Volume 70, Number 17, April 24, 2018

First Presbyterian Church Chartered in 1848

200 Church Street, PO Box 100 Neenah, Wisconsin 920-725-4391

Sunday, April 29th

8:00 a.m. Worship in the Chapel

8:30 a.m. Joyful Noise Handbells

9:00 a.m. Adult Christian Ed in the First Flr Mtg Rm FaithTime! – See inside for details!

9:15 a.m. Chancel Choir in the Sanctuary

10:15 a.m. Worship in the Sanctuary

3:45 p.m. SPY Fellowship

5:00 p.m. JOY Fellowship

The Pastor Nominating Committee is excited to announce they have begun interviewing candidates via Skype. “We are praying and working hard to find just the right person to lead our church. We ask for

your continued patience and prayers for our efforts!”

THE CHURCH BELL (U.S.P.S. #442-300) is published weekly for $1 per year by First Presbyterian Church, 200 Church Street, Neenah, WI 54956. Periodicals postage paid at Neenah, WI. POSTMASTER: Send address changes to First Presbyterian Church, P.O. Box 100, Neenah, WI 54957-0100

The Church Bell

Upcoming Events ............................................

Need some adult time? Drop the kids off on Friday, May 11th, 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. and we’ll

watch them at no charge! RSVP with the number of children attending and their ages to Gina

Struensee (text to 915-8636 or gstruensee@firstpresneenah.org) by Wednesday, May 9th.

Young Adult Mission Project The FPCN Young Adult Fellowship group will be constructing a shed

for Habitat for Humanity on Sunday, June 3rd

, 3:00 to 5:00 p.m. We invite all,

ages 20 to 35, to help. No prior experience is necessary. All you need to do is show up

with a hammer in hand. We will meet and build in the church staff parking lot. For additional

information or to let us know that you will be there, please contact Paul Huxtable

(phuxtable@firstpresneenah.org or 725-4391).

Gratitude & Generosity .................................. Got Gratitude? Need More? We invite you to participate in a pilot book study of Gratitude Works! by

Robert Emmons. We will begin this 21-day program on Sunday, May 6th after

the 10:15 a.m. service. Books are available on the information desk for a

suggested donation of $10 or you can purchase through Amazon Kindle for

$5.99. Please sign up at the information desk or contact the church office

(725-4391) if you wish to participate in the pilot book study.

Storied Past, Faithful Future

The FPCN Membership Commission created our Progressive Dinner event in 1980 after the

membership of our 81 Club and Faith and Fellowship groups dwindled. The Progressive

Dinner was formed to create fellowship opportunities for all ages, single and couples along

with new members.

Adult Christian Education ........ Please join us 9:00 to 10:00 a.m. in the new meeting room

located on the first floor across from the kitchen.

Apr 29 Part 1: The Five Generations and Generational

Differences

Led by Larry Lewis

Each generation has a unique set of characteristics,

values, priorities, and beliefs. This program will focus on

these generational differences. When we have a better

understanding and acceptance of the characteristics of

each generation, it can improve communication and help

all of us in our relationships with co-workers, family, and

friends. We strongly encourage you to attend both classes

as the information from the April 29th class is the

foundation for the May 6th class.

May 6 Part 2: Millennials and the Church – Here They Come, Ready or Not

Led by Larry Lewis

Millennials now the largest generation, are having a major effect on our society and

ways of life including the church. This presentation centers on the future of the

church and a need to develop an intentional plan going forward.

Youth Christian Education Sunday, April 29

9-10am

PreK thru

High School

Mission Projects!

Heifer International

May Day Baskets

Snack Packs

Nettie M. Annis April 19, 1931 – April 18, 2018

We extend our sympathy to the family of Nettie Annis, who passed away on Wednesday, April 18, 2018.

Do not fear, for I have redeemed you; I have called you by name, you are mine.

―Isaiah 43:1

Mission & Outreach .................... We will be planting our JUST.GOOD.FOOD gardens soon! The food

from our gardens is placed at the Neenah Police Dept. in the

JUST.GOOD.FOOD stand. God calls us to serve our neighbor

and that is just what we do through the distribution of good

food to others. If you would like to get involved in any aspect of

planting, watering or harvesting, please contact the church office

(725-4391) or Cindy Huxtable (chuxtable@new.rr.com). Planting will begin in May but now is

the time to start thinking about serving in this unique and important way.

SPY Youth Group ..................................... Mission Trip to Hazard, Kentucky Our Senior Presbyterian Youth (SPY) Group will be departing for Hazard, Kentucky on

Saturday, June 9th. The group will help to construct new homes and to remodel existing homes.

We experienced our best turn out ever at this year’s ChiliFest, PancakeFEST,

and HotDogfest. We truly appreciate your support!

.........

Refugee Resettlement ................................... Update!

First, thank you to everyone for your continued support in so many ways!

As you know, FPCN was matched with an Afghanistan refugee family. The Muhammad family

arrived in the U.S. in mid-March and The Good Neighbor team has been working directly with

the family to help them adjust and get settled into their new life here in Appleton and the U.S.

Father, Raziq, is 34 and formerly owned a camera shop in Afghanistan. Mother, Somaya, is 28

and a 5th grade math teacher. Their daughter Sana is 15 months old with beautiful eyes and an

inquisitive personality.

The Muhammad’s fled Afghanistan three years ago when their region became unsafe. Through

the UN Resettlement Program, they were provided one-room accommodations in a Pakistan

refugee camp and placed on a long wait list for refugee resettlement. During that time

Somaya’s family were settled in Germany and Raziq’s family choose to return to Afghanistan.

The family is extremely thankful for all that the church members have done for them. Raziq

and Somaya have begun the process of learning English and at some point in the future; they

hope to visit the church to personally thank everyone.

Again, the Good Neighbor team can’t thank you enough for all of your generosity as we help

the Muhammad family settle into life here. We are currently looking for a basic or gently used

washer and dryer for the family. We will continue to keep you updated on the family’s

progress. Thank you! The Good Neighbor team, Siv Lindgren-Galloway, Anne Jones, Marilyn

Paulson, and Amy Cebulski.

Thank You! ....................................................... Friend’s Class met last Friday, April 20

th. We enjoyed

a wonderful casserole and carrot cake lunch

complements of Kandy Werner! After lunch, Parish

Nurse Susan Jares gave a lecture on the importance of

staying hydrated. Susan had us laughing and playing

games designed to help us remember the importance of

keeping hydrated as well as how much and what to

drink. All that and we had enough extra food to put

together four meals for the FPCN “Home Meal

Ministry” program!

We hope that you will join us for our next Friend’s Class on

Friday, May 18th

. Watch the Church Bell Newsletter for details!

Member News .......................................... New Members Tom and Amy Van Doorn have been married for 34

years and recently relocated from their Parkville,

Missouri home of 18 years to Neenah for Tom’s new

position as Vice President of Sales with Nercon. They

have two grown children, Catherine and Wills.

Catherine lives in Lexington, KY with her husband

Patrick. She is a second year Pharmacy student at the

University of Kentucky. In May, Wills will graduate

from the University of Missouri in Information

Technology and a minor in Computer Science.

The Van Doorns enjoy waterskiing and wakeboarding as well as venturing up to the mountains

for snow skiing and snowboarding. Music is a major part of their lives, playing music together

on various instruments from piano and flute to guitar, drums, etc.

Tom is a car guy and he enjoys working on his vintage sports cars almost as much as driving

them. Amy’s passion for architecture, antiques, and gardening is fulfilled by attending art

exhibtions, touring historical properties and gardens throughout the U.S.

After church leadership in Missouri where Amy was a Trustee and Tom formed and lead a new

Sunday School class, Tom and Amy look forward to becoming more involved at First

Presbyterian Church Neenah.

David Schuhart is happily married to FPCN member Kathleen

Corley Schuhart. They live in Oshkosh with their Cattle dog

named Blue.

David loves photography of all kinds but portraits and flowers are

his favorite. He was the youth leader at his last church in Florida

and looks forward to working with the youth of this church.

Service has been a big part of David’s life going all the way back

to youth group as a child, his time spent in the Army, and now

working as the Facilities Maintenance Coordinator here at FPCN.

“Thank you for making me feel so welcome!”

Welcome Clark James Hjerstedt, son of Lauren and Brian Hjerstedt, grandson of Jo and Monny Hjerstedt,

and great-grandson of Sally Hjerstedt, born on Monday, April 16, 2018.

Odds & Ends .................................................... Lost & Found Our lost and found box runneth over! Items will be placed on tables in the church foyer on

Sunday, April 29th and May 6

th. Please take a moment to see if any belong to you! Any items

not claimed will be donated.

Sunday was Earth Day, a special day set aside for us to focus on how

we are using the earth’s resources and how our actions impact those

around us.

I will never look at a glass of orange juice the same way after last week

reading about Mayan children in Belize who were suffering unexplained

illnesses and rashes. The Mayan people lived in the rain forest for

thousands of years. In the early 1990’s, they were kicked out of their

homes when their ancestral land was sold off to a large corporation. The

land was clear-cut and used for growing oranges. Now called

“environmental refugees,” the least of these, the “real poor of the earth”

were shut off from God’s creation, their ancestral land, the rain forest,

and removed from their homes, displaced to other areas. It was

discovered there were now toxins in the river they were using for

drinking water and washing. As it turns out, the pesticides and

fungicides used for the orange groves leeched into the river, so not only

were the people moved off their land, they were being poisoned by the

pesticides used to cultivate the crops that replaced the rain forest.

The oranges that are produced are converted into concentrate and now

appear on our shelves in the United States. But what is the true cost of

the orange juice? The true cost is the rain forest, the river, the home of the Mayan community,

and the very health of the people of Belize. They are the ones paying the price.

Our guest preacher Laura reminded us on Sunday what a tremendous responsibility we have in

the choices we make, in the food we choose to consume.

Don’t get me wrong…I like my orange juice. But I guess a question comes to mind…what can

I do to affect change? The poor always live on the margins of God’s creation. What change can

I bring about that will bring justice to the marginalized?

Psalm 82:3 says “Give justice to the weak and the orphan; maintain the right of the lowly and

the destitute.”

I’ll never look at a glass of orange juice the same way again.

Blessings,

First Presbyterian Church 200 Church St., Neenah WI 54956 Phone: 920.725.4391 Website: www.firstpresneenah.org Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FirstPresNeenah Interim Senior Pastor: Terry Hamilton-Poore Associate Pastor: Paul Huxtable Director of Christian Education: Gina Struensee

UPCOMING

EVENTS UPCOMING

EVENTS Friday, Apr 27th

5pm and 7pm Badger

State Girl Choir

Performances

Thursday, May 3rd National Day of Prayer

Sunday, May 13th Mother’s Day

Sunday, May 20th One service of

worship at 10:15 a.m.

Pentecost and

Confirmation Sunday