Volume 69, Number 13, March 28, 2017 First Presbyterian Church Chartered in Church Street, PO Box 100 Neenah, Wisconsin

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1 The Church Bell THE CHURCH BELL (U.S.P.S. # ) is published weekly for $1 per year by First Presbyterian Church, 200 Church Street, Neenah, WI Periodicals postage paid at Neenah, WI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 100, Neenah, WI Volume 69, Number 13, March 28, 2017 First Presbyterian Church Chartered in Church Street, PO Box 100 Neenah, Wisconsin Sunday, April 2 nd Fifth Sunday in Lent Communion 8:00 a.m. Worship in the Chapel 9:00 a.m. FaithTime for Everyone! in the Fellowship Hall Heifer International 9:15 a.m. Chancel Choir in the Sanctuary 10:15 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary Noisy Offering Don t forget kids, your Gracie the fish coin box can make quite a splash. The ripple effect from your gift will be felt in people s lives for years to come. Money from the Gracie the Fish Coin Boxes will go to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering and be collected on Palm Sunday, April 9 th. Five Second Steward I m always amazed at how much money the children/ youth can collect toward good causes. They help us see how much good can be done by finding a bit extra to give, even if it is just a quarter or a dime at a time. Photo credit: Heifer International,

2 Upcoming Events... Don t Walk the Journey Alone Caregiver Support Group Meetings March 30 th Becoming a Resilient Caregiver First Presbyterian Church (200 Church St., Neenah), 7:00 to 8:00 p.m. in the Parlor. We are planning another set of dates for this group. Please watch the First Presbyterian Church website ( or contact the church office ( or firstpresneenah@firstpresneenah.org) for more information. Women s Outdoor Fellowship Group The next event of the Women s Outdoor Fellowship Group takes place on Tuesday, April 18 th at 6:00 p.m. We will begin the evening with a salad and dessert potluck, and then show the movie Hidden Figures on the big screen in the SPY Room. Please RSVP to Cindy Huxtable (chuxtable@new.rr.com) and let her know if you will be bringing a salad or dessert. This is also an excellent opportunity to bring a friend! Refugee Resettlement Outreach Thank you to all of you who have shown an interest in supporting the resettlement of a refugee family! The response has been overwhelming and we are excited to take this journey together. Kelsey Hulett of World Relief has indicated that it may take up to four months for us to receive a family, which will give us plenty of time for preparations. Sometime at the end of April, we will set up a 2.5 hour training meeting to help us prepare and plan for the arrival and care of our family. For those of you interested in participating, there is an area of interest form we ask that you fill out and return to the church office by Saturday, April 1 st. The form is available online ( or on the information desk. Around the Community... Financial Peace The Boys & Girls Brigade of Fox Valley (109 W. Columbian Ave., Neenah) offers a lifechanging course that will show you how to get rid of your debt, manage your money, spend and save wisely, and so much more! Taught by radio show host and best-selling author of The Total Money Makeover and The Financial Peace Planner David Ramsey; and coordinated by First Presbyterian Church member Brian Epley. This class takes place at 7:00 p.m. on Tuesdays beginning April 11 th and ending on June 6 th. Visit the course website for more information or to register ( The course cost is $93.00, which goes directly to Financial Peace University for the class kit (it s worth it). Brigade is offering the meeting space free, and the course facilitator is volunteer. Storied Past, Faithful Future In March of 1985, the Board of Deacons announced to the congregation they would refocus their efforts to provide a caretaking, hands-on ministry beginning with older, shutin members of the congregation. They believed this would create a sense of unified ministry and make a real and positive impact on our church family.

3 Christian Education... Adult Sunday Morning Classes Apr 2 Apr 9 FaithTime for Everyone! Heifer International 9 to 10 am Fellowship Hall Children and youth led mission project. Book Discussion Waking Up White Week 4 Where do we go from here? Led by: Lisa Strandberg Come join the discussions on Sunday mornings or Wednesday evenings. Wonderful Wednesdays There is still time to and join us for the next and final Wonderful Wednesday on April 5. March 29 th Schedule 5:30 to 6:15 Dinner & Fellowship 6 to 7:15 Childcare 6:15 to 7:15 Child / Youth Classes Pre-K to 1 st Grade: Fun with Friends 2 nd to 8 th Grade: Science Experiments Led by Ethan and Tyler Meylink Adult Classes Book Study: Waking Up White How many Psalms are there? Knitting 7:00 to 7:15 Prayer Service in the Chapel Connect with fellow members of First Presbyterian Church with your own personal stories of Waking Up White and Finding Myself in the Story of Race through our Facebook page ( Thought provoking quotes and questions will be posted daily. We hope that you will join the conversation! JOY/SPY... FEST Follow-Up The SPY Group (Senior Presbyterian Youth) would like to thank everyone who supported their recent fundraising events: ChiliFEST, PancakeFest, and HOTDOGfest. With these three events combined, the SPY Group was able to raise over $2,300 which will be used to support the 2017 SPY Mission Trip to Kentucky taking place in June. The SPY Group would also like to invite everyone to join them on Sunday, July 2 nd, for Mission Trip Sunday. During the service that day, participants of the Mission Trip will share with you photos and their personal experiences from the trip. Thank you for supporting us in our fundraising efforts. Special thank you to Matt Schroeder for setting up our audio/visual at the HOTDOGfest! Advisors The JOY (Junior Organization of Youth) and SPY (Senior Presbyterian Youth) Groups send out a special thank you to their group advisors for the time they spend on Sunday evenings providing opportunities for meaningful connections and guidance to grow in faith. JOY advisors are: Jaclyn Charais, Taylor Morris, and Kathy Quale. SPY advisors are: Anna Carpenter and Scott and Kelsey Hinkley. Each group provides a safe place where our youth members are accepted and loved for who they are.

4 Remember a loved one with flowers for Easter Providing flowers for Easter Sunday is a beautiful way to remember or honor your loved ones. If you would like to contribute to the beautiful flowers that adorn our church for Easter, please fill out the form below and forward, along with your payment, to the Church Office by Palm Sunday, April 9 th. Please indicate below if you wish to designate your gift. Suggested donation for Easter flowers is $10.00 each. Checks should be made payable to First Presbyterian Church. Please write Easter Flowers on the memo line. Your Name: Designated Name: In honor of In memory of (Check one) Your Name: Designated Name: In honor of In memory of (Check one) Around the Community... 4PM Conference Registration Deadline Extended to April 15 th The PM Conference will be held on April 30 th to May 1, 2017 at the Kalahari Resort & Convention Center, Wisconsin Dells. The conference is open to ALL. There will be opportunities to explore meaningful topics, connect with others, and achieve a better understanding of what it means to be a Christian and a Presbyterian. Be sure to register and set up your guest room at the Kalahari as soon as possible as space is limited. Register NOW at

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6 One Great Hour of Sharing Helps Us Answer God s Call Isaiah calls us to loose the bonds of injustice, to let the oppressed go free, to share bread with the hungry and to invite the homeless poor into our homes. We are called to offer help to those in need and restoration to those who have been broken down. One way we answer this call is through our gifts to the One Great Hour of Sharing Offering (OGHS). Our gifts helped alpaca farmers in Peru whose livelihoods were threatened by the poisoning of their water sources. What began as an apparent need for assistance with irrigation grew into a partnership between these farmers and the Presbyterian Hunger Program to support a host of environmental initiatives. Environmental degradation and climate change are primary threats to the worlds hungry and vulnerable, and the Hunger Program s work is part of our response. Our gifts to the Offering rebuilt 40+ apartments and homes destroyed during the Syrian civil war, so that those made homeless by its violence could return to a home of their own. Presbyterian Disaster Assistance has provided essential support to refugees throughout this crisis, including education for refugee children, emergency supplies for refugees journeying to new lands, and assistance for US congregations receiving refugees into their communities. Our gifts to OGHS Sharing will do much more than these few examples. They will join congregations all over the country as we seek to answer God s call and make a difference in the lives of many more people. On Palm Sunday, April 9 th we will dedicate the 2017 OGHS Offering. Special offering envelopes are available in each pew look for the OGHS logo. First Presbyterian Church 200 Church Street Neenah, WI (920) Interim Pastor: Terry Hamilton-Poore Associate Pastor: Paul Huxtable Director of Christian Education: Gina Struensee Director of Music: Steve Sieck Organist: Blake Doss Handbell Program Coordinator: Paul McKlveen Faith Time Director: David Pecsi Youth Handbell Choir: Tanya Schroeder Parish Nurse: Susan Jares Finance & HR Coordinator: Laurie Stafford Office Administration Coordinator: Cindy Kreis Office Assistant: Michelle Weber Housekeeper: Emily Buksyk Nursery Caregivers: Lauren Jares, Michelle Lewis, and Nikki Van Herwynen