Members of the First Congregational Church family have varied personal and professional backgrounds and come from all walks of religious and spiritual life. One of the resounding things we hear is that no matter how people found their way here, they liked it and stayed because of the co-pastor team we have in Ralph and Carol DiBiasio-Snyder, and because of the warm, welcoming, non-judgmental environment offered here from staff and members alike. Contained in this section you will find member stories of where folks came from, what their background is, how they found their way to FCC, and why they stayed once they arrived here. Just as our church family continues to grow, so will this section as we receive more stories from those who have joined and are willing to share theirs. Whether you’re already a member of FCC, or are looking for a new or different church home and wanting to see what we have to offer, we hope to eventually be able to share your story with others. Please join us, won’t you?
Ron Harrell
Ron Harrell had the good fortune of growing up on a 20-acre farm outside the university town of Platteville in the rolling hills of Southwestern Wisconsin. His family raised everything from sheep, to Berkshire pigs, to Jersey cows, to Angus beef cattle, to chickens, cats, rabbits, dogs and horses. As is the case with many farms, they also always had a huge garden that provided them with food throughout the year, and they butchered their own beef cattle to put steaks and roasts on the table. Ron’s father was the head of the math and secondary education departments at Platteville State Teacher's College (which eventually became UW-Platteville). Along with teaching and gentleman farming, he spent countless hours as a school board member, CESA board member, State Teacher's Retirement Board member and as a hospital administrator. Ron’s mother was equally busy working various shifts as a registered nurse and serving as an interim school nurse at the university while Ron and his three sisters, Connie, Janet and Gretchen, went to school.
The Harrell family attended the First Congregational Church in Platteville where young Ron sang in the choir, participated in youth group, and taught Sunday School. Ron considers himself fortunate to have had a wonderful pastor there, Rev. Richard Chartier, who encouraged him to think about religion and life in general during his teen and college years.
After graduating from UW Platteville in 1969 with an English major and journalism minor, he snagged a job at Oshkosh High School teaching English and serving as adviser for the school newspaper. He moved to Oshkosh North High three years later to open up the new school, and there he taught English, mass media and journalism, and served as adviser for both the school yearbook and the newspaper. Later he would also run the school’s Gifted and Talented program. Ron retired from teaching in 2001 and now supervises student teachers for UW Oshkosh, UW Platteville and Viterbo. He met his wife Jody in 1966 while they were both attending UW Platteville. They are the proud parents of two children: Phil, 35, who lives in Madison and Kate, 29, who co-owns Edge Performance Fitness in Portland, Oregon.
Ron and Jody have been members of First Congregational Church in Oshkosh for 30 years, having tried out several churches in the Oshkosh area after moving here. They knew several people who attended the church, which was one of the several reasons they were drawn to it. But they also enjoyed the sermons delivered by then minister, Bob Spalding; were in tune with the church's theology; and appreciated the beautiful music, especially the organ. But it was the people who made them feel welcome, something he is still drawn to today.
Ron is impressed with FCC's willingness to help people in need and to lead by example, especially in the social justice area. He says he is proud of the leadership the church and its members show in the community. Not only does Ron appreciate those things about FCC, but he leads by example, as well, always giving back to the church wherever he and his wife can. Ron has personally served on several committees, boards and ministry groups over the years, including having served as co-chair of the search committee that brought current pastors Ralph and Carol DiBiasio-Snyder to FCC. He would like to see FCC get more people involved in the leadership and ministry of the church because he believes there is so much more untapped talent among our church members.
Ron says one of the things he most enjoys about coming to church is listening to Carol and Ralph's sermons, which he says continue to stimulate his thinking and help prod him into action. And he says the co-pastors are masters at making people feel good about themselves and life in general.
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Joe Wiedenmeier
Joe likens his childhood to that of “Timmy” on the old Lassie TV series. Even though his mother was from Oshkosh and His father from Fond du Lac, Joe and his sister, Shelly, grew up on a 17-acre “farm” in Palmer Lake, Colorado – about 17 miles north of Colorado Springs – where their parents raised horses, sheep, chickens and one cow. Times were lean and the Wiedenmeiers didn’t get a TV until Joe was 7-years-old, but he enjoyed listening to radio dramas, such as Gunsmoke, Fibber McGee and Molly, and Amos and Andy. The family attended the Little Log Church in Palmer Lake, a non-denominational parish whose minister was a Quaker woman.
Joe’s father died while he was still in his youth. After that, Joe’s mom and the two kids moved back to the Fox Valley and Joe graduated from Oshkosh High School in 1969. He worked for a very brief period of time at Castle Pierce Printing before entering the U.S. Navy where he spent two years on active duty as a dental technician.
Joe met his future wife, Mary, in 1971 and the couple was married in 1974. They have two sons: Brian, 28, and Ross, 23. Today, Joe works as the IT director for Oshkosh-based Unified Catholic Schools. He is also the president of PFLAG (Parents, Families & Friends of Lesbians and Gays) of the Greater Oshkosh Area. Joe is involved with the Media Ministry here at First Congregational Church, as well, where he works with pastors and other staff persons to create media presentations that provide support for sermons, classes and other presentations. And when needed, he helps out with the computer system to make sure it’s running in the most efficient and productive manner.
The first experience Joe and Mary had with FCC was the Christmas Eve service about 9 years ago. They fell in love with the service itself, as well as the music and the people. Though they were members of Algoma Boulevard Methodist Church for a while, for the next 5 or 6 years they kept returning for Christmas Eve service at FCC before finally joining the church three-and-a-half years ago. Even though Joe and Mary felt both churches were open, welcoming and friendly, pastoral changes at Algoma Boulevard Methodist caused them to seek something more stable and, of course, they were welcomed with open arms by Ralph, Carol, the staff, volunteers and other members at FCC.
It is that welcoming atmosphere and sense of belonging, beyond Sundays and beyond the church itself that Joe says is his favorite thing at FCC. |
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Lorie Yaste-Zajicek
Raised as a Southern Baptist, Lorie belonged to her childhood church for much of her life because, like so many of us, it seemed to fit at the time. But she was eventually drawn to First Congregational Church by its welcoming acceptance of all and its willingness, openness and and encouragement of its members to explore their faith. She was also hooked by a prayer she heard prayed here that said "I commit all I know of myself to all I know of you."
Now a member for about 20 years, Lorie initially became involved with the choir and through Habitat for Humanity, but these days is a church school teacher and a member of the New Member Development Ministry Group. She feels blessed by the deep friendships she has developed over the years.
One of her favorite things about FCC is the wide acceptance of all and the freedom its members have to express and explore different faith practices and beliefs. One example of that, she says, is the ability she and her husband, Russ, had to combine his Catholic traditions and her FCC practices in their wedding ceremony. It helped make Russ feel welcome in the church, something that was important to both of them.
Lorie is an educator of more than 25 years and is currently an elementary school principal. Married for nearly six years, Lorie and Russ have two canine "kids," named Bryce and Morgan, that they share their lives with when not at work or involved in church activities.
Lorie feels that in order for FCC to grow it is important to continue getting the message out about what the church stands for and how open and accepting it is. |
Laura Wilner
The 23-year old daughter of Gary and Dorry Wilner, Laura has been a lifelong member of First Congregational Church. Laura has attended other churches when she lived elsewhere, most recently Colorado - where she lived until October 2010 - but has always loved the warmth and feeling of family she gets when attending services or other events at FCC. She describes it as a feeling of "coming home." One of the things that makes FCC feel like such an extension of family for Laura is having people in the church address her by name and either know what's going on in her life, or asking. One of the things Laura is doing these days is working with the re:TH!NK program through the Winnebago County Health Department. Among many things re:TH!NK does is work to conquer drug, alcohol and tobacco issues in our community. In her position of County Youth Coordinator, Laura talks with kids in schools and other youth organizations about the hazards of using those substances. She sees her job as educating, empowering and engaging today's youth. |
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Ted Balser
A Catholic for many years, Ted was drawn to First Congregational more than 20 years ago, primarily because of its strong faith message and its sense of community that extended beyond just the weekly service and fellowship hour. Of course, a church community is only as strong as those who comprise it, and Ted was equally taken with co-pastors Carol and Ralph, the church family - both staff and congregants - the historical structure of the church and the music that resonates within its walls.
Ted felt so much at home here that he quickly stepped up to help out in any way he could by giving of his time and talents, joining so many others who are engaged in and committed to helping people on their journey of faith and hope. In the early days of his membership, Ted served as a moderator and on the Board of Trustees. He also has taught (Sunday) Church School to the youngest members in the First Congregational family. In fact, it is the youth that rank at the top of Ted's favorites things about FCC. He enjoys instructing them about God and His love, but he also has another message to the children of FCC: That being that they are wanted and needed and that their input is vital to the church's continued development and growth. His love of working with children and serving as a role model for them extends beyond FCC.
Though he is retired from his professional career at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh, Ted maintains a couple of part-time jobs that also involve kids. One is at the YMCA in Appleton; the other is at the Parent Connection of Northeast Wisconsin, a parent education and support program that is geared toward encouraging, strengthening and supporting today's families. Ted's specific job involves helping people find jobs to better support their families, and he believes that we must continue to makes lives better for all children and their families. |
Becky Gratz
Becky has attended First Congregational Church since she moved to Oshkosh at the age of 16. Her mother had actually grown up in the Episcopal church across the street from FCC, but her aunt was an FCC member and introduced Becky to the church and its congregation. She can’t recall for certain when she formally joined the FCC family, but remembers her reason for doing so was to become a supportive member of a congregation that both sustained and inspired her on her faith journey.
During her time at FCC, Becky has had countless happy and memorable experiences. But the one at the top of the list, she says, was experiencing her oldest daughter’s wedding in our beautiful sanctuary in what she describes as a “breathtakingly moving ceremony.” But she also loves the inspiring group of people that make up the church, and the worship services with meaningful sermons and glorious music.
A retired early childhood special education teacher from the Oshkosh Area School District, Becky still does substitute teaching in the district, as needed. She also brings her teaching skills and love of children into the FCC community by sharing the responsibility of leading the Ready for Worship class for preschoolers thru 2nd grade students. She loves listening to and getting to know the children, and seeing them grow and develop. Among Becky’s other involvements at FCC, she serves on the New Member Development Ministry Group and the communion team, as well as frequently serving as a greeter and doing other things to volunteer at the church.
Married with two grown daughters, one son-in-law, a baby granddaughter and two orange cats in her immediate family, Becky enjoys walking, biking, playing tennis, doing Yoga, reading, and helping with gardening projects through the master gardening group in her spare time.
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Lee Fenedael
Lee has been attending services at First Congregational Church for about six years or so and officially joined as a member in the past year. Like so many of us, Lee found FCC through dissatisfaction or frustration with other church membership. He’d been a member of Messiah Lutheran Church in Ripon for many years. But that church had a rule which did not allow women of the congregation to vote on church matters. When the male members of the church voted to reaffirm and uphold that rule, Lee realized that, in good conscience, he could not continue to belong there. Needless to say, that vote result was ridiculed by many outside the church, and received a lot of press coverage, including making the "News of the Truly Bizarre" on a Madison radio station.
After that, Lee discovered a UCC church in Rosendale while attending a Good Friday service there. He was amazed to see the differences between that church and what he’ d been used to for so many years. He fondly remembers the church’s Pastor Laura and the joy she had in everything she did, inspiring those around her, as well. When he left that church he hoped to find a church that was equally flexible, inclusionary and tolerant. After “church shopping” for quite some time, Lee eventually found his way to FCC. His first Sunday here he asked Gary Wilner where the organist was because he could hear, but not see her. Lee describes Gary as being “helpful, cordial and a gentleman.”
Since that first Sunday, Lee has found that – like his experience in Rosendale – there is a tremendous sense of joy that radiates from the pulpit to the congregation. Besides that, some of his favorite things about FCC are Ralph and Carol, the church’s closeness to the Dollar Tree, the depth of FCC’s music program and its “unique casserole of people.”
Retired and a father of two grown daughters – one in Yucca Valley, Calif. and one in Menasha – Lee enjoys spending time with his friends, family, children and grandchildren. He also enjoys driving the back roads of our great country. A talented artist and photographer, Lee is active in the Oshkosh Photography Club and Rural Rembrandt Arts Club. He collects vintage items, enjoys music – especially that of the lyric-rich Americana genre – as well as studying history, watching movies and listening to audio books. Here at FCC, Lee puts his talents to good use, taking pictures of confirmands, new members and milestone church events. He also serves as a greeter and on the New Member Development Ministry Group.
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