Update for August 6 A publication of the Nebraska District, a District ABLAZE! "Give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; His love endures forever." Psalm 107:1 God is very good and we give Him thanks for the blessings He showered on the participants and presenters at Prairie Fire last Saturday. The Lord granted safety to those who traveled to and from the event, and His Spirit was truly present among the 550 people who gathered for the day. Thank you to all who attended this event on Concordia's campus, and thank you to all who helped as presenters, hosts, or other volunteers. The Lord truly blessed the day and all those in attendance, both participants and staff. It was wonderful being there with all of you and feeling your excitement about the ministry opportunities God has given you in your congregations and communities. We pray you will be able to take back to your congregations what you heard and share with others the new ideas and insights for ministry you gained. The staff at your Nebraska District Office is here to support you with additional resources you might need as you begin to put into practice the things you learned. Please feel free to contact us with any questions you might have or to inquire about ministry resources available to you and your congregation. Contact us by calling 888-643-2961 or emailing [1]info@ndlcms.org. ¨ [2]Prayer Requests ¨ [3]Called to Glory: Jeannine Mauch ¨ [4]Portfolio Found at Prairie Fire ¨ [5]Fiscal Conference Registrations Due THIS WEEK! ¨ [6]Looking for Sunday School/Day School Mission Projects? ¨ [7]LLL Sponsors State Fair Worship ¨ [8]Concordia Organ Recital Series Corrections ¨ [9]In the News: Lutherans For Life Bike Ride ¨ [10]Word of Life Church Start Signs Lease with Concordia ¨ [11]Portals of Prayer Available in Spanish ¨ [12]Small Group Conference ¨ [13]Reaching Rural America for Christ Conference ¨ [14]Lutherans in Medical Missions Forum PRAYER REQUESTS Family of Anita Kern - Please remember in prayer the family of Anita Kern, mother of Rev. Paul Kern, pastor at St. John, Waco. Mrs. Kern was taken to her heavenly home on Thursday, July 24, after a brief illness. We pray for the family at this time, joining with them in thanking God for the saving faith He placed in her heart. Children in Abusive Situations - A special prayer request was shared by a member of a District congregation for two children she is aware of who are in abusive home situations. Please remember in prayer all children who suffer in abusive homes, asking that the Lord will grant protection to these little ones and provide a way for them to be removed from harm's way. [15]Back to top CALLED TO GLORY: JEANNINE MAUCH Jeannine Mauch, Commissioned Minister--Teacher Non-Candidate, departed this life on July 27, 2008, in Scribner, Nebraska. She was born on April 17, 1944, in Fremont, Nebraska, to Oscar and Viola (Backhus) Mauch. She graduated from Concordia Teachers College (now University), Seward, in 1966, and received a Masters Degree from there in 1988. Schools Jeannine served include: St. Paul, Perham, Minn.; Wheat Ridge Lutheran School, Wheat Ridge, Colo.; St. Mark, Yonkers, N.Y.; and Zion, Plainview, Neb. She was a member at Christ Lutheran Church, Norfolk, Neb. Jeannine is survived by two brothers, John and Connie Mauch of Scribner, David and Bev Mauch of Norfolk; nephews and nieces, Michael and Julie Mauch, James and Pam Mauch, Martha and James Bartels, Michelle and Chad Beeson, David John and Sha Mauch; great-nieces and nephews, Kristin Mauch, Emily Mauch, Roni Mauch, Olivia Mauch, Ostynn Bartels, Josie Bartels, Brynley Bartels, Alyssa Beeson, McKenzie Beeson, Addison Mauch, Taylor Mauch, Joslynn Wyer, Riley Wyer, and Alex Clark. She was preceded in death by her parents and great-nephew Jamison Mauch. The funeral service was held July 30, 2008, at Christ Lutheran Church, Norfolk. Interment was at the Scribner Cemetery. [16]Back to top PORTFOLIO FOUND AT PRAIRIE FIRE A small red and black zippered portfolio was found on the registration table at Prairie Fire on Saturday. There is a "Croplan Genetics" logo on the front, with notes from break-out sessions inside. If this is yours, please call me at 888-643-2961 or email me at [17]nicholeh@ndlcms.org. [18]Back to top FISCAL CONFERENCE REGISTRATIONS DUE THIS WEEK! Pastors, Principals, Congregational Chairmen, and Congregational Treasurers: Friday, August 8 is the deadline for registering for the free Nebraska District Fiscal Conference to be held Saturday, August 23, at Heartland Lutheran High in Grand Island. Registration materials were mailed to church offices and are available on the District website at [19]www.ndlcms.org. Participants will have opportunity to learn more about: ¨ The Nebraska District mission, vision, and values. ¨ The opportunities for sharing Christ in Mission Field Nebraska. ¨ God's ministries in action. ¨ The fiscal status of the Nebraska District LCMS. There will also be time set aside for the Nebraska District Board and staff to hear feedback from participants on these and other topics. There is no registration fee, but registrations are requested to be returned to the District Office by Friday, August 8, to allow adequate meals and material for all participants. Contact Carrie Parr at 888-643-2961 or [20]carriep@ndlcms.org with questions or for more information. [21]Back to top LOOKING FOR SUNDAY SCHOOL/DAY SCHOOL MISSION PROJECTS? As congregations and schools begin preparing for a new school year, many are deciding on mission projects for their students and their members to support. The Nebraska District is a mission partner with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Sudan through the work of LCMS World Mission. There are a number of ways that Nebraska congregations and schools can partner and support this new mission field: ¨ Roofs for churches and schools ¨ School uniforms for Lutheran school children ¨ Trained teachers to teach in the Lutheran schools ¨ Radio network to provide communications between the Lutheran churches To find out more about the opportunities to support these needed mission projects, or to print an adoption agreement, visit the District website at [22]http://www.ndlcms.org/ministries/district/agreements.html. [23]Back to top LLL SPONSORS STATE FAIR WORSHIP (from the Nebraska Lutheran Layman) Once again the Nebraska District Lutheran Laymen's League will hold worship services each Sunday that our State Fair is being held in the state's capitol city, Lincoln. The worship service each Sunday will be held at the Open Air Auditorium beginning at 9:00 a.m. Rev. Duane Fahr will be preaching the message on Sunday, August 24. Pastor Fahr is serving as the Nebraska District LLL pastoral advisor and serves as pastor of First Trinity Lutheran Church, Bloomfield. Special music for this service will be provided by Ambassadors of Harmony, a quartet from Crete. Rev. Robert Roegner will be preaching the message on Sunday, August 31. Rev. Roegner is the Director of LCMS World Missions. Serving as liturgist and sharing the children's message will be Rev. Richard Snow of St. John, Battle Creek. Pastor Snow serves as the Nebraska District LLL's assistant pastoral advisor. Valorie Snow will provide the special music for this service. Those who are planning to attend the State Fair on a Sunday are invited to join the Nebraska LLL for one of these special worship services. [24]Back to top CONCORDIA ORGAN RECITAL SERIES CORRECTIONS The July 2008 Nebraska Lutheran Reporter ran an article on the upcoming organ recital series at Concordia University. A few minor corrections and clarifications have been made to the schedule, and the corrected article follows. Please consider including this corrected paragraph in your September newsletter. Organ Recital Series . . . Concordia University, Seward, has a year-long organ recital series planned to celebrate the installation of the new Casavant Freres Opus 3868 organ on campus. All events will take place in the Heine Recital Hall in the Music Building. For more information on these events, contact the Concordia Music Department at 402-643-7282. Dedicatory Recital and Hymn Festival, September 13 at 7:00 p.m. and September 14 at 3:00 p.m. Advanced ticket sales are required due to limited seating. Call Sue at 800-535-5494, ext. 7408 for more information. Concordia Alumni Recital, October 5 at 2:00 p.m. "Organ Plus . . ." Music for Organ with Instruments and Voices, January 25 at 3:00 p.m. Felix Hell Visiting Artist Concert, March 22 at 3:00 p.m. [25]Back to top IN THE NEWS: LUTHERANS FOR LIFE BIKE RIDE Riders Cycle to Raise Awareness "It started with one pastor and one layperson in 1994, when they rode bicycles across Nebraska to spread a message. Last month, 11 people made a similar trek. The group slept in churches and trudged up steep hills and even took detours through South Dakota and Iowa." This story of pastors and laypeople from Nebraska and Iowa who biked 317 miles to raise awareness and funds for Lutherans For Life ran in the Lincoln Journal Star last Saturday, August 2. To read the full article, visit [26]http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/08/01/living/religion/doc48937 fc1593dc735268465.txt. [27]Back to top WORD OF LIFE CHURCH START SIGNS LEASE WITH CONCORDIA Dave Kumm, CFO of Concordia University, Nebraska, and Dr. Larry Oetting, leader of Word of Life Lutheran Church, signed a lease July 31 enabling the new congregation to worship and occupy office space in Concordia's new site in the Fallbrook neighborhood of northwest Lincoln. "We appreciate Concordia's desire and flexibility to partner with us in establishing a new church," said Oetting. "We felt that Fallbrook would be an ideal neighborhood to be a part of with the growth of the area, new schools, and new businesses. It is a very welcoming environment." Oetting says the goal of the church is to meet people where they are and encourage their searching and discovery of faith by being part of the community, offering a relaxed worship setting, and welcoming those from all backgrounds. The first service in the new space will be on Sunday, September 28, and this will be the first new LCMS church established in Lincoln in 20 years. "Our hope is that Word of Life compliments the other churches in Lincoln as one that is in a new, growing area, and that we will all work together to spread Christ's message," said Oetting. "Concordia is excited to partner with Word of Life as well," said Rev. Dr. Brian L. Friedrich, president of Concordia. "This is an extension of our own mission to educate all levels of students in a Christ-centered environment for service around the world; it is a wonderful opportunity to support further education and worship built around Christ and His message." Oetting and his wife Kitty were so dedicated to establishing the church, they moved into Fallbrook 10 months ago. The neighborhood is a planned community developed by NEBCO, a third-generation, family-owned business. The focus on creating a community fit right into Oetting's plans. "We want to be active in the neighborhood. We want to explore faith and Christ with people, offer opportunities for spiritual growth, and serve the community." The first big event for the congregation will be a Community Invitation Night entitled "Playing to Win" and featuring Jerry Tagge. The Nebraska football All-American will share his journey of faith. The presentation and open house are Sunday, August 17, 6:30 p.m. [28]Back to top PORTALS OF PRAYER AVAILABLE IN SPANISH Portales de Oración from Concordia Publishing House is the Spanish version of the devotional magazine, Portals of Prayer. This new resource allows churches to share the Christian faith with Spanish-speaking neighbors, open doors on a mission trip, or practice Spanish language skills while growing in the Word. Portals of Prayer guides readers in a daily, faith-building experience with God's Word. Each brief devotion features Scripture, meditation, and prayer in a user-friendly format. For larger quantity subscriptions, Portales de Oración costs as little as $1 per subscription for 3 months of materials. Annual subscription of 4 issues to one address: Subscriptions Price per subscription 1-2 $10.00 3-9 $8.00 10-24 $6.00 25-74 $5.00 75+ $4.00 One-time bulk order Issue price 1-24 $2.75 25-74 $2.50 75-99 $2.25 100+ $2.00 Subscribe now for the October issue Portales de Oración (Portals of Prayer) Magazine 112 pages Quarterly subscription To place an order, call 1-800-325-3040 or visit [29]www.cph.org. [30]Back to top SMALL GROUP CONFERENCE Our Savior, Norfolk, will be hosting a Small Group Conference on October 17 and 18, 2008. Pastors, staff, church leaders and laymen will all benefit from this conference by catching the vision for biblical community within congregations and their community. For registration information please contact Jay Daniell, small group ministry director at Our Savior, at 402-371-9005 or [31]smallgroup@oursav.org. [32]Back to top REACHING RURAL AMERICA FOR CHRIST CONFERENCE Reaching Rural America For Christ, a conference for pastors and lay leaders from rural and small town congregations, will be held at Mahoney State Park, Ashland, Nebraska, on Thursday, November 6, beginning at 1:00 p.m. through Saturday, November 8, ending at 12 Noon. The Reaching Rural America For Christ conference will unveil a plan that gives support to a National Missionary Catalyst through the LCMS districts for rural small town congregations. The Reaching Rural America For Christ conference will: * Assist congregations in taking intentional steps to help create a positive missional attitude and initiate outreach actions. * Celebrate our common heritage. * Examine the impact of ever-changing culture on rural small town communities. * Build a network for leadership training and ministry support among the districts. * Investigate stewardship attitudes to maximize resources. Participants are limited to the first 150 registrants. The registration deadline is September 30. The cost per participant is $300.00, which includes 2 nights lodging, 6 meals, banquet, and all materials. To register, call Saint Paul Institute for Education at 888-463-5127. To download a conference brochure visit [33]http://www.spife.org/Index.asp?PageID=9486 [34]Back to top LUTHERANS IN MEDICAL MISSIONS FORUM Bobbie Lautenschlager, Executive Director of Lutherans in Medical Missions, announces that Michelle Hoeppner, Executive Director of the Concordia Welfare and Education Foundation, Hong Kong, will be LIMM's featured speaker at the 2009 Needs and Resources Forum, Reaching Communities for Christ with Health and Education, on March 20-21, 2009. The event will be held at the Crowne Plaza Hotel-Airport, St. Louis, MO. Hoeppner majored in East Asian Studies and Spanish, and has a Masters of Arts Degree in International Development with studies in Public Health and Education Program Management. She has served in Hong Kong as a member of the LCMS Asian Regional Team since 2002. Her recent work has included earthquake relief in Sichuan Provence and the implementation of a Community Health Education Program in Cambodia. The Forum schedule with the list of additional speakers will be posted online at [35]www.limm.org after January, 2009. Plan to attend now. Please make reservations through LIMM at [36]limm@limm.org in order to get the conference price for rooms at the Crowne Plaza. Lutherans in Medical Missions (LIMM) is a Recognized Service Organization of The Lutheran Church--Missouri Synod. [37]Back to top Blessings, Nichole Hetz Nebraska District LCMS Director of Communications 1-888-643-2961 [38]nicholeh@ndlcms.org [39]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. mailto:info@ndlcms.org 2. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#prayer 3. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#glory 4. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#found 5. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#fiscal 6. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#mission 7. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#fair 8. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#organ 9. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#news 10. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#lease 11. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#portals 12. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#small 13. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#rural 14. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#limm 15. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 16. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 17. mailto:nicholeh@ndlcms.org 18. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 19. http://www.ndlcms.org/ 20. mailto:carriep@ndlcms.org 21. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 22. http://www.ndlcms.org/ministries/district/agreements.html 23. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 24. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 25. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 26. http://journalstar.com/articles/2008/08/01/living/religion/doc48937fc1593dc735268465.txt 27. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 28. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 29. http://www.cph.org/ 30. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 31. mailto:smallgroup@oursav.org 32. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 33. http://www.spife.org/Index.asp?PageID=9486 34. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 35. http://www.limm.org/ 36. mailto:limm@limm.org 37. file://localhost/var/lib/mailman/archives/private/distupd/attachments/20080806/ba3218df/attachment-tmp.htm#atop 38. mailto:nicholeh@ndlcms.org 39. http://www.ndlcms.org/