FLC Weekend Announcements

Worship Times:

Saturday: 5pm

Sunday: 8:15am & 10:15am

Wednesday: 6:15pm

All Worship Services are Live Streamed on Facebook Live.

https://www.facebook.com/

FLCBlair/

Office Hours

Monday-Thursday: 8:30am-4:30pm

Fridays: 8:30am-3:00pm

Phone Number

402-426-4073

Pastor Glen's focus for his message for

this upcoming weekend:

In the Roman empire, the cross was a very specific symbol. It was a reminder of what happened to those who challenged power. So what does it mean when Jesus calls us his disciples to “take up your cross?” Is he calling us to seek after power? To depict ourselves as martyrs? NO – the cross is a symbol of our resistance to the values of this world. By the grace of God we reject hopelessness and despair and fear and triumphantly embrace the promised of God given to us in Jesus Christ.

Courageous Conversations is this Sunday,

February 25th!

The first in a series of Courageous Conversations is scheduled for Sunday, February 25^th beginning at 5:00 pm with a pizza meal following.  The session will be “A Conversation About Gambling” with a couple of speakers who will share some facts and stories, along with their perspectives.  All are welcome.  In order to get a good count for pizza, please add your name to the list on the welcome center if you intend to join. 

We will also be live streaming this Courageous Conversations event for this Sunday, February 25th at 5:00pm!

BUTTER BRAIDS ARE FOR SALE!!

Please support our FLC Youth and our ELCA Gathering Group by purchasing your Butter Braids and Caramel Rolls before March 6th!! Contact a 6th-12th grader or Erika to order yours now!!

Dates: Feb 14 - Mar 6

Flavors: Cherry, Cinnamon, Blueberry Cream Cheese, Strawberry Cream Cheese, Apple, Raspberry, 4 Cheese & Herb and Caramel Rolls (very popular!!)

Cost: $15 each (Checks to FLC Youth)

Pickup: Anytime after March 20th @ 12pm

Don’t give the church money. Make your offering to God.

Our offerings are not about finances, nor are they about the costs of running the church or the size of a tax break. Offering is an act of worship, of acknowledging that God gives us all that we have and practicing the spiritual gift of gratitude. The liturgical ritual of gathering the offering during the worship service fosters that spiritual gift. It is a necessary rite for disciples gathered in worship, it is good and right to do.

And so we shall.

It has always been the practice of the church that the worship service includes a time to gather offerings. We must retain this part of the liturgy as an act of discipleship and for the sake of faith. Beginning in Lent, we will return to the passing of the offering plate during worship at every worship service at First Lutheran Church. It is my hope and prayer that you will discover the spiritual joy of giving and that your hearts will be gladdened by this experience of worshiping God.

Pastor Glen

Social Concerns Committee:



“Have a Heart for Hunger” Campaign Continues in February.

The 13th annual “Have a Heart for Hunger” campaign for the Washington County Food Pantry will be continuing for one more week through March 1st. Last weekend’s total collection was 78 pounds giving First Lutheran a three-week total of 197 pounds of food. This added to 531 pounds of food collected at the in-store collection at Family Fare on February 10th gives us a total of 578 pounds of food and 264 dollars of cash which have been donated to the Washington County Food Bank as a part of the campaign. Church members are encouraged to pick up a few items as they shop and leave in the grocery cart in the narthex of First Lutheran. Suggested items for the “Easter Dinner” theme include canned fruits and vegetables, Jello, marshmallows, cake mixes and frosting, muffin mix, salad fixings (crotons, dressing), boxed potatoes, mac and cheese, toilet paper individual oatmeal packages, and spaghetti sauce and jelly. Cash donations are also welcome and can be made payable to the “Washington County Food Pantry” and left in the church office.

Volunteers are Needed for Recycling Effort at Recycling Center. First Lutheran Church volunteers should mark on their calendars Saturday, February 24th as the date to help at the Washington County Recycling Center. Volunteers can sign-up for two hours from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. or from 10:00 a.m. to 12:00 noon. Or, they may work for the entire four hours. In the past, volunteers have found it to be a lot of fun plus provide a needed service to the recycling effort here in Washington County. A sign-up sheet will be soon available at the Welcome Center.

Lent Focus is LOVE

Why is Lent such a gloomy season? Maybe because we’re all just gloomy inside. NO! People who live in the grace of God should never despair. Lent is a time to focus our attention on something wonderful and amazing: that God loves us so much that he gives us his only Son, a love expressed in the passion of Good Friday and fulfilled in the light of the Easter dawn. Our lives are not defined by sadness, they are defined by love. And we exercise that gift in the people we love and how we love them.

Wednesday mid-week worship at 6:15 pm. Our weekly readings ponder five different stories of love in the gospels. As Jesus encounters people on his journeys, so we reflect on the people we meet every day and how we show love to them. 

Sunday is a Day of Promise. Our scripture readings during the season of Lent focus on the promised blessings of God given over and over again, like those to Noah, Abram, and Moses. God promises us healing in our ailments and that his Word will be written on our hearts. He promises the coming of his eternal reign and his constant presence in the bread and wine. Lent is a season to exercise a discipline of love, of knowing that we are blessed and living a life of gratitude for all of God’s gifts.

WE NEED COOKIES/BARS

FOR MARCH!

We are needing cookies for March!

Please help if you can!

The Mid Week Meal needs your help.

We serve 240 people EACH WEEK.  That's 20 dozen cookies/bars EACH WEEK.

Please sign up to provide a treat for these folks!! We are especially in need in March.

Signup here or call Erika

(402-533-0918):  https://signup.com/go/hfewWuF

Lenten Daily Calendars!!

We have a Lenten Calendar available for all! The calendar has a daily opportunity of either a prayer, a fast, or a give of some kind. We would love it if all of us could participate in these activities as a church family and share them with our neighbors! If you would prefer an electronic copy, please contact Erika.

Pick yours up at the Welcome Center beginning Feb. 7th. Lent begins on Feb. 14th.

Funeral Coordinator

The Women's Steering Team is in need of a Funeral Coordinator. This person would work with the family to provide workers for the funeral luncheon. The family is responsible for providing all the food. Please contact Sarah Boeka, Coordinator if you are interested in this position or would like more information. sboeka@abbnebraska.com 

or 402-669-6008.   

FLC Youth Garage Sale 2024!!

Yes, the time has come.

We are collecting items for our garage sale. Please bring your items to the elevator. If you have a large number of items or large sized items, please contact Erika to setup

a time for dropoff.

If you need to have your items picked up, we can try to arrange for that, but our abilities are limited with our kids' schedules. We'll do our best!!



Sale Dates: June 13-15, 2024

Safety Note from Pastor Glen:

Safety is an act of love! As COVID remains a threat in our community, and as flu, RSV, and other infectious diseases are on the move let us resolve again to use safe practices for the sake of one another. There is hand sanitizer available at the various entrances to our building and we would ask that you use it every time you enter the church. We will also make masks available for anyone who would choose to use them. At this point we will maintain our current worship and fellowship practices, but please know that we will continuously review them as is necessary to fulfill our responsibility to each other. Thank you for your

sense of grace and mutual respect.

-Pastor Glen

In the last few months, we have noticed that some supplies around the church are being used up more quickly than usual, such as toilet paper, soap, ice melt, and the like. If you use these items, please let the office know so that we can make sure that we are fully stocked when needed and not be surprised when we run out. 

Thank you for helping us be good stewards of our supplies

at the church.

SCHOLARSHIP APPLICATIONS

 ATTENTION High School Seniors and College Students: The Christian Growth Board is accepting scholarship applications for the 2024-2025 school year for post-secondary education. Any member of FLC that is currently a high school senior or college student may apply. Applications are available on the church website or by the Welcome Center. If you have any questions please call the church office at (402) 426-4073.

The deadline to submit an application is

April 14, 2024.

Monday morning Bible study

Anything but dull, was the time of Luther and the beginning of the Reformation. Politics. Peasant revolts. Wars. The Catholic church was the only church, and was determined to keep it that way. How dare this upstart Luther try to change the church by quoting scripture!  

Pastor Glen will be leading our study of the Reformation and the Augsburg Confession. He has experience in leading classes on the Reformation and with his depth of knowledge it will be interesting.   

Monday morning Bible study, for men and women, meets at 9:00 in the library. After Christmas break the first class is January 8. Contact Glen Andersen,

402-237-9775, Pastor Glen, or just show up on Jan 8.

Do you participate in our online worship services?

If you watch our services on Facebook or other sites, please like the post or leave a comment each time. This will help us improve our accuracy in attendance numbers at First Lutheran.

W.O.W. Meal is back on Wednesdays!

Rushed on Wednesdays? 

Let us do the cooking!

Join us for the W.O.W. Meal

in the Fellowship Hall from 5:30 pm – 6:15 pm

prior to Worship Lab.

** Free-will offering **

  Come at 5:30 to fuel your body and then

stay for Worship Lab at 6:15

to feed your soul.

Choir News

Could the Spirit be calling you to add your voice to the choir?

If so, we can promise with great certainty:

You will feel welcome, comfortable, and involved 

The choir began rehearsals on Tuesday, September 5th at 6:30 pm in the choir room (take the elevator to the second floor and turn left).

Regular attendance is encouraged but don't be discouraged if you can't make it each week.

You are welcome to join as often as you can.

For more information and questions, contact Vince at VKrysl@firstlutheranblair.org

Come, join us in making a joyful noise!

Women's Bible Study

The Friday Morning Women’s Bible Study will begin Season 2 of the series “The Chosen”. This study will combine the movie with eight sessions in a study guide. This Bible study meets on Friday mornings from 9:30 to 11:00 a.m. in the Ark, which is in the lower level of First Lutheran. If interested in coming to this Bible study, contact Susie Pinquoch at (402) 426-8182 or spinquoch@gpcom.net.

Pastor Glen's contact information

Pastor Glen's email is pastorglen@firstlutheranblair.org and his cell phone number is (402) 740-6395

if you need to contact him. 

Wednesday, February

28th, 2024

We will be serving Baked Ziti Casserole, fruit, and dessert.

WE REMEMBER IN OUR PRAYERS

Please keep these people in your thoughts and prayers