Thank you Concordia Junior-High Orchestra!

This weekend we were blessed with a special visit from the Concordia Junior-High Orchestra and their director, Sarah Jay. Thank you to the orchestra for filling the church with wonderful music for our worship services.

Details: Published: 08 March 2020 08 March 2020; Last Updated: 08 March 2020 08 March 2020

The Lenten Season

The Lenten season is the fourth season in the church year (after Advent, Christmas and Epiphany). It begins with Ash Wednesday and is the oldest season of the church year. The original period of Lent seems to have been 40 hours. It was spent in fasting and contemplation on the sufferings of Christ. Later it became 30 days, then 36, and finally, in the reign of Charlemagne (about 800 AD), 40 days. Lent originally had one purpose — to prepare candidates for Baptism. For hundreds of years, the Baptism itself took place late Saturday evening or early Sunday morning before the dawn of Resurrection Day, during an all-night vigil.

The 40 days of Lent do not include the Sundays. Sundays in Lent - like every other Sunday - were to be “mini” resurrection days celebrating Jesus’ resurrection and not part of the Lenten fast. The 40 days of Lent correspond to Christ’s 40 days in the wilderness. The date of Lent is determined by the date of Resurrection Sunday. The Council of Nicea (held in 325 AD) determined that Resurrection Sunday would be observed on the first Sunday following the 14th day of the paschal moon. Lent probably comes from the old English word for Spring: Lenten (it may also be related to the German word for the time when the days lengthen: lenz).

Details: Published: 29 February 2020 29 February 2020; Last Updated: 29 February 2020 29 February 2020

Southern Sudan Missionary

Maiwut Christians Charity Community Action Group

Philip Chawech, recently shared with the members of Pacific Hills Lutheran Church his missionary work in South Sudan over the last several years as well has his current projects. During the Bible Study hour in Aker Hall, on Sunday, February, March 2, Philip told his story of fleeing South Sudan in 1994 to the United States. At one time Omaha was home to 8,000 Sudanese immigrants. The Sudanese members of Pacific Hills are members of the Nuer tribe. They were citizens of two villages in southern Sudan, Khoromchar and Uleng. The Sudan has been in civil wars for the past 50 years and only recently has been in relative peace. Philip, in partnership with local churches, has led missionary trips back to the South Sudan periodically as funds and the government allow him to return. Philip's wife and children remain back in South Sudan.

An Opportunity to Witness, An Opportunity to Help

Through local churches, and charities like UNICEF and Maiwut Christians Charity Community Action Group (MCCCAG), Philip has been able to provide assistance to the South Sudanese people back home. One of Philips past projects involved transporting a 150 lb clinic tent and medical supplies 100 miles on foot across the Ethiopia border into South Sudan.

Details: Published: 08 February 2020 08 February 2020; Last Updated: 09 February 2020 09 February 2020

Great things are on the horizon at Pacific Hills!

Join us this year to find out more and be a part of God’s work here in Omaha. Attend a Sunday service, Bible study, or other event. Click on the Ministries menu above. Follow along on the journey of substantial renovations to our facility. We’ll have all the updates here.

Attend our ~~one-day VBS in June.~~ You will be able to register online to enjoy learning about Jesus at ~~this fun event~~. Help us celebrate 65 years as a congregation! We’re celebrating in a big way. While our facility will be undergoing major work, ~~we’ll have an off-site event and service~~. Update: Many events have been cancelled due to the virus crisis.

“Come unto Me,” Jesus said. Come, and join us as we together Share Christ and Serve Others.

Details: Published: 03 February 2020 03 February 2020; Last Updated: 24 May 2020 24 May 2020

Director of Music Position Available

Pacific HIlls Lutheran Church is looking for a Director of Music (Organist/Choir Director). This is a full time/one person position with a total weekly amount of part time hours.

Pacific Hills has just completed an $111,000 renovation of its 3 manual Schantz pipe organ. Available in the Sanctuary is a beautiful Steinway Grand Piano for use.

Pacific Hills has traditional Lutheran Liturgy worship services Sunday at 8 AM and 10:30 AM and seasonal Advent and Lenten worship services on Wednesdays at 2 PM and 7 PM. Others services include: Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Eve and Day, Holy Week Maundy Thursday and Good Friday. On occasion other special services might be required, for ex. Reformation. Weddings and funerals would be extra services with extra compensation.

Applicants should provide a resume of education, training and professional experience both as organist/choir director including religious/church positions. Please send to the contact person listed: Dennis Grindle. He can answer any further questions as needed. An interview/audition will be set up with selected applicants. There are 5 members of the Pacific Hills Congregation on the committee you would meet during this process.

We look forward to hearing from all interested candidates. THANK YOU!

Dennis Grindle can be contacted by telephone (402-690-1103) or email (This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.)

Details: Published: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020; Last Updated: 18 March 2020 18 March 2020

A Visit from Pastor Joel Fritsche

Many thanks to Pastor Joel Fritsche, for nourishing us with preaching and sacrament on Sunday, January 19th. He also shared his ministries in the Dominican Republic during the Sunday School hour. Pr. Fritsche and his family serve in Santiago at the Lutheran seminary, and with a local growing congregation. He was in the U.S. for meetings, and we were blessed to have him as a guest at Pacific Hills.

Details: Published: 19 January 2020 19 January 2020; Last Updated: 20 January 2020 20 January 2020

Mission Central Guest Speaker

Rev. Joel and Clarion Fritsche serve the Lord as missionaries of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS) in the Dominican Republic. In this role, Joel plants new churches. He also serves as the Director of Concordia Seminary and Mercy Center in Palmar Arriba (which is in the Santiago province of the Dominican Republic). As director, he teaches courses and helps prepare men to be pastors who proclaim the Gospel of Jesus Christ throughout Latin America and the Caribbean.

Details: Published: 19 January 2020 19 January 2020; Last Updated: 19 January 2020 19 January 2020

Sanctity of Life Month 2020

The month of January is regarded as Sanctity of Life Month and January 19 will be observed as Sanctity of Life Sunday. The Rev. Joel Fritsche, Missionary to the Dominican Republic and Director of Concordia Seminary and Mercy Center in Palmar Arriba, located in the Santiago province, will be our guest preacher.

This year we are once again partnering with Essential Pregnancy Services of Omaha in our effort to make a difference in the lives of at risk mothers and their unborn and newly born children. As such you are encouraged to bring baby items and diapers for children newborn to age 2 and place them in the bins in the narthex. Diapers are in great need.

Details: Published: 05 January 2020 05 January 2020; Last Updated: 12 January 2020 12 January 2020

Pause and Remember

Have you made your list and checked it twice? Are your stockings hung with care? Do you have all the ingredients for the homemade pumpkin pie? Are the pretty packages all wrapped up under the tree? At this time of year we often find ourselves hurrying around making sure everything is ready for the big day. We make many stops—the mall, the grocery store, the post office to name a few. With all that running around we can forget the real reason why we celebrate Christmas.

Let’s take a moment and pause and remember. The most important place to stop is at the stable in Bethlehem, so that we, like the shepherds, can kneel before the manger and worship our newborn king, the baby Jesus who came to be our Savior. Oh, come let us adore Him, Christ the Lord.

Details: Published: 21 December 2019 21 December 2019; Last Updated: 21 December 2019 21 December 2019

Gaudete Sunday

Gaudete Sunday, the third Sunday of Advent, is unique among the Sunday’s of Advent. Though part of Advent, it stands out from it. The pink, or more correctly, the rose candle symbolizes joy in the midst of darkness, mourning and sadness and so this week is set apart from all the other weeks of Advent, which focus on things like repentance and Christ’s coming. Gaudete Sunday gives us another perspective and a glimpse of the joy that awaits us.

Details: Published: 14 December 2019 14 December 2019; Last Updated: 14 December 2019 14 December 2019

Naboth’s Vineyard

Drawing by Michelle Steen

ome time later there was an incident involving a vineyard belonging to Naboth the Jezreelite. The vineyard was in Jezreel, close to the palace of Ahab king of Samaria. ² Ahab said to Naboth, “Let me have your vineyard to use for a vegetable garden, since it is close to my palace. In exchange I will give you a better vineyard or, if you prefer, I will pay you whatever it is worth.” ³ But Naboth replied, “The Lord forbid that I should give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” ⁴ So Ahab went home, sullen and angry because Naboth the Jezreelite had said, “I will not give you the inheritance of my ancestors.” He lay on his bed sulking and refused to eat. ⁵ His wife Jezebel came in and asked him, “Why are you so sullen? Why won’t you eat?” ⁶ He answered her, “Because I said to Naboth the Jezreelite, ‘Sell me your vineyard; or if you prefer, I will give you another vineyard in its place.’ But he said, ‘I will not give you my vineyard.’” ⁷ Jezebel his wife said, “Is this how you act as king over Israel? Get up and eat! Cheer up. I’ll get you the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite.” ⁸ So she wrote letters in Ahab’s name, placed his seal on them, and sent them to the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city with him. ⁹ In those letters she wrote: “Proclaim a day of fasting and seat Naboth in a prominent place among the people. ¹⁰ But seat two scoundrels opposite him and have them bring charges that he has cursed both God and the king. Then take him out and stone him to death.” ¹¹ So the elders and nobles who lived in Naboth’s city did as Jezebel directed in the letters she had written to them. ¹² They proclaimed a fast and seated Naboth in a prominent place among the people. ¹³ Then two scoundrels came and sat opposite him and brought charges against Naboth before the people, saying, “Naboth has cursed both God and the king.” So they took him outside the city and stoned him to death. ¹⁴ Then they sent word to Jezebel: “Naboth has been stoned to death.” ¹⁵ As soon as Jezebel heard that Naboth had been stoned to death, she said to Ahab, “Get up and take possession of the vineyard of Naboth the Jezreelite that he refused to sell you. He is no longer alive, but dead.” ¹⁶ When Ahab heard that Naboth was dead, he got up and went down to take possession of Naboth’s vineyard.

- 1 Kings 21:1-16

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