First Presbyterian Church of Omaha, Nebraska

Deacons Honor 50+ Year Members

jcprohaska — Fri, 18 May 2012 04:54:02 +0000

On Thursday, May 17, the Deacons of First Presbyterian Church honored the people of our church who have been members for 50 years or more. Our two members who have the most longevity, Sarah and Bill, joined in 1935! Imagine being a member of a church for 77 years. How wonderful and what an honor! The Deacons served their guests apricot chicken, salad, vegetable, potato and white or chocolate cake with homemade vanilla ice cream. This meal was catered by Petrow’s. YUM! They were then serenaded by Michael Lyons. A great evening was had by all. Check the “Photos” on the homepage for more pictures of this wonderful yearly event!

All Church Picnic at Elmwood Park!

jcprohaska — Wed, 09 May 2012 19:52:41 +0000

First Presbyterian Church was very lucky this past Sunday, May 6. The night before the thunder clashed, the lightning forked, and the rain poured watering the plants that God and humans planted. Oh, but what about our all-church picnic? As the morning sermon was being given, one of our pastors noted that the skies had cleared for our picnic! Yes, we had a wonderful time at Elmwood Park!

This was our third annual all-church picnic. It began when we celebrated our 150th anniversary. Everyone enjoyed the picnic so much that it has become a yearly tradition. This is our third year having the picnic. Our congregation likes good food, and everyone brought something with the church providing the chicken. We had salads, vegetables, fruit, desserts, and as said before, the chicken. There was even enough food for seconds!

Jeff H. was our balloon specialist as he made various shapes out of balloons. He was dressed in a special costume! The boys and girls played all kinds of games, and the pastors got a softball game going. Everyone had an enjoyable time, and yes, it didn’t rain a drop. Our afternoon was a perfect afternoon for a picnic. Not too hot, and not to cold. Thanks be to God. By the way, when are we having it next year? You are invited to break bread, chicken, etc. with us.

Presbyterian Women Held Annual Luncheon Sunday

jcprohaska — Wed, 09 May 2012 05:04:11 +0000

On Sunday, April 29, the Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian Church held their annual Birthday Luncheon. The lunches were served by the men of the church to the women, and it was a delicious chicken luncheon. The program was about a Synod Mini-Mission trip to help some Native American families. The Mission Trip was to help the families who were having difficulty keeping a job due to outside circumstances. One lady, to make money, made dolls. It was a very well made doll, had darling clothes with some rick-rac, and she sold her dolls for $35.00. What a wonderful way to make money for her family.

This was also the time to announce the Presbyterian Woman Lifetime membership. This goes to a woman who has devoted much time to the organization of Presbyterian Women and to the church. Dolly, last year’s recipient, proudly announced that this year’s recipient was Nancy J. who just completed a term of being Moderator of Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian Church. Congratulations, Nancy, on this wonderful honor.

May Pastor’s Manna

jsloan — Tue, 01 May 2012 12:49:26 +0000

May Day’s are upon us! In the life of the church, May is often a time when our church programs wrap up and take a break for the summer. By now, our Wednesday night downtown program has finished up for the school year, our youth groups are wrapping up, the choir is preparing to go on their summer break, and often session committees will take a month off.
Yet, even while some things wrap up, some great summer activities start. Right now Doug Walters, our Director of Christian Education, has a lot of missions on his mind. He is preparing for 2 youth mission trips (June 10-16 and June 24-28) as well as a Vacation Bible School (July 9-13).
We also have a mission opportunity available for anyone interested in being a part of the Schuyler Vacation Bible School (June 24-28). This is an established VBS that pretty routinely sees 125 or so youth from the Schuyler community return each year to learn about Jesus.
If Vacation Bible School doesn’t seem to be where you feel God has given you strengths, perhaps you are interested in being a part of our Habitat for Humanity Build with the Neighbor’s South Coalition (volunteers are needed each weekend starting June 15 through August 25).
Or maybe you would rather help our in our weekly Pantry food distribution on Thursdays from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. We have many people in need that are able to be helped through this great program.
See, even though some of our regular activities take a break for the summer, mission opportunities can fill some of the time freed up. These activities I mentioned are just some of the opportunities.
Do yourself a favor, and serve God in some capacity this summer. God is calling each of us to serve with the gifts, talents, strengths and abilities that He has given them. How will you respond?
In Him,
Pastor Jon

P.S. It may seem a bit early to be thinking of summer activities, but calendars fill up quickly, be sure to make time for the work God is calling you to do this summer!

All-Church Picnic

lfeddersen — Mon, 16 Apr 2012 01:18:11 +0000

MAY 6, 2012

NOON TO 4:00 P.M.

ELMWOOD PARK PAVILION

Chicken and beverages will be provided. Please bring a side dish.

A-H Dessert * I-P Salad * O-Z Vegetable

Please sign up in Calvin Hall. Please contact the Chirch Life and Worship Committee with questions or for additional information.

COME AND ENJOY!

Presbyterian Women Birthday Offering Luncheon

lfeddersen — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 18:30:00 +0000

He Has Risen!

jcprohaska — Sun, 08 Apr 2012 16:30:16 +0000

On Sunday, April 8, 2012, First Presbyterian Church celebrated Easter with a triumphant Easter Service. Voices were heard singing in the choir and also in chorus with the congregation being accompanied by our beautiful organ and a fanfare of brass and bells. CHRIST IS RISEN!! In the picture at the left one will see our children listening to the Children’s Sermon delivered by Lori Snyder-Sloan. The sermon for the service was “Empty Tomb: Full Life.” Rev. Sloan spoke about Mary finding the empty tomb and thinking that her beloved Jesus’s body was stolen. Instead, He stood behind her and told her He was alive! What excitement that Jesus, indeed, was alive! He had been resurrected. The sermon continued with the story of Easter and then our service closed with a fantastic playing of “Hallelujah” by our gifted organist Joyce Reimer, who was also accompanied by brass players. What a terrific way to end a beautiful service on a beautiful day. May we carry the message of Easter with us every day throughout the year.

We had many visitors, and please know that you are welcome at our church. You will be greeted with a warm handshake, a smile, and a meaningful greeting. We are truly glad that you have decided to share your worship time with us. You won’t regret it. Thanks be to God!

Da Vinci’s “A Living Picture of the Last Supper” Absolutely Fantastic!!

jcprohaska — Fri, 06 Apr 2012 04:40:34 +0000

Does this look like Leonardo DaVinci’s painting of “The Last Supper”? Well, it is, but it isn’t! On Maundy Thursday, First Presbyterian Church presented “DaVinci’s A Living Picture of the Last Supper.” The picture to the left is this church’s presentation of the Last Supper. This was an AWESOME worship service as we were privy to what the Disciples were thinking as they gathered together with Jesus in the Upper Room for the Last Supper. Each Disciple, played by a member of the congregation, had a soliloquy where they expressed their thoughts regarding their relationship with Jesus and reflecting “Is it I” as the betrayer to the man they loved and respected, our Lord. This was true to Biblical form, but instead of reading, we were fortunate to see words put into action on that fateful evening. This Last Supper had costumes sewn by members of the congregation and also props. The setting was very authentic. This was a worship service that had one really thinking about that night over 2000 years ago. Jesus, portrayed by Pastor Jon, led the congregation and Disciples in communion as Jesus would have done that night. For more pictures of “A Living Picture of the Last Supper” please refer to the website’s Photos.

Palm Sunday is Here!

jcprohaska — Mon, 02 Apr 2012 03:04:52 +0000

April 1, First Presbyterian Church celebrated Palm Sunday. The picture that one sees to the left is the end of our palm processional that we have on Palm Sunday. Palm Sunday marks the beginning of Holy Week. As you can see from the invitation near the bottom of our Home Page, we invite you to attend Holy Week services at our church. Please notice that we have Maunday Thursday, Good Friday, and then the triumphant Easter Sunday. Whether you have a church home or not, our doors are open to you. Please see the invitation near the bottom of our Home Page for times of the various services at our church. We look forward to seeing you.

April Pastor’s Manna

jcprohaska — Sun, 01 Apr 2012 22:05:43 +0000

We now find ourselves nearing the end of our Lenten season. Most likely you are receiving this newsletter just before Holy Week begins.

We are very excited about our Holy Week plans this year and believe our worship services will connect you with God in a unique wayl. Palm Sunday, April 1, is also a communion Sunday this year, a time where we can celebrate both the triumpant entry into Jerusalem and the Lord’s Supper. On Thursday, April 5 at 6:30 p.m., we will once again offer A Living Picture of the Last Supper, and on Friday, April 6 at 6:30 p.m., we will have our Good Friday service focusing on the 7 last words of Christ. We will gather together again on Easter morning to celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, and discuss what that means for each individual Christian around the world.

My hope and prayer is that you have used this Lenten season to draw nearer to your Lord through some of the Spiritual Disciplines I mentioned in the last newsletter (Quiet Time with God, Prayer, Devotionals, Scripture Reading and Fasting).

My hope is that you have found a deeper spirituality within yourself. My prayer is that your knowledge of the Bible has increased through this season. I have a suggestion for you:

Don’t let it end with Easter.

The Spiritual Disciplines that I have mentioned are not restricted to the season of Lent. You can spend quiet time with God anytime. You can talk to God in prayer anytime. You can read the Bible for meaning anytime. You can fast anytime. It doesn’t have to just be between Ash Wednesday and Easter, make it part of your daily schedule to intentionally draw closer to God.

Pastor David and I would love to talk to you about spiritual disciplines you can maintain year round. We have devotionals, study bibles, and reading plans that can help set up a spiritual discipline plan.

In Him, Pastor Jon