News
Sharing God’s Abundance, Grounded in Good News – Iglesia Luterana San Andres
April 25, 2022
“Cast the net to the right side of the boat, and you will find some… Come and have breakfast.”
The Good News of Easter is spreading. The disciples are coming to believe. God is showing up in new ways. Jesus is showing himself, again. Abundance is real.
This week in worship you’ll probably hear the story about Jesus appearing to the disciples by the sea, helping them find more fish than they know what to do with, and inviting them to join him for breakfast. There they will gather for food and fellowship, and some continued faith formation too, as Jesus and Peter will talk some more about Peter’s call.
It’s a story that might well describe the life of every living congregation of the Nebraska Synod. Gathering food in abundance to share with God’s people. Feeding the hungry. Sharing the good news of the Resurrected Lord Jesus and about God’s love.
Iglesia Luterana San Andres is one such congregation. Whether you come to the church on Sunday morning or any day of the week, you can’t help but see and notice that there is something special in the way this faith community serves its larger community. Shortly into the pandemic, the congregation pivoted its community food pantry services. They suddenly grew. And grew. And grew some more. To the point that now as the food is being distributed weekly on Thursdays, it is now done so often with the help of a pallet jack moving food pallets and local police occasionally providing support for traffic control.
San Andres, like so many other faithful congregations of this synod, sensed a need and responded. The people of South Omaha were severely impacted by hunger, job challenges, and economic uncertainty not just because of the pandemic, but those needs only grew with it. Instead of drawing a line or believing that there would be limits on how and who they could serve, the congregation decided to lean into abundance. They trusted that if this is what God was calling them to see and respond to, that God would show up. And God has done so and continues to do so. Just like the disciples found in the supply of fish on the right side of the boat after Jesus’ resurrection. And just as they had witnessed earlier, before the resurrection, when a few loaves and a couple fish were enough to feed thousands.
It’s no wonder that San Andres was recently awarded an ELCA World Hunger grant. But you and your congregation deserve thanks too for this ministry. Your congregation support San Andres through your congregation’s mission share and as part of the Nebraska Synod’s Mission Field Nebraska ministries. Thank you for helping to feed the hungry in this way, and in all the ways that your congregation meets your neighbors needs in your community and across the globe.
Iglesia Luterana San Andres is one of the many ministries of the Nebraska Synod bringing the Word to life in service. Thank you to you and your congregation for your support!
Throughout the season of Easter, the Nebraska Synod will continue lifting up various Nebraska Synod ministries and serving arms that have a connection to the upcoming worship text. The text referenced here is from John 21:1-19 the Gospel reading for Sunday, May 1, the Third Sunday in Easter.