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 Fourth Sunday of Advent | |
Matthew 1: 18-25 (Joseph’s dream)
Isaiah 41: 5-10 (“Each one helps the other; I will strengthen you”)
“Give me your hand” might be counter to how we usually respond to fear, but what if fear can result in connection instead of isolation? Joseph sets aside his fear of rejection and shame in order to stand in solidarity with Mary, shielding her from harm. Their bond makes them each stronger. We don’t live out our callings in isolation—our communal flourishing depends on each person stepping into their calling despite their fear. How can we offer support to one another? Where can we reach out when fear makes us feel isolated? And can we use our power and privilege, like Joseph, to stand in solidarity with people whose lives are at risk?
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Luke 2: 1-20 (The angels deliver good news to the shepherds, who go to the newborn Christ)
The Christmas season can be filled with saccharine images of Mary, meek and mild, with a quiet, sleepy Jesus in her arms. But the host of angels shouts to the skies, “Glory to God in the highest!” What would it look like for us to proclaim the good news loudly, with overflowing joy? In a world that weaponizes fear, where algorithms decide what gets weight, what gets circulated, and what takes up space, let us be disruptive with our joy. Let us be loud and unruly, amplifying the good news like the shepherds running into the streets of Bethlehem. In a world where good news never feels loud enough to drown out fear, let us shout with the angels, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace!”
Resources
Advent Calendar † Fourth Sunday of Advent Devotional † Christmas Eve 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 sources 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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Sunday Flower Patronage - 2026
If you're interested in sponsoring flowers in 2026, kindly fill out the online form below and send your payment to the church office. Reservations will be handled on a first-come, first-served basis. The cost is $45 for each Sunday.
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Finding His Voice to Comfort the Voiceless
Like many a prophetic voice before him, the Rev. Jinho Kim’s story is his song. It was a song that first burst forth in him when, as a young adult, he encountered Jesus in a new and transformative way — not unlike his biblical ancestor, Mary, who spontaneously sang God’s praises upon learning she was carrying the Messiah.
Born and raised in a Presbyterian household in South Korea, Rev. Kim met the Rev. David E. Ross, a Presbyterian missionary who served in Korea from 1961 to 1980, where Ross and his wife, Ellen, focused their ministry on campus and youth evangelism. Through the Rosses’ “Jesus Evangelism Team,” Rev. Kim said that he was “healed and transformed” by their Spirit-filled worship and discipleship training — and was inspired to enter seminary in Seoul.
And, even though he couldn’t read a single note of music, God put a new song in his mouth. During this season of grace, as he meditated on the words the Lord gave him, he was also blessed with the grace to compose Scripture songs .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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Community Breakfast
Saturday, December 27, 2025 | 8:00 – 10:00 a.m.
First Pres Magnolia Hall
We are excited to have you join us, along with your friends and family, at the Community Breakfast where a fantastic experience awaits! Delight in delicious dishes and partake in lively conversations. This event presents a great chance to reconnect with old friends and forge new friendships.
We would greatly value any support you can offer while you're here, if you're willing. Help in different areas would be fantastic, including setting up, cooking, cleaning, serving, or just spending time and conversing with guests. Let's collaborate to make sure everyone has a fantastic experience! Whether you're here to savor a meal, assist, or do a little of both, it's always a pleasure to see you and create some lovely memories together.
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A Growing Crisis for Older Adults
(source: Day By Day Shelter Facebook Post of December 10, 2025)
Across the country, adults aged 50+ are the fastest-growing age group experiencing homelessness and we’re seeing that reality here in Oshkosh. In 2025, 1 in 4 Day By Day guests were 55 or older.
For many older adults, homelessness isn’t driven by addiction or violence - it’s driven by affordability. Those living on fixed incomes simply can’t keep up with rising costs. In Winnebago County, rents that were once $500–$600 now average $1,100–$1,200. With limited income and increasing expenses, older adults are forced into heartbreaking choices.
“Do they keep the car or their home? Do they pay for their medications or pay rent?” said Executive Director Molly. “They’re having to make very difficult decisions.”
As housing costs rise, more older adults are being pushed into homelessness and it’s a crisis our community can’t ignore.
Learn more * Donate here * Listen to Dawn and Anthony's stories here
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Interfaith vigil held for those detained by Immigration and Customs Enforcement
Godmothers of the Disappeared’s women-led vigil meets every Tuesday in Los Angeles
December 10, 2025 | Kristen Gaydos | Presbyterian News Service
Every Tuesday, faithful women from different religious organizations gather in front of the U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services office in Los Angeles to pray, sing and testify.
The group, Godmothers of the Disappeared, has held this vigil since May, when Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) officers began illegally detaining American citizens and immigrants across the city. Their weekly expression of compassion and resistance is held to demand the release of those being detained and disappeared by ICE, and to urge ICE agents and other federal officials to stop participating in the persecution of the Los Angeles community.
On Tuesday, December 2, the vigil was led by Presbyterians representing different congregations and Presbyteries across the greater Los Angeles region.
Donning pink bandanas and holding daisies—symbols of peace, resistance, and remembrance—the women-centered group began their vigil with the PC(USA)’s Prayer of Confession led by Rev. Linda Culbertson, General Presbyter of the Presbytery of the Pacific.
With guidance from Wendy Gist, Mission Advocate for Hunger, Poverty and Peacemaking at the Presbytery of San Gabriel, the vigil processed around the campus of the Federal Immigration Services building to the Metropolitan Detention Center where citizens and immigrants are being illegally detained and held. Read more.
| Photo (by Kristen Gaydos) Godmothers of the Disappeared processes to the Metropolitan Detention Center, where citizens and immigrants are detained. | | | |
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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. | | | | | | |
