Category: Children

World Communion Sunday and International Food Potluck

Cheri Simonet
World Communion Sunday

Sunday – October 6, 2024

World Communion Sunday began way back in 1930. The PC(USA) has long promoted this occasion with encouragement to its churches to not just offer “communion as usual”, but to explore the use of different breads, global music, and creative liturgy to enter into the spirit of the celebration and allow congregations a taste of the sacrament from our sisters and brothers around the world.

We will celebrate this year with Christian churches around the world as we share the sacrament together on Sunday, October 6th. Each tray passed will offer several different kinds of bread from which to choose, symbolizing different communities around the world who share the sacrament with us. We look forward to a special message in this service from Taylor Wittman, currently serving in the Peace Corps in Albania.

International Food Potluck

Following our celebration of World Communion on Sunday October 6th, the congregation is invited to a very special potluck lunch in Fellowship Room.

We will continue the global community emphasis by inviting your international food contributions for the potluck—plan to try out a new recipe or bring a favorite from your own ethnic background, but the point is to have a wide variety of foods from around the world as our lunch together. We first tried this last year and had a great time tasting Swedish meatballs, Greek lasagna, Indian curry and more.

Bring a label for your item with ingredients listed or make one with blanks provided here as you drop it off that morning. We want to inform everyone about what they can expect as we enjoy fellowship around the tables and sample foods we may have never tasted before!

Trunk-or-Treat 2024

Cheri Simonet

Has your neighborhood ‘aged out’ of trick-or-treating? Do you buy too much candy and then get stuck eating it all on your own? Or, are you happy enough to turn off your lights and hide in the basement on Halloween?

We have a deal for you!

It’s time for our 3rd annual Trunk-or-Treat when we seek to meet our neighbors and community where they are.

Trunk-or-Treat will happen in our church parking lot from

4:00—5:00 pm on Sunday, October 27th

The trunks of our cars will be open and decorated for the Halloween season, parked around the perimeter of the lot. Each car needs to be hosted by its owner. Children of this church and those from the neighborhood are invited to come trick-or-treat at our trunks, moving from one car to the next collecting treats and perhaps play a game or otherwise interact with each trunk host.

Sounds like fun, right? Now we need the trunks to make it happen!

With your trunk open and your heart wide, please volunteer to join us!

To participate, sign up on the bulletin board or call the church office at 920-437-8121 or email office@firstpresgreenbay.org to get on the list.

Check out a few trunks from our past Trunk-or-Treats!

  • Trunk-or-Treat 2022
  • Trunk-or-Treat 2022
  • Trunk-or-Treat 2022

Sunday School Begins September 8

Cheri Simonet
Sunday School

It’s back-to-school and back to Sunday School, too!

Sunday school class is for preschool through fifth grade children and begins on Sunday, September 8th. We leave the worship service at the conclusion of the children’s message and head upstairs to rooms 204/206 for a Bible story, lesson, craft or project, and prayer. All are welcome—bring a friend along!

This fall we’ll be using the Shine Curriculum. The lessons will include a bible story, discussion, sharing and craft activities. It’s easy to teach and easy to adjust for the ages and size of the group.

If you might be willing to teach a week or a month or more, please see Joel Morien.

Vacation Bible School 2024

Cheri Simonet
Vacation Bible School

August 5th thru 8th

The Christian Education Committee is excited to begin preparations for our 2024 Vacation Bible School! Our theme this year is We are God’s People.

We are God’s People will go through different stories in the bible that include Solomon from Solomon’s Temple, Jesus and the Resurrection, the man who was lowered through the roof for Jesus to heal, and on the final night our focus is We are the Body when we reflect on how we all have different gifts but together we form the body of Christ.

Bible School is led by members of our CE Committee and is open to children aged 4 through those who have completed fifth grade. Older children and youth are welcome to participate as volunteers. This year we have four fun-filled evenings planned from August 5 through 8. We ask that children are dropped off shortly before 5:30 so our light meal can begin at 5:30, and our evening ends with class concluding at 7:30.

This is an excellent opportunity for friends, neighbors, cousins, and grandchildren. Please spread the word to members and non-members alike, the more the merrier!

Registration is online only.

Register Now!

To volunteer or for questions please contact our Director of Children, Youth, and Family Ministries, Joel Morien, at (920) 437-8121 or email ce@firstpresgreenbay.org

We look forward to seeing the children at VBS in August!

May is Mental Health Awareness Month

Cheri Simonet
Mental Health Awareness Month

The PC(USA) Store has resources for children and adults.

For information on mental illness contact the National Alliance on Mental Illness. NAMI provides advocacy, education, support and public awareness so that all individuals and families affected by mental illness can build better lives.

The NAMI HelpLine can be reached Monday through Friday, 10am – 10pm, ET.

Call 1-800-950-NAMI (6264), text “HelpLine” to 62640 or email at helpline@nami.org.

In an emergency dial 911. Ask the operator for police officers trained in crisis intervention or trained to assist people experiencing a psychiatric emergency.

988 Suicide and Crisis Hotline – 24/7 free and confidential emotional support to people in suicidal crisis or emotional distress. Dial or text 988.

Crisis Text Line  – Text HOME to 741-741
Connect with a trained crisis counselor to receive free, 24/7 crisis support via text message.

Annual 2024 Ski Trip

Cheri Simonet
Annual Ski Trip

The snow has begun to fly so the time has come to have some fun on the slopes at our annual Ski Trip! This year we’ll once again be joined by our friends from First United Presbyterian Church of DePere.

And, although primarily coordinated with Youth Group, the ski trip is considered a family event so all are welcome to join!

Our ski destination is Ski Brule and we’ll be checking in on Friday, January 26th, checking out Saturday, January 27th at the Chicaugon Lake Inn. 

We will need a minimum of 20 skiers to take advantage of the Ski Brule group discount so spread the word to family, friends and neighbors. The more the merrier!

We hope to see you on the slopes!

Outdoor Worship and Ice Cream Social

Cheri Simonet
Outdoor Worship

September 10, 2023

“Back to school” sales are in full force and that means it is time for us all to come back to church after summer vacations and breaks! We celebrate the beginning of this new program year with a fun and casual outdoor worship on Sunday, September 10th at 10:00 am (weather permitting) on the front lawn. Bring your own chair or sit in one we’ve set up on the sidewalk—please don’t let navigating the grass keep you away.

Our worship service will feature a playful re-telling of the creation story and a special blessing of backpacks for all those headed back to school. If you are a student of any age, a teacher or administrator or helper in a school setting of any kind, please bring your backpack or other school bag on this day to receive a blessing including a special keychain to add to your bag. Let’s see how many backpacks and bags we can bless this year!

Following worship, we welcome everyone into the Fellowship Room for an ice cream social featuring dipped ice cream with all the toppings—plan to build your own sundae. This is a perfect day to bring a friend or neighbor or grandchild to worship, so please join us!

April 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

2—4—2 @ the U

Thank you to all who helped make 2-4-2 @ the U happen! We served 22 kids plus workers and all were happy. The menu was homemade chili (vegetarian too!) with all the fixings along with wonderful desserts. The kids were appreciative about everything. Thank you again for your support!

Dear Souper Bowl Makers and Tasters

The Outreach Committee would like to extend a thank you to all for the Souper Bowl Sunday! The Pantry appreciates your gift and thanks to your contributions raised we’re giving each Pantry family a ham for Easter. Blessings to all who helped us succeed in giving our folks a beautiful Easter dinner!

March 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Souper Bowl of Caring Tackles Hunger!

Our Souper Bowl of Caring was a great time of food and fellowship! Using muffin tins (genius!) everyone had the opportunity to sample 8 amazing soups. The judging was tough because all were delicious! We had nearly 40 votes and the grand prize winner was chef Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges with her Christmas Corn Chowder. Georjeanna was awarded the golden ladle during worship on February 26th.

We raised $285 for the Presbyterian Pantry but thanks to a generous, anonymous donor, that amount was matched and the grand total raised was $570—wow! Thanks to everyone who attended and voted, and thanks to our amazing chefs—Brooke Bruette, Russ Christensen, Al Smith, Georjeanna Wilson-Doenges, Brenda and George Hubbard, Ross and Lyn Early, Joel and Brittany Morien and Pastor Katie.

Thanks also to our CE Committee who made the event possible and to Mary Belanger who helped configure our crockpot outlets so we didn’t blow a circuit!

Cozy Kids are cozy thanks to you!

THANK YOU to everyone who made our Cozy Kids January Campaign such a success! The kids were so grateful for all the generous contributions! Our community of faith is truly blessed to have so many members who give back to our local community, especially to our friends and families in need at Tank School.

February 2023 Rundown

Cheri Simonet
Monthly Rundown

Unforced Rhythms of Grace

Pastor Katie and Joel Morien were thrilled to attend the annual conference of the Association of Partners in Christian Education in late January, held in Birmingham Alabama. They appreciated plenary sessions with speaker John Pavlovitz whose most recent book is If God is Love, Don’t Be a Jerk, worship with local gospel choirs and nationally-known preachers, and a multitude of workshops. It was also an opportunity to network with others in ministry as the event drew more than 500 participants from around the country.

2nd Annual Burns Night—an Evening in the Highlands

Thanks to everyone involved in last Saturday’s second annual Burns Night Benefit Dinner: An Evening in the Highlands! More than 100 people gathered at the Green Bay Distillery to raise funds to help Hurricane Ian victims and to enjoy an wonderful evening. An optional Scotch tasting session was followed by a hearty feast of Whiskey Glazed Salmon or Whiskey Glazed Pork Loin with lots of extras. We also enjoyed amazing entertainment and activities including the Clan Donald Pipe Band, the Irish Heritage Dancers, sword dancing, Address to the Haggis, and more! It was a great evening, but don’t you think it’s a little cold for kilts?

  • Burns Dinner 2023
  • Burns Dinner 2023

Annual Ski Trip

This year’s ski trip was a fabulous time! We were fortunate to have our friends from First United along for the fun. The weather was perfect for a day on the slopes and the day was filled with fellowship and fun. And, this year everyone was off the bunny hill by 10:30 check-in!

Happy 100th Birthday to Theda Nero!

Wishing you a blessed day on your birthday and all the days ahead in your 100th year!

Theda Nero 100th Birthday
Stephanie Fahringer and Donna Jansen join Theda Nero for her 100th Birthday Celebration