October Youth News

Breathe With Me

Here we are! A new month - new opportunities, new worries, new hopes, new anxieties. Let's take a minute and breathe together. 

Find a comfortable seated position in a safe quiet space. Close your eyes and pay attention to your breath. You and God, alone in the quiet. For 10 breath cycles, pray the following:

Inhale: Peacemaker,
Pause.
Exhale: bring me your peace.

"Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. I do not give to you as the world gives. Do not let your hearts be troubled, and do not let them be afraid." John 14:27

In this section of the Bible, Jesus is explaining to the disciples that he will no longer physically be with them soon. He is foreshadowing his death, and reminding his friends that even though he will know longer be there in the physical form, that the Holy Spirit will remain with them. He is reminding them that they will never be alone.

I have heard from many of you that things are kind of tough right now - changes to your school schedules, trying to be a student while sitting at home, not seeing friends, the list goes on. In times of anxiousness and worry - please be reminded that the Holy Spirit goes with you. You are not alone. Peace to you, beloveds. 

Youth Group

Through the month of October (as weather allows), we will plan to meet outside on the front lawn from 7:00-8:00 pm on Wednesday evenings. Bring a bag or lawn chair, and come ready to hang out with people who love you! If you have any questions, text Kelsey at 402-980-1984.

Once the weather gets too cold to be outside, we will start conversations with parents about a safe plan to move in the building or online. 

Confirmation

Confirmation is currently meeting outside on the front lawn of the church from 6:00-7:00 pm on Wednesday evenings. Please bring a lawn chair (and maybe a blanket as it gets colder)!

Faith Journey Statements

On Sunday September 20, five of our young people said yes to their Baptismal Promises at our Confirmation Parking Lot Worship service. Below are the Faith Journey Statements of those five individuals. 

Gabe Poole

Before confirmation, I was in Sunday School. In Sunday School we learned about most of the more
“famous” stories of the Bible such us John the Baptist, Jesus being born, and Jesus being crucified
and resurrected. I also attended VBS where we learned with singing and art projects. In
confirmation, I learned more about the Bible and the people in it. I learned about the way things
worked 2000 years ago. Before confirmation, I thought the Bible was mostly just about Jesus
forgiving and healing people. But I learned there are some deeper topics such as: the economy,
how things worked, and what Jesus did about it.

I liked when we watched the movies, so I got a better representation of what we were learning in
my head. Pastor Jim’s approach to teaching confirmation was more of a discussion than a lecture. I
was expecting to just be told the Bible. Pastor Jim talked about a subject, then asked us what we
thought about it. It got us thinking and wanting to hear what others thought. We discussed
subjects like forgiving each other the way Jesus forgave people no matter who they were or what
they did, and about having hope in each other and people around you no matter what. I also liked
helping to set up for the food pantry.

I also had new experiences by going on youth trips. On the youth trips we would watch movies
that had to do with the topics we were focusing on. We also did a lot of fun activities based on
where we were, like swimming and boating, exploring the towns, and playing games.
A few people I would like to thank are Pastor Jim, Pastor Heather, and Kelsey. I would also like to
thank the other people in my confirmation class. All of these people helped me through
confirmation, and I had lots of fun.

Mercedes Renken

My journey of faith started from the very day in which I was born. Like the other little people, God looked upon
me like one’s child. My next advancement occurred a couple months after my birth. My parents did indeed play
their important role in bringing me up in the faith of the Lord. On April 15 th I was baptized, a remembrance of
God’s brilliant grace.

In the beginning of my childhood, I attended Sunday School and Vacation Bible School. They were fun and
educational experiences to excitably share with God’s people. Soon enough I took another step forward in my
journey by taking part in my first communion, an event in which I was surrounded by my family. Over time I
enjoyed a volunteering experience for VBS, and many other occasions through confirmation. I find my time
working the food pantry and other activities valuable to my journey. I also appreciate the time spent with my
family in church service whether it is in the sanctuary or parking lot.

My journey will be continuing from here. I hope my relationship with God will grow stronger. I know God is
watching over me with my grandfather, grandmother, and aunt, my guardian angels. I also believe my family’s
beloved pet dogs are at their feet cherishing the kingdom of the Lord. I hope to as well support my younger
brother on his journey. In all, my faith will continue to develop beyond my confirmation and my family will assist
in both presence and spirit.

Sydney Rohrburg

My parents and family have been very influential in my faith journey. They have encouraged me
to be active in my faith and raised me going to church every Sunday possible. When I was
growing up my parents prayed with me every night and before every meal, which has now
helped me to build the habit as I have gotten older.

As I have gotten older, I have become much more active in church and have grown in my faith. I
took part in more events outside of church that have allowed me to grow closer to others in my
church community, which has allowed me to have a better relationship with my faith. Being in
confirmation and taking part in the experiences it includes has allowed me to learn more about
God’s word and helped me to understand things I hadn’t before. Being able to share
experiences and ideas with others that share my faith during worship and confirmation classes
has helped me to improve my faith. I have been able to grow and learn by hearing others’ ideas
that can give me a deeper understanding of God’s word. I have also grown in my understanding
during classes when we broke down specific parts of the Bible.

Serving others has been a part of my faith journey. Serving others allows me to see things from
other people’s perspective. I was able to have the experience of volunteering at a group home
in January. The members of this home had disabilities and many of them could hardly speak
and most couldn’t walk. This made me think about how lucky I was that God had allowed me the
abilities to do everything I love and to be able to serve those who need it. I have also been able
to serve others by helping to prepare for the food pantry. This has helped me to grow in my faith
as I have been able to help others and learn about the ways my help has affected other
people's lives.

After confirmation I plan on continuing my faith journey by taking part in church events like I
have through confirmation. I will continue to go to church regularly as I want to continue to be
active in my faith and further grow my relationship with God.

Landon Sinnett

I began attending church at Holy Cross when I was about 4 years old. My faith journey here has taken
me a long way in the past 10 years. I would like to share some of my experiences with you.  

As a kid, I remember being in the singing groups and going to Sunday School. I am still not a
fan of singing or standing up in front of the church! Wednesday nights were a lot more fun. I even
remember a lock-in where the pizza guy couldn’t find the church and it took hours to show up. Kelsey
and Pastor Jim always tried to make us laugh and make the meetings interesting.  

I also volunteered at Holy Cross. For two years, I helped to set up for the craft fair. We hauled in lots of
crafts and set up tables. We also drove around the neighborhood and put out signs
to advertise the fair. The craft people really appreciated the help and I enjoyed being a part of it.
 
With the pandemic, we haven’t been able to do much these past few months, but I will always
have good memories of my church family and friends Thank you to all of you that have supported me.

Andrew Westenburg

My faith journey has been very inspirational and moving. It has helped shape me into the person I am now. It
taught me a lot about helping others in need. One thing I learned on my faith journey is to help with the pantry
and to make meals for the shelter. This helped me realize that it is not hard to help others. Another way the
church has taught me to help others, is when we made blankets for Project Linus while in Sunday School.
One person that has helped me the most is Pastor Jim. He has been very influential to me and has helped me
understand God. One reason, Pastor Jim always taught us things in fun ways and got us excited to learn about our
faith. For example, we would watch movie clips on Wednesday and Pastor Jim would explain how it relates to our
religion. I feel this made things easier to understand and a lot more fun than just reading. Another influential
person has been my dad.

One reason is as a kid he was my Sunday School teacher for multiple years and we always went to 8:30 service,
and that's where I’ve learned the most about my faith.

My favorite event that has also made church more fun, but still would teach me things, was our yearly trips. The
trips were always super fun, as we would start out with a morning reading or just talk about our faith. The talks
would never feel like a chore and I learned a lot. Also, one of my favorite things we did was on last year’s trip we
just talked, it felt safe. It was really a safe way to talk about my feelings and expand on my faith. This also
answered a lot of questions, I was wondering about. It helped me deal with things, and get me through the
confusing times of being a teen.

On some Wednesdays, we would have service in the dark with candles. Usually, this would be quiet, serious
service, but it would always make me feel better. This helped me feel better about things that were on my chest
and always felt comforting.

Finally, I plan to continue my faith journey by continuing to go to Sunday services when things go back to normal.
Another way I plan on continuing, is by going on the high school trips which are all about helping others who need
our help. This will continue to shape me into a better person and continue to teach me about my religion and
others.

My journey has made me into a much better person and has definitely changed the way I look at others. It has also changed the way I look at church. Back when we started Sunday School, we used to think church was more of a chore. Now I think of it as more of a safe place and a place to learn.