Month: February 2024

Happening at The Rock, 2/28/24

It is now time to determine our next steps in the search for our next pastor. Please plan to attend a special voter’s meeting that will be held at 7:00 p.m. TOMORROW (Thursday, February 29), in the worship center at the Rock. The call committee has met to review our options and prepare information and recommendations to present at the meeting. One possibility is to ask that a pastor graduating from the seminary be placed at the Rock. The deadline to make that application is March 1, 2024, which is why it is important to have a voter’s meeting soon. Between now and the meeting, please pray for the work of the call committee and for God’s clear guidance for the Rock.  If you have any questions, please contact a member of the Call Committee: Ross Briggs, Emma Dannehl, Jake Eckles, Marcus Gubanyi, Tim Moll, Matt Myers, Brenda Reif, Lori Bruns, and Andrea Sloup.

Remember to use the north doors when you arrive for the meeting!

Starting this week, you will see work being done on our roof. During the week, please enter the building through the north entrance. The south entrance will still be open on Sundays. There may be limited space in the main parking lot until the work is complete.

LCMS Connections, a newly launched free matchmaking service for LCMS singles who are seeking a faithful spouse, is now live! LCMS Connections is for marriage-minded confessional Lutheran singles hoping to connect with others like them throughout our Synod. Learn more on their website at https://www.lcms-connections.com/ or contact them by email at [email protected]. 

(While LCMS Connections is organized and managed by Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod laity and clergy, it is not authorized, endorsed by, or in any way officially connected with the offices of the Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod, or any of its subsidiaries or its affiliates.)

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) Nebraska District College Scholarship was developed to encourage college students in the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) to pursue their educational goals.

Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA or current full-time post-secondary student at an accredited institution with at least one year of courses remaining and a minimum 2.5 GPA. Applicants must also be a member of a congregation belonging to the Nebraska District LCMS.

Applications close April 14, 2024. Winners will be announced on May 6, 2024. Learn more and complete your application at lcef.org/nebraskascholarship.

Plan your meals now for March 11. Dine in or carry out lunch or dinner (or both!) at La Carreta and help support The Rock’s Guatemala Mission Team. 

Remember to Designate Your Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 31! Thrivent investors should act now to designate their Thrivent Choice Dollars before the March 31 deadline. We are grateful for all who designate these funds to The Rock each year.

Faith Partners Team at The Rock: We are exploring the formation of a team to minister to individuals with addiction and mental health issues. Can you help? All ages are needed. An informational meeting will be held March 13 at 7:30.

Our March item for the Blue Valley food pantry is peanut butter. If you still have soup from February, continue to bring that in this Sunday. Thanks for being a blessing to the community in this way. You can see our Blue Valley Pantry item schedule on our website. Year-round they also collect the following: pasta, pasta meal mixes, instant potato side dishes, and mashed potatoes. 

YogaFaith News:

Visit their Facebook page for a full calendar and more information. 

Class Schedule:

• Monday Sonrise 8:00 am- 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29
• Tuesday All Level 5:30 pm – 1/2, 1/9/, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30
• No classes on Thursday
• No CUNE Classes
• Sunday Restorative 7:00 pm – 1/14, 1/21, 1/28

Minutes from the Ambassadors’ and Directors’ meetings can be found HERE. 

Minutes for the January Directors’ meeting are available here now.

Contact Connie Butler, our administrative assistant, at [email protected] or by calling the church office at 402-643-6624. She is available Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1-5 p.m.

Our Website | https://www.therockseward.org/
Giving while at home | https://www.therockseward.org/giving-at-the-rock/
Minutes from leadership meetings | CLICK HERE
Vimeo | https://vimeo.com/therockseward 
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRockSewardNebraska
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/therockseward
Contact Us | [email protected]
Prayer Requests | [email protected]
Mail | PO Box 199, Seward, NE 68434

Prayer requests are received by our prayer warriors. If you would like them kept confidential and not included in public prayers on Sundays, just let us know in your email.

Sunday, February 18, 2024

We were notified on Friday (2/16) by Pastor Doug Slavens that he is declining our call to serve as the next Pastor of the Rock. Please pray for Pastor Slavens and our brothers and sisters at Memorial Lutheran in Sioux Falls that God would bless his continued ministry there. It is now time to determine our next steps in the search for our next pastor. Please plan to attend a special voter’s meeting that will be held at 7:00 pm on Thursday, February 29, 2024, in the worship center at the Rock. The call committee will be meeting this week to review our options and prepare information and recommendations to present at the meeting. One possibility is to ask that a pastor graduating from the seminary be placed at the Rock. The deadline to make that application is March 1, 2024, which is why it is important to have a voter’s meeting soon. Between now and the meeting, please pray for the work of the call committee and for God’s clear guidance for the Rock.  If you have any questions, please contact a member of the Call Committee: Ross Briggs, Emma Dannehl, Jake Eckles, Marcus Gubanyi, Tim Moll, Matt Myers, Brenda Reif, Lori Bruns, and Andrea Sloup.

Happening at The Rock, 2/14/24

Pastor Loeschen’s birthday is Saturday, February 24. Remember to pray for him and wish him a happy birthday!

Are you curious about the new Christian high school that began this fall as an institute of Concordia University?  Do you like pizza?  If you answered yes to both of these questions, join Trinity Academy Headmaster Dr. Gabe Haley after worship this Sunday, February 18. The information session will be held in The Rock Café and pizza will be available for attendees.

Free Resource for Families: Conversation Starters for Mealtimes

Who’s your best friend? What is your favorite Bible verse? What do you think it means to have courage? These questions and more, written especially for families to use as conversation starters at mealtimes.

Download a free pack of conversation cards for your family to use at the breakfast, lunch or dinner table to add some excitement to your normal mealtime conversations and “mix up” the kinds of things your family talks about with one another. Martin Luther and his family understood well the importance of welcoming others into their home for lively conversation around a shared meal at the table. Some of these conversations were even recorded by hand and compiled into a collection of writings that are now known as Luther’s Table Talk. LCMS Family Ministry hopes these resources will help your family continue this tradition of good and lively conversation at the dinner table.

Read more about how to use this resource.

Printable cards available in black and white and in color.

Conversation cards (Color)  //  Conversation cards (B&W)

The Lutheran Church Extension Fund (LCEF) Nebraska District College Scholarship was developed to encourage college students in the Nebraska District of the Lutheran Church–Missouri Synod (LCMS) to pursue their educational goals.

Two $1,000 scholarships will be awarded. Applicants must be a graduating high school senior with a minimum 3.0 GPA or current full-time post-secondary student at an accredited institution with at least one year of courses remaining and a minimum 2.5 GPA. Applicants must also be a member of a congregation belonging to the Nebraska District LCMS.

Applications close April 14, 2024. Winners will be announced on May 6, 2024. Learn more and complete your application at lcef.org/nebraskascholarship.

Remember to Designate Your Thrivent Choice Dollars by March 31! Thrivent investors should act now to designate their Thrivent Choice Dollars before the March 31 deadline. We are grateful for all who designate these funds to The Rock each year.

Continue to pray for the call process. We have issued a call to Rev. Doug Slavens, and he and his family are prayerfully considering the call. Rev. Slavens wrote the following in his acknowledgment of the call:

I am truly honored and humbled to receive this call. In the days ahead I will be in contact with the leaders of your congregation as well as the leaders here at Memorial, in an effort to discern where I can best serve the Lord in His kingdom. I look forward to learning more about your congregation and the ministry that you do in the community of Seward and beyond. In the meantime, I humbly ask for your prayers. Join me, please, in praying for the ministries of both The Rock, and Memorial Lutheran churches, and that the Lord would lead me to a decision that pleases Him.

Our February item for the Blue Valley food pantry is soup. Thanks for being a blessing to the community in this way. You can see our Blue Valley Pantry item schedule on our website. Year-round they also collect the following: pasta, pasta meal mixes, instant potato side dishes, and mashed potatoes. 

Connie Butler has started work as our new administrative assistant. You can contact her at [email protected] or by calling the church office at 402-643-6624. She is available Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1-5 p.m.

YogaFaith News: Visit their Facebook page for a full calendar and more information. 

Class Schedule:

• Monday Sonrise 8:00 am- 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29
• Tuesday All Level 5:30 pm – 1/2, 1/9/, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30
• No classes on Thursday
• No CUNE Classes
• Sunday Restorative 7:00 pm – 1/14, 1/21, 1/28

Minutes from the Ambassadors’ and Directors’ meetings can be found HERE. 

Minutes for the January Directors’ meeting are available here now.

Our Website | https://www.therockseward.org/
Giving while at home | https://www.therockseward.org/giving-at-the-rock/
Minutes from leadership meetings | CLICK HERE
Vimeo | https://vimeo.com/therockseward 
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRockSewardNebraska
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/therockseward
Contact Us | [email protected]
Prayer Requests | [email protected]
Mail | PO Box 199, Seward, NE 68434

Prayer requests are received by our prayer warriors. If you would like them kept confidential and not included in public prayers on Sundays, just let us know in your email.

Happening at The Rock, 2/9/24

Join us this Wednesday, February 14, for our Ash Wednesday dinner and service. We’ll start at 5:30 with a taco dinner in support of the Guatemala mission team. Join us between 5:30-6:30 and drop your freewill offering for this meal in the baskets in the cafe. Then at 6:30 we will have our Ash Wednesday service. We will have communion and the imposition of ashes for those who want it. 

Please note: there will be no Stepping Stones or FaithInk this week.

Continue to pray for the call process. We have issued a call to Rev. Doug Slavens, and he and his family are prayerfully considering the call. Rev. Slavens wrote the following in his acknowledgment of the call:

I am truly honored and humbled to receive this call. In the days ahead I will be in contact with the leaders of your congregation as well as the leaders here at Memorial, in an effort to discern where I can best serve the Lord in His kingdom. I look forward to learning more about your congregation and the ministry that you do in the community of Seward and beyond. In the meantime, I humbly ask for your prayers. Join me, please, in praying for the ministries of both The Rock, and Memorial Lutheran churches, and that the Lord would lead me to a decision that pleases Him.

Our February item for the Blue Valley food pantry is soup. Thanks for being a blessing to the community in this way. You can see our Blue Valley Pantry item schedule on our website. Year-round they also collect the following: pasta, pasta meal mixes, instant potato side dishes, and mashed potatoes. 

Connie Butler has started work as our new administrative assistant. You can contact her at [email protected] or by calling the church office at 402-643-6624. She is available Mondays, Wednesdays, & Fridays from 8 a.m. to noon, and Tuesdays & Thursdays from 1-5 p.m.

YogaFaith Schedule:

Visit their Facebook page for a full calendar and more information. 

Class Schedule:

• Monday Sonrise 8:00 am- 1/8, 1/15, 1/22, 1/29
• Tuesday All Level 5:30 pm – 1/2, 1/9/, 1/16, 1/23, 1/30
• No classes on Thursday
• No CUNE Classes
• Sunday Restorative 7:00 pm – 1/14, 1/21, 1/28

Minutes from the Ambassadors’ and Directors’ meetings can be found HERE. 

Our Website | https://www.therockseward.org/
Giving while at home | https://www.therockseward.org/giving-at-the-rock/
Minutes from leadership meetings | CLICK HERE
Vimeo | https://vimeo.com/therockseward 
YouTube | https://www.youtube.com/c/TheRockSewardNebraska
Facebook | https://www.facebook.com/therockseward
Contact Us | [email protected]
Prayer Requests | [email protected]
Mail | PO Box 199, Seward, NE 68434

Prayer requests are received by our prayer warriors. If you would like them kept confidential and not included in public prayers on Sundays, just let us know in your email.