First Lutheran Church of Lincoln began its life in 1870 as Swedish settlers founded a church in the newly established capital of Nebraska. Though we often assume early founders were heroic pastors, First was mostly a lay movement in its first 30 years, served by a shifting array of preachers who travelled among congregations struggling to establish themselves on the prairie. First Lutheran Swedish Church consisted mostly of new immigrants, many of them young Swedish women brought over as domestics to serve in the houses of the growing town. This early open outreach and service remained a mark of First's ministry, situated as it was in a small structure at 13th and K Street near the heart of the growing town. However, the development of First Lutheran didn't really accelerate until the turn to a new century, when a larger building with a pipe organ was established; the focus on the pipe organ in the expense of building a new structure reveals another long term orientation of t...
Three Rural Churches Doing Worship in a New Way In response to the pandemic, the three congregations of Sonrise Parish (St. John’s, Eustis; American, Cozad; and St. John’s, Cozad) moved to video-only worship beginning on March 18, 2020. Three months later, as warmer weather had arrived, the churches decided to do outdoor Word and Sacrament at each site on a weekly rotating basis, beginning at Eustis on June 14. A weekly virtual brief worship recording was also continued! The city street, parking lots, and grassy areas became the places to gather in lawn chairs or in cars in a physically-distanced manner. A low-power FM transmitter broadcasted to those who wanted to stay in their vehicles. A music group with percussion, guitar, horns, vocalists (and sometimes keyboard) led the services. For sixteen weeks through the end of September the outdoor services continued, with attendance ranging from 50-60 to as high as over 100. Two c...
By Angela Geier, Administrative Assistant for the Nebraska Synod I’ve heard it said that “the more you are forced to suffer here in this life, the holier God is calling you to be”. If that is true and I have done my math correctly, I should be a saint by the time I am 60. If I was asked what “Faith, Hope, & Love” meant to me 14 years ago, I would had given an entirely different answer than I give today. In these last 14 years I have endured triumphs and tragedies, and withered the storms of life. Yet I am blessed with the family and friends I have, and I have gained a deeper understanding of my personal and spiritual growth. Surprisingly, that understanding came in moments of despair, barely clinging to my faith, it was just that- my faith in God. He was my strength, to withstand the sorrows and sufferings, that persevered me through the darkest moments. I was brought closer to God not only in my faith, but in the love and hope he promises us. In ...
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