The Great Invitation

All-Church Forum

Sunday, October 5, 2025 | Following Worship (approximately 10:30 a.m.)

Throughout the month of October, Pastor Deb and the Session will be presenting a worship series we are calling “The Great Invitation,” and we need your participation! As we continue to discern where God is leading us as a congregation, we want to spend a month focusing on our shared work of hospitality and welcome to all.

This series will kick off on October 5th, which is World Communion Sunday; and after worship, we will be hosting a chili lunch/potluck and an all-church forum. Rooted in the spirit of our faith, this gathering is a unique opportunity to explore what it truly means to create a welcoming and loving environment for all, just as we are called to do.

This forum will feature engaging discussions on how we can cultivate a culture of genuine welcome and practice hospitality in our church community and beyond. Whether you are a long-time member or new to our community, your voice is essential to this important conversation.

We need your involvement! Can we count on you to attend?

Guns to Gardens

For the Rev. Dr. Angela Johnson, there came a moment when enough was enough. As the pastor of Louisville’s Grace Hope Presbyterian Church in a historically African American neighborhood since Civil War times, she can still vividly remember a time when as many as four people in the congregation were affected by gun violence over the course of just one week.

Rev. Johnson’s search for any tangible act of resistance that the 42-member congregation could muster led her to connect with Guns to Gardens Louisville.

The nonprofit Guns to Gardens’ takes unwanted or decommissioned firearms and transforms them into something constructive and useful, like garden tools, art or jewelry. The program nurtures peace and growth instead of violence. It has drawn volunteers from Presbyterian, Baptist, Disciples of Christ, Episcopal and Methodist churches; a Unitarian Universalist congregation; and two synagogues. The group began some five years ago in an intergenerational Sunday school class at Crescent Hill Presbyterian Church. Read more.

If you feel called to give to the Peace & Global Witness Special Offering, please make your donation by Sunday, October 5th. Thank you!

Scrubs Needed

Community Clothes Closet | 1465-B Opportunity Way, Menasha

Menasha Donation Center Hours

Mon – Fri 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. | Mon evenings 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Oshkosh Area Gunderson's

Call your local Gunderson's for location hours

CCC has been receiving many requests for scrubs for their Shopping Floor and in the Traveling Closet but right now, their supply is running low.

If you have gently used or new scrubs to donate, please consider helping fill this important gap. Scrubs make a huge difference for people starting new jobs, going back to school, or needing comfortable, professional clothing.

Together, we can make sure everyone has the clothing they need to move forward with dignity.

Note: Donations dropped off at these Gunderson's should be laundered, placed in 13-gallon sized bags or smaller and limited to 3 bags per visit. No boxes, please. Gunderson Cleaners locations do not launder donations.

Exciting News – The Hope Fridge is Returning to Oshkosh!

Grand Opening!

Thursday, October 2, 2025 | 9:00 - 10:00 a.m.

Trinity Episcopal Church | 203 Algoma Blvd., Oshkosh

We’re thrilled to pass on the news that the Hope Fridge will once again be serving the Oshkosh community with its location outside of Trinity Episcopal!

Join us for the Grand Opening celebration and learn how you can get involved in supporting this important community resource through donations, volunteering, or spreading the word!

Let’s work together to support our neighbors. Hope Fridge = Free Food, No Questions Asked.

Lakefly Spoken Word Night

Thursday, October 7, 2025 | 6:30 p.m. | NAMI Oshkosh | 525 N Main St., Oshkosh

NAMI Oshkosh is hosting Lakefly Spoken Word Night where the community comes together to share their art. Everyone is welcome to participate or just observe!

Writing, performing, even just listening to spoken word and performance poetry has several mental health benefits. It's a creative way to express and release complex and challenging thoughts and emotions, as well as aiding in processing traumatic or difficult events. Writing poetry and performance pieces is an outlet for anxiety and depression. It increases intrapersonal intelligence and cognitive function, which can improve stress tolerance. Writing and sharing spoken word poetry has also been known to improve self esteem, self confidence, and self worth.

Performing and observing spoken word poetry can also foster a sense of community by creating bonds and connections with other people. It encourages empathy and helps people feel less alone when they are able to relate to each other through their words. It allows you to feel seen and understood.

Whether you write and perform spoken word poetry or just enjoy it, there are plenty of ways it can improve your mental health!

Homeless to Housing: A Justice Summit

November 3-6, 2025

In-Person and Online

Learn More & Register

Across the country, communities are grappling with an escalating housing crisis. More than 750,000 people are unhoused, and the United States is underbuilt by nearly 4 million housing units.

This annual Housing Justice Summit brings together faith leaders, grassroots organizers and housing advocates from across the nation. 

Together, these leaders will help participants confront systemic issues, challenge misconceptions, and build collaborative, evidence-based responses to the crisis. Participants can expect:

• Inspiring keynotes and practical workshops led by faith-based and secular leaders working on the frontlines of housing justice.
• Toolkits and cohorts designed to help participants translate learning into local action, complete with digital resources and peer-based accountability groups.
• Post-event online gatherings to sustain momentum, reflect on progress and build long-term networks of support.

An ecumenical approach to Egypt’s refugee crisis

Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) supports refugees in Egypt through grant to refugee-led organization

Beth Waltemath | Presbyterian News Service | September 19, 2025

Egypt faces a mounting refugee crisis, driven by escalating regional conflicts and compounded by reductions in U.S. humanitarian funding. Egypt is currently home to more than 1 million registered refugees and asylum seekers, with projections estimating that number could reach 1.3 million by the end of 2025. Two-thirds are Sudanese, with women and children comprising nearly three-quarters of the refugee population. Many more refugees remain unregistered, especially in southern regions like Aswan, and face increasing barriers to legal protection, education, healthcare, and employment.

In response to these challenges, the American Mission Fund of the PC(USA) is partnering with a local refugee-led organization and has awarded it a grant of $10,000. The organization offers education, legal aid, psychosocial services and community development to all nationalities, regardless of religion or registration status.

In December 2024, Egypt enacted its first national asylum law, shifting refugee registration from the United Nations High Commission on Refugees (UNHCR) to a state-controlled system. UN agencies have condemned the law for lacking non-refoulement protections and criminalizing humanitarian aid. Read more.

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.