Lenten Study Series

Turning Over Tables by Kathy Escobar

Every Sunday after worship

February 22 - March 29 | 10:45 - 11:45 a.m.

First Pres Sanctuary

This year, our church will use the season of Lent to facilitate conversation navigating how, together, we can turn the tables and build a world where justice, healing, and equity reign supreme.

With keen insight and unwavering conviction, visionary pastor Kathy Escobar guides us on a Lenten journey inspired by the ways of Jesus to dismantle the systems that perpetuate inequality and injustice. From flipping the moneychangers’ tables in the temple to uplifting the poor and marginalized, Jesus’ actions and words turn the world’s idea of power on its head. With each week of Lent, we'll dig deeper into Jesus’ challenge to the pervasive influence of privilege and oppression that have dominated since ancient times.

Although it's not necessary to read Turning Over Tables to participate in the Lenten study series, feel free to purchase a copy. Any number of outlets are selling Turning Over Tables; and for your convenience, we've provided several links where you can buy hard copies or eBooks. In case your budget needs to prioritize other expenses, we'll have a few extra complimentary copies on hand.

Easter Flower Patronage

Final Reminder!

If you would like to sponsor flowers this Easter season, please complete the online form and send payment to the church office on or before Sunday, March 1, 2026.

Sponsor Easter Flowers Here!

Making Housing a Human Right

Adrian Alberto Madriz will never forget the smell of burning mattresses.

After Hurricane Andrew destroyed his family’s suburban Miami apartment building, 4-year-old Adrian and his parents were forced to evacuate. When they returned to Miami, they came home to all the windows in their apartment house completely destroyed, furniture littered all over the parking lot and the smell of rotting insulation. That was his first experience of housing insecurity. And the first defining moment that led him to make housing his life.

As a 17-year-old, he again experienced housing insecurity after coming out as gay to his religiously conservative parents. He looked for any resources for youth like himself who didn’t have a place to go because their parents had rejected them. When he realized there weren’t any such resources, he told himself that when he became an adult, he wanted to address this issue.

His third episode with housing insecurity took place during his first job after college as a housing organizer with the Miami Workers Center. He was to go knocking on doors in a poor, historically Black neighborhood called Liberty City.

The houses he visited had black mold, backed-up sewage in bathtubs and rats. He wondered why people were living in unsafe housing in one of the richest cities in the richest country in the world. With “forgotten neighborhoods” being allowed to fall into neglect while landlords avoided prosecution, he and others decided to take action. And that’s when SMASH — Struggle for Miami’s Affordable and Sustainable Housing — was founded. Read more.

Give Today!

If you feel called to offer support to One Great Hour of Sharing, please send in your offering by Sunday, April 5, 2026. Thank you for your generosity!

Reading the Rainbow

Sunday, March 1, 2026 | 2:00 - 4:00 p.m.

Oshkosh Public Library Conference Room

106 Washington Avenue, Oshkosh

Meet up at the Oshkosh Public Library Conference Room every month for cozy vibes and book talk. You're welcome to join in even if you didn't read the book (but beware - there will be spoilers).

March's book is The Deep by Rivers Solomon.

Note: NEW-RC is not providing books. You are encouraged to check out the library or shop at local booksellers.

Northeast Wisconsin Rainbow Collective:

LGBTQ+ Youth Group

Monday, March 9, 2026| 5:00 – 7:00 p.m.

137 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh

This group meets on the 2nd Monday of each month and is for middle and high school students who identify within the LGBTQ+ community, are questioning, or are strong allies. This is a safe space for support, education, resources, and community!

Reclaiming Balance and Belonging: A Workshop for Single Parents

Scan the QR Code to Register or Click Here

Samaritan has announced a new seminar created specifically for single parents in the Fox Valley. Happening on National Single Parent Day for Reclaiming Balance and Belonging, this half-day workshop is designed to help reduce stress, strengthen resilience, and feel supported in community.

You'll learn practical tools for emotional wellness, healthy boundaries, and navigating the daily pressures of doing it all. You'll also connect with other single parents who understand your journey.

Seating is limited, so please register today! If you have any questions about the seminar, accessibility needs, or registration details, please contact Samaritan at 920.886.9319.

Helping Our Neighbors

Day By Day Shelter

Donation hours:

Monday - Thursday: 9:00 a.m. - 2:30 p.m.

By appointment: 920.203.4536

Ground coffee and powdered creamer bring comfort, conversation, and a sense of normalcy to our mornings. Help fuel connection and care because all you need is love… and coffee.

Look for additional ways you can help. Check out Amazon Wishlist for Day By Day.

Stated Clerk of the PC(USA)’s General Assembly signs on to amicus brief in Supreme Court case about asylum seekers

The case concerns the 'turn back' policy implemented by the first Trump administration and will be heard by the Supreme Court next month

February 20, 2026 | Layton Williams Berkes | Presbyterian News Service

The Rev. Jihyun Oh, Stated Clerk of the General Assembly and Executive Director of the Interim Unified Agency of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), has signed on to an amicus brief for a United States Supreme Court case on immigration. The case, Department of Homeland Security v. Al Otro Lado, concerns the constitutionality of the “turn back” policy enacted by the first Trump administration, in which U.S. agents turned away those seeking asylum at the U.S.-Mexico border.

An asylum seeker is a person who has fled their home country and seeks protection in another country due to fear of persecution or serious harm. Their refugee claim is decided through legal systems in the country where they seek protection. In the United States, a person must be on U.S. soil to initiate their asylum claim.

In a statement of interest supporting the brief, Oh said, “This brief is consistent with the long-standing policies of the General Assembly regarding immigration, asylum seekers, and persons in temporary status seeking asylum. The Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) has continuously affirmed the rights and dignity of refugees and asylum seekers.” Read more.

Office of Public Witness urges Presbyterians to contact their elected officials over ending the violence in Gaza and the West Bank

Action Alert points out the risk of further escalation

February 23, 2026 | Office of Public Witness| Presbyterian News Service

The suffering of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank continues at an unconscionable scale. As tensions rise across the wider region and the United States increases its military posture toward Iran, the risk of further escalation threatens to bring even greater devastation to human lives. At such a time, our nation must act not to deepen violence, but to help end it.

Despite the October 2025 ceasefire, Palestinians in Gaza continue to be killed, displaced, and denied the basic necessities of life. More than 500 Palestinians have been killed since the ceasefire, adding to the more than 71,000 Palestinians killed since October 2023. Families struggle without reliable access to food, clean water, medical care, or shelter. Journalists have also paid a devastating price. More journalists have been killed in Gaza during this period than in any other recent conflict, while Israel continues to deny international media access. The absence of independent reporting further obscures the human reality and undermines accountability.

Children suffering from cancer and other life-threatening conditions are still being denied permission to travel for urgently needed treatment, including at Augusta Victoria Hospital in Jerusalem, a ministry of the Lutheran Church that has long served the Palestinian people. Church leaders in Jerusalem have called for these children to be allowed access to life-saving care.

In the West Bank, Palestinian communities face ongoing displacement, expanding settlement activity, and persistent settler violence. Read more.

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.

Accessibility at First Pres

There is an elevator available for access to all levels of the First Pres church building, and the spaces are navigable by wheelchair.