next to New. This shop was established in 1968 by Presbyterian Women to raise money for missions and to provide affordable clothing and household items for the people of the area. This goal has been accomplished throughout the years. However, God works in many ways to reach all of God’s people. We were privileged to help a refugee family from Ukraine who had fled their war-torn country with just a duffel bag of belongings for a family of four. Another way we have been able to help our community has come in an unexpected way. We have been asked by individuals if we accept volunteers who are not associated with our church. Our answer is always “yes.” Any individual who is willing to donate time and effort to our mission is welcome. Their reasons are as varied as the individuals.

The Colors of Juneteenth

While the Emancipation Proclamation was handed down on January 1, 1863, it took some time for the news to spread. In Texas, slavery continued for years afterward because many people, especially in rural areas, simply hadn’t heard yet that the Civil War had ended, and Congress had passed the 13th Amendment. By 1866, formerly enslaved Black Texans had begun celebrating the occasion with annual “Jubilee Day” festivities.

While many Black Americans have celebrated Juneteenth in some form for decades, it took until recently for it to be recognized as a federal holiday. That happened on June 17, 2021, when President Joe Biden signed a bill officially designating June 19 as a federal holiday commemorating the end of slavery in America.



Juneteenth has many symbols, including the colors that appear at every celebration, as well as on the Juneteenth flag.

What are the colors of the Juneteenth flag? Juneteenth is rich with symbolism, and that includes the official Juneteenth flag. The flag is the creation of activist “Boston Ben” Ben Haith, founder of the National Juneteenth Celebration Foundation (NJCF). Haith and collaborators Verlene Hines, Azim and Eliot Design came up with the concept of the flag in 1997; and Boston-based illustrator Lisa Jeanne Graf brought their red, white, and blue vision of a zigzag shape surrounding a star to life. In 2000, the flag was revised into the version we know today, according to the National Juneteenth Observation Foundation. Seven years later, the date “June 19, 1865” was added so no one would ever forget what it signified.

“The Juneteenth flags represent the history, and freedom of the American Slaves and their descendants,” writes Graf on her website. “The design of the Juneteenth flag depicts a bursting new star on the horizon. The star represents a new freedom, a new people, a new star. The red, white, and blue colors communicate that the American Slaves, and their descendants were all Americans.”

What about the Pan-African flag? You may also see a red, black, and green flag flying at Juneteenth celebrations, as well. That’s the Pan-African flag, adopted by the Universal Negro Improvement Association (UNIA) at a conference in New York City in 1920. The UNIA drafted and adopted the Declaration of Rights of the Negro Peoples of the World on August 13, 1920, at New York City’s Madison Square Garden. It included the declaration that red, black, and green (also called RBG) be the colors signifying the African race. Those three colors represent the blood, soil, and prosperity of Africa and its people, according to the Pan-African Alliance.

Red represents the millions of Black men and women who have lost their lives. We remember not only civil rights leaders like Malcolm X and Martin Luther King Jr., but also people who have been killed in recent years, including George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, Trayvon Martin, and Ahmaud Arbery.

Black represents melanin, the soil of the Nile valley and the unification of the African diaspora. “Black compels us to remember that we Black men and women are all unified as members of one family,” says the Pan-African Alliance.



Green stands for fertility, productivity and prosperity, and the fertile cradle of Africa.

Red foods appear on Juneteenth tables, too. Juneteenth is traditionally celebrated with a cookout, where families and friends gather around the grill. But a Juneteenth meal just isn’t complete without red desserts and beverages, and many also wear the color red. Red symbolizes the bloodshed by enslaved ancestors due to the transatlantic slave trade, explains James Beard Award winner Adrian Miller, author of Black Smoke: African Americans and the United States of Barbecue. It may also have roots in the favorite colors of West African royal courts, but Miller notes that’s a less commonly held theory. Historically, red drinks in particular date back to two drinks carried across the Atlantic from West Africa by enslaved people: hibiscus drinks and cola. Even barbecue itself can bring that red connection, especially in tomato-based sauces or the reddish ring around properly smoked meats.

Acceptance Is the Key to Protecting Trans Youth

by Mara Lamascus, Wellness Screen Clinician, Samaritan

June is recognized as LGBTQ+ Pride Month in honor of the Stonewall Riots that occurred in June of 1969, widely regarded as the first major turning point for the Queer Rights movement. And though it has been over 50 years since Marsha P. Johnson, a Black trans woman, “threw the first brick” at The Stonewall Inn, transgender people still face some of the highest rates of discrimination, violence, and mental illness, even compared to others in the LGBTQ+ community.

For example, more than half of trans youth seriously considered suicide in 2022, compared to 33% of their LGBQ peers, and 0.03% of the general population (2021). And there’s no question that experiencing discrimination and rejection drastically increases the likelihood of a trans person following through on those thoughts. Some studies have shown that trans youth experiencing moderate rejection in their homes are up to 2x more likely to attempt suicide than those with support, and trans youth experiencing high rejection in their homes are 8x more likely to attempt suicide.

So, what can we do? The first steps towards being an ally are empathy and education. Having a better understanding of common transgender terminology and what to do when you make a mistake shows the trans individuals in your life that you care about and support their identity. Another great way to engage with and uplift the community is by getting involved in local organizations and initiatives that aim to support the LGBTQ+ community, such as Diverse & Resilient. Looking through a few articles on the topic or going to a community event may not feel like much, but if it allows you to feel more comfortable and confident discussing this very important topic, it might just save someone’s life. Trans Lifeline: (877) 565-8860.

Support Our Community’s 2023 Graduates

Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh

Angie Koepke | 920.233.1414, ext. 119 | angelak@bgcosh.org

We’re very excited for our community’s 2023 high school graduates. We’d like to support graduating members of the Boys & Girls Club of Oshkosh with the next phase in life, whether it be college or entering the workforce. If you’d like to help, the Club is looking for the following items:

Gas cards (BP and Kwik Trip) * Bus passes * Grocery gift cards

Cleaning and toiletries (detergent, Clorox wipes, toiletry kits)

Office supplies (pens, desk organizers, post-it notes, notebooks, folders, etc.)

Dorm room supplies (twinXL bedding, laundry hampers, TVs, bedside/desk lamps, towels, shower caddies, fans, clothing hangers, shoe organizers, blankets)

Monetary donations will go into the Club’s “Unmet Needs Fund” which assists those Club members and their families who are most in need with basic social, health, and welfare issues.

Please contact Angie for more info and to arrange donation drop-off.