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FROM THE PASTOR’S PEN…

“Divine love— the way beyond fight or flight— stands its ground. It has nothing to prove and noth-ing to hide. It may be accepted or rejected, but it will not on either account lose its character: It en-dures.”

When I read this passage in Marjo-rie Thompson’s book, “Forgiveness,” I thought of the many stories in the Bible where fight or flight seems to be the only choice. And then, I thought of the many times in my life when fight or flight has been the only choice. When I have done something wrong, or when I am ashamed, these are the emotions I feel. First is flight – denial. “You’ve got it wrong.” “You don’t understand.” “That’s not exactly what I said.” Second is flight – where the best option is to just avoid the whole situation. While these options may work, I would argue that they are temporary fixes. Guilt and shame are powerful motivators. Severed relationships are a high price to pay.

This may sound weird, but if I were to write a book about for-giveness, I would title it, “Everything I Need to Know About Forgiveness I Learned in the Mental Hospital.” I’ve men-tioned the hospital quite a few times throughout this series. I be-gan with a summer unit of Clinical Pastoral Education (CPE) at Tren-ton State Psychiatric Hospital in

New Jersey after my first year of seminary. I chose to do my CPE in that particular setting because I wanted to explore mental illness. Which I did, as I served on an ad-missions unit. But I also learned a lot about forgiveness, as I served on a unit for men who were con-victed of committing crimes. I spent most of my time hearing confessions and counseling men who are guilty. Men who are ashamed. Men who are trapped.

Literally. It was the closest place I’d ever been to prison. Four locked doors to get in. Four locked doors to get out. No dupli-cate keys, which resulted in a key ring of 12 heavy keys. But I would rather carry those keys than the burdens my parishioners carried. They were guilty. They were ashamed. And they were trapped.

Without the ability to fight or flee, these men wrestled with God’s love and forgiveness.

I sometimes miss the hospital. It was a humbling experience to journey with these men as they moved toward forgiveness and reconciliation. First is confession, (Psalm 51 and 139). Second is hon-esty, (Matthew 7:1-6). Third is re-pentance, (Luke 23:32-43). Fourth is forgiving, (Matthew 18:23-35). Fifth is reconciliation, (Luke 7:36-47). It’s a long and arduous jour-ney, with many repeats and re-turns, do-overs, and restarts.

One particular patient I worked with truly felt the burden (the guilt and the shame) of his crime.

I remember very clearly the day he confessed his crime to me. His crime was great, and I was horri-fied by the details of it. But I sat, and listened, as it seemed to me he needed to confess. In some way, he was reliving his crime from his victim’s perspective. He could not fight. He confessed the details of his crime. He honestly acknowledged the original wrong he had committed, and the ongo-ing effects of that wrong. He prayed that God would grant him the strength to never commit such a crime again, which for him meant that he would forever be at least four locked doors away from freedom.

And that’s where he stayed. Liter-ally, he was never to be released into the world again. Figuratively, because he was simply unwilling to accept God’s loving for-giveness. For him, the penance of his crime was to live forever be-lieving that his sin was too great for God to forgive.

(continued on page 2)

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Recently, the Stephen Ministry Team updated their vision. It says, “Stephen Ministry: Called by God to share His gift of love with others.”

We are committed to offer that hope and love one relationship at a time. We ask for your continued prayer sup-port and consideration in two ways.

First, consider serving as a Stephen Minister. It entails a lot of training, yes, but it also prepares a person to be a God-given friend to a care-receiver who needs a loving presence in their life. The train-ing provides practical knowledge to enable one to be an effective Stephen Minister. Additionally, the Stephen Ministry Team meets monthly for ongoing training, prayer support and mutual encourage-ment. No one is left to do this ministry alone! There is a class that is ready to start training new Stephen Ministers later this Spring. Watch for more infor-

mation in the bulletin, on the website, and in the newsletter.

Second, we have people who are trained Stephen Ministers who are ready to serve a person as their care-giver. Stephen Minis-ters and leaders maintain strict confidentiality in all such care-giving relation-ships. If a church family member or neighbor should desire such a com-panion, please contact Shirley Flynn or Susan Tay-lor for making a referral.

The Stephen Ministers maintain a bulletin board in the office area and would invite the congregation to see it when it is updated with new material. Mean-while, Stephen Ministry continues to serve Eastridge Presbyterian Church with the hope and love of Jesus Christ.

Submitted by Dr. John J. Duling – Stephen Ministry

(continued from page 1)

The last time I saw this man was the

day I showed up for our weekly

counseling session, only to find that

he was being transferred from the

hospital to prison. We sat next to

each other, waiting for his

transport, his hand-cuffed hands

reached out for mine, and he

begged, “Tell me you forgive me.

Tell me I will be okay. Please, pas-

tor. Please. Tell me you forgive

me.” With tears running down our

cheeks, I looked at him and said, “I

can’t. I hate what you did. But your

offense wasn’t against me. To truly

be forgiven, you need to ask God to

forgive you. Then your road to for-

giveness can begin.” “No,” he said.

“No. I cannot. God cannot love

me.”

“Divine love— the way beyond fight

or flight— stands its ground. It has

nothing to prove and nothing to

hide. It may be accepted or reject-

ed, but it will not on either account

lose its character: It endures.”

When I think about forgiveness, I

think about God’s love. I know my

crimes are not as great as this

man’s. But I am guilty. I have not

always done what I ought to do.

And I do the things I ought not to

do. I hurt others, family, friends,

and strangers by what I have done

and by what I have left undone. I

have not loved my enemies. But I

am assured of God’s forgiveness. I

believe the Good News of the Gos-

pel! In Jesus Christ, I am forgiven!

May the God of mercy who forgives

all our sin, strengthen us in all good-

ness, and by the power of the Holy

Spirit, keep us in eternal life. Amen.

~ Rev. Melodie Jones Pointon

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Eastridge is again co-sponsoring an Easter Egg hunt with the Shoppes at Piedmont @ Piedmont Park on April 15 at 9:00 am. We need filled eggs: Currently we only have 50 and our goal is 2,000.

Please stay away from peanut and peanut butter candy. We need volunteers the morning of the hunt. Please contact the office if you are willing to help. We are ask-ing people to be there from 9:00-10:30 am.

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Youth Schedule:

April 2—Youth Sunday Planning

April 9—Youth Sunday Planning

April 16—Easter (no youth group)

April 21-22—Joint Presbytery Retreat; Calvin Crest

Clean Up Retreat: Cost is $15 We will play, worship,

work, and play some more.

April 29—Youth Sunday Run-Through

April 30—Youth Sunday and End-of-the-Year Celebra-

tion

May 7—Senior Recognition

The youth of Eastridge would like

to thank the congregation for

the donations from our postcard

campaign! We are grateful for

your love and support. To date we have received

$ 5,000.

Eastridge Ladies Night at Paint Yourself Silly

Please join us Friday, April 27 from 7pm-9pm at 4101

Pioneer Woods Dr #106 (70th and Pioneers – next to

the Oven).

Following painting night participants may want to

walk over to Culvers for a little ice cream. Call Christi

at 402-805-4031 or check out Shirlette’s Facebook in-

vitation for more information.

Rev. Marjorie Thompson will

join us at Eastridge the week

after Easter to preach and

teach on Sunday, April 23.

Marjorie is the author of our

Lenten study this year, and

her book is being using by our pastors during

Lenten worship.

SENIOR RECOGNITION: Recogni-

tion of our graduating seniors

will be Sunday, May 7 at the 9:00

service. Parents and seniors,

please submit a senior photo and short bio to the

office!

All-Church Spring Cleaning will

happen on Saturday, April 8 from

9:00 am-1:00 pm. Bring rakes,

gloves, etc. Come anytime that

morning! You don’t need to be

here right at 9:00 to make a con-

tribution. We’ll be doing outside

work and possibly some inside work. We will have

some supplies available here.

Easter Sunrise Service and

Breakfast: At 6:30 am we

will meet for worship, with

breakfast to follow. Break-

fast will be served in the

Fellowship Hall. Worship will be either on the East Pa-

tio or the Narthex, depending on the weather.

EPC Book Club reading list: Join us

the second Monday of each month

at 7:00 pm in the Conference Room

for discussion and refreshments.

Our list for 2016-2017 can be ob-

tained in the office. For April: The

All-Girl Filling Station’s Last Reun-

ion by Fannie Flagg.

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Save the Date! The work of The Gathering Place would not be possible

without dedicated volunteers like you. In the spirit of

National Volunteer Recognition Month, which is April,

we would like to invite you to a small gathering at The

Gathering Place on April 22nd to celebrate the work of

you and your fellow volunteers and share what’s new.

This is a perfect opportunity to share stories and meet

other volunteers who share your passion for the work

of The Gathering Place.

Please watch for more details! *

Georgann Roth, Volunteer Resources Coordinator

Community Action of Lancaster and Saunders Counties

*Interested in volunteering at The Gathering Place soup

kitchen? We have an online signup at Sign Up Genius; just

ask the church for a link that can be emailed to you. Or, let

the office know a date you’d like to sign up to help! This is a

great activity for groups/families. We are responsible for the

fourth Monday of every month.

YOUTH GROUP MISSION TRIP! 2017 Summer Mis-

sion Trip to Colorado

Anyone who has completed 6th through graduated

12th graders are invited to participate in our sum-

mer mission trip to Colorado. The dates for this trip

are June 19-24 and the cost is $250. If you would like

to go please make a $50 depos-

it by April 15th. Go to our

church website to register.

There are limited spots so it’s

first come/first serve! It’s going

to be an incredible experience.

VBS: May 30

through

June 2

Age Range: 3

years old - 5th

Grade

Time: 9am-12pm with lunch following

We are looking for Volunteers for all areas. If

you would like to be part of the planning

team for VBS or volunteer in some capacity

for VBS please speak with Jen Olsen or Diann

Wolfe or call the office.

The Outreach Committee has placed a Little Li-

brary on our church property. We have a Boy

Scout we are working with who is using this as a

project to help him obtain his Eagle Scout

award. We would like to make this Library availa-

ble to our church members, people who use the

Pantry, children and families from the day care

and people from the neighborhood. When we

start the Library we will be given some books ini-

tially to begin our library. However we will need

to check the Library on a routine basis to make

sure there are books available in there to be

used. We would like to

have several people volun-

teer to check the Library on

a rotating basis. If you

would like to volunteer to

check our Library please

contact Chris Boone at 402-

486-3801

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Music & Worship would like to give a big thank you to the Memorials and Endow-

ments committee for approving the purchase of ten beautiful ukuleles. We are already

jamming out with them with the children and youth and will be setting up ukulele in-

terest groups during the summer for all ages! Ukuleles are a great way to come to-

gether as a community to learn and play music. Thank you again to the Memorials and

Endowments committee!

Parents of pre-school

and elementary age

children: those attend-

ing Faith Connection

classes on Sunday

mornings and/or Chil-

dren's Music on

Wednesday nights will participate in the

palm procession and singing of the anthem

at the 9:00 service on Palm Sunday, April 9.

Children are asked to gather with Chancel

Choir at 8:45 on Palm Sunday in M12 to re-

view the anthem, "Sing, Hosanna, Sing”.

FROM THE MUSIC DEPARTMENT: As the

summer approaches, the EPC music depart-

ment is looking for individuals and groups to

provide special music for our 9:00 worship

service each Sunday beginning May 28th and

extending through Sept. 3rd. If you are inter-

ested in sharing your musical

talents as we glorify God to-

gether each Sunday, please

contact Patty Niemann, music

coordinator, Brian Lew, adult

music director, or Madeline

Noonan, children's music di-

rector.

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Eastridge will be offering a summer musical camp directed by Madeline Noonan and Brian Lew. We will perform "The Puzzling Parables"-a mystery of how to solve the many parables that Jesus teaches in the bible. The camp is open to all students entering grade 3 through grade 6. Rehearsals and activities will take place July 17th-21st from 9am-4pm.

A final performance will take place on Friday, July 21st at 3pm in the sanctuary. Children are responsible for providing their own lunch. Cost for the camp is $100 and includes music book. Scholarships are available. Registration is lim-ited so apply early! Contact the office to register and ask Brian or Madeline with any questions!

Music Schedule for the 9:00

service

April 2 - Chancel Choir

April 9 - Palm Sunday & GiFT - Children's Music, Children's Faith Connection Classes and Chancel Choir

April 14 - Good Friday Service (7:00 pm) - Chancel Choir

April 16 - Chancel Choir, Kirk Ringers and Eastridge Brass

April 23 - Chancel Choir

April 30 - Youth Sunday - Children's Music singing and play-ing ukuleles

May 7 - Chancel Choir & Special Music by Choral Scholars

May 14 - Mother's Day & EPC 64th Anniversary - Chancel Choir

May 21 - Special Music

May 28 - Special Music

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Session Highlights from Meeting March 16, 2017 Consent Agenda: Session Minutes from February 16, 2017. Affirm that communion was served at 9:00 and 11:00 AM services on March 5, 2017. Remove Mary Brauer from member rolls, de-ceased February 28, 2017. Remove Robert “Bob” Raymond from member rolls, deceased February 18, 2017. Reinstate Keith and Linda Carlson from Associ-ate members to Members. Approve baptism of Jenna Fletcher on March 26, during the 11:00AM service. Acknowledge that Rev. Melodie Jones Pointon officiated at the funeral service of Robert “Bob” Raymond on February 22, 2017. Acknowledge that Rev. Thomas Dummermuth officiated at the memorial service of J. Cameron Loerch on February 23, 2017. Acknowledge that Rev. Melodie Jones Pointon officiated at the memorial service of Mary Brau-er on March 3, 2017. Motions: It was moved and approved for John Loudon's Eagle Scout Project Proposal to move forward,

with some clarification regarding mulch vs rock on the flower beds. It was moved by common consent to accept the memorials as noted in the M&E minutes: Meredith DuBois Memorial $5,000 Miscellaneous: $ 195. Stipulated gift from IRA Mrs Elizabeth DaSilva $36,914.90. It was moved as brought forth by Outreach and approved by common consent to publicize and receive the 4 denominational special offerings and the Christmas Eve offering for the year 2017. It was moved, and approved as brought forth by the Pantry Board to develop a partnership with Lefler Middle School specifically regarding their Food Market. It was moved and approved by common con-sent as brought forth by the Outreach Commit-tee/ Serve Commission to support a refugee family who recently came to Lincoln from Iraq. It was moved, seconded and approved for Pas-tor Melodie Jones Pointon to be on vacation over Mother's day. Rev. Thomas Dummermuth will preach on that day.

The GiFT theme for April will be a

continuation of our Lenten theme of

forgiveness, with a special focus on

Reconciliation, Rehabilitation, and

Restoration.

We’re excited to have with us two special guests:

Our preacher of the day will be a familiar face: Steve

Pointon, currently serving as pastor at Fourth Presbyter-

ian Church. Born in Belfast, Northern Ireland, he shares a

rich experience working for an organization established

to promote reconciliation across conflicted denomina-

tional lines.

Davy Beatty is also originally from Northern Ireland. He

now works for LPS as a teacher in a correctional facility

for youth offenders, with focus on middle and high

school youth.

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Interfaith Breakfast

“Building Community in a Divided World” is the theme for the 33rd Annual Mayor’s

Interfaith Prayer Breakfast, on May 4 at the Cornhusker Marriott Hotel, 333 S. 13th

St.

This year’s featured speaker is Preeta Bansal, an international advocate for religious

freedom and interfaith cooperation, and a Harvard-educated attorney with Lincoln

roots.

Bansal was raised in Lincoln, the daughter of parents who emigrated from India to the United States in 1968. She

graduated in 1982 as valedictorian of her class at Lincoln East High School. Bansal was raised in Lincoln, the daugh-

ter of parents who emigrated from India to the United States in 1968. She graduated in 1982 as valedictorian of

her class at Lincoln East High School.

Currently, she is president of the nonprofit Social Emergence Corporation, a lecturer at the MIT Media Lab, and

serves as chair for the President’s Advisory Committee on Faith-Based and Neighborhood Partnerships, focusing

on poverty in America.

The event is co-hosted by Lincoln Mayor Chris Beutler and the Faith Coalition of Lancaster County. Following tradi-

tion, the breakfast program will feature sacred readings and prayers from the wide variety of religious communi-

ties that call Lincoln their home. The program will also feature music from the six-piece ensemble, Great Plains

Chamber Winds.

Doors for the breakfast open at 7 a.m.; the program will begin at 7:30. Individual tickets are $30; tables of 10 are

$300. More information and to make reservations: Stephen Griffith, Faith Coalition of Lancaster County, 402-730-

8927, or email: sgriffithne@gmail.com; or Pam Savery, 402-323-8849, or email: blueriver@greatplainsumc.org.

Welcoming Our

Neighbors

Working with Lu-

theran Refugee Ser-

vices to welcome

refugees to Lincoln,

and support them as they learn to

live in a new land, has long been a

passion of Eastridge Presbyterian.

Knowing this, our friend, Vanja, at

Lutheran Refugee services, offered

us the opportunity to support a

family who has just arrived from

Iraq. They are actually sponsored

by a brother, who is a former inter-

preter for the U.S. Army. In fact,

you may have heard about this

family a few weeks ago, when the

media reported that Congressmen

Jeff Fortenberry helped expedite

their arrival. They are a delightful

and appreciative family of 9, includ-

ing a grandmother, mother, father,

and six children ranging in age

from 5-15. While most of their ma-

terial needs have been met, they

are in need of welcoming new

friends. Because the brother

works and has his own family, he is

not always able to drive them to

their appointments and English

classes, or take them out to get to

know the community. That is

where the Eastridge family comes

in. Please consider being one of

those welcoming faces. Heather

Douglas has agreed to be the Point

Person (coordinator) for this part-

nership. Please talk to Heather at

church or contact her at 402-560-

5271 or hrdouglas1@yahoo.com.

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Update on the Refugee family:

They have had a very busy last two weeks. We have been working on their paperwork for their IDs and drivers permit and getting them registered and into their first day of school for all the kids. A little background on the family: Ozair, the father, used to work as a car me-chanic before their resettlement and conflict in Iraq. He and his wife, Jamila, are taking Eng-lish classes every day and doing well. Ozair's English has greatly improved in just the last week! He has also gotten his drivers permit and I have been helping him learning the "rules of the road" and directions around town by driving with him. Their family mem-bers and friends here helped them get a minivan for Ozair. Hazim and Hanaa (3 and 5), have started daycare at Northbridge Day-care. Dayla and Hamza (8 and 10) had their first day at Hartley. Zina (12) is at Culler and she's already met Amanda Rodell. Zaid (14) started at LHS, but they found an opening at Northstar and will most likely transfer him as they have neighbors that have kids there too. Muhsim, Ozair's brother, had been excel-

lent at helping interpret and assisting with all their daily appointments. Hawri, the grand-mother, is so thankful to be in America. They are a very tight-knit family that has so much love.

They have their house set up and are getting in to their daily routine. They are the most wel-coming family and greet me with hot chai tea (one of my favorites!) when I visit. Lutheran Family Services, with Vanja, have been so sup-portive in their transition. They are so thankful for everything and are so gracious. The kids are already picking up English very quick-ly. We have gone to the playground and park and will be making an outing to Pioneers Park when schedules work out. I think the kids will love to see the buffalo!

After they get more settled in, they will come by the church, maybe for a picnic or some playground time.

-Heather Douglas

Congratulations, Mel-

odie! Congratulations

to Pastor Melodie on

the successful de-

fense of doctoral dis-

sertation. She will

graduate, on Mothers' Day, from McCormick

Seminary. Please join Melodie and her family for

a celebration reception, to be held between ser-

vices on May 21. A gift from the congregation

will be presented at 10:30 so that people attend-

ing both services can be present. If you would

like to contribute to the gift, please leave your

contribution in the office, marked Melodie's gift,

which will be her doctoral robe. At Melodie's

request, any funds, beyond those needed for

her robe, will be held at church to be used for

future EPC refugee support efforts. We hope

you can be with Melodie for this joyous celebra-

tion.

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r 2013 Thanks, EPC CROP Walkers! Last October, Bill Wehrbein, Thomas, Micah and Jonah Dummermuth participated in the annual CROP Walk. Because of their participation, the Eastridge Food Pantry recently received a dona-tion of $600, a portion of the funds raised by the Lincoln CROP walk. What is the CROP Walk, you might ask. CROP Hunger Walks are community-wide events spon-sored by Church World Service and organized by local congregations or groups to raise funds to end hunger at home and around the world. With its inception in 1969, CROP Hunger Walks are "viewed by many as the granddaddy of chari-ty walks," notes the Los Angeles Times (Oct. 26, 2009). On October 17, 1969, a thousand people in Bismarck, ND, walked in what may have been the start of the hunger walks related to CROP – and raised $25,000 to help stop hunger. As far as we know, York County, Penn., was the first walk officially called the CROP Walk for the Hungry – and that event has been continuous since 1970. Several other CROP Hunger Walks oc-curred soon thereafter, and before long there were hundreds of Walks each year in communi-ties nationwide. Currently, well over 2,000 communities across the U.S. join in more than 1,000 CROP Hunger Walks each year. More than five million CROP Hunger Walkers have participated in more than 36,000 CROP Hunger Walks in the last two dec-ades alone.

What does CROP stand for? When CROP began in 1947 (under the wing of Church World Service, which was founded in 1946), CROP was an acronym for the Christian Ru-ral Overseas Program. Its primary mission was to help Midwest farm families to share their grain with hungry neighbors in post-World War II Eu-rope and Asia. Today, we’ve outgrown the acro-nym but we retain it as the historic name of the program. Where do CROP Hunger Walk funds go? CROP Hunger Walks help to support the overall ministry of Church World Service, especially grass-roots development efforts around the world. In addition, each local CROP Hunger Walk can

choose to return up to 25 percent of the funds it raises to hun-ger-fighting pro-grams in its own community. CROP Hunger Walks help to provide food and water, as well as resources that em-

power people to meet their own needs. From seeds and tools to wells and water systems, the key is people working together to identify their own development priorities, their strengths and their needs - something CWS has learned through 70 years of working in partnership around the world. Perhaps you would like to participate in next years CROP Walk, but organizing and/ or walking with the Eastridge Team. It will be: October 9, 2017 at 1:30. Mark the date on your calendar and watch for further information. If you would like to coordinate the Eastridge team, please contact Jo Bateman.

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r 2013 Eastridge Supports Four Special Offerings

The Presbyterian (U.S.A.) has authorized four church-

wide special offerings which play an important role in

defining what it means to be a connectional church in the

twenty-first century. The reception of all four offerings

by our congregation, supports ministries working to pro-

vide food, shelter, and hope for the "least of these"

among us, to educate and guide today's youth to be-

come tomorrow's leaders, and advance justice, peace,

and equality for everyone. These special offerings are:

1. The One Great Hour of Sharing, to be dedicated on

Palm Sunday, April 9. Through this longstanding, ecu-

menical effort, Presbyterians share God's love by giving

to ministries that provide relief to those affected by natu-

ral disasters, food for the hungry and support towards

the self-development of poor and oppressed communi-

ties.

2. Pentecost Offering will be received on Pentecost Sun-

day, June 4. Receiving this offering allows us to invest in

faith formation of one of the church's greatest resources

--our youth--and join in ministries that address the needs

of at-risk children and encourage, grow, and support our

young people. Forty percent of the money raised by this

offering stays in Lincoln. Last year it went to support the

youth ministry of Light House.

3. Peace and Global Witness Offering. When our congre-

gation receives this offering on World Communion Sun-

day, we join in sharing the Peace of Christ by promoting

ministries of reconciliation and peace within cultures of

violence and conflict--including our own.

4. Christmas Joy Offering received during the Season of

Advent and Christmas. This offering provides financial

assistance to individuals and families who have dedicated

their lives to the church, and supports leadership devel-

opment and education for students attending Presbyter-

ian-related racial ethnic schools and colleges.

--Outreach Committee

For many years Eastridge Presbyterian Church has helped

support the annual Peacemaking Workshops at First

United Methodist Church with funds collected through

our Peacemaking Offering (now called the Peace and

Global Witness Offering). This year the Interfaith Peace-

making Coalition at First United Methodist Church is

offering two sessions that address mission goals of our

congregation:

Bridges out of Poverty: Contrary to a recent survey, peo-

ple in poverty are not there because they are lazy. They

are usually there because their jobs don't fit them, their

educational level is low, and they were born into poverty

and know nothing else. In addition, their wages aren’t

sufficient to pay for basic housing, food, clothing and

transportation. Many faith congregations are concerned

about poverty in their community, but the profile of the

typical church-goer doesn’t fit the description above at

all. How can we better understand those whose lives and

experiences are so different from ours so that churches

can address issues of poverty more effectively? Learn

more at a training session provided by Alynn Sampson of

the Lincoln Food Bank based on the book Bridges out of

Poverty: Strategies for Professionals and Communities.

Saturday April 29, 9-3:30. The workshop is free and in-

cludes lunch.

Building Neighborhood Strength: A workshop led by

Rev. Adam Barlow-Thompson, executive director of SoCe

Life in Wichita. SoCe Life researches, practices and teach-

es about neighboring, with the belief that “Everyone is

gifted, and as individuals share their gifts for the benefit

of others, they experience wholeness and the communi-

ty becomes stronger.” Sunday April 30, 1:30 – 3:30 p.m.

The workshop is free.

Both events are at First United Methodist Church lo-

cated at 2723 N 50th St in northeast Lincoln.

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Bistro Theology will take a break in April. Stay tuned (to next month’s newsletter

and the Lamp) to find out our plans for May, since the final Monday in May is Memorial Day (we will NOT meet on that date.) More info regarding up-coming dates and location(s) to come!

EASTRIDGE PANTRY PARTNERSHIP

This fall, Eastridge Presbyterian Church will partner

with Lefler Middle School, 1100 S. 48th St., to start a

Food Market at the school. The Lefler Food Market

will provide food for Lefler students to take home to

their families. It will be open once a month during the

school year from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m. At Lefler, 56 percent

of the students receive free or reduced lunches.

Eastridge plans to support the project in several ways:

•financial

•providing volunteers to help on the day of distribu-tion

•locating grant opportunities

• finding other partners

Jess Carlson, the principal at Lefler, and her staff are

very excited about getting this much needed Food

Market up and going at their school.

If you would like to be included in helping with this

exciting new mission, please notify the church office.

Please watch the newsletter and the Lamp for addi-

tional developments.

EASTRIDGE PANTRY--PEACEMAKING CONFERENCE

The Eastridge Pantry Board encourages Eastridge

members to attend the 2017 Peacemaking Conference

at First United Methodist Church, 2723 N. 50th St., on

April 29-30, 2017. On Saturday, from 9 a.m. to 3:30

p.m., Alynn Sampson from the Lincoln Food Bank will

present "Bridges Out of Poverty." Bridges Out of Pov-

erty provides a deeper understanding and common

language of the culture of poverty.

On Sunday, the "Building Neighborhood Strength"

workshop from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. will present a vision

that every neighborhood in Lincoln has an organiza-

tion or church connected to their local school.

To register for the workshops, call the church office at

402-466-1906.

Peter Dak and the Church in Maker Village:

The time has come for Peter Dak to travel to

South Sudan and lead his people in rebuilding the

church in Maker Village, this time with a tin roof

made possible by the generosity of his Eastridge

Presbyterian church family. He has been patient

since the funds were raised more than a year ago,

facing many obstacles, but it seems the time has

come. Peter took along 128 Eastridge T-shirts for

the people to wear while they work, so they feel

our partnership as the building progresses. If you

have an EPC shirt, from any time or occasion, that

you would like to send with Peter, please bring it

to church on March 26 or leave it in the office be-

fore then. We will bless Peter and the shirts, and

send him into this service wrapped in prayer.

14

1135 Eastridge Drive

Lincoln NE 68510

Non-Profit Org

U.S. Postage

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Lincoln, NE

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