Southwood Lutheran Church

Serve!

Southwood Serves to help others experience God's love.

Click on any of the listings below to expand the window with more information about how you can serve ... at Southwood, in our community, and around the world.

Worship

Make Music

Sing in a choir (adult choir or men's chorus), sing a solo, play in our bell choir, or play another instrument to help glorify God through worship. Contact Denise Makinson to learn more about how you can serve using your musical gifts and talents.
Welcome People

Help people feel welcome and at ease when they come for worship. Serve as a Greeter, Host, Usher, Cafe Host, Southwood Central (welcome center) volunteer, or be part of our Traffic Team. Contact Nicole Mroczek for more details about any of these ways to serve.
Read Scripture

Read the scripture of the day aloud to help the congregation prepare for the day's message.
Contact Joyce Scheffler to learn more.
Operate Sound and Video System

Are you a technology lover? Learn more about how you can use your gifts to enhance the visual and sound experience in worship.
Contact Dan Noennig for information on how you can get involved.
Help with Communion

Bake bread, help prepare communion trays, or serve wine or bread for communion. Contact Joyce Scheffler for more information or to get involved.

Children

Sunday School - More Ways to Serve Than You Think!
If you love God and love kids, there's a way you can serve in Sunday School.
Large Group Leaders tell the story creatively through puppets, drama, and music.
Teachers work with a small group of students to apply the story to their daily lives.
Education Station volunteers welcome people and provide administrative support for Teachers and Large Group Leaders during a Sunday School hour.
Our Curriculum Development Team dreams up crafts, snacks, and activities that give kids hands-on ways to learn about God and grow in their faith.
To learn more about any of these opportunities to serve, contact Faye Koehn.
Advent Festival

If you love kids and crafts, you'll love being part of the Advent Festival. Help plan and organize this fun make-and-take craft extravaganza for children and families. Use your gifts to create hands-on craft projects for kids that will point to Jesus as the reason for the season. Be there on the day of the Advent Festival to guide kids and families as they make their crafts. There are many ways to be involved. Contact Faye Koehn to learn more.
Summer Programs

Help make summer Vacation Bible School and other summer growth opportunities happen for children age 3 years - 5th grade. All kinds of gifts work together to make our summer programs a great experience for kids. You can help plan and organize the program, be a storyteller or teacher, or help with music, snacks, crafts, or games. Help for the entire week of VBS or just for one day.
Contact Faye Koehn for details on how you can serve.
Cuddle Babies & Toddlers

Help our littlest people feel loved. Southwood's nursery is available for children 5 and under at all three services (8:30, 9:45 & 11:00). There are also opportunities to help with childcare for MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) on Wednesday mornings and for other special events as needed.
Contact Joyce Scheffler to start cuddling some babies.
Mentor Moms

Work with Southwood's MOPS (Mothers of PreSchoolers) group to encourage and mentor mothers of young children as spiritual leaders in their families. Contact Stacey Fuehrer to learn more.

Youth

Middle School Wednesday Nights

Serve as a mentor for a 6th, 7th or 8th grade confirmation student. Learn more about our programs for Middle School Youth here. Contact the Youth Director to get involved.
Teach Middle School Sunday School

Middle schoolers start Sunday School with a large group lesson. Afterward, teachers lead a small group of 10-12 students in discussion and activities to help them apply what they learn. Contact the Youth Director to find out how you can get involved.
High School Youth Group

High School students meet on Sunday evenings (6:00-7:30). Build relationships with a small group of students and help facilitate worship, games, outreach activities, and more. Contact the Youth Director to learn more.
Help with Special Events

Several times a year, Middle School and High School youth go to conferences, concerts, and short term mission trips. Come for a single event or become a regular. Being part of the faith development of our young people will inspire you!
Contact the Youth Director to learn more.

Behind the Scenes

Prayer & Care

Some of the most important work of the church happens behind the scenes. Join our Prayer Chain to pray for people's joys and concerns.Contact Joyce Scheffler for details.
Do you feel called to bring God's hope and healing to people who are hurting? Contact Pastor Michael to learn more about Stephen Ministry.
Administrative Support

Serve behind the scenes to count offerings on Sunday mornings, prepare bulletins and mailings, help with data entry, or work on other organizational and administrative jobs. Contact Andrea Cruise to learn more.
Building & Grounds

Do-it-yourselfers can serve behind the scenes to keep our building and grounds looking great and working well. Projects involve a wide variety of projects from painting to landscaping and everything in between.
Contact Lori Changstrom if you have special talents to offer or to learn more about how you can get involved.
Funeral Luncheons

Care for grieving families in a tangible way by providing food for funerals as needed OR preparing and serving funeral luncheons. Contact Joyce Scheffler for details on how you can serve.

In the Community

Community Missions at Southwood
Southwood Serves Lincoln. Join us!
We will provide over 20,000 individual meals to people in Lincoln this year through partnerships with the BackPack Program, Matt Talbot, Gathering Place, Meals on Wheels, Center for People in Need, and the Lutheran Food Pantry.
Medical and non-medical volunteers from Southwood provide two free medical clinics per month in partnership with Clinic with a Heart.
Our City Impact Reading Tutors and TeamMate Mentors spend over 1,200 hours mentoring children each year.
Click here for details on all the ways Southwood serves Lincoln. Contact Nicole Mroczek for more information on how you can get involved.

Around the World

Global Missions at Southwood

Southwood has sister churches in La Ceibita, Honduras, and Uswaa Parish in Northern Tanzania. Click here for detailed information about Global Missions at Southwood and how you can get involved -- even if you never leave home.