Rock News – The Rock Lutheran Church

Happening at The Rock, 1/11/24

NOTICE OF CALL MEETING: A meeting of the voting members of the Rock will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Sunday, January 21, 2024, in the worship center at the Rock. The purpose of the meeting is to issue a call for a pastor. All are welcome to attend the meeting, but only voting members will be permitted to vote. If you are not a voting member and would like to be, please contact Pastor Loeschen or one of the Ambassadors right away. The call meeting will include the following:

Pastor David Palomaki, the Circuit Visitor for the Seward Circuit of the Nebraska District of the LCMS, will be present with us and will provide an explanation of the call process and other information.
A member of the call committee will review the process leading up to the call meeting.
The call committee will provide information and recommendations on the candidates on our call list who have indicated they are willing to consider a call.
After seeking God’s guidance in prayer, the voting members will vote to extend a call by a written ballot.

After the meeting is concluded, Pastor Palomaki and the Rock leaders will contact the pastor who has been selected and will issue formal call documents for him to consider.

Please plan to attend this important meeting and please pray earnestly for God’s guidance and blessing as we move through the call process.

Our Forever Family is growing and it’s time to hold another diaper drive, this time for Baby Monroe, born to Johnny and Nataliy. We’re collecting sizes 2, 3, and 4, any brand, until February 4.. Look for a collection bin in the cafe area.

A men’s Bible study is being held on Saturday mornings, starting January 6 at 7 a.m. in the cafe, focused on The Story by Randy Frazee. Please see Randy Newsome after church to sign up so he can order the books. The price of the books is $10. Coffee and treats will be provided. You can text Randy at 402-641-0138 with questions.

Anti-Fragile Parenting: Best Practices for Childhood and Youth Mental Health

We all want healthy children. We all desire that our children have strong bodies and minds, deep faith, and healthy relationships. But there are an increasing number of challenges that we face as families that threaten these hopes. Join Our Redeemer, Staplehurst on Wednesday, January 24 at 7 in their gym for a conversation about how we can push back against these forces in our children’s lives, led by Rev. Dr. Justin Hannemann, CEO of GracePoint Institute for Relational Health and Nebraska District executive for Church Worker Care. (More events on this topic will be held later in the year hosted by other congregations in the Nebraska District.)

Get connected with Megan Hakes, who spoke on New Year’s Eve about her mission work, so you can help support her with giving and prayer. She will be in Spain, working with victims of domestic violence. Learn more about her work and support needs at THIS LINK.

In February, The Rock will host a Faith Partners Comprehensive Workshop: How Your Congregation Can Play Its Unique Role in Alcohol/Drug and Mental Health Issues. The workshop will be held in two parts:

Thursday, February 8, 6:00pm to 8:00pm (Registration Requested) This session is a pre-requisite for the training on Saturday. Anyone is welcome to attend this session to learn about the program.
Saturday, February 10, 9:00am to 4:30pm (Registration Required)

Registration for these events can be found at THIS LINK. A flier to share about this event can be found HERE.

Our January item for the Blue Valley food pantry is soap and shampoo. 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.

National Youth Gathering – New Orleans, LA – July 19-23, 2025 It is time to start organizing and fundraising for the next NYG! The event is for 14–19-year-old students. (Must be 14 years old at time of the Gathering OR entering his/her 9th grade year at the time of the Gathering). If your student is interested in attending the 2025 NYG, please contact Jen Janousek (JenJanousek@yahoo.com or 402-499-3512) and be on the lookout for an informational meeting in January.

We are excited to announce that the Rock Directory is now open. We are asking you to do two very easy things:

Follow THIS LINK and check if you are in the directory, and if not, e-mail us and we’ll send you a form to fill out so that we can add you. The password currently is “ForeverFamily” but will change from time to time to protect our information.
If you are already in it, go to THIS LINK for instructions on how to setup your login (which we won’t change on you) so that you can update your information and add a photo of your family. (link to Bill’s instructions)

The quality of the directory depends on you updating your information. We’ve gotten several requests for a directory from the Rock Family, and now that it’s available, we hope you will get in, update it and use it.

If you have any questions, contact Bill Schranz at Bill.Schranz@cune.edu or Matt Myers at myersgeneral@gmail.com

YogaFaith Schedule:

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

Classes start up again on January 2nd! Things will look a little different over the next two months! Here is a word from Erika… “I have accepted a long- term substitute teaching position for the months of January and February. I will be leaving for Maui on January 1 and will return on March 1. Thank you for understanding as our schedule changes a bit for the 2 months while Sara is the only YogaFaith instructor. I look forward to seeing you in March! Erika.”

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.

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.