Rock News – The Rock Lutheran Church

Happening at The Rock, March 8, 2024

Lincoln Lutheran has earned their way to the state championship game tomorrow at 4:15 against Amherst. Help them pack the Pinnacle Bank Arena and cheer on the Warriors to victory!

At 4:30 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6, 2024, the workers installing the new roof at The Rock noticed smoke and called 911. The Seward fire department responded immediately, locating and extinguishing the source of the smoke. The building did not sustain any smoke or water damage, and has been approved for regular use. The roofing company resumed their work with no interruption. We are thankful for the fast response from the Seward police and fire departments.

We are excited that work is 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.

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.

The women’s Bible study group is starting a new, short Sunday morning study. The group will meet at The Rock from 8:30-9:45 a.m. on March 17, March 24 and finish the book on April 7. They will read The Case for Easter (a 3 chapter book) which is an excerpt from Lee Strobel’s The Case for Christ. Be encouraged to invite friends! This is for all females, high school age and up. Get the book here. Please try to get your own copy of the book, or contact Andrea Sloup if you cannot. You can contact Andrea with any questions and to let her know you’ll be attending at andrea.lyn.sloup@gmail.com

News from the Nicodemus Comfort Dog team: Greetings with Peace and the Grace of our Lord from the Nicodemus Comfort Dog Team.

The Ministry has been operating without a Back-up Caregiver that is supposed to be in place with this Ministry. The Back-up Caregiver is in place to give needed time off to the Primary Caregiver, which has been Randy and Marcia Newsome for the last 6 ½ years.

Recent events have made it very clear to Randy and Marcia that a Back-up Caregiver is very necessary for the forward motion of the Team’s service to our community and to our own church. The role of the Back-up Caregiver is the same as the Primary Caregiver, only a much shorter time commitment. The Back-up Caregiver cares for the needs of Nico, getting him ready to go out to service when Randy and Marcia have scheduled time off. The Nico fund would set up that person or family with all needed supplies and training as to Nico’s verbal and house commands.

The Back-up Caregiver does NOT have to be a member of the Rock Church or even a Lutheran, but must be a follower of Jesus. Policy from the Lutheran Church Charities (LCC), the head of the Comfort Dog Ministry who set the rules and commands for all the Comfort Dogs across the U.S.A., has changed. Another pet within the Back-up Caregiver home is allowed but still not preferred.

What the Nico Team is asking is that you sit with our Lord in prayer, to ask for a name that might be a possibility for a Back-up Caregiver for our Ministry. Please get that name with contact information to one of Nico’s Team members or one of the Rock’s leadership members, or submit it to our church office. Thank you for your prayers and help.

Let’s help send our youth to the National Youth Gathering in New Orleans next July! Join us before the service this Sunday, March 31 for our annual Easter breakfast. Starting at 9:00, our youth will be serving a breakfast of eggs, bacon, cinnamon rolls, and fruit. No tickets are required, but your generous donations are appreciated as they raise funds for their trip to the National Youth Gathering.

The men of The Rock, young and old, are invited to Peace Lutheran Church in Grand Island for Man Feast 2024. Come for amazing ribs, inspiring music, and join over 500 men as you listen to guest speaker, Darin Kinder of Valiant Ministries. Tickets: $25; April 7 @ 5:30pm (Doors open at 5:00) Register here.

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.

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. We’ll collect paper towels in April. 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.

Online Sonrise stretch class – available every Monday – 3/11, 3/18, 3/25 (Sara teaches all Sonrise classes) – Sign up for this class on Sign Up Genius. NO CLASS ON 4/1
All-Level Tuesdays at 5:30 pm at The Rock – 3/12 (Erika), 3/19 (Sara), 3/26 (Erika)
All-Level Thursdays at 5:30 pm at The Rock – 3/7 (Sara), 3/14 (Sara), 3/21 (Erika), 3/28 (Sara)
Restorative YogaFaith from 7:00-8:00 pm at The Rock – 3/10 (Erika), 3/17 (Sara), 3/24 (Erika) No class on 3/31. *PLEASE SIGN UP IN ADVANCE PLEASE.

Contact Connie Butler, our administrative assistant, at connie.butler@therockseward.org 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.

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.