JUNE 7-11 – 9:00 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

BAOBAB BLAST is the theme of this year’s Vacation Bible School.  Daily themes–Trust, Love, Follow, Care, and Share–help bridge the Bible stories to everyday life.  Activities include Madagascar Music, Kalahari Crafts, Grassland Games, Savannah Storytelling, and Serengeti Science.  “Faye” the zebra, “Amy” the monkey, “Bud” the elephant, “Sam” the meerkat, and “Jonathan” the giraffe will help with the music and Bible stories!

Contact Doug Walters  at (402) 345-5383 or dwalters@fpcomaha.org with questions or to register or register by using the attached form.

Also, if you would like to volunteer, contact Doug.

vacation-bible-school-registration-form-2010

In celebration of our 150th anniversary a church picnic will be held at the  Elmwood Park pavilion on June 27 from noon until 4:00 p.m. (Please dress casually for worship.)

Chicken, beverages, plates and utensils will be provided. Please bring a side dish to share. If your last name begins with the following letter, please bring:

A – H Salad

I – P Vegetable

Q – Z Dessert

Bring your favorite board game as well as volleyball, badminton, soft ball equipment, cowboy golf, or any other outdoor games you may have.

Look for the sign-up table in Calvin Hall on Sundays, June 13 and 20 or call the church office, 345-5383. The church van is available for transportation.  See you on June 27!

Interfaith Incorporation Transforms Park Avenue Neighborhood

Since September 2008 Omaha faith communities have served 17,000 free meals to residents of the Park Avenue neighborhood. Working together as the interfaith group “Neighbors United” these communities have also provided clothing, basic needs and social security services to their neighbors.

On May 27, 2010, 15 of the faith communities incorporated Neighbors United as a 501(c)3. The signing event was held at First Presbyterian Church, 216 South 34^th Street. All in the community was invited to celebrate this interfaith collaboration.

Neighbors United began in partnership with inCOMMON Community Development as part of inCOMMON’s asset-based approach to community organizing in the Park Avenue neighborhood. Brittany Hanson of inCOMMON says: “In January 2008 nearly 20 leaders from Park Ave came together to honestly discuss the condition of their local neighborhood — now over two years later Neighbors United has become a dynamic local leader in collaborative, neighbor-driven action and holistic development. Neighbors United has worked hard to be inclusive, authentic and community-based and it has paid off — we have a lot to celebrate!”  

Participating faith communities: First Lutheran Church, First United Methodist Church, Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church, Metropolitan Community Church, First Unitarian, First Presbyterian Church, Westminster Presbyterian Church, St. James United Methodist Church, Countryside Community Church, United Methodist Ministries, St. Peters Catholic Church, St. Johns Greek Orthodox, First Baptist Church, Simple Free, First Christian Church 

Contact for more information:

Brittany Hanson, Director of Neighborhood Development

Organization: inCOMMON Community Development

Telephone Number: 402.933.6672

Email Address: brittany@incommoncd.org

Website: http://incommoncd.org/ministries/neighborsunited/

 About Neighbors United:

Neighbors United, an inter-faith group of local faith leaders and parishioners in the Park Avenue neighborhoods working to collaboratively, creatively and dynamically respond in service to the assets, needs and concerns of local neighbors

The Problem

There is a troubling gap between people who have the ability, access and skills to benefit from computers and the Internet and those who do not.  This problem is commonly referred to as the Digital Divide, which has gained considerable support as an international problem. The truth is, this is as much of a problem right here in Omaha, as it is in Africa, India….

Omaha Digital Bridge is our solution. Our goal is to eliminate unemployment in Omaha and build contributors to our community. We do this by:  Serving the needs of the un– and under-employed; Equipping them to bridge the digital divide; and Deploying them with employable skills to serve others and our community.

Please help us help Omaha Digital Bridge by donating books,  movies, and music to FPC as listed below.

To this end, we want to hear from each of you. This is a census of all adult members of our congregation that will give you the opportunity to share your opinions about some of the key aspects of our congregation life. 

 From Saturday, May 1^st to Wednesday May 12^th  there will be a link at the end of this article, after clicking on the link, you will need to enter an access code provided in the newsletter, or available by calling the church office.   

The survey will be administered by Gallup, an independent research company known for its understanding of people and their opinions. Although most of us know Gallup for its polling work, the organization has been listening to people’s opinions and studying successful organizations for more than 40 years. With this experience, Gallup brings a seasoned ability to help us gather and understand all of the opinions throughout our congregation.

Your opinions will be completely confidential; Gallup will not reveal any individual responses to anyone. After we’ve received the results back from Gallup, we will use them to start a dialogue about our congregation and how we can more effectively accomplish our mission. We all have a stake in the opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.

The success of this effort hinges on the completion of the survey by each one of us who is at least 18 years of age. We all share equally in our responsibility to reach the goal of 100% participation by our congregation. Your opinions need to be heard.

This is an exciting time for our congregation. We are taking important steps toward fulfilling God’s purpose for us both now and in the years to come. The process and subsequent dialogue will help us all in that effort.

To begin the survey click here