The Garden of Gethsemane “Jesus went out as usual to the Mount of Olives, and his disciples followed him. On reaching the place, he said to them, “Pray that you will not fall into temptation.” He withdrew about a stone’s throw beyond them, knelt down and prayed.” Luke 22:39-41 (niv)
Contact: Nicole •
[email protected] To see a full listing of volunteer opportunities, visit southwoodlutheran.org/give-back/mission
Tabitha Food Box Program
Donate pantry items for clients of the Tabitha Food Box program. Items include shampoo, body wash, laundry soap, toilet paper, paper towels and facial tissue. Bring items to the Stock the Shelves table. Southwood volunteers will deliver the items with food boxes in April.
Serve at the Neighborhood Food Distribution
Tuesday, March 6 • 2:45–5pm (NEW TIME) Help hand out food to over 400 people in our community. All volunteers need to be at least 10 years old. Sign up at Southwood Central or at southwoodlutheran.ivolunteer.com
March Honduras Team Prayers
On March 11, a group of 17 volunteers from Southwood will be traveling to Honduras to visit our sister church. Stop by Southwood Central to pick up a “Prayer Card” for the team. Knowing that people are praying for the volunteers strengthens and encourages them.
Matt Talbot
Tuesday, March 27 and Friday, March 30
Volunteers are needed to: ¾¾ Serve the evening meal at Matt Talbot (2121 N. 27th Street) ¾¾ Provide 2 dozen cookies ¾¾ Provide 2 dozen cleaned, wrapped potatoes Sign up at Southwood Central or online at southwoodlutheran.ivolunteer.com
L
ast year during Lent, an opportunity to participate in the prayer vigil presented itself to our family. As we selected a time to participate, we felt the call of following Christ’s example of praying in a quiet place—the prayer room. We had visited the prayer room several times before to pray, but this Lenten experience reenergized our belief in the power of prayer. I knew prayer was powerful because as I had journeyed through breast cancer, three years earlier, my family and I were blessed by prayer warriors praying for us. We learned then that God could do almighty things through prayer. As we entered the prayer room, we were immediately struck by the solitude. The soft lighting, plant life, and gurgling water in the fountain set an image in our minds of a beautiful garden. We each found a spot where we felt comfortable and silently began our prayer conversations with God. Initially, we wondered where prayer would lead us. But soon the Holy Spirit began to guide us. The word cross on the prayer room wall gave us a focus for praising a God with so many names of his amazing attributes. We gave thanks for our own blessings. We prayed for family, friends, and neighbors we knew—and those we didn’t know. Soon our allotted time was up and we were surprised that we hadn’t noticed someone else had entered the prayer room to continue the vigil. The time we had spent was special and we left the prayer room with a sense of peace that only comes from God. My family and I would like to encourage you to participate in this year’s vigil—come to the garden to pray!
—Sally Thomsen
Prayer Vigil Friday, March 30 • 8am–6:30pm
On Good Friday, we will be having a Prayer Vigil in the Prayer Room. We encourage you to sign up for a 15-minute time slot to come in and pray as part of your Holy Week devotions. Sign up at: southwoodlutheran.org/events
March 4, 2018
Lenten Worship
Wednesdays March 7, 14, and 21 6:00pm Pre-Service Reflection 6:30pm Worship Service with Holy Communion
Holy Week
Palm Sunday March 25 • 8:30, 9:45 & 11am Maundy Thursday March 29 • 6:30pm Good Friday March 30 • 6:30pm
Easter Sunday
April 1 Sunrise Service • 7:30am Worship Services • 8:30, 9:45 & 11am
Silver Linings Lunch with author/speaker Kimberly Shirk
Wednesday, March 14 • 12–1pm in the Fellowship Hall Ever yon e Spend your lunch break hearing a Welcom e! message that will help you find the silver lining in every situation! Join the Southwood Seniors as they host this special event with an inspirational speaker and author of Remote Fears & Silver Linings. Kimberly was a local klkn-tv8 morning news anchor. In 1997, Kimberly was severely burned and nearly killed by a 13,000-volt electrical line while on location. Since her accident Kimberly speaks with passion about Finding Faith at the End of the Road. Menu: Pulled Pork and sides Register at southwoodlutheran.org/events
402.423.5511
southwoodlutheran.org Address: 4301 Wilderness Hills Blvd., Lincoln, NE 68516
Contact: Faye Koehn •
[email protected]
Contact: Pam Dinneen •
[email protected]
Vacation Bible School Registration is open for students and volunteers!
Pray Without Ceasing …
Students will discover their strength in God while attending Hero Central VBS. 3-year-olds*–6th grade (entering grades for 2018–19) *3 year olds by May 1 and potty-trained
»» Week 1 June 4–8 • 9am–12pm (nearly full) »» Week 2 June 11–15 • 9am–12pm Visit: southwoodlutheran.org/vbs Paper forms available at Education Station and Southwood Central.
Friday, March 30 • 8am–6:30pm On Good Friday, we will be having a Prayer Vigil in the Prayer Room. We encourage you to sign up for a 15-minute time slot to come in and pray as part of your Holy Week devotions. Sign up at: southwoodlutheran.org/events
Grief Group
Mondays 6:30–8pm, beginning April 9 for 5 weeks Join us as we discover ways to find and experience hope in the midst of grief. Based on The Mourner’s Book of Hope, by Alan Wolfelt, this group will help you gain insights as you move toward healing. Contact Pam Dinneen at
[email protected].
Ongoing Care Ministries Contact: Drew Jagadich •
[email protected]
DELVE (Confirmation) • 6th–8th grade
• 6 & 7 Grade: today at 8:30, 9:45 and 11am—Parent Sunday. We will continue our Lenten study on the Gospel of Luke. • 8th Grade: No DELVE. Resumes April 4 at 6:15pm. th
th
Summer Mission Trips
• Middle School: June 20–23 in Minneapolis, Minnesota Informational Meeting: today at 12pm in the Fellowship Hall. • High School: July 21–28 in Houston, Texas Informational Meeting: March 18 at 12pm in the Youth Room Learn more at southwoodlutheran.org/youth
Life and Lattes
Tuesday, March 6, 2:30–5pm meet at The Bay (20th & Y Street).
Youth Group
tonight • 5:45pm meet at church to go serve off-site at the Lutheran Center at UNL. We will connect with current college students, staff and help with various projects at their facility.
Held in the Group Room next to the Nursery `` Prayer Shawl Ministry—March 8 • 10am `` Renewed Hope—March 18 • 11am
Caring 3 Tips for Everyday Giving Gifts
This doesn’t mean giving them gifts every day, but it does mean doing it periodically. You don’t need to spend a lot of money—pick a flower, share a candy bar, give from your heart. ff For your spouse—Bring home their favorite dessert. A few extra minutes grabbing a pie or pint of specialty ice cream from the store might mean to world to them today. ff For anyone—Bring coffee to work for your coworkers and leave it on their desk with a little note. It will be like a little cup of joy to kick-start their day! ff For your college student—make them a care package of supplies and snacks. It will be a sweet and significant surprise to receive in their mailbox!
Contact: Jo Sheets •
[email protected]
Southwood Singles
Saturday, March 10 • 10am–2pm The Southwood Singles are serving at the Food Distribution in Palmyra, NE. We will meet at Southwood to carpool to Palmyra, serve and then stop for lunch on our way back. Register at southwoodlutheran.org/events.
Holy Week Spiritual Retreat
24-hour Retreat • March 25–26 Get away from the busyness of life and spend personal time with God. Pastor Greg will lead this retreat. You’ll enjoy the natural, peaceful beauty of the St. Benedict Center located just north of Schuyler, NE, and return refreshed and renewed. Cost is $75 per person, which includes a single room and 3 meals. Limit of 14 participants. Register at southwoodlutheran.org/events or call 402.423.5511. Registration deadline is March 11.
Women’s Spring Retreat
Saturday, April 7 (note new date) 9–11:30am Living Gratitude with speaker, Evi Wusk Brunch served, $5 freewill donation Gather with friends, old & new, to enjoy a morning of gratitude-filled inspiration. Learn how your life can flourish through times of joy and times of trial. You’ll be thankful you came! Register at southwoodlutheran.org or at Southwood Central.
VBS depends upon heros like you! Adults! Could you be a hero by helping during one of the two weeks (June 4–8 or June 11–15) or with preparations, setup, cleanup? You can sign up at southwoodlutheran.org/vbs or at Education Station. Visit southwoodlutheran.org for a complete listing of events and registrations.
