First Pres Moving Forward, Strong Together... Join the Movement

Together, Let’s Preserve Our Church’s Beauty!

Every Sunday and throughout the week, as we gather for worship and community events, it's important that our church reflects the love and care we share. We would love your help in keeping our space clean and welcoming for all. Although our areas are cleaned weekly, we can all pitch in by throwing away our trash and recycling items like coffee cups and water bottles in the appropriate bins before we leave. Since the water fountains are not available right now, please remember to take your water bottles with you or recycle them when you're done! Thank you for helping us keep our church beautiful!

Madison Day of Action

On Thursday, April 10, 2025, hundreds of Wisconsites marched to the Capitol for a day of community action and advocacy to promote social justice, equity, and policy. Attendees engaged with leaders, listened to inspiring speakers, and participated in legislative meetings to make their voices heard. The event was sponsored by WISDOM, a statewide network comprised mainly of faith-based organizations fighting for immigrant rights, correcting the narrative around formerly incarcerated individuals, as well as fighting for racial, social and economic justice for all.

Pastor Deb had been invited to attend, and she offered the benediction. Thank you, Pastor Deb, for taking every opportunity to put our faith into action.

Take a few moments to hear Pastor Deb's inspirational words!

Addressing and Preventing Childhood Trauma in Winnebago County:

Supporting elementary school students to basic needs resources

Speaking of reaching out beyond the sanctuary walls, here’s some work in which Pastor Deb is involved in our community.

Over the past three years, community advocates have convened to talk through system level changes to address and prevent childhood trauma in Winnebago County. After many community conversations and analysis of much data, the task force created seven recommendations (now committees) that are focused on changing systems to support elementary school students and their families in getting their basic needs met.

Here’s a summary and some initial committee successes:

Addressing Systemic Barriers: Identifying gaps, barriers and opportunities for improvement in policies and systems youth and families interact with.

Individually met with community partners on the task force to learn more about specific challenges with systems they are a part of and/or those that interact with the youth and families they serve.

Before & After School Programs: Creating and expanding before and after-school programs for elementary school students.

Collaborating with state coordinators on effectiveness of before and after-school programs for student success.
Narrowing the problem to address and focus on implementing more before-school programs at elementary schools directly.

Community Schools Strategy: Integrating the evidence-based Community School System into Winnebago County Districts.

Convened a community conversation for interested districts and community partners led by state and local Community School Directors and Coordinators.

Food Security: Evaluating and increasing access to food for elementary school students.

Brought community partners together who are currently working on food security to show the need of increasing food security and culturally appropriate food in school districts.

Hygiene Care: Evaluating and increasing access to hygiene and laundry care for elementary school students.

Partnered with the Help For The Homeless Hygiene Drive (H4HHD) to connect Read Elementary as a recipient for the 2025 Drive.

McKinney-Vento Homeless and Transition Support: Advocating for more resources and understanding of the federally required but unfunded mandate for school districts to implement the McKinney-Vento Act and support students experiencing homelessness.

Coordinating almost all schools, districts and housing organizations involvement in this task-force.
Applying for funding to help all public school districts in Winnebago County to identify and support students and families experiencing homelessness. Along with helping families know their rights under McKinney-Vento.

Transportation Policies: Removing barriers to transportation accessibility for elementary school students.

Developing a current understanding of current work to reduce transportation barriers.
Collaboration between school district administration and community resources..

Tuesday, May 20, 2025

Noon – 1:30 p.m.

Magnolia Hall at First Pres

Join us for a delightful gathering where we’ll worship God and explore the Bible side by side. You’ll feel right at home in our inviting space as we discuss the teachings and celebrate Jesus Christ! Remember to bring your Bible, your lunch, and your eagerness to learn more about God’s word.

Saturday, May 24, 2025 | 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. | Magnolia Hall at First Pres

Join your friends and family for a wonderful experience at the Community Breakfast! Enjoy delicious food and engage in heartfelt conversations. It's a great opportunity to reconnect with old friends and meet new ones.

If you're up for it, we would love any help you can provide while you're there. We could use assistance in different areas, such as setting up, cooking, cleaning, serving, or just chatting with guests. Let’s team up to make this event a memorable one for everyone! Whether you’re coming to enjoy a meal, lend a hand, or do both, it’s always a pleasure to see you and share some quality time!

Saturday, June 7, 2025 | 8:00 a.m. – noon | First Pres Parking Lot

June is just around the corner, so it's the perfect time for all you gardeners to start your plant cuttings and gear up for our Great Plant Exchange! And if you're not into cuttings, that's totally fine! Feel free to join us as you are – and keep in mind, you don’t have to bring a plant to take one home!

Indoor and Outdoor Plants - free to a loving home!

Meet friends & exchange gardening tips

Drop off your extra flowers and plants to share with others

Donate plants in non-returnable containers

Pick up something new for your own garden

Non-invasive plants only!

Traveling Oshkosh Memory Café

Wednesday, May 21, 2025 | 1:30 – 3:00 p.m.

Garden of Edna | 2949 W. 20th Avenue, Oshkosh

Join this special celebration of growth, legacy, and community at one of Oshkosh’s most beloved gardens. This remarkable property, originally purchased by Edna in 1950, has blossomed through the years into a testament to family dedication and love for nature. After Edna’s passing in 2022, her son Jim and his sister have continued to nurture and expand the garden, which has become a vibrant part of Oshkosh’s landscape. The garden won the prestigious “Curve Appeal’ award in 1999 and was also featured as a highlight of the Oshkosh Garden Walk in 2022 with over 500 visitors marveling at its splendor.

Dementia Care Partner Conference

Friday, June 13, 2025 | 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.

Fox Valley Technical College | 1825 N. Bluemound Drive, Appleton (Entrance 16-North parking lot)

Space Is Limited – Registration Required

For more information & to register: call 920.225.1711

Free event with no additional cost for respite care

The dementia care partner conference offers valuable support and resources for caregivers of individuals with dementia, empowering them to be the best care partners possible. This event creates a space for sharing knowledge, resources, and personal experiences, building a community and providing guidance to those in caregiving roles.

Kin•dom Camp

June 15-20, 2025 | Ages 12-17

Stronghold Camp & Retreat Center

1922 Routh 2 North, Oregon, Illinois

Registration Required

For more information, pricing & to register:

call 815.732.6111, ext 613

Now more than ever, LGBTQIA+ youth are in need of unconditional love and acceptance. Kin•dom camp will be a week for LGBTQIA+ youth to experience belonging and affirmation. The week will include plenty of “traditional” camp activities and recreation, plus some specialized programming to incorporate activities and conversations around queer history, culture, and experiences.

Kin•dom camp is an opportunity for LBGTQIA+ youth to feel safe and free to show up as their full selves. Campers will have the chance to experience all the fun that camp has to offer in a week filled with affirmation, community, and celebration. This camp is affirming – full stop. It affirms all genders, sexualities, identities, religious backgrounds, and varieties of belief. The only thing we expect is a commitment to welcoming and celebrating everyone where they are, as they are.

Meal Kit May

Oshkosh Area Community Pantry

2551 Jackson Street, Oshkosh

Donation Hours: Monday – Friday 9:00 a.m. – 3: 30 p.m.

It’s time for this month’s Food Drive for Oshkosh Area Community Pantry. Participate in the May Food Drive Focus this month and help OACP change up donations with their Meal Kit May Food Drive! So, add an item or 2 from the list to your shopping cart and drop off at OACP

Some examples of items they’re looking for include:

Pasta Roni * Rice a Roni * Manwich * Hamburger or Tuna Helper * Canned Fish

Noodle Cups * Ravioli * Canned Pasta * Chef Boyardee * Ramen

Canned Chicken * Canned Ham * Spam * Corned Beef Hash * Pizza Kits

They, of course, can still use any donations whether it be food or monetary, but this month they are encouraging donors to pick up meal kits to keep things simple for our busy lives!

Climate & Health Action Together (CHAT)

Sparking conversation, mobilizing change

For more information:

call 920.232.3000 or email CHATWisconsin@gmail.com

Climate change is not just a future problem for our kids and grandkids. It’s here and it’s affecting the health of all Wisconsinites, some more than others. In response, a group of public health and climate change professionals created Wisconsin Climate & Health Action Together, or CHAT, to expand the conversation on climate and health solutions that can safeguard our health and well-being.

CHAT partners came together to launch their “healthy planet, healthy people” coordinated campaign on Earth Day (April 22) to build broader awareness about the ways climate change impacts our health and what we can do about it.

Ultimately, the goal is for local leaders to meet with community members and make a plan of action that protects the health of our people, economy, and Wisconsin’s special outdoor spaces and traditions.

If this sounds like something you want to be a part of, CHAT is actively inviting new partners to participate in the coordinated awareness campaign. The “healthy people, healthy planet” campaign runs for one year from April 2025–March 2026. Planning for the next community organizing phase will begin this summer.

Explore Your Mental Health

We all have mental health.

Mental health is our ability to engage with our emotions, thoughts, interactions with others, and the world around us. Mental health affects how we think, feel, and act every day. Just like with our physical health, we can do things that make us mentally healthier and happier. When you feel mentally well, you’re more able to enjoy life and the people in it, feel better about yourself, keep up with fulfilling relationships, and manage stress.

Exploring your mental health will help you better understand what you need to support your mental wellbeing.

We all have tough days and weeks, and everyone manages their mental health every day. The best way to protect mental health is to pay attention to it even when you’re feeling ok or even good. Becoming more aware of what disrupts your mental health, will help you learn what actions, tools and resources may be useful to help you when you need it. There are many ways to take action – big and small – to improve mental health for yourself and for those around you. Taking proactive steps to understand and care for your mental well-being isn’t just self-care—it’s an investment in your future.

Experiencing poor mental health is not the same as having a mental health condition.

A mental health condition, or mental illness, refers to a set of symptoms that have been identified by a health provider. People with mental health conditions experience change in emotions, thinking, and/or behavior. For some, this means extreme and unexpected changes in mood, like feeling more sad or worried than usual. For others, it means not thinking clearly, pulling away from friends and activities you used to enjoy, or hearing voices that others do not. Mental illness is treatable; it is not always a permanent state of being.

The opportunities and resources we have available in our neighborhoods, schools, workplaces, and communities can help support our mental health and wellbeing.

Mental health is about what we do as individuals, and how we are supported in our communities. For example, neighborhoods and organizations can provide resources that support your sense of belonging, connectedness, and mental wellbeing.

National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus urges denomination to advocate for Palestinians in Gaza and Christians in Syria

By Layton Williams Berkes Presbyterian News Service

May 2, 2025

The National Middle Eastern Presbyterian Caucus has written two open letters calling for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) to strengthen its advocacy efforts for Christians in the Middle East, one concerning Christians in Syria and the other on Palestinians in Gaza.

Both letters, included below, were submitted to the Racial Equity Advocacy Committee [REAC] with hopes of reaching the broader church and especially denominational leaders.

The first letter calls for advocacy on behalf of Christians in Syria, Lebanon, and Palestine, while specifically focusing on persecutions experienced by religious minorities, including Christians, in Syria. The caucus thanks the Office of Public Witness for its work in recent months addressing the conflict in the Middle East and emphasizes the threats to the rights and safety of Christians in the region due to instability and tensions between various parties within the country and attacks from outside forces. The NMEPC specifically calls upon REAC and the denomination to proactively advocate for Christians in Syria and pressure the U.S. government to change its policies concerning the Middle East. Read more.

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More Light Presbyterians

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.