Delta Family Restaurant | 515 N. Sawyer Street, Oshkosh | 920.235.0900
Don’t miss out on this scrumptious event! If you didn't have an opportunity to RSVP, no worries. Just join us at the restaurant!
This is a “no-host” event. Please call the restaurant for the menu and pricing.
Bingo Party
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 10:45 a.m. | First Pres Magnolia Hall
Are you ready for some fun, excitement, and good company!! Come join us for our upcoming bingo party! We'll provide lunch and all the bingo supplies. Bring yourself, bring your family, bring your friends! And we ask that you bring a dessert to share.
Brown Bag Bible Exploration
Tuesday, May 19, 2026 | Noon – 1:30 p.m. | First Pres Multipurpose Room #103
Join us for an incredible gathering where we'll explore the Bible together. You'll be greeted with warmth in our welcoming atmosphere as we share our thoughts! Remember to bring your Bible, your lunch, and your enthusiasm to enhance your understanding of God’s teachings.
Community Breakfast
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | 8:00 – 10:00 a.m. | First Pres Magnolia Hall
Along with a warm and nutritious meal, the Community Breakfast creates a chance for people in the community to forge new friendships and share uplifting words with each other.
So, we would really appreciate your help in spreading the word that this is the perfect spot for anyone seeking support, wanting to lend a hand, or just wishing to join a caring community. Together, we’re not only sharing a meal; we’re cultivating the foundations of our community. Looking forward to seeing you at breakfast!
The Great Plant Exchange
Saturday, June 6, 2026 | 8:30 a.m. - Noon | First Pres Parking Lot
June will arrive sooner than we think. So, it’s the perfect moment for all you gardening enthusiasts to begin your plant cuttings and prepare for our Great Plant Exchange! And if you’re not into cuttings, that’s totally fine! Feel free to join us just as you are to socialize – and keep in mind, you don’t have to bring a plant to take one home! Here's what you need to know:
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
You don't have to bring a plant to take one home!
Non-invasive plants only!
Worth
Mentioning
Pentecost Sunday: Wear Red on May 24th!
On the day of Pentecost in the church year, fifty days after Easter and ten days after the Ascension, we wear RED to signify the work of the Spirit and to remind us of the fire of the Spirit. So, let’s get colorful this coming Pentecost and wear RED everywhere you go! It can be anything from a shirt to a scarf to some red socks! How creative will you be?! Learn more from the PC(USA).
Session Snippets
At the Session meeting in April, the Ruling Elders approved a collaboration with the Oshkosh Tool Library whereby First Pres will display a Community Support Shelter Conestoga Hut on our property in spring/summer. Here's some background on the project.
Conestoga Huts are cheaper and easier to assemble than other individual shelters and tiny homes, and Hut Manuals are purchased around the world by those aspiring to build their own Huts. These resilient structures emphasize keeping unhoused people dry and safe. Security is a crucial asset; too many people on the street lose their belongings.
The Oshkosh Tool Library received a grant to help with community supported shelters in Winnebago County. They are looking to set up a project that is about halfway between a safe parking lot and a tiny house village. They plan to build a Conestoga Hut this spring and want to display one in a prominent location for community visibility and conversation. Check out these links for more information, as well as donating your time, talent, and treasure:
Come, be the hands of the church! Volunteers are needed for these key tasks, and we hope you consider coming forward!
Contact the church office to let us know in which task(s) you're interested or respond using the convenient online form!
Description: Run one gallon of hot water down drain trap in kitchen sink
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 3-month volunteer shift (July, August, and September)
Note: A week can be missed if needed, but coverage would need to be found if multiple weeks are missed.
Description: Run dishwasher load (even if empty)
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 3-month volunteer shift (July, August, and September)
Note: A week can be missed if needed, but coverage would need to be found if multiple weeks are missed.
Description: Litter/Grounds Pickup
Frequency: Weekly
Duration: 3-month volunteer shift (July, August, and September)
Note: A week can be missed if needed, but coverage would need to be found if multiple weeks are missed.
Description: Custodial Closet Clean-Out
Frequency: As able
Duration: The entire task will likely take multiple sessions to complete.
Church Office Closure
The church office will be closed on Monday, May 25, 2026, in observance of Memorial Day.
Connection & Emotional Safety
Grow Roots of Resilience and Hope
Children Thrive When They Feel Accepted, Valued, Safe, & Connected
Last week, Wisconsin recognized Children’s Mental Health Week, a statewide effort led by the Wisconsin Office of Children’s Mental Health to raise awareness, reduce stigma, and encourage communities to support the emotional wellbeing of young people.
Our covenant partner, Samaritan, explored Children's Mental Health Week in its May 6 Wednesday Wellness newsletter article reprinted below.
This year’s [Children's Mental Health Week] centered on belonging, a reminder that children thrive when they feel accepted, valued, safe, and connected. At Samaritan, that theme deeply resonates with what we are hearing from students across our region through our Wellness Screen program. Many young people are surrounded by peers, yet still feel isolated, unseen, or afraid to ask for help.
As we reflect on Children’s Mental Health Week, we invite you to consider how small moments of connection and emotional safety can help young people grow roots of resilience and hope.
At Samaritan, conversations about children's mental health are not abstract. Through our Wellness Screen program, we hear directly from students across our region about what life feels like beneath the surface. And increasingly, we are hearing something important: Many kids are connected, but they do not necessarily feel emotionally safe.
Some students tell us they have friends, but still don’t feel comfortable opening up. Others describe a deep fear of being a burden to the people around them. Some young people, especially boys, report feeling like they don’t belong at all. Others, often girls, say they technically “fit in,” but still don’t feel safe enough to be fully themselves. Read more.
If you or someone you know can benefit from the support that Samaritan provides, contact them today: 920.886.9319 | frontdeskstaff@samaritanfoxvalley.com. They have locations in Menasha, New London, Kaukauna, and Oshkosh (right here in the First Pres church building).
Algoma Boulevard United Methodist Church | 1174 Algoma Boulevard, Oshkosh
Featuring free food & free music, the 12:34 concert series is an event by Algoma Boulevard UMC that hosts Wisconsin musicians the 3rd Sunday of every month. In times of division, it's all about community building. This is a space for everyone to connect over a shared meal followed by an hour of great music. This month is Oshkosh's favorite Cowboy Jazz duo, Sundae & Mr. Goessl. Learn more about this concert series and this month's featured duo.
Film Screening: "No Address"
Sunday, May 17, 2026 | 1:00 - 3:00 p.m.
Appleton Public Library | 200 N. Appleton Street, Appleton
ESTHER Fox Valley and the Mental Health Task Force at First Congregational Church of Appleton are hosting a screening of the film "No Address". Inspired by true events, "No Address" follows the harrowing journey of Lauren, a young woman pushed onto the streets and forced to survive against all odds. Alongside a makeshift family of outcasts - each with their own haunting story of struggle and loss - Lauren discovers that home is not just a place, but the people who refuse to let you fall.
Mutual Aid Market
Saturday, May 23, 2026 | Saturday, June 6, 2026 | 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Opera House Square | 315 N. Main Street, Oshkosh
Common Roots Rising invites you to meet local mutual aid resources you can be part of! Local organizations are coming together to share info on the free resources they provide to the community, with no qualifications or limitations. Learn how you can offer help and/or receive help with food, personal care, repair skills, education, and more.
This will also be a free swap event! Bring items you no longer use; take items someone else no longer uses! May swap items will be clothing, and June swap items will be toys and games.
What is Common Roots Rising?
Common Roots Rising is a community collective committed to unifying for the common good through collaboration, cooperation, and co-creation.
Common Roots Rising is …
co-creating a culture of kindness, belonging, creative expression, and engagement — a culture that is committed to cultivating and nurturing healthy connections with each other and the amazing natural world that surrounds us and sustains us.
building a community connection network for sharing our co-creative culture, regenerative sustainability consciousness, and commUNITY. Through stories, interviews, and conversations we share our voices, ideas and initiatives supporting our common relationships.
connecting and sharing resources around the Fox Cities. We are focusing on and supporting commUNITY wellBEing, regenerating local, relocalizing our food, connecting and growing mutual aid networks and resources in the greater Fox Cities region.
encouraging regeneration on all levels — growing healthy, sustainable vibrancy back into all that makes our community thrive.
As preparations continue for the 227th General Assembly (GA227) of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), several helpful resources are now available to help us stay informed and engaged throughout the Assembly season.
Use the Guide to GA227 to understand how the denomination makes decisions through the General Assembly (GA) and why those decisions matter. The GA’s actions shape our shared theology, mission priorities, polity and public witness — touching every session, pastor, and member. The guide includes:
An overview of General Assembly processes
Key topics and decisions before the Assembly
Reflection and discussion questions for groups or individuals
