Update for August 3 A publication of the Nebraska District, a District ABLAZE! Greetings in the name of the Lord, who tells us we are "the light of the world" and we are to "let [our] light shine before men, that they may . . . praise [our] Father in heaven." (Matt. 5:14, 16) What a tremendous honor and responsibility Christ gives us with this statement. The Lord uses us to shine His light to those around us in our families, neighborhoods, and communities. Nearly 650 members of the Nebraska District are planning to gather together Saturday to hear and discuss ways God is using His people in the mission fields He has placed them in. Prairie Fire promises to be a day filled with time in God's Word, fellowship, and resourcing to help all those in attendance return to their congregations and communities "on fire" for the Lord and for the work in His mission field. ¨ [1]Prayer Requests ¨ [2]Prairie Fire Participant Details ¨ [3]August Teachers' Retreat Registration Deadline is TODAY! ¨ [4]State Fair Worship Service Location and Time Change ¨ [5]Pastoral Care Specialist Course Being Offered by LFS ¨ [6]Concordia Publishing House Warehouse Sale Dates ¨ [7]Concordia Jr/Sr High School Breaks Ground for New Football Field ¨ [8]High School Actors Needed for Youth Gathering ¨ [9]Fall Junior High Retreat at Camp Luther PRAYER REQUESTS George Duchow - Joyce Gierke, wife of Pastor Charles Gierke of St. Mark, Omaha, has shared the following prayer request for her brother, George. He has had malignant tumors removed from his brain and his left lung and now the latest MRI showed a pea-sized anomaly in his head on the side opposite from where he had the first tumor. After George has another scan, the surgeon will determine whether to remove it also or begin radiation and chemotherapy treatments. Please pray for guidance for the medical technicians and for patience for George, who has been recovering well from his two previous surgeries. [10]Back to top PRAIRIE FIRE PARTICIPANT DETAILS It's getting closer! The Nebraska District Prairie Fire Event is this Saturday, August 6, on the campus of Concordia University in Seward. Preparations continue to be made to ensure this event is a blessing to all who attend. As of today, there are over 630 brothers and sisters in Christ registered to attend. Thanks be to God! As we finalize many of the logistical details for the day, we would urge participants to carpool with others from their congregation or community to help alleviate parking congestion on campus. All parking areas of the campus will be open for our use that day. Signs indicating staff or student parking may be disregarded for the event and participants may park in any lot. Handicapped parking spaces should still be respected. There will also be volunteers available on campus that day to help direct you. A map of Concordia's campus with the parking areas marked is available on the District website at [11]http://www.ndlcms.org/news/conferences/prairie_fire/index.html. Participants may wish to print this map and bring it with them to show them the parking areas across campus. Please do NOT park in any of St. John's church parking, as they have an event as well that day. One change from last year is the location of the Opening Celebration. This year, we will hold the Opening Celebration and Time of Sending in the gymnasium on Concordia's campus. Participants are encouraged to register in the lobby of the Thom Leadership Education Center (TLEC) between 8:30 a.m. - 9:45 a.m., and make their way over to the gym to be seated by 10:00 a.m. Please remember, with an event of this size we will need to use most of the buildings on Concordia's campus and there will be some walking involved, so please make necessary arrangements to allow you to enjoy your day. [12]Back to top AUGUST TEACHERS' RETREAT REGISTRATION DEADLINE IS TODAY! The deadline for registering for the August Teachers' Retreat is TODAY, August 3. Registration information was sent to each principal and director in early July and they were asked to register their staff. The Retreat will be held next Tuesday, August 9, on Concordia University's campus. Please help us get meal counts and print materials ready by registering for this event today. Online registration is available through [13]http://www.ndlcms.org/news/conferences/teacher-retreat.html until midnight tonight. After that, please mail your completed registration form and check to the District Office as soon as possible and before Friday, August 5. Contact Kathy Melton in the Education and Youth department with any questions. Registration materials are also available to be printed from the webpage listed above. [14]Back to top STATE FAIR WORSHIP SERVICE LOCATION AND TIME CHANGE The State Fair Office has changed the location and time of the LLL worship service on Sunday, September 4. It will now be held at 8:30 a.m. just north of the Devaney Center. Please help spread the word of this change among your congregation members. Following is a piece that can be used in an upcoming bulletin or news announcement. State Fair Worship Opportunities Sponsored by Nebraska District Lutheran Laymen's League - If you plan to attend the Nebraska State Fair this year, consider joining us for worship on Sunday morning. Sharing God's message with us on Sunday, August 28, at 9:00 a.m., will be Rev. John Schmidt, pastoral advisor for the Nebraska District Lutheran Laymen's League. This will be held in the open air amphitheater. Sharing God's message with us on Sunday, September 4, at 8:30 a.m., will be Rev. Brian L. Friedrich, president of Concordia University, Nebraska. This service will be held at the new "Nebraska Stage" just north of the Devaney Center. Please note the time and location change for the second service. [15]Back to top PASTORAL CARE SPECIALIST COURSE BEING OFFERED BY LFS Interested in improving your pastoral care skills? The Pastoral Care Specialist Course, designed for pastors and other church professionals, provides a process through which participants can develop proficiency in the ability to provide effective pastoral care to individuals and families in a variety of situations. A monthly topic with focused presentations in areas of importance to pastoral care ministry and peer group consultation for support and guidance with difficult issues provide the core elements of the process. Led by Dr. Roger Kruger, the director of Partners in Caring at Lutheran Family Services, and offered in conjunction with Concordia University, the course meets monthly, ten months of the year, for a period of two years. It is potentially (depending on sufficient enrollment) being offered at two locations - at Concordia University on the fourth Monday of the month from 9 a.m. until noon, beginning August 22, or at Holy Cross in Kearney on the third Monday of the month from 12:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m., beginning September 19. For additional information, contact Roger at 402-978-5670. [16]Back to top CONCORDIA PUBLISHING HOUSE WAREHOUSE SALE DATES Concordia Publishing House is offering warehouse sale prices on many of its items Friday, September 30, and Saturday, October 1, on the campus of Concordia University, Seward. Excess inventory from the nonprofit Christian publisher will be sold at deeply reduced prices. Sale items include Bibles, hymnals, curriculum, music, adult and children's books, boxed greeting cards, and a selection of church resources at savings of up to 75%. Concordia Publishing House will also hold its annual Warehouse Sale--the largest sale of the year--on Saturday, November 5, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the publishing house in St. Louis. Similar savings can be found at this one-day sale, if you happen to be in the St. Louis area during this time. Concordia Publishing House and Concordia Bookstore are located at 3558 South Jefferson Avenue, south of Interstate 44 and north of Interstate 55. Free parking is available on Miami Street, east of Jefferson. For more information about the Warehouse Sale, call 1-800-774-0274. [17]Back to top CONCORDIA JR/SR HIGH SCHOOL BREAKS GROUND FOR NEW FOOTBALL FIELD The ceremonial groundbreaking for the Concordia Jr/Sr High School football field took place on Monday, August 1, at 15656 Fort Street. Friends of the school were invited to attend. Concordia students, parents, and staff have been waiting anxiously for this day to arrive. Concordia will have its own football team beginning in the fall of 2006. We join with the Concordia family in praising God for sending people with a passion for Lutheran education to help bring this field from a dream to a reality. [18]Back to top HIGH SCHOOL ACTORS NEEDED FOR YOUTH GATHERING The Nebraska District Youth Gathering Worship Team is looking for experienced high school actors and actresses who are willing to come to Lincoln 3-4 times during September, October, and November to rehearse a drama to be performed as part of the Nebraska District Youth Gathering, which runs November 18-20. If you would like more information, or would like to audition for this drama, please contact Pastor Jeff Scheich at [19]jscheich@christlutheranchurch.org by August 15. More information on the District Youth Gathering itself is available at [20]http://www.ndlcms.org/education/youth/2005YG/index.html. [21]Back to top FALL JUNIOR HIGH RETREAT AT CAMP LUTHER Retreats for junior high youth are a fun way for youth to spend time in fellowship with God and with each other. This year, Camp Luther near Schuyler is hosting and sponsoring the fall Junior High Retreat on October 14-15. More information on the retreat is available at their website, [22]www.campluther.org or on the District website at [23]www.ndlcms.org/education/youth/jrhigh.html. Congregations and youth leaders are encouraged to print a registration form from this site. Registrations may be sent at any time and are due to Camp Luther by October 5. All questions and registrations should go to Camp Luther at: Camp Luther of NE, 1052 Road 4, Schuyler, NE 68661; 402-352-5655; or [24]campluther@campluther.org. [25]Back to top Blessings, Nichole Hetz Nebraska District LCMS Director of Communications and Events 1-888-643-2961 [26]nicholeh@ndlcms.org [27]www.ndlcms.org * Please Note: The inclusion of items in the Update from outside sources is for informational purposes only. Inclusion of such items does not constitute District endorsement. References 1. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#prayer 2. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#fire 3. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#teachers 4. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#fair 5. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#lfs 6. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#cph 7. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#field 8. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#actors 9. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#junior 10. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 11. http://www.ndlcms.org/news/conferences/prairie_fire/index.html 12. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 13. http://www.ndlcms.org/news/conferences/teacher-retreat.html 14. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 15. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 16. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 17. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 18. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 19. mailto:jscheich@christlutheranchurch.org 20. http://www.ndlcms.org/education/youth/2005YG/index.html 21. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 22. http://www.campluther.org/ 23. http://www.ndlcms.org/education/youth/jrhigh.html 24. mailto:campluther@campluther.org 25. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20050803/6771cfb2/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 26. mailto:nicholeh@ndlcms.org 27. http://www.ndlcms.org/