A Sheridan Update on the COVID-19 Health Crisis

Sheridan Lutheran has been faring well during the weeks since our lives have been turned upside-down. We have been extremely satisfied with the number of worshipers and the engagement in our livestream worship services on Wednesdays and Sundays. So, thank you! We experience a growing sense of love for the church. As the old saying goes, “distance makes the heart grow fonder!”

Extended Restrictions

On March 25, Mayor Leirion Gaylor Baird proclaimed further restrictions on all gatherings in light of the spread of the coronavirus and fears of COVID-19. These restrictions are to last until May 6, 2020. This means that we will not be able to gather publicly until these restrictions are lifted, so our Holy Week and Easter services will be livestream only. 

Your Sheridan staff has embraced these measures. We remained committed to abiding by the law and have worked hard to empower the ministry in new ways. The coronavirus challenge has been an opportunity for us to grow in our ways of doing ministry.  

What this all means

• All public gatherings, including in-person worship and education classes, will be suspended. If you have a question about your specific ministry meeting, please contact the church office at 402-423-4769 or email your ministry leader. 
• No outside groups will meet at Sheridan during this time.
• We will livestream worship on Wednesdays at 6pm (through April) and Sundays at 9:45am. We will seek to bring you the same style and commitment to excellence as we do each week at Sheridan. You can join in worship on Facebook Live on Sheridan’s Facebook Page or watch from the website at sheridanlutheran.org/watch-online. If you feel called to learn more about our worship tech ministries, please contact Jared Rechsteiner. Our need has grown. Can you help us meet that need?
• All children, youth and adult faith formation will not meet. Watch for ways in which these ministries will connect with you online. 
• Our Wednesdays @ Well ministry including the meal, Confirmation and all ages faith formation hour and choir on Wednesdays is suspended. 

Stay Connected

This crisis has also afforded time to reflect theologically on the “whys and hows” of the ministry. In this day when so many people, pastors and churches are flooding communication channels with all kinds of messages and methods in an attempt to stay relevant, we have remained committed to gathering in worship and ministry much the same style as we always have – figuring people want normalcy more than anything.  

I hope that you are truly worshiping with us in your home, that your children are finding fun and learning in their faith formation ministry, you are reading the weekly Sheridan devotions and envisioning how you will serve when we are allowed to get back out there. 

How to stay informed

This is a rapidly changing situation, and so we are making decisions week by week. To learn more about ministry and other updates, please look to our weekly eNews update each Wednesday, Sheridan’s Facebook Page and our website: sheridanlutheran.org. Because things are changing so quickly with our schedule and other details, we will not be sending out our April Scroll. Instead, we will rely on these quicker forms of communication.

If you are in need

We are always concerned about those in our community who are vulnerable. If you are in need of assistance, or aware of someone in our community who needs help during this health crisis, please contact us. It is critical that as a community we continue to care for each other, especially the vulnerable.

Continued Giving/Offering

We are so grateful to all of you for continuing to support the church and its ministries through your regular financial giving. Your generosity is especially important during this health crisis that we stay on top of our budget, both to pay our expenses and to support our partner ministries who are doing important work caring for those in need. We have options for people continuing to give during this time when we will not be gathering at the Sheridan building:

• Your weekly offering envelopes are pre-addressed for US Postal delivery.
• Checks can be sent to Sheridan Lutheran Church, 6955 Old Cheney Rd., Lincoln, NE 68516
• Opportunities to give electronically as a one-time or recurring online gifts can be found at sheridanlutheran.org/give
• If you would like to learn about signing up for electronic giving, you can access that information online.

If necessary, additional updates will be made available on our website and our Facebook page.