Southwood Lutheran Church

Sunday School Students Make a Difference

Volunteers visited LaCebita, our sister church in Honduras and toured their school. They saw classrooms with cement floors and leaky roofs. There were broken desks with a few torn books piled in the middle of the room so they wouldn’t get wet. The teachers in the group were especially sad and were looking for a way to help the school.

It was a short trip from that thought to our Sunday School offerings at Southwood. Last year Sunday School students collected offerings for new desks, books and supplies for the school. The following thank you letter is from the school director, teachers and parents at LaCebita.

We are writing to you with the purpose of expressing our sincere appreciation. We have received 100 new desks (chairs for the students) with which we now have 130 brand new chairs; our children have received a package with notebooks and pencils which is a blessing.

Also, maintenance has been given to the roofs of two classrooms (painted gutters), windows painted, desks and bookshelves painted and the drinking water system was repaired (tubes, valves, in general) that long ago were in poor condition. We also repaired and painted the doors of the bathrooms and the main gate. Metal trash cans were installed in the school yard.

In the kindergarten area (preschool), we received a desk (secretary style) and a chair for the teacher’s use, who had no such furniture.

Through this contribution our children will welcome this year’s classes with a better mood and joy which will help to have better achievements and because of this God almighty will reward you greatly. Thank you very much!

This spring and summer, teams from Southwood will be traveling to Honduras and Tanzania. The Lent and Easter offerings will support this mission work by aiding in the construction of Christ homes, providing medical and dental care, education opportunities and vacation bible school. For more information regarding Southwood’s Global Mission work or to get involved, contact Nicole Mroczek.

Luther Visits Confirmation

Pastor Michael and Luther taught the confirmation class about the final 7 Commandments which relate specifically to our obligations to each other.

The Confirmation class was able to identify all of the 7 Commandments, can you?  

Senior High Ski Trip Promo Video

The High School youth group are going skiing over spring break. Check out the promotional video made by our creative youth!  

Southwood Serves - Orange Shirts

On Saturday, October 9th, 500+ volunteers from Southwood will be heading out into the community to serve at 37 different locations around Lincoln. You will easily be able to spot them all over the city in their bright orange t-shirts.

Ben, who made our t-shirts, made this cool video outlining the t-shirt making process: Watch Video Clip

Watching all of the orange t-shirts piling up in this this video gets me even more excited to see everyone heading out after worship to serve in the community wearing their orange t-shirts.  I still have the picture in my head of last year at the end of worship with everyone wearing their t-shirts, waiving their serving towels, and cheering "Who are we going to serve? JESUS, Who are we going to serve? JESUS" and it gives me goosebumps!

I pray that this year we will be able to make an even larger impact in the city of Lincoln and that all of our volunteers can show the people we serve a reflection of God's Love.  Please join me in praying for the families and individuals we will be serving, for all of Southwood's volunteers, and for good weather to complete all of the projects. 

If you didn’t get a chance to pick-up your t-shirts and serving packets, there is still time! Stop by the office this week Monday – Friday from 8:00 A.M. – 5:00 P.M.

Or if you didn’t sign-up to serve but would like to join in, there is still time! E-mail Nicole Mroczek to get involved and get a t-shirt!

I Can Do All Things Through Christ

My legs were shaking so vigorously and the wire underneath was vibrating so it was hard to keep my balance. The littlest breeze made me feel like I was going to drop and hit the ground. Tired and scared, I wanted to just get it over with. I found myself wondering, "Why am I doing this again?" I was on the high ropes course, in Ashland, Nebraska at Carol Joy Holling Camp.

This course challenges you to walk across elements that are 40 feet in the air. The wire is the first challenge, which is only about 2 cm wide—not even—and it is the only thing to stand on. The next closest thing to walk on, is the ground, about 40 ft beneath you. Next, there were little pieces of wood on two wires staggered across with about 3 feet between each board. Another challenge was a log, and the hardest one for me was the final challenge: the swings. Oh my goodness, this was by far the scariest. To conquer this challenge I had to step out on to a swing—again about 40 feet in the air—and I kept swinging back and forth, losing my balance. Then I looked out ahead and saw that there were still like 10 more swings to go. No, not fun. I don't even think I took one breath throughout the whole entire course. The highropes was by far the scariest thing I have ever done in my life. The only thing holding me was a harness, held by a wire. Yes, it was strong and sturdy, but I couldn't convince myself of that fact until after I was done with the course.

How did I get through this without having a heart attack? I still really don't know. But I do know what helped me a lot. The biggest thing for me was having my whole group beneath me, cheering me on and saying, "You can do it!" Another was Kara Goddard, a camp employee and Southwood member, she was there talking me through every step of the way. She made me take the first step, and I honestly wouldn't have if it wasn't for her. Even though I had my group and Kara, I still needed an extra push--that extra push was God. I had to remind myself God was with me, and He was there for me, and He wasn't going to let anything happen to me. There were a few times in that course where I had to just stop, close my eyes, and pray. I asked him to give me the strength to do this, and sure enough He did.

Kaylyn Fern

"I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me." Phillipianns 4:13

Who not How

Galatians 6:2 (NIV) Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you fulfill the law of Christ.

What if in our lives as Christians we focused on who instead of how? Instead of asking how to be a part of the church, how we should pray, or how to encourage other people to live as Christians, we asked who was sitting next to us in the pew. What if we asked who we could serve in our community? What if instead of looking at how Jesus lived, we asked ourselves who He was? What if we asked ourselves who He is in our lives today?

In my first week here at Southwood as the youth director, all of my questions started with one word, how. How does the youth group operate? How does Sunday School get organized? How will I remember all these names? How do I route my drive from home to church in the most efficient way possible? How will I ever not miss the turn onto 40th from Saltillo Road? While these were good questions, they were—as is often the case—missing the point.

In preparation for our youth kick-off pizza party, I read a book I received from Pastor Sara, Relationships Unfiltered, by Andrew Root. Root raises the how vs. who issue, emphasizing the humanity of the individual far above any method or practice. Root believes that the truer question for us to ask as Christians is who.

As sneakers bopped through the door for our first youth event, I smiled seeing our youth here at Southwood living out this concept. Upper classmen welcomed new freshmen, reaching out to see just who they were. During games, new faces moved among the familiar, welcoming each unique individual. All who attended could identify unique gifts they could contribute to the larger group. As I introduced myself to newcomers, it was fun to discover their interests and quirks, and sometimes to hear of their struggles barely hiding just below the surface.

After laughter and games, we came together to conclude with community prayer. In this prayer one person offers up a concern and another offers to pray for it. As each prayer went up, I was humbled as I saw a community holding itself up, even in this first meeting, and I couldn’t help smiling at the blessing we have as Christians to ask who, as we share our joys and also stand next to each other in our struggles.

    —Evi 

If you have questions about youth programs, would like to sign up for the high ropes challenge, or would like to sponsor the high ropes trip as an adult sponsor, please contact me at ewusk@southwoodlutheran.org.

Youth: Get the Word Out!

1 Timothy 4:11-12 (MSG) Get the word out. Teach all these things. And don’t let anyone put you down because you’re young. Teach believers with your life: by word, by demeanor, by love, by faith, by integrity.

 Worship, Grow, Serve, Give, Invite. As a member here at Southwood for the past two years, these five spiritual practices have helped me to see how to be a moving, breathing part of this congregation. In some ways I feel like they are tattooed on my brain since they have been communicated so often. So in my first month as the Director of Youth Ministries here, I wasn’t surprised to find a youth group focused on those same practices. Southwood’s senior high youth group meets Sunday evenings from 7:00-8:30 p.m., and each month the group plans a worship event, a growth learning opportunity, a fun activity, and a service project.

Our first Sunday night together we gathered at the outdoor area for S’mores and—you guessed it—worship. From the moment kids bopped into the youth room laughing and telling stories, it was clear that the relationships among this group form a strong community. Even early on I could tell that this is a community of young people who love to laugh, but they are also up to the challenge of deeper faith conversations and they have a strong desire to live out the faith by serving others.

To prepare for incoming freshman, our group is focusing our short summer time together on community, planning, and hospitality. Our second Sunday together brought volleyball and games at Holmes Lake, and this week we will meet to brainstorm ideas for the year ahead and to create a community covenant. Our meeting will end with welcome calls inviting new youth to our kick-off party on August 22nd. Students are also invited to attend Vision Sunday School starting September 12th at 11:00 a.m. Later in the day on the twelfth the youth group will meet early at Carol Joy Holling Camp for high ropes challenge. Students can sign up, and we will carpool to Ashland and be at the camp from 2:00-5:00 p.m.

So, get the word out—the youth are off and running, and getting ready to welcome the new freshmen class and new upperclassmen. This high school group, although I’ve only known a few of them a short while, makes me smile as I think about specific personalities already shining through—personalities that so clearly love the Lord. I keep telling my friends that even though this first year will have its own learning curve for me as I get going in full time ministry, I know at the end we will look back and thank God for all the times that we saw him working through this group and leading us. At times it might seem complicated or we might face challenges as a growing and changing community, but the complicated seems simple when we break it into five practices that are simple to remember: worship, grow, serve, give, and invite.

—Evi

If you have questions about youth programs, would like to sign up for the high ropes challenge, or would like to sponsor the high ropes trip as an adult sponsor, please contact me at ewusk@southwoodlutheran.org.

Stories from Honduras

Honduras: a place of simplicity and peace, where everything that distracts you from God and His beauty and love, is gone.

When I go to Honduras, I have no hot water, air conditioning, electricity, or phone service. I will not be able to flush my toilet paper, and my showers will be provided by ice-cold river water. I will eat beans and rice everyday, and get extremely dusty from standing in the back of pick up trucks while driving on rocky roads. But the thing is, I love that part of the trip. I love the adventure. I love living such a simple life. Honduras is and will always be my Spiritual home. It’s where I live in the midst of God’s gorgeous masterpiece. It’s where life is simple. It’s where everyone goes all natural. It’s where I find true joy. It’s where the people love me with all their hearts and have the most passionate hearts for their Savior. It’s where I left my heart in 2006, 2008, and now, 2010. It’s where I feel the closest to God. It’s just where I’m supposed to be.

—Jenna Olson

This being my first time going to Honduras, I was lost on what to expect. How can I pack a week’s worth of stuff in one carry-on? It seems hard, but trust me, after a day of experiencing Honduras, you discover that all you needed was your heart, and for it to be molded and shaped by God. Your eyes are suddenly opened to the things that are unseen in the United States. The people surrounding you become your family. There’s a never-ending flame of love, and you create a bond with every person you come in contact with. Hondurans may not have much in material things, but they are so rich in faith. You see God in everyone’s eyes, in the heights of the mountains, and the depths of the valleys. My mind is only fixed on serving God. The last thing I worry about is myself. If home is where your heart it, then Honduras is my new home.

—Andrea Sheets

For information on 2011 Global Mission trips visit the Southwood Serves Wall in the Fellowship Hall.

Youth Group Nashville Trip

From June 13-19, 38 high school students and adult leaders from Southwood went to Nashville, Tennessee. Even though original serving opportunities planned for the trip were altered due to severe flooding in Nashville, the youth still carried out their mission of serving those in need.

In the first day, I saw God’s hand at work as we did flood clean-up at a Lutheran camp outside of Nashville. It was unbelievable to see the effects flooding had on the area as it destroyed almost everything in its path. Our group was energized and ready to work, which allowed us to almost finish a week’s worth of projects in one day!

Throughout the trip, there were many memorable moments that stick out to me, but none do as much as the night we went to The Bridge Ministry—a homeless ministry which meets under Nashville’s Jefferson Street Bridge. We saw hundreds of homeless people come to the bridge and their lack of resources was noticeable. Our group was unaware of how powerful this night would be to us all, as we were expecting to hand out food to the homeless and participate in a worship service with the needy. As the night went on, God showed us how these people gather together every Tuesday night to worship together. There was a spirit which filled the place as we all sang aloud and then had the opportunity to pray over each other. Tears filled all of our eyes as we laid hands on each other, both homeless and not, and poured our hearts out in prayer. Our group left the bridge knowing that what we experienced was amazing.

The trip was a spiritual, emotional, and physical journey as our youth group exhaustively worked in 90 degree humid weather I saw students love complete strangers just like Jesus would have. We experienced so much change throughout this trip and from it all I saw students spiritually grow and mature.

Drew Jagadich

Youth to Nashville!

On Sunday, 30 youth and 10 adults from Southwood will depart for Nashville. This trip has been in the planning process for more than six months.

However, plans have changed. For one thing, Chip is no longer with us to lead the trip. However, there are 10 other adult leaders going, most of them who have gone on youth trips in the past. They give the youth continuity and help to show them that Southwood's youth aren't about following a person—they are here to do be Jesus in the world.

Another thing that has changed is where we will be staying and the work we will be doing. You may remember that Nashville had severe flooding a month ago. We were planning on staying in a Lutheran church camp. However, much of the camp was destroyed in the flooding. Fortunately, we found a motel to stay in. And—for at least 2 days of the trip (Monday and Wednesday)—our youth will be helping to get the camp back in order! We don't know exactly what we will be doing, but the people of Lutheran Disaster Relief tell us they won't have a problem finding work for us to do.

On Tuesday, our youth will be working in the warehouse of the Bridge Ministry. The Bridge Ministry is an organization that works to clothe and feed the homeless in Nashville. We will be working in the warehouse during the day, and in the evening, we will go "under the (Jefferson Street) bridge", where they have a worship service for the homeless. After the service, we will help to distribute food and clothing.

Thursday, we will either do servant evangelism projects around the city, or continue to help do clean up at the camp. On Friday, the kids will have a day to have fun - either sightseeing or a waterpark.

I have never been on a mission trip with our youth—pray for me! Seriously, I am looking forward to it. All these youth and adults have a great heart for service and I'm honored to be a part of their trip. Please pray for all of us, that we will be the hands of Jesus in the world on this trip.