Lutheran Service Corps

 

  Lutheran Service Corps (LSC) in Omaha partners with Lutheran Volunteer Corps (LVC) for national support to build a community of faith uniting people to work for peace with justice in greater Omaha. LSC provides a setting open to volunteers of all faiths or no faith committed to living in intentional community, practicing simple and sustainable living, and exploring spirituality. By bringing together volunteers and community organizations in the Omaha metropolitan area, LSC engages the community, forming and strengthening alliances among people of many cultures and communities, striving to intentionally dismantle racism within LSC/LVC, the church, and society.

  Volunteers, who live together at Hillstrom House, located in Omaha on North 30th Street across from Miller Park, spend one year serving full-time at local nonprofit organizations. By doing so, they provide skilled labor to community organizations at a cost much lower than a paid full-time employee, increasing the organizations’ capacities to expand services to clients, to offer new programs, and to enrich the lives of the populations they serve. In addition, the volunteer experience is transformative for those who participate as volunteers. It provides them with both valuable work experience and an opportunity to reflect on community issues and their particular contribution to enhancing the community. 

  The 2020-2021 service year ends in July.  Two of our volunteers departed for their next adventures, taking with them a year of challenges, joys, experiences and learning opportunities.  Elizabeth Kulus, who was placed at Hospice House – the Josie Harper Residence, had this to say about her experience this year: “What I learned most about myself from service is that genuine hospitality is really important to me. During a wild COVID year, any time that I could make people feel welcome and comfortable felt amazing. I really enjoyed that aspect of this year. In the future, I want to lead by asking thoughtful questions. I am naturally very curious and I want to use this skill to understand issues more deeply in order to find creative solutions.”

  In August, at least two new volunteers will start their service year in Omaha.  The sites that have been placed as of this writing are Project Hope and the Institute for Public Leadership IPL/Omaha Together One Community (OTOC).  Please pray for all new volunteers in Omaha and with LVC nationwide that they be comforted during this transition time through the natural anxiety that occurs during this process and that they have a successful year in their new communities.

BackPack Blessing

 

  “It’s in my backpack.” How many times have you heard that or have said it yourself? Backpacks carry homework, lunches, hand sanitizer, pens, pencils, snacks, phone chargers and Kleenex. Occasionally they carry stinky socks, rotten bananas and missing permission slips. Backpacks are handy, accessible and often reflect our personalities with the latest cartoon characters and favorite colors, or they may reflect our professional side with the standard black backpack.  Backpacks have become part of our “uniform”. They go with us everywhere – school, work, practice, camp and the car, which brings us to the point --- a backpack is a blessing. 

  Many congregations offer backpack blessings inviting students, teachers, school nurses, bus drivers, professors and school staff to come forward with their packs. The litany of prayer often asks God to bless the packs and those who carry them. We ask God to open our eyes to new adventures, help us use our gifts, be good listeners, extend welcome to newcomers and help us enjoy a sense of accomplishment as we learn and grow each day. Many congregations tap it off with a gift for participants such as a keychain, Jesus loves you pencil or tag to add to the pack. This is an important annual faith-filled tradition in many congregations. Thank you. 

  The Backpack Blessing is a good tradition, but many miss a teachable moment by just focusing on the start of the school year and academics. What if you would take your annual backpack blessing a step further? What if the backpacks you have up front include a couple of backpacks filled by a local food pantry. Many programs addressing food insecurity are school year programs which means backpacks filled with food will be going home with many children. Take advantage of this time in your worship service to turn your attention to those receiving Food Bank and Food Panty backpacks that nourish children and their families. Use the children’s message time to talk about food insecurity, who and how hunger needs are addressed in the community and how your congregation can walk with the students, families and agencies. Unfortunately, some children are bullied because they carry a backpack of food home with them. Being a good friend means having empathy, learning about differences and finding common links. Talk accompaniment and equip your kids to be allies. 

  Blessings on the school year. Have fun and be ready to listen to some great stories from teachers, staff and students of all ages. 

  Prayer: Gracious God, we ask that you be with the students, teachers and staff as they start a new school year. In the midst of the many voices that will fill their days, help them to listen most carefully for your voice. May they feel your presence, know they are loved, forgiven and never alone. Watch over them all and keep them safe. Amen. 

150 Years as the Nebraska Synod: Built of Living Stones, A (very) Short History

 

  The very first Lutherans in the Territory of Nebraska were among the waves of homesteaders of the 1840s and 50s who the U.S. government settled here on indigenous land.  But these lay Lutherans preceded the church; no Lutheran churches or pastors were here in Nebraska until the missionary Pastor Henry Kuhns arrived in the late 1850s to organize the Lutheran settlers he found already living here.  Preaching points slowly became congregations and the church members eventually constructed their own church buildings.  

  The Nebraska Synod as a governing body was first established in 1871 as a conference of the larger General Synod, the Lutheran denomination on the east coast dating back to the colonial period.  However, throughout the 19th and 20th century, there were many different and evolving denominations of Lutherans in America (many represented within the Nebraska state border), divided along lines of national origin and language.  In addition, these Lutherans held different convictions on doctrine, worship practices, and spirituality which resulted in yet more denominational splits.  The congregations of the Nebraska Synod, ELCA today are descended from many of these antecedent Lutheran bodies.

  Beginning in the late 19th century, the various ethnic Lutheran denominations established academic and social welfare institutions here in Nebraska.  The (English and German speaking) General Synod founded Midland College and Western Theological Seminary which eventually located to Fremont.  The (German speaking) Midwest Synod (formerly German Nebraska Conference) founded Martin Luther Seminary in Lincoln.    The Swedish Augustana Synod founded Luther College in Wahoo and the Immanuel Deaconess Institute in Omaha as well as Bethphage Mission in Axtell.  The “Inner Mission” Danes founded Trinity Seminary/Dana College as well as a Danish language printing press in Blair Nebraska.  This is by no means an exhaustive list of Lutheran institutions; but these historic examples of Lutheran energy for education and social services are still in evidence today in our ongoing support for the Nebraska Synod serving arms and the larger work of the ELCA.  

  The early 20th century for Lutherans in Nebraska proved to be a deeply painful and challenging time.  When the United States entered WWI, the government launched an anti-German propaganda campaign.  As a result, German-speaking people, and indeed, many other non-English speaking people, were persecuted by the government as well as harassed by their neighbors.  This pressured Lutheran congregations in Nebraska to quickly move towards English-only worship services and religious education.  In addition, as younger generations of Lutherans became “Americanized” the previous divisions between Lutheran bodies seemed less formidable by degrees.  As a result, Lutheran denominations started merging.  

  By the 1970s the three Lutheran bodies that would eventually join together to form the ELCA were the Lutheran Church in America, The American Lutheran Church, and the Association of Evangelical Lutheran Churches (having separated earlier from the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod).  The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America was born in 1988. At that time, there were about 276 congregations in the new Nebraska Synod, ELCA. Its first bishop was Dennis Anderson.  

-written by Rev. Kristen Van Stee, Assistant to the Bishop

Footnote:

• The term “Synod” was used (very confusingly) by different Lutheran bodies in different ways at different times: a synod might refer to a separate denomination and sometimes to refer to a subsidiary body within a denomination.  This remains true today as the ELCA calls the subsidiary bodies within it “synods” while the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod is its own separate denomination.  

Sources for Further Reading:

“Story of the Midwest Synod: U.L.C.A 1890-1950”

“Partners in Mission: The Lutheran Church in American in Nebraska 1962-1987”

“Nebraska Conference History (1931)”

“The Lutherans: Student Edition” by L. DeAne Lagerquist

“Lutherans in America: A New History” Mark Granquist

Synod Staff Updates

 Rev. Steve Meysing Departs Synod Staff

After nearly nine years of serving the Nebraska Synod in his role as Assistant to the Bishop, Pastor Steve Meysing is departing the synod staff in order to take a new call. Steve's diverse work has seen him assisting with congregational call processes, working with the PMA program, assisting congregations in conflict, providing pastoral care and support to rostered ministers, relating to our companion synod church in Argentina and Uruguay, serving on a variety of teams, committees and boards and much more. He will be completing his time on staff at the end of July.

"Steve leaves behind a host of relationships of trust, respect, admiration and appreciation, built up over years of faithful and dedicated ministry. He will be sorely missed," said Bishop Brian Maas. "I hope many will join me in expressing deep thanks to Steve, and wishing him well in his return to congregational ministry." 

Steve will be serving as Rector of the Episcopal Church of Our Savior in North Platte.

Back in Action

It’s hard to find a moment of silence these days at Carol Joy Holling Camp, near Ashland. At any given moment of the day, songs and laughter of campers join with the natural songs of birds and hum of insects. 

“It just feels right. It feels like things are back to where they should be,” Nate Grimm, Whispering Winds Site Coordinator shared. “Having campers back has been a burst of energy. It feels so good to be back at camp, and back in action.” 

“It’s really nice to be able to have everyone come together and pick up where we left off,” TrailHead Site Coordinator Emily Dresbach agreed. “I’ve had campers from two summers ago tell me they remember me. It’s great to be back in community together.”

Around 1,000 campers will come to Carol Joy Holling Camp over eight weeks in June and July this summer. A typical summer would be closer to 1,600 campers, but staffing shortages forced the camp to consolidate all elementary campers into one site—TrailHead—and all middle school campers into one site—Ranch Camp—when typically, there are two sites for each of those age groups. This year’s summer staff has 35 members, while in 2019 there were 64 Summer Ministry Team members. 

“We tried many new and different recruiting strategies, but in the end, there just weren’t enough qualified, collage-aged leaders to serve this summer,” Jason Gerdes, Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries (NLOM) Executive Director said. 

“It was difficult to make the decision to consolidate sites and even have to turn some late-registering campers away for this year,” Gerdes continued. “At the same time, we needed to be able to follow the CDC and ACA (American Camp Association) guidelines for COVID-19 mitigation and also care for our Summer Ministry Team. This way we can still serve campers of all ages—from Kindergarten to Seniors, as well as families and campers with special needs at J1:9 Camp.”

Elementary-aged campers have a new place to sleep and play this summer, at the 12,000 square-foot, $3.2 million Hazel Dillon Lodge. The new building’s lower level is also a state-of-the-art storm shelter with ten bunk rooms where campers sleep each night. 

"A positive first experience at camp starts a chain reaction," Gerdes explained. "When kids return to camp year after year, their faith, confidence, and leadership skills continue to grow and have a significant impact on not only their life, but also their family, church, and community."

During the months summer camp is not in session, the Dillon Lodge is utilized for events, meetings, conferences, and retreats. The upper level meeting space seats more than 150 people. The lower level sleeping rooms accommodate up to 86 people for multi-day retreats. The building is ADA accessible. 

After living through a challenging year, NLOM is thrilled to be back in action at both Carol Joy Holling and Sullivan Hills Camps. It is great to see the camp properties alive with the sights and sounds of children growing in their faith. 

Nebraska Lutheran Outdoor Ministries is proud to be a serving arm of the Nebraska Synod-ELCA and grateful for the participation and support provided by the Synod, it’s congregations and members.  

 *Shared by Camp Carol Joy Holling

Campus Ministry in Kearney

Pastor Elisabeth Pynn Himmelman has been called to serve the Kearney community as Associate Pastor for Youth and Young Adults at First Lutheran, Kearney and in partnership with Nebraska Lutheran Campus Ministry as Campus Pastor at the University of Nebraska- Kearney (UNK). 

Pastor Himmelman shared the following about her current call- starting a call in pandemic was interesting to say the least, and I spent much of last year at Campus Lutheran getting to know students, staff, and faculty in 1-1 coffee meet-ups and a ministry of presence on campus. This fall, I am excited for ministry in lessening pandemic! Two bold, brave student leaders are working with me in beginning The Vessel Dinner Church on Thursday nights.

The campus ministry at UNK hosts a weekly gathering known as the Vessel Dinner Church. For those who have never heard of dinner church, here is how Pastor Himmelman describes it- Trusting we are vessels of God’s love and grace, dinner church is an embodied worship experience that is extended Holy Communion. We prepare the meal together, pass the homemade bread as we gather to commune our neighbor, eat together family style, engage with the Word and one another, end with passing wine, communing our neighbor. After the meal, we close out our time together by cleaning up as an act of service and are sent with dessert and a blessing, trusting in the goodness of God.

Pastor Himmelman cares deeply about sharing the expansiveness of God’s love and God’s creating all humanity in God’s image. In her role, she seeks to come alongside young adults as they discern vocation through relationship and joining them in celebrating and stewarding their God-given resources, gifts, and identities.

Though Pastor Himmelman has been serving in Kearney over the past year, the celebration of her installation had to be postponed due to the pandemic. She is looking forward to her installation on Sunday, August 15 at 3pm at First Lutheran Church, Kearney. Pastor Adam White will be preaching and Pastor Kristen Van Stee, Assistant to the Bishop will be on hand to install Pastor Himmelman. There will be a reception following the installation. 

If you would like to know more about campus ministry at UNK, visit their website at this link.

Tekamah- Herman- Decatur: Walking Together, Doing God's Work

 

Tekamah-Herman-Decatur Church Community Council (THDCCC) has come together to do God's Work.

THDCCC's mission is to meet the needs of the community beyond any one church. Though their mission statement was adopted in February of 2015, the THDCCC was actually started back in the 1980’s. This community council currently consists of the pastor and one lay member from each of the following congregations: Baptist Church-Tekamah, Baptist Church-Riverside, Catholic Church-Tekamah, Catholic Church-Decatur, Emmanuel Lutheran Church, Methodist Church-Tekamah, Methodist Church-Decatur, and the Presbyterian Church.

One of the main focuses of the THDCCC is the Food Pantry for those less fortunate in the area. In 2020 they were able to obtain their own building and moved into a new permanent location at 209 S 9th St.  This new facility has allowed the community council to expand their efforts. In 2020, they helped an average of 36 families a month.  In December of 2020 they also gave food boxes to 70 families.  

The THDCCC was also able to open the Helping Hands Thrift Store in late October 2020. Sharing the same building as the Food Pantry, the thrift store is open Fridays 9-5 and Saturdays 9-1pm. With the generous donations they have received, the thrift store has had a very successful beginning.  All proceeds from the thrift shop are reinvested into the food pantry and the community.  Since the opening of the store many volunteers have spent endless hours building displays, creating storage areas to sort the donations, and running the store.  Along with their Christmas boxes of food previously mentioned, they added gift certificates to the Thrift Shop for over 70 families.  In this joint effort of the THDCCC and the community, God’s work is being done each week.

In mid-March 2020, at the beginning of the pandemic the THDCCC was called upon to collaborate with The Tekamah Herman School and Chatterbox (a local restaurant) to continue feeding the school children twice a day. It was a Sunday evening when the call came.  By Tuesday morning they began to serve Breakfast and Lunch to the students. The numbers quickly grew and for the next 9 weeks well over 200 meals a day were served. Since the pandemic had closed the in-house dining at the Chatterbox it was the perfect place to plan and prepare the meals. The food pantry helped to provide the food along with the school, and the teachers organized and provided the cooks and servers. The community stepped up to help provide baked goods and financial backing.  The donations would pour in everyday!  The local grocery store provided the lunch every Tuesday and even the local Volunteer Fire Department provided a meal.  To see this community come together for this purpose was an amazing experience.  

At the end of the school year the THDCCC moved the meal program to Emmanuel Lutheran Church.  They continued the program serving 2 meals a week throughout the summer.  When they were done, over 9,000 meals had been distributed.  This program took a tremendous amount of willing volunteer’s and financial support to be successful.  Again, God’s work was being done.

In 2020 they were unable to have National Day of Prayer (NDP), Baccalaureate, and Thanksgiving service in person.  Instead, as a THDCCC, they came together and recorded Video Services with all churches participating and uploading them online for all to enjoy. In 2021 they also created a video for NDP, and fortunately for 2021 the THDCCC was able to have Baccalaureate in person.

Most recently, in mid-June 2021, THDCCC held Vacation Bible School (VBS) at Emmanuel Lutheran Church.  What a wonderful experience!  Sunday through Thursday 60 kids attended VBS, and they had approximately 20 volunteers to assist. Pastors from four of the community churches, and kids from multiple denominations, sharing together in a common faith. Worshipping God, Praising God, and learning the meaning of “Trust God”, which was their theme for this year. 

Vicar Rex Rogers shared this- "From a VBS perspective, my first experience in this call, put things in another perspective for me. Sometimes we are so quick to judge our youth. We question the decisions they make, their priorities, or the way they act.  However, I witnessed a bright future for our community and our churches.  These kids were focused, engaged, and were not afraid to proclaim God’s word loud and proud with each other. Being in tribes with kids they knew, and perhaps kids they just met for the first time. Kids worshipping together in different age groups up to the sixth-grade level. Interacting well with pastors, group leaders, and other volunteers. I think we can be assured that God’s word will continue to be proclaimed into future generations."  

The THDCCC has been blessed with great support from their community, local clubs, individuals, and churches. It is amazing to see the things that can happen in communities when we all pull together to do “God’s work. Our hands”. 

*Respectfully Submitted with input from THDCCC Lutheran lay member Patty Olson, who by the way was just named Volunteer of the Year by the Mainstreet Nebraska Association for all her efforts in coordinating several of these efforts. Story by Vicar Rex Rogers, Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Tekamah.