In-Person Worship Suspended ~ Read More Here!
Reaching out to Share Christ's Light
We are very active in our mission to serve as Christ served. We partner with several local, national, and world organizations to serve those in need. If you don't find a project that interests you, share your ideas with the Outreach Committee.
" I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. "
Matthew 25:35
Current short-term Projects
January Green Envelope
January Green Envelope
January Green Envelope
Our amazing youth, led by Greta Carlson and Pastor Chris, will be the focus of this month's Green Envelope. This usually helps fund the year's activities for the Morning Star Youth!
Annual Cereal Bowl
January Green Envelope
January Green Envelope
It’s time for our annual CEREAL BOWL! Due to the pandemic this year will look a little different. From January 1 through February 7 (Super Bowl Sunday), we’ll be collecting cereal for the Kountze Pantry. Team Flakes if your last name begins with the letters A - L; Team Puffs if your last name begins with the letters M - Z. There will be volunteers available for drop-offs on Saturdays from 9 - Noon (unless we have inclement weather) on January 23, January 30 and February 6. Communion pick up will also be available during those times. Call the Church Office to arrange drop off if those times are not convenient. Let’s stock the pantry at Kountze!
ON-GOING OUTREACH Events
2020 Habitat for Humanity Build
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Morning Star Lutheran Church is part of a 15-church coalition working together to build a new home each year with Habitat.
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Morning Star is proud to offer a 5-Star Step Up to Quality Preschool & Child Care Center! Click below to find more information!
Table Grace Ministries
Morning Star Preschool & Child Care Center
Table Grace Ministries
Table Grace Ministries is empowering people through their cafe, mobile food truck, job training programs and so much more!
OTHER Programs
Green envelope
Welcome the Stranger
Welcome the Stranger
January - Morning Star Youth
Welcome the Stranger
Welcome the Stranger
Welcome the Stranger
Jesus tells us to welcome the stranger. As a major outreach initiative, we are partnering with Lutheran Family Services to host a refugee families and help homeless vets. Join us as we provide continuing support and encouragement in this program.
Prayer Shawls
Little Free Library
Little Free Library
Join the prayer shawls knitters and crocheters on Sundays. Please take a prayer shawl if you know someone in need of comfort and prayer.
Little Free Library
Little Free Library
Little Free Library
The LFL is stocked with a variety of good, quality books that we hope will interest you and our neighbors. Stop by and take whatever interests you. You can return the book when you’re finished or contribute a book you no longer need. The LFL books are always free!
Our Green Envelope Program
Green Envelope
God's Reach Envelops Every Need
- January 2021 Morning Star Youth
- February 2021 Habitat for Humanity
- March 2021 Table Grace Cafe
- April 2021 Lutheran Campus Ministries
- May 2021 Habitat for Humanity
- June 2021 Scatter Joy Acres
- July 2021 TBD
- August 2021 TBD
- September 2021 Food for Friends
- October 2021 Food for Friends
- November 2021 TBD
- December 2021 Welcome the Stranger
Habitat for Humanity 2020 Effort
Morning Star has been a supporter of Habitat for over 20 years. We are a member of the Faith House Coalition.
More Results
God's Work, Our Hands 2020
A big THANK YOU to everyone for your help with God's Work, Our Hands Sunday! In addition to stuffing MANY socks for homeless vets, several members cleaned the church building, helped with landscape clean up, called homebound members, delivered communion and collected pantry goods! We also were able to present a check to Table Grace Cafe for over $1,600!
Cereal Bowl - January Outreach Project
A friendly competition ran through the month of January between Team Flakes (last name begins with A-L) and Team Puffs (last name beings with M-Z). Participants increased the donation from the cereal collected last year. In 2019 we donated a total of 2,249.9 oz. This year we donated a total of 3,023 oz. from this fun competition was donated to the Kountze Commons Food Pantry. The Flakes were victorious this year with a total of 1,955.4 oz over the Puffs donation of 1,067.85 oz. of cereal. Thanks everyone for participating!
Angel Tree Results
Thank you all for making Christmas merrier for the children and families of Lutheran Family Services and Westside Boys & Girls Club!
Food for Friends
Food For Friends started about 20 years ago by a member of Morning Star, Bob Donovan, who saw a need to feed his "working poor" brothers and sisters a Thanksgiving meal. These were individuals, some he knew and some he didn't know, who worked hard every day but never seemed to earn enough around the Holidays to have those special meals. A Green Envelope offering started with the first few years seeing approximately 50 families with Thanksgiving meals delivered by Morning Star volunteers.
Welcome the stranger project updates
Family is settled
The apartment is set up and the kids are in school. See video walk-though below.
Transportation support for our Refugee Family
Volunteers are serving with transportation support four days a week to help the mother of our family to get to English class. She is doing great as her English skills are improving. Please contact the Outreach team if you are available to support this need.
Progress Update April 15th
Morning Star welcomed our Afghan refugee family in mid- October.
Try to imagine traveling thousands of miles with four young children? The generosity of our Morning Star family provided the contents of their 2 bedroom apartment. A childhood friend from Afghanistan, living in Omaha, helped the family purchase a van.
Mohammad, the father, quickly secured a $11/hour job. It seems necessary to begin at this level to create a work history. The three girls are enrolled in elementary school and love school. Muzghan, the mother, is enrolled in ESL classes and 2 year old Ahmad attends also. Muzghan is determined to learn English and eventually get a driver’s license. Morning Star members drive her to her classes M-F.
Several members took the family on a zoo outing which they loved. Morning Star gifted the family a zoo membership. Prior to Valentines’s Day the girls came to Morning Star and made valentine cards and boxes for their valentines. The family invited those who have been assisting them to help celebrate Ahmad’s second birthday. The food and friendship were amazing. During Spring break, Morning Star members took the girls to the Joslyn Art Museum to experience the special children’s interactive exhibit. We are looking forward to having mom and the children participate in our Easter egg hunt.
Support from Lutheran Family Services is winding down. An internal MS grant will help assist with their rent for an additional six months. The family is so very grateful for all of Morning Star’s help help and caring.
Family group
Keep up the momentum
Outreach Goals for 2019
Serving our community within: We will continue with our defined programs as previously mentioned in serving our community within and for future working toward more volunteer opportunities for us (our whole congregation) to play a more active role in the day to day lives of our Preschool children and staff.
Serving our community within the city: Again, we will continue programs previously mentioned with a goal in 2019 for supporting a new organization, Scatter Joy Acres, a volunteer organization that rescues, feeds, and cares for neglected animals training them to be therapy animals, who in turn support vulnerable individuals.
Serving our community within the world: We will continue our established programs. Our refugee program was new for this congregation in 2018. We started with the will to carry out this goal, and with major congregational support, we were successful in supporting a family of six from Afghanistan who arrived in Omaha mid-October 2018 with a fully furnished apartment and other necessities to start their new lives in this country. Our goal is to grow this program with continued support for our first family until they are fully self sufficient, and growing the program to support future refugees for years to come.
Stained-glass from our Welcome Center with the words "Welcome the Stranger"