We Are Ready!
The Readiness Fund is a mission and ministry which will allow Sheridan to meet the need placed before us while also choosing to stay intentionally debt-free. It is based on what the Apostle Paul teaches.
“For if the eagerness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has…”
The word eagerness in the original Greek is “prothumia” (προθυμία). A second and helpful translation for it is ready. The root infers being inclined to give, and that inclination comes out of a response to God’s blessings. The sense is that we are filled with the Spirit and eager. Zeal and enthusiasm are hallmarks of “prothumia.” Essentially, God’s work on our grateful heart makes us ready to give.
The question each of us has to answer is one of inclination.
Are you ready?
The Readiness Fund is born out of a desire to respond to God’s work in the hearts and lives of Sheridan members who wish to make a difference established in 2015. With The Readiness Fund we will consistently seek to:
- Do creative mission projects both internationally and locally.
- Continue our rich tradition of capital improvements to our beautiful campus.
- Repair and maintain our facility as a means by which we honor God.
We seek to do these things above and beyond the central funds of a mission, namely our general operating budget. The Readiness Fund seeks to do the mission that Sheridan couldn’t do in any other way.
Current Project
Outreach Center
God Calls us to Reach into the community to share the compassion and love of Christ with the world. Over the years, Sheridan has done a tremendous job in our commitment to global mission and local outreach. From our sister congregations in Tanzania, to the establishment of the Barnabas Community, we have cared deeply for others – reaching far beyond our four walls.
Renewed by the presence and excellent work of Pastor Sarah Ruch, our local outreach ministries have thrived! The only thing that has curtailed our ministry of late has been our facility. The Retreat Center, an aging single family home, has been used hard and fallen into disrepair. In the past year our church leaders have generated a report on the totality of the repairs needed. This summer the furnace failed, adding to the need for new windows, siding and foundation walls. The Council chose to raze the Retreat Center and use the lawn south of the church for a new Outreach Center.
The renderings you’ll see below show a functional space that can host a variety of gatherings. The dedicated space for the Backpack Program will vitalize that ministry, and ample storage will solve several problems the church has had since moving into our current location.
Thank you for considering your above and beyond gift to the Readiness Fund. More details will be announced as the building plans are honed. We will proceed, striving to remain a debt-free congregation, while at the same time seeking to build this facility. We trust that you believe God calls us to do this ministry. As we reach into the community, we acknowledge God’s
blessings in our lives, we realize that our life as a church makes a difference
and we claim that God’s love is not all about just ourselves.
Thank you for your prayers and your financial support as we "love deeply, grow spiritually and share abundantly."
May 2025 Update:
The Outreach Center is finally near completion! We are currently working on the final “punch list” so that the construction crews can finish their work. Landscaping and sprinklers are being priced, and items to stock the building will be sought.
A special dedication service will be Sunday, May 18 at 12:15pm with the Bishop of the Nebraska Synod, Scott Johnson. For the dedication, we will gather at the Outreach Center. Following a short dedication, we will then open the doors for tours and refreshments! Please come and take part in this amazing day! Bishop Johnson will also be preaching in worship that weekend. The building will be open throughout the morning and staff will be available to answer questions for those who would like a tour.
At this juncture our Readiness Fund is showing a negative balance, and we will have several hundred thousands of dollars in costs remaining. We are grateful for our reserve funds so that we can borrow from ourselves. Please consider making your above and beyond gift to the Readiness Fund.
We Are Ready! Are you ready?
You are invited and asked to support the Readiness Fund. Gifts may be specifically designated or you may choose to support all projects by simply supporting the fund. We trust the Spirit will lead us to hear God’s call and that you will generously respond over time.
Past Projects
View previous projects of the Readiness Fund.
Mission: Lutheran Center
In 2015, The Lutheran Center at UNL embarked on their “Cross at the Heart” Campaign. Centered on the vitally important need to replace their aging and failing facility, their goal is to raise $6 million over three years. When successfully completed, this campaign will yield both a beautiful new home to reach students on campus and a stream of income to secure the future of this ministry.
We hope to contribute $150,000 over three years to this mission endeavor.
Update: Sheridan has made it’s first installment of $50,000.
Capital Improvement: Shades for Worship Center Windows
Sunshine is such a beautiful thing! Depending on the time you worship though, it may also be a bit blinding in your worship experience! The vibrant sun has always been a challenge for us in our facility. To alleviate this, we are proposing two upgrades to our Worship Center. The first is retractable shades that will manage the sunlight, as needed. These translucent shades will be lowered to filter light. For the second upgrade, Palace Glass has created a masterplan for stained glass windows throughout our Worship Center. Individuals or families may provide funds to purchase a window. The Readiness Fund will also serve as a catalyst for completion of this project.
The goal to complete the shading and stained glass is $200,000.
Update: Electronic shades have been installed in both the Worship Center and the Family Life Center. The stained glass windows project for the Worship Center is also underway, in partnership with the Hausmann family.
Repair: New Sheridan Bus
Purchased in 2001, our bus has served us well for 15 years. Originally given as a gift by members Lee & Betty Schroeder, the bus is the only way dozens of members are able to come to worship. In its early days, it was an evangelism tool as well. Elders at care facilities would ask to come to Sheridan for worship. Besides the cosmetic needs, our aging bus has some functional issues and lacks the basic comforts befitting our elder members. This is an exciting project that will add to our evangelism, not only to our elder members, but also to the Lincoln community.
The goal to replace our bus is $75,000.
Repair Update: A 12+2 passenger bus was purchased in May 2016. Your “above & beyond” gifts to the Readiness Fund made this purchase possible.
Mission: CLM Project
Chemen Lavi Miyò (CLM), or Pathway to a Better Life in Haitian Creole, is a program through which the community supports women who live on less than $1 per day. The CLM program gives these women education, life skills training and assets upon which to build a better life. This intensive education process is 18 months and over the last five years has a 96 percent graduation rate. Groups of 100 women are accepted, and it costs Haitian Timoun Foundation $150,000 to support those women. Sheridan has pledged $50,000 in support of CLM.
Capital Improvement: Family Life Center Projection
For Christmas Eve and Easter services, our Family Life Center (FLC) is used as worship overflow. Each Wednesday from September to May the FLC is used for Wednesdays @ Well meals and education. This space also hosts funeral luncheons, large group education and fellowship events and the like. Because of the strong sunlight, high ceilings and hard surfaces, audio and visual presentations are poor in quality. In order to improve seasonal worship and expand our ability to serve groups in that space, Sheridan has pledged media improvements to the FLC, which will cost $100,000.
Repair/Refurbish: Worship Center Lighting
During the process of building our beautiful facility, decisions were made about the lighting in the Worship Center in order to make the building costs more affordable. Dimmable ceiling lights, spotlights and infrastructure were eliminated. Given our evening worship services at critical times of the year, a few makeshift pieces have been added and enhanced our worship life. Now is the time to complete the Worship Center as it was originally designed to be, and we will do so at a cost of $100,000.
Mission: Chapel for Agape Lutheran Junior Seminary
In October of 2018, we welcomed Pastor Godrick Lyimo, the Headmaster of Agape Junior Seminary Secondary School. Agape is the strongest academic school in the nation of Tanzania. Pastor Godrick, at the end of his visit, spoke to some Sheridan members of his vision to build a chapel for the community. The plans are set and the vision is cast. All they lack are the funds.
Our Readiness Fund will bring this chapel to life through our gift of $50,000.
Mission: Dining Hall for Karansi Parish in Tanzania
Our sister congregation, Karansi Parish in Tanzania, has made amazing progress. This is where Nuru School is located, a 350 student English Primary school that Sheridan has helped to build. The struggle now is that their students have no place to eat. Meals are prepared in a one-room “cook house” that is 10 ft by 15 ft. It has no running water or electricity, only a fireplace for cooking. Students get their meal and sit on the ground (usually tree roots) to eat. Karansi has proposed to build a new Dining Hall and our Readiness Fund will make this a reality.
The $50,000 we will contribute will finish the building and provide the furnishings.
Mission: Lutheran Student Center
In 2015, The Lutheran Center at UNL embarked on their “Cross at the Heart” Campaign. Centered on the vitally important need to replace their aging and failing facility, their goal was to raise $6 million dollars over three years, in which we donated $150,000. This campaign yielded both a beautiful new home to reach students on campus and a stream of income to secure the future of this ministry.
Capital Improvement: Worship Center
Opened on Christmas Eve 2003, our Worship Center was no longer new. With more than 3,900 worship services, hundreds of weddings and funerals and thousands of rehearsals, the 15 years of use had taken its toll. Well used is well-loved and our Worship Center was well-loved. A few areas of concern included:
The chancel in front of the altar had “soft spots.” The floor sagged and moved in places. About 12 years ago a “temporary” extended platform was built. This needed to be redesigned and replaced with a permanent structure. The music side was designed for a choir more than a band, so it lacked necessary outlets and proper space for a Praise Band. Under the pews on the north side of the floor, there was a large crack in the cement where it had settled and separated.
Photos of the reconstruction process https://flic.kr/s/aHsmP2rY9T
Mission: Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center
Our mission support will go toward Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center (PRRC), an ELCA ministry located on Pine Ridge Indian Reservation in Pine Ridge, South Dakota. PRRC serves to foster mutual trust, respect and understanding, while addressing the deep poverty that exists on the reservation. Sheridan has committed to giving $15,000 to PRRC in order to make capital improvements.
Through a historic and ongoing partnership in ministry with the Presbyterian church just across the parking lot from PRRC, the space needs can be accommodated. Your gifts to the Readiness Fund will help fund much-needed upgrades to the Presbyterian church. These upgrades involve installing a working restroom in the church and updating the kitchen for the Kid’s Time meals.
As post-COVID times are on the horizon, PRRC needs to update the guest rooms at the retreat center. Your offerings will also help provide new floors, updated paint and new mattresses.
Capital Improvement: Worship Center Sound System
Our capital improvement project will be with our Worship Center sound system. The life cycle for most tech is usually less than ten years. Our soundboard is approaching 15 years of age and the majority of our microphones are older than that. This, along with the introduction of streaming worship online, has exposed our need for newer equipment. The list of needs is long, but $50,000 from the Readiness Fund will get the process started.
Renovation: Landscaping
Our renovation project will be with the landscaping of our Sheridan campus. Much of the original landscaping has either died or overgrown the space for which it was planted. Still, other areas need new landscaping. Working with landscape architects from Clarke Enersen Partners in Lincoln will yield a complete landscape plan, which we will fund over the course of years. Our initial commitment to getting things started will be $50,000 from the Readiness Fund.