June 2008
The search is OVER!!!!
We will have an opportunity to meet our new pastor on Sunday, June 8th. Pastor Helwig will be installed at a special service at 4 p.m. that day here at Gethsemane. A dinner will follow which will give us an opportunity to meet and greet him and his wife, Carrie, and children, Hannah, Ben, Emma, Nate, and Sophia.
Plan to attend the special service and dinner (and sign up on the sheet in the fellowship hall!)
PRINCIPAL'S PORTION-SCHOOL NEWS.
Dear friends,
Well, the big weekend is finally here! We have made it. We've been talking about it for months and months. Preparations of hours and hours and work done over emails, phone calls, and meetings will have been completed. This weekend we are celebrating the culmination of 60 years of God's goodness to this church and school. Wow! I know that everyone involved felt privileged to play whatever role they could. The great part is that all the work and worship and celebrations have nothing to do with any of us. Not the principals, teachers, and pastors. Not the graduates, former students, or the current students either. No, here we must give all our focus to the open hands of a gracious God who has poured out innumerous blessings to a congregation in Omaha, Nebraska, who sought out the Lord's favor when it opened a school in the fall of 1948.
We will have spent almost the whole time this weekend looking back at all that God has done through members, families, students, and faculties here over all these years. But one can't help looking ahead. For all that God has done, one wonders what He will do. What does He have in store for this institution moving forward? Do we have another 5, 10, or 15 years? Or even another 60? Will the school grow past the 70, 80, or even the 100 student mark? Will there be reductions or new positions to add to the staff? Will there be classrooms added? Will the basement be renovated? Will there be a Family Life Center? Will the soccer field become a reality (wink, wink)?
I have no idea. I honestly have no idea. And I don't feel badly that I don't. You might argue that the principal should have quite a bit of an idea about these things - and you're right. But God is the one who has those answers. He may choose to use me to bring them about. He may choose someone else. He may choose you. All we can do is be willing to serve and to follow the direction that He leads us. We can use all our skills to plan, organize, and brainstorm. But only those things which He sees best for us will come to fruition. That's the neat part of it all. He leads, we follow, He blesses. It doesn't work any other way. And I know that as long as this church and school hold on to that concept, the future will hold all that we could ever wish for, hope, or imagine - and much more.
I thank God for His goodness and mercy to Gethsemane Lutheran Church and School. I thank Him for a congregation who has supported this school with prayers, offerings, help, and building efforts. I thank Him that I have been able to serve Him and you here for 8 years. I thank Him for our Christian teachers who have served here anywhere from 1 to 12 years at this school. I thank Him for all those who have served ahead of us, and those He will provide to serve after us. I thank Him for the hundreds of students that have come here to learn the precious and saving truths of His Word. I thank Him for all the families that this school has been able to touch and serve. Join me in thanking Him for all this and more.
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Special thanks to Miss Kolb for all her work in organizing the parts and events of this weekend. She has been an unstoppable force, e'en a force to be reckoned with, as this has all come together. She volunteered to take this on and run with it, and we couldn't be more happy with the results. In the big picture she has only played a small part in the history of the school, but she will have made the whole history of the school near and dear to all who are with us for this weekend. Miss Kolb, thanks for all your work. I know it has been a joy for you, and you have made it a joy for so many as well.
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The show goes on. VBS is our first event of the summer (June 23-26). Children age 3 through those entering 6th grade are invited to sign up and be a part of our annual event. Our theme is God's Big Backyard, and it focuses on how we can serve others. Don't let any intersection construction hold you back. We'll be meeting that last full week in June, Monday through Thursday from 9:00 to 11:30 a.m.
We will be looking for another stupendous volunteer group this year. Group chaperones, Station leaders and/or assistants, Donors, and the like are again needed. Contact the office to put your name in the mix to help us reach out to member and friend alike. No experience necessary.
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Thanks to the faculty and staff, the students and the parents for another great school year. Thanks to the congregation for another year of support given in a variety of different ways. You can catch up on all the action from May on the school's webpage, especially by reading up on the Weekly Notes from the last few weeks of school.
Mommy, Daddy and Me Playgroup
Our Mommy, Daddy and Me play group met on May 14th. We all went to a farm out in the country. The kids all enjoyed the farm animals. Thank you Asher and Karsten for letting us share your toys for the day. Thanks also to the Rowan's family for bringing snacks. We will be taking a break for the summer and will resume our regular play group times when school starts again in fall.
W.I.N.G.S
Women IN God's Service
Fourteen women attended our WINGS May election meeting. Becky P was elected President, Leslie K - Vice-President, Bev R - Secretary, and Rachel C - Treasurer. These four women are excited for the new challenge. Leslie was our previous Secretary, so we have a bit of experience. We look forward to serving you, our congregation. Thank you, in advance, for all of your help and support.
Upcoming Events:
Sunday, June 8th at 4 p.m., Pastor Helwig is being installed as our new pastor. At 5 p.m., we are having a dinner. Member families are asked to please sign up in the fellowship hall and to bring either a dessert or a salad. We will have the rest of the meal catered. Mr. Keefe from Good Shepherd will be our caterer. We will be having pork loin, scalloped potatoes, green beans almandine, and buns along with our salads and desserts. We will need help with serving and clean-up. If you would like to help, please contact the church office.
We have had such good attendance in the past with our Daughters/Mothers/Aunties/Sisters Tea. We will try to get a date out for that soon, maybe some time in the summer?
Our next meeting will be the first Thursday of September, the fourth, at 7 p.m. There we will discuss:
1. How many times a year to meet
2. Updating our Constitution
3. Creating a theme for us to stand by
4. Goals
If you have any questions or suggestions for WINGS, please feel free to contact any one of the officers. We look forward to working together with all of you. We want this group to be your group too!
Thank you,
Becky P
Leslie K
Bev R
Rachel C
(Lutheran Women's Missionary Society)
"So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and
help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand." ~Isaiah 41: 10
The WINGS group voted for the LWMS officers and also for the Home and World Mission projects at the May meeting. The ballot was sent into the National Office and will be combined with the other ballots from the other congregations throughout the country. The ballots will be tallied and announced at the LWMS Convention in June in Tucson, AZ. Look for a summary of the LWMS Convention in the July newsletter!
Nebraska Evangelical Lutheran High School)
School's out for summer! The students were dismissed on Friday, May 23rd. The awards presentations and commencement concert took place that evening prior to the pre-grad festivities in the south gym. On Saturday, May 24th, the seniors walked across the stage to receive their diplomas in a 10 a.m. service. Congrats to all seniors, especially Gethsemane kids, Dani, Michael and Roman!
Two big eras have ended at Nebraska Lutheran with the graduations of Michael and Roman. Michael's family has had students at Nebraska Lutheran for many years as has the Roman's family. They have seen the school go from one with a gym floor that wasn't big enough to shoot a three pointer from the sideline to one with a gym that allowed seating on two sides and plenty of room for those long hoops shots as well as a beautiful music room and extras! We thank them for their dedication and trust in God that he would provide their kids with a superb Christian education despite what the building looked like.
The first part of June is actually pretty busy at NELHS, even if classes aren't in session. The coaches and players will be hosting a multi-sports camp from June 1 through June 4. Kids in grades 3 through 8 are eligible to participate in this camp which will feature fundamentals of the sports of volleyball, football, and basketball.
June 6 and 7 are work days at NELHS. If you have some extra time during those days, please consider helping out with the projects at the school. If you have questions, please contact Ardeen Nunnenkamp.
The Nebraska District Convention will be held June 9th through 11th.
God's blessings for a safe and happy summer to all of the faculty, staff, and students of Nebraska Lutheran!
Karen S
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OWLS
Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors)
(Organization of WELS Lutheran Seniors)
On May 9th, fifteen OWLS members met at Gethsemane for their monthly meeting.
President Anders called the meeting to order. Al K gave the devotions taken from "Each Day With Jesus." It was entitled, "When The Spirit Has All of You" based on 2 Thessalonians 2:13. It explained what is meant when we speak of being filled with the Spirit. To pray, to love the Word of God, to stand on the side of Christ, to please God by doing one's daily work faithfully, to speak a word of kindness and comfort to someone in distress - this is what is meant.
Dorthy Kubal brought 7 packets of bookmarks, which she had made from old greeting cards, for the members to write Scripture verses on the back. She will take them along to the convention in July for the Prison Ministries. She also reported that the National OWLS have a new brochure describing the organization and that they have a new 12 minute DVD which will be available soon for the local chapters.
It was decided that in June (on Saturday, the 14th), we will be going out for a 9 a.m. breakfast to the Heartland Café in Elkhorn. To car pool, members should be at Gethsemane at 8:30 a.m.
The May birthdays of Ron and Ruby M, and Jeanne P and the 53rd anniversary of Den and Lorraine M were celebrated with song.
The meeting was closed with prayer. Refreshments were served by Dorthy K and Thelma H and were enjoyed by all.
Lois L
L
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(Friends Of Christian Education)
With the close of another school year, we thank God for all of the blessings our school received in this past year. The congregational support of our school is fantastic. So are our teachers and all of the parents who get involved with the children in so many different ways. Welcome to all of the Gethsemane Alumni who have traveled to Omaha to help celebrate our 60th Anniversary! We hope you feel that our school is continuing in the work that you've been involved with in past years and that you feel a warm welcome from our current school families and staff.
A huge thank-you to outgoing president, Becky Golden, and outgoing treasurer, Sally Buchholz, for providing the leadership of this organization for many years. Their positive enthusiasm for our school has been an inspiration. Our goal is to continue the vision they've had to be a support to our school and teachers.
The big focus of our Friends of Christian Education organization the past few years has been raising funds for a substantial playground with steel and plastic coated equipment for our children. The playground will be installed straight out from the back doors of the school near the parsonage fence. A poster board depicting the equipment layout is available for your viewing in the fellowship hall.
After several years of fundraising with garage sales and Red Wheel frozen food product sales, we're nearing our goal and want to order equipment this summer from the Miracle playground equipment franchise, represented by Eric Crouch. A 30% off sale on equipment and free shipping until June 30th has been a big incentive to raise enough funds to order by that date. This would mean installation some time in August and a new playground for the children to play on when the 08/09 school year begins!
A big part of the expense yet to be raised will be to purchase the weather-resistant rubber timbers to surround the playground and the UV coated rubber mulch that is made from recycled tires. We've decided to go for getting the more expensive coated mulch because of its qualities of staying cool in hot temperatures and not getting black marks on shoes, clothing, etc. A grant to recover 50% of the cost of this material is available from the State of Nebraska Dept. of Environmental Quality; that grant money won't be available until late-Spring next year.
If you or someone you know may be interested in helping financially to support this playground project, please ask any FOCE officer if you have questions that have not been answered. Letters of donation are available for any individual or business who may need one to provide a receipt for a charitable donation for tax purposes. Please remember also, if you're a member of Thrivent, matching funds may be available to increase your donation by 50%; forms for this are available from the school/church office.
A big thank-you to the people involved with holding our annual garage sale (May 29-30). Kudos to hosts Sheryl & Chris for all that is involved in donating the use of their garage for the sale and to all who donated items to sell, staffed the sale and promoted it to their friends. Thrivent Financial will match the proceeds of the sale; so thanks to that organization, too!
Again, if you have any questions or input to offer, our officers for this year are Sheryl E, President; Jennifer P, Vice President; Cynthia S, Treasurer; and Stephanie W, Secretary.
In Him,
Stephanie W, Secretary
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Moms & Dads In Fellowship.
WELS - Omaha Marriage Retreat
September 12-14, 2008
Embassy Suites, Omaha
The WELS Omaha Marriage Retreat is scheduled for Sept 12-14 at the Embassy Suites (Note: For those who attended last year - come again! Pastor Hunter has a brand new presentation.) The other WELS Marriage Retreats around the country have been priced at $350 per couple. But thanks to a major grant from someone in our district who truly believes in the value of this retreat, your cost is $150. This fee covers all materials, your two nights at the Embassy Suites, refreshments, Saturday and Sunday all-you-can eat, made-to-order breakfasts, and a delicious Saturday lunch. The retreat runs from 8 p.m. Friday through Sunday noon and includes plenty of free time on Saturday afternoon and evening. For more information or to register, please call 1-800-567-8669 or go to welsmarriageretreat.org.
Camp Information
Hastings Lock-In - June 6 - Need chaperones!! (Call the office--493-2550--to volunteer!)
Niobrara Canoe Trip - June 15-17 - A chaperone has stepped forward! Please sign up on the sheet
Rocky Mountain Christian Camp - July 12-19. Applications are due June 22 and are available in the church office.
Camp Jefferson - July 25th through July 27th. Applications are on the table in the fellowship hall.
Teen Camp Jefferson - July 27th through 30th. Applications are on the table in the fellowship hall.
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Women's Bible Study -- The Women's Bible Study group that has been meeting on Thursday mornings at Gethsemane Fellowship Hall, has recessed for the months of June, July and August.
The time and location of our sessions, beginning in September, have not yet been decided. Hopefully, the building expansion project will
be in progress by then. If such is the case, the fellowship hall may not be an advantageous place to meet.
We will be studying the book of Galatians, using the Adult Bible Study course, "Galatians --You're Free Now"" by Thomas J. Jeske. We will be using the People's Bible commentary on the book of Galatians/Ephesians in conjunction with the study course.
Please watch for more information in future Sunday bulletins and Newsletters.
Have a safe and enjoyable summer.
Women's Bible Study - Join us on Wednesday mornings at 6:00 at Cherry Bean Coffee in the Cherry Hills Village. We are finishing up our study of Women of the Bible
The men's Bible study
Join us on Wednesday mornings at 6:00 at HyVee at 108th and Fort Streets.
Wednesday Evening Bible Study It's not too late to join us for our Wednesday evening journey through the Bible. We meet at 7:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall.
Service Opportunity
for Teens
Erin B. works for Project Extra Mile, an organization that works to curb underage drinking. They could use regular help with mailings and other office tasks. They even hire high school age kids for compliance checks.
If anyone is interested they can contact
Jason Zacharas, Youth Coordinator for the
Omaha office of Project Extra Mile, at (402)
963-9047.
Wish List
Gethsemane could really use new mats in front of the sanctuary and fellowship doors. Please see the "Helping Hearts" board!