Posts by Mary
Creation Care Corner
This month we present another cost of our country’s addiction to fossil fuel: The Department of Transportation has not been enforcing their hazardous-materials (HAZMAT) rules for hauling oil and gas waste. This puts both communities and truck drivers in danger. The hazardous waste results from fracking, which has increased the US output of…
Read MorePastor Message
Be careful which boat you buy. Or maybe you’re not in the market for a boat but the still face the same conundrum – What are you about to add or subtract to your life that will permanently change things? For years I have been paralyzed by option overload when it comes to boats. I…
Read MoreCreation Care Corner June 2026
Have you been hearing about all the giant new data centers being planned and built by tech companies for artificial intelligence? These will be used as central computing locations for artificial intelligence. Several are planned for southern Wisconsin, and one is planned for the Green Bay area. The pattern seems to be that people find…
Read MorePastor’s Message June 2026
Hello one year anniversary! We have made it through each of the past twelve months including the beautiful turning of all four seasons! It feels like it went so fast. I am curious how you reflect back on my being your pastor for a year? Here are a few of my highlights. 1)…
Read MoreCREATION CARE CORNER May 2026
There are positive advancements in climate action. This is a report on a legal organization that is working to reverse harmful government actions affecting climate change. Earthjustice’s Clean Energy Program based in Chicago, Los Angeles, New York, Philadelphia, San Francisco, Washington, DC, and the Boston area, is using the law to accelerate the transition to…
Read MorePastor’s Note May 2026
April showers will (hopefully) bring May flowers—so let’s do some planting. Not literal flowers with roots and petals, but relationship flowers. One of the gifts of church life is simply being together—sharing highs and lows, telling the stories of our weeks, and naming the emotions that come with them. Over time, those moments grow into…
Read MoreSpring Concert
Sunday, May 3rd at 2:00 pm Please join us as we celebrate the 250th Birthday of the United States. Three choral groups – Northwoods Choraliers, Rhinelander Male Chorus, and Hyms & Hyrs will come together and present a concert to honor the birth of our nation. Each group will perform selections depicting various…
Read MoreCreation Care Corner
Algae Blooms Melting Greenland Greenland’s ice sheet is melting, and its disappearance is accelerated thanks to huge blooms of algae newly growing on top of it. With the Arctic warming four times faster than the global average, Greenland, the world’s largest island, is now losing hundreds of billions of tons of ice each year. The…
Read MoreA Message from the Moderator
As we head into April, I just want to say how much I’ve been enjoying some of the new things showing up in our church. The gratitude board, candle lighting station, and lament wall have been really meaningful additions. They’re simple, but they give us ways to pause, reflect, and connect — not just…
Read MoreNote from the Pastors
Dear First Congregational Family, We have something we want to share with you that may come as a surprise, and I hope you will feel our hearts of love for you in this message. Beginning June 15th, Susie will be handing over her half of the shared 3/4 – time pastor responsibilities to…
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