Star Word

Now that we’re halfway through, revisit the initial thoughts, impressions, and prayers you first had with your star word. How have they changed? How have you grown?

The Senior Farmer's Market Nutrition Program provides older adults with fresh, locally grown produce, while supporting Wisconsin farmers, markets, and farmstands. To join, you must be age 60 or greater (Native Americans can join at age 55+), meet income guidelines, live in Wisconsin. Each member gets:

• Five $5 vouchers totaling $25.00 for each growing season (June 1 – October 31) to buy fresh fruits, vegetables, and herbs grown in (or near) Wisconsin.
• A list of farmers’ markets and farmstands where you can use your checks.

To Join:

• Call: Matt Stienstra 414.831.6306
• Visit: Oshkosh Area Community Pantry | 2551 Jackson Street, Oshkosh | July 30, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
• Visit: Oshkosh Senior Center | 200 N. Campbell Road, Oshkosh | July 30, 2025 | 2:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Oshkosh Area Community Pantry: Summer Picnic Food Drive

2551 Jackson Street, Oshkosh | Donation Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3: 30 p.m.

It's that time again for this month's Food Drive benefiting the Oshkosh Area Community Pantry. This July, let's switch things up with the Summer Picnic Food Drive! Consider adding one or more items from the list to your shopping cart and then drop them off at OACP.

Some examples of items they’re looking for include:

ketchup * mustard * salad * dressing * mayo * relish * salsa * chips * crackers * pudding mix

Jell-O mix ice cream cones * sprinkles * juice * marshmallows * pie crust * baking chips

baking mixes * trail mixes * animal crackers * popcorn * iced tea * lemonade * salad kit

They, of course, can still use any donations whether it be food or monetary, but this month they are encouraging donors to pick up your favorite picnic foods to share with an OACP family!

A Call to Action:

July is Minority Mental Health Month

Reprinted from SamaritaNews July 2024 Newsletter Issue #47

July marks Minority Mental Health Month, a crucial observance dedicated to raising awareness about the mental health challenges faced by minority communities. Established in 2008, this month highlights the unique struggles that racial and ethnic minorities encounter, aiming to promote better mental health access and care.

This month, we emphasize the importance of culturally competent care. Mental health professionals must be equipped to understand and respect the cultural backgrounds of their patients. At Samaritan that looks like investing in continuous education for our staff to foster cultural humility and address internal biases, and to actively apply racial equity to our work. We educate our staff on cultural humility and internal biases through programs like, “Improving Cultural Competency for Behavioral Health” (Think Cultural Health, https://thinkculturalhealth.hhs.gov/about). Such initiatives help us navigate racial equity issues within our organization and in the community.

At Samaritan, we are committed to celebrating diversity and promoting equity, inclusion, access, and belonging to support the mental well-being of individuals from diverse backgrounds. We respect, value, and affirm the sacred dignity of each person. Diversity is at the heart of Samaritan and that is reflected in our team, which includes individuals from various racial and cultural backgrounds. We believe that representation matters, both within our staff and board of directors.

Let’s use July to honor Minority Mental Health Month by committing to understanding and addressing the unique mental health needs of minority communities. Together, we can build a more inclusive and supportive environment for everyone.

In a letter to the Church, the Rev. Jihyun Oh says the PC(USA) will continue to stand with and for the most vulnerable among us

Stated Clerk and Executive Director:

The heart of leadership is lifting up others instead of pushing them down

Jihyun Oh, Presbyterian News Service

July 1, 2025

Dear Siblings in Christ Jesus and Fellow Disciples of our Crucified and Risen Lord,

Scripture reminds us that as Christ Jesus journeyed to the cross, he was also entrusting his earthly ministry to his disciples. Failing to understand, the disciples found themselves arguing about who would be greatest. To this, Jesus says, “The greatest among you will be your servant. All who exalt themselves will be humbled, and all who humble themselves will be exalted” (Matthew 23:11–12).

This is the heart of leadership, especially for any who would claim to be “Christian” — to serve others instead of insisting on one’s own greatness, to lift up others instead of pushing them down, to show honor to the least instead of denigrating their humanity, to use one’s power and authority to work toward the wholeness of God’s beloved world instead of harming those who are most vulnerable in society.

We find ourselves in a nation in which leaders who purport to be Christian are attacking those who preach the mercy and love of Christ Jesus, arresting those who pray for justice, and using their position of leadership to harm the most vulnerable and to enrich themselves and their friends and allies by impoverishing those who have much less. Instead of emulating Christ’s earthly ministry of justice and love that brought God’s reign of wholeness and peace, these leaders seek to create a society that is marked by fracture and violence, a society in which power matters more than truth, winning more than communion and the good of the whole. Instead of working for a world in which strangers and foreigners can become neighbors, the weak and sick are protected, and the young and lonely are embraced, they build up dividing walls of hostility, threaten the vulnerable, and ridicule the marginalized. This is not Christian. This is not Christian leadership. Read more.

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First Presbyterian Church is a member of More Light Presbyterians, a coalition of churches whose mission is to work for the full participation of the LBGTQ community in the life, ministry, and witness of the Presbyterian Church (USA) and in society.