The Second Sunday of Advent | |
Matthew 11: 1-11 (John the Baptist is running out of hope and reaches out to Jesus)
Isaiah 43: 19-21 (“I am about to do a new thing”)
John the Baptist sends word to Jesus from his prison cell, asking, “Are you the one?” John has spent his entire life preparing the way for Jesus, but from his prison cell, now certainly facing death, the future looks grim. Like John, even the most confident of us wonder from time to time: Is all this work worth it? Does anything I do matter? Am I on the right track? We can’t always see the fruits of our labor, yet God is at work anyway. How might we, like Jesus and Isaiah, point to the places where God is at work in our world? How might we keep hope alive?
Resources
Advent Calendar † Second Sunday of Advent Devotional † "Show Up" Advent Theme Song Video
Credits
Theme & Series: A Sanctified Art, LLC | sanctifiedart.org
Graphic design by Rev. Lauren Wright Pittman [ Photography by Rev. Lisle Gwynn Garrity | A Sanctified Art LLC | sanctifiedart.org
"Show Up" Advent Theme Song: Lyrics and music by Britt Kusserow
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A Candlelight Service of Lessons and Carols
Christmas Eve | Wednesday, December 24, 2025 | 4:30 p.m.
First Pres Sanctuary † Facebook † YouTube
Please join us for this special worship service that celebrates the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.
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Bad Weather Closure Info
In case of inclement weather, please check the following for closure information:
- First Pres Facebook page
- First Pres website
- Your email inbox (if you’ve provided the church office with an email address)
- Your mobile phone text messages (if you’ve opted in to receive texts from the church)
- WBAY-TV (ABC 2) (Green Bay - Fox Cities)
- WBAY website
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2026 Offering Envelopes
Offering envelopes are available on the back table in the sanctuary. Just take what you need for 2026. If you envision making a weekly donation, take a 52-pack. Are quarterly or monthly donations a better fit? Take a 4-pack or a 12-pack. Don’t want the hassle of envelopes and prefer to contribute through automatic withdrawals? Just give the church office a call. We have something to suit everyone’s giving style.
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Sunday Flower Patronage - 2026
If you would like to sponsor flowers in 2026, please complete this online form below and remit payment to the church office. Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis. The price is $45 per Sunday.
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Stewardship
What do you cherish about First Presbyterian Church of Oshkosh? What is God inviting us to accomplish together? As we envision new possibilities for ministry and mission, what talents can you share with God and our broader community? Our efforts depend not just on the financial contributions and pledges from each member of our congregation, but also on your active involvement in the life of our church. As you reflect on your giving and engagement, consider how you might express your love for the church and the community by offering your time, skills, and resources. Let’s dream big about what we can achieve together!
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Taught to Teach
Catherine Cox should have listened to God. But the 25-year-old from Tuscaloosa, Alabama, wasn’t paying attention — at least not at first — when she decided to leave her hometown to attend Xavier University in New Orleans.
She hated it there. She didn’t want to go back, but it was hard for her not to because she had gotten a full ride.
But when she discovered midway through her first semester that she was expecting twins, she went back home to Tuscaloosa to seek the support of her extended family in raising her children.
Initially she took a break from school, working a variety of jobs to support herself and her children, but then she began to think about her education. Read more.
If you feel called to donate, please ensure that your donation is received by the church office before December 24th or give online today. Thank you for your generosity.
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Final Reminder!
Join us for this delicious event!
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Here's the scoop for this event!
- Bring 1 dozen or more cookies (6 each in plastic sandwich bag - labeled with your name & the cookie name) BUT
- You don’t need to bring cookies to get some!
- Bring copies of your recipe to share with anyone who finds your cookies delicious!
- Drop off on Sunday morning, December 7th, in the “Cookie Exchange” bin next to the hospitality table (by church office)
- Meet in Magnolia Hall at 10:30 a.m. to choose treats - and hang out with the crowd
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Community Breakfast
Saturday, December 27, 2025 | 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
First Pres Magnolia Hall
We're excited to have you, along with your friends and family, join us for the Community Breakfast where an unforgettable experience awaits! Enjoy delicious dishes and participate in delightful conversations. This event is a perfect chance to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.
We'd really appreciate any help you can give while you're around, if you're able to. Assistance in various areas would be great, such as setting up, cooking, cleaning, serving, or simply hanging out and chatting with guests. Let's team up to ensure everyone has an awesome experience! Whether you're here to enjoy a meal, lend a hand, or do a bit of both, it's always wonderful to see you and share some nice moments together.
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Traveling Oshkosh Memory Café
Wednesday, December 17, 2025 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.
Copper Hall | 203 Otter Avenue, Oshkosh
You'll enjoy this holiday-inspired memory café where you'll decorate cookies, listen to holiday music, and be creative with your crafting skills.
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A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols!
Saturday, December 13, 2025
Lawrence Memorial Chapel | 510 E. College Avenue, Appleton
Performances at 1:00 p.m. and 4:00 p.m.
Advance Reserved Seats: $20 | Tickets the Day of / at the door: $25
Tickets: appletonboychoir.com | 920.955.2224 | Online
Christmas comes again with the angelic voices of the Appleton Boychoir as they present "A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols". One hundred men and boys are joined by Copper Street Brass, instrumentalists of all kinds, and organist Devin Atteln. From one lone voice to soaring descants and hymns rich with seasonal joy…the imposing beauty of the Lawrence Memorial Chapel will ring with the sounds of Christmas!
Join us for this very special musical celebration of the Season. It may very well become a tradition for your family too! Share the magic…share the magnificence…A Festival of Nine Lessons and Carols.
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Blue Christmas
First Congregational Church | 137 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh
Join us as we participate with First Congregational and Trinity Episcopal Churches in this year's Blue Christmas Service. Pastor Deb, in fact, will be leading several portions of the service.
The Blue Christmas service offers comfort to all who are grieving and struggling to find joy and hope during the season. A Blue Christmas Service is a tradition that happens around the longest night of the year; and through song, prayers, and readings, we acknowledge pain and emptiness alongside hope. It’s a reflection which gently speaks of light in darkness.
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The Rev. David Black of First Presbyterian Church of Chicago recounts his pepper ball shooting at an ICE detention center
Black is the guest of McCormick Theological Seminary President Maisha I. Handy on the ‘Back Talk’ broadcast
December 1, 2025
Mike Ferguson | Presbyterian News Service
LOUISVILLE — “Back Talk,” an online broadcast hosted by McCormick Theological Seminary President the Rev. Dr. Maisha I. Handy, featured a half-hour interview with the Rev. David Black, the pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Chicago. On Sept. 19, Black was struck on the head by pepper balls fired at him by federal immigration enforcement personnel while Black was peacefully protesting at an Immigration and Customs Enforcement detention facility in Broadview, Illinois.
“To me, it was clear that my call as a Christian is to be in places where people are being persecuted and oppressed. Jesus himself went to hell to liberate the captives,” Black told Handy. “To me, Broadview is an incarnate instance of the gates of hell in Chicagoland. To me, there’s no question of where Christians are called to be and proclaim the good news right now.”
Black said that on the day he was fired upon, he moved toward three ICE officers standing on a roof intending to speak with them, but “it was clear they weren’t engaging. They seemed to be in some twisted way enjoying the way they were intimidating the crowd.”
Black quoted Jesus for the officers: Repent and believe the good news, that the kingdom of God has come near. That’s when they fired on him with pepper balls, striking him at least seven times, including twice in the head and once in the face. Black received help from fellow protestors and medical attention, but “within a few minutes, the gates of hell opened and ICE agents came pouring out, shoving people onto the concrete. There were no warnings, no provocation. Protestors were using their words, and they came at us with guns and their fists.” Read more.
| Photo: Rev. David Black was sprayed by a federal immigration enforcement agent as he demonstrated in Broadview, Ill. (Ashlee Rezin | Chicago Sun-Times/AP) | | | |
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Sunday Worship Service: 9:30 a.m.
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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. | | | | | | |
