Serve

Carry the lectionary Bible into the worship service in the procession and carry it out in the recessional.

Carry the cross in the processional and recessional.

Light candles and receive the offering during the offertory.

Read the first and second lessons and occasionally lead the psalm in the worship service.

Participate in the processional and recessional and pour the wine during communion.

Ideally, a serve opportunity for our youngest (3 years old-5th grade)! Carry the bread and wine forward with the ushers when they bring up the offering. Instructions and a signup sheet can be found on the kiosk in the Commons.

Assist the Pastor with the prayers, set the Communion table and deliver Communion to the people who remain in pews.

Distribute worship bulletins, collect the offering, direct people to the communion rail and provide security during the worship service.

Greet worshipers as they enter the church at each entrance. Great opportunity for couples and families to do together!

Set up the communion elements before worship and then clean the dishes and glasses and chancel area following the worship services.

We even have a “how to” video that walks you step-by-step through the process!

Download the Altar Guild Handbook as another helpful resource!

Assist with live streaming worship on Sunday morning at 8:15 am.

Wash worship robes/albs monthly. Check the robes frequently so they can be washed more, if needed.

The Chorister choir for our 3rd-6th graders sings one to two times a month in worship during the school year. Rehearsals are held on Wednesdays from 5:00-5:45 pm.

Our Cherub Choir for Kindergarten- 2nd grade sings the 3rd Sunday of every month at 8:15 am worship on even months and 10:45 am on odd months during the school year. Rehearsals are held from 5:00-5:45 pm on Wednesdays.

The Adult Choir (for ages high school and up) sings every Sunday (except the first Sunday of the month) at 8:15 am worship on odd months and 10:45 am on even months during the school year. New voices are always welcomed!

Spirit Ringers is an advanced handbell choir for high school age on up who plays the 3rd Sunday of each month during the school year for both 8:15 and 10:45 am worship services. Youth bells are scheduled as a short term group.

Make a short term commitment to offer your musical talents in worship through small group ensembles or even as a solo! We have a jazz band, orchestra, full band and string, brass and wind ensembles – just to name a few! We also have short-term vocal opportunities including solos, small groups and men’s and women’s choirs. Anyone middle school age to the oldest is invited to share their talents!

There are so many options for a VBS Volunteer! Help with decorating, registration, crafts, games, music, storytelling, snacks, drama. Be a group leader or maybe you have another gift or talent that we can put to use. If you want to help, we will find a place for you during our week long summer program!

FaithTrek Guides serve as facilitators for the Sunday morning learning hour (Sunday School). A team of guides are assigned a specific age group, 3 year olds through 5^th grade, with two adults serving each Sunday. Curriculum, training and support provided.

To serve as a Middle School Learning Leader on Sundays (9:30-10:30 am) is a privileged opportunity to engage with adolescents, who are growing as disciples, at the intersection of their faith and the world around them. The role of learning leader is more of a facilitator of a conversation than an expert in religion. Middle Schoolers spend the years learning about how their faith impacts the world around them. Training provided.

To serve as a High School Learning Leader on Sunday mornings is a privileged opportunity to engage with teens, who are growing as disciples, at the intersection of their faith and the world around them. The role of learning leader is more of a facilitator of a conversation than an expert in religion. High Schoolers spend the year deepening their faith and discipleship from questions they have proposed as topics they would like to learn about. Training provided.

The CROP Hunger Walk provides food, water and resources that empower people to meet their own needs locally and around the world. Each year, First Lutheran organizes a team to walk in this event to raise money for local and international hunger relief programs. First Lutheran was the host of the local CROP Walk in 2018 and 2019 and will be again in 2020!

Donate non-perishable food and personal care items to be distributed by the Lutheran Food Pantry at St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church. The Pantry provides food for local agencies, individuals and families in need.

Bridges to Hope, a program of the Nebraska Synod of the ELCA, assists men and women as they transition from correctional facilities back into the community by providing furniture, clothing and household goods. To donate clothing, furniture or other items, call 402-420-5696. Warehouse assistance is always appreciated.

Fresh Start Home is a transitional shelter for up to 24 homeless women. Donations of household items, clothing and gifts for the Daisy Gift Shop and Sunday night meals are ways we partner with Fresh Start.

Matt Talbot Outreach Kitchen provides a variety of hunger, education and outreach programs. First Lutheran partners with them by providing a noon meal the third Tuesday of each month. Donate fruit and dessert items for the monthly meal or help serve the meal. Help is also needed with advance meal preparation (third Monday at 10:00 am at church).

Sign Up to Help Serve a Meal

The Food Bank of Lincoln provides Food Markets at the middle and high schools. First Lutheran’s team of volunteers at the Lincoln High Food Market sets out food, directs and supports students through the market and helps pack up leftover food.

We take feeding the hungry seriously. Every Friday children who qualify are given a food-filled backpack through the Lincoln Food Bank BackPack Program. We are sponsors of the program, covering the cost and distributing the backpacks, at two Lincoln Public elementary schools. Volunteering on a Friday takes no more than an hour of your time and you can sign up for any Friday that works with your schedule!

Sign Up to be a BackPack Volunteer

Tabitha’s Meals on Wheels brings a warm, nutritious noon meal and a once a day check-in from the delivery volunteer. First Lutheran has regular routes on Sundays. Volunteer as a family to help with a route! Routes are available every day of the week. Contact Tabitha for a route that works for you.

Kicks for Kids is an annual project in the fall (usually in October) that provides new shoes and socks for elementary aged children identified by their teachers. Take a tag, which matches a specific child, purchase the needed items and return them to the church for distribution.

Assist in connecting and engaging members in ways that support their emotional, mental and spiritual life. Person must be willing to ask questions, listen attentively and show care and compassion.

Do you need a ride to medical and other appointments or to a church service or activity? We have volunteers willing to help get you there! Email the contact person for this ministry or call the church office to get a contact form. After your form is received, your ride will be scheduled with you. Interested in being a driver? Let us know and we will get you involved!

Transportation Ministry Informational Packet

Transportation Ministry Request Form

Help provide and/or serve a funeral lunch as we assist families in grief by providing a place to gather and fellowship with family and friends.

Casserole Caravan delivers a meal or treat to a family or individual recovering from illness or surgery, welcoming a new baby or families who are dealing with a death and/or family crisis.

Combine a love of knitting or crocheting to create prayer shawls and afghans for those in need of comfort, as well as in celebration and joy. Want to join a group of stitchers for fellowship and stitching time? Come to Keeping God’s People in Stitches the 2nd Monday of the month at 7:00 pm. Not a stitcher? Be a delivery person taking a shawl or afghan to someone in need.

Stephen Ministry is a one-to-one Christian caring relationship for anyone who is going through a rough patch, pain or struggle in life. It’s not a ministry of giving answers, rather it’s a ministry of listening with care, asking reflective questions and “holding space” for someone else. Training is provided for caregivers. Our next Stephen Ministry training classes will begin in January, 2020. Do you feel called to this transformative caring ministry?Do you know of someone who could benefit from having a Stephen Minister? We always accept referrals.

Share your time and provide a bright spot in the day of a homebound or hospitalized member with conversation, prayer and support. First Lutherans’s pastors will refer individuals for you to visit.

When members are not able to receive Holy Communion at church, Eucharistic Ministers bring the blessed bread and wine to them so they may be strengthened through their participation in the body of Christ.

Grief, after the death of a loved one, is hard to go through alone. We offer a 6-week grief support class several times a year with books and resources that others have found helpful.

First Lutheran is blessed to have “stitchers” committed to making prayer shawls, chemo caps and afghans. Gathering monthly for fellowship, they work on projects, share patterns and help beginners learn the craft.

A quilt brings warmth on a cold night, shelter from the sun, creates a bed or room divider. Quilts assembled throughout the year are shipped to Lutheran World Relief for distribution at home or abroad. Quilters and donations of specific materials are appreciated. Previous quilting experience is not needed to participate.

Help with sales or purchasing Fair Trade products which support the farmers who produce them. Products are normally available for sale the first Sunday of the month, but are also available any time the church office is open. Coffee, tea, cocoa, chocolate bars and olive oil are available.

AMMPARO (Accompanying Minor Migrants with Protection, Advocacy, Representation and Opportunities) is an initiative of the ELCA that welcomes migrant families in worship, by listening to their stories, praying for/with them, sharing the gospel, providing emotional, pastoral and spiritual support, staying up-to-date on current situations of migrant children/families and advocating for justice. Learn about how you can also be trained to be a juvenile immigration watcher through the Guardian Angel program.

Learn More About AMMPARO and Guardian Angels

Work with refugee resettlement and other immigrant support programs. Donate furniture and household items, provide transportation, help with school work, provide support navigating systems or be a friend and enjoy building a relationship with a newcomer.

Plan and implement fellowship events throughout the year. The Fellowship committee meets monthly to plan events such as Christmas Day and Thanksgiving Dinner, congregational picnic, Easter breakfast and Easter Egg Hunt, Advent and Lenten meals and so much more.

“Giving with a Cause” is the foundation of the Gifts of Hope Alternative Gift Market. Give a gift that keeps on giving by purchasing Fair Trade products, ELCA Good Gifts, a Food Bank BackPack and other quality gift items at the annual market. In 2019, over $13,000 was raised at our Gifts of Hope market for important ministries and programs. Planning help is always needed, as well as volunteers during the market.

Watch a video of the 2019 Gifts of Hope Market

Serve as a writer of special interest stories, devotions, personal reflections press releases or promotional articles; volunteer as a photographer and/or videographer and capture photos and videos of ministry events and activities; offer graphic design skills in creating print and digital materials and ads; and/or assist in creating fun and interesting Facebook and Instagram stories and posts.

Help at funerals by serving as an an usher and welcoming family and friends during a time of sadness.

Provide coverage in our nursery during Sunday worship and/or the learning hour (9:30-10:30 am). We also need occasional coverage in the nursery for special events during the week.

Helping with mass mailings, making phone calls or providing office coverage on Mondays or during vacation leave are just a few of the ways you can help support our office staff.

Painting, yard work, minor repairs, moving furniture and cleaning projects keep our building safe, welcoming and beautiful. Help is always needed in this area!