Trivia Night-Tomorrow!

Friday, September 18

Our Inaugural Trivia Night is tomorrow! We have 1 table that has been purchased with seats available. If you would like to play trivia but don't have a full team, please contact Kate Kielion to take one of the open seats.

Guests begin arriving at 6:30 PM, game starts at 7:00.

Camp Song Sunday

Sunday, September 20

at 8:30 AM Service

Camp Song Sunday - 9/20 at 8:30 am service

As our Joyful Noise band leadership takes their show on the road for vacation weeks, Fr Ben will lead music on guitar for the early service on 8:30. If you're curious about some of the music our summer camp program uses, feel free to join us for some of the greatest hits from the Sunday worship side of the set list.

August Thanks & September Special Collection: Episcopal Relief & Development

In September, our special collection (the wicker baskets in worship) goes to Episcopal Relief and Development. ERD is the Episcopal Church's organization that responds to major events, natural disasters, and ongoing cycles of poverty where intervention and resources can make a difference. We recognize and support ERD's work in September because they were the church's immediate response to the 9/11 attacks, and it is often a month in which we're aware of both fires from dry areas and storm seasons throughout our world. You can learn more about their work HERE.

Episcopal Relief and Development News

John Andrews, a lay member of our diocese, is joining the Rev Christine Plantz as a Diocesan Ministry Partner for ERD. They are seeking a Congregational Ministry Partner from each parish to help keep aware of ERD's work. They also want to remind our communities that while ERD serves relief and development needs generally, it also has a specific focus on four areas: early childhood development, women and girls, climate resilience, and disaster response. If you are curious about serving as our St A's liaison with ERD's ongoing work, please connect with Fr Ben!

Thanks also for a very successful August collection, which raised a total of $1,641 for The Furniture Project! 

Children, Littles & Youth Sundays

This coming year, we’re going to specially celebrate our youngest members 

once a month by inviting them to explore leadership and service roles during 

worship. Young people are welcome to help us with readings, leading prayers or psalms, offering music, serving communion, and more. Our clergy team will have a special children’s sermon moment before preaching (more briefly) to the adults. Fr Ben and our Director of Ministries, Kate, will be coordinating volunteers for these services. The first set will be held on September 27, October 25, and November 29th. And our young people are always welcome to help in our worship ministries, so if these days sparks an interest, let’s talk!

Fall Adult Formation Opportunity Thursday's at Noon

This fall, adult formation will be available on Thursdays at noon! All are welcome to join us for one week, one month, or all of these opportunities!

September 24: Reading the Bible 

During these studies, we will consider how to read Scripture faithfully. Is the Bible history? How do we read the bible in its literary context? How do we approach ethical issues in the Bible such as patriarchy, slavery and abuse of power? Bible study meets Thursdays at noon. A Zoom link is also available on the parish Google Calendar. 

October Midweek Study: Rule of St Benedict

On Thursdays in October, we'll be studying the Rule of St Benedict, led by Fr Benedict (no relation). The lives of monastic Christians have long been a model for contemplation and community, and the commitments made by monks, nuns, oblates, novices, and others were among the earliest examples of holding to a "rule of life" grounded in faith. For those who would like to read along further, Fr Ben will be using Joan Chittister's commentary, "The Rule of Benedict: A Spirituality for the 21^st Century" to help guide this class. It is also a great chance to learn more about monastic practices as we prepare to welcome the Benedictine Way monastery community to lead our worship on Sunday, October 18th.

Outreach Notes from September

Our parish Outreach Committee met on Tuesday, September 15 to review events and plan upcoming programs. We heard major updates from the COPE strategic planning process: they're spending the fall setting goals and talking about structure, with some big topics on the table. Our COPE liaisons and Outreach team will keep our church updated as we hear more from them. We reviewed plans for the COPE breakfasts, Blood Drive, Chili Cookoff, Merry Market, and set the next two Outreach meetings (see separate announcements through the Fall!). The next meetings will be held on Sunday, October 11 at 9:45 and Sunday, November 1st, at 11:35.

Parish Outreach Meetings

Our Outreach Committee's next two meetings will be presentations the whole parish is welcome to attend to hear more. In October, the Committee will present about upcoming Outreach events through the Fall and Winter at coffee hour between the two services. This will be part of celebrating "Talent" Sunday during our Stewardship month. In November, the Outreach Committee will lead a parish meeting after the late service; everyone is welcome to attend as the Outreach team discusses plans for 2027, including setting our calendar of special offerings for the coming year. Please save the date for these if you'd like to learn more about how our parish helps with partners, giving, and special programs throughout the year!

COPE Breakfast

Saturday, September 26 from 9:00 AM-12:00 PM

The neighbors at COPE very much appreciated the last breakfast, so we're doing it again! We're going to need your help to make this a success. There will be a sign up online, and on the table by the bulletins. Many hands make light work. The assumption is usually that there is more than enough help. The fact is, it's usually just a handful of dedicated helpers. If we want to continue offering this very appreciated event to our friends at COPE, we need as many hands as we can to make it a success. Thanks for any help you can give!

What can I do to be of service to my neighbors in need?

• Bring 10 (or more) breakfast burritos to church the week before the event. We need sausage, egg & cheese and egg, and cheese. Homemade Burritos are preferred 
• Bring a crock pot of scrambled eggs to church Friday, the 25
• Bring a crockpot of sausage to church Friday, the 25
• Bring 24 juice boxes to church Friday, the 25
• Bring 24 chocolate milk boxes/bottles to church Friday, the 25
• Be at church Friday to ensure everything was dropped off and organize items that need to go to COPE in the morning
• Be at church Saturday, the 26 to heat up food, make coffee & ice the drinks in coolers
• Help transfer food to COPE Saturday
• Spend some time helping at the event
• Transfer crockpots, etc. back to church after the event

There is a sign up sheet on the Narthex table, just to the left of the bulletin basket. Water bottles arrived today, but there's still plenty of time to help, we just need your donations by Friday!

Sacred Ground

Tuesdays 6:30-8 PM, 9/29 to 12/15

Fr Ben and Barb Hall are convening a group to go through the Sacred Ground curriculum this fall. This 11-session workshop uses 2-3 hours of reading and video preparation for each session. This builds up a foundation for group conversations about the history of race in our country, our churches, and our communities. Our church setting invites us to bring a theology of God's vision of the whole human family to have a deeper awareness of where sin has divided us, and to discern what reconciliation and healing look like in our own lives and day and age. The curriculum has been updated, so previous registrants may find it valuable to participate again to review the material and experience the new offerings! The invitation is to sign up for the full 11 sessions, although it is fine to miss a week or two if necessary. For questions, please contact Fr Ben or Barb; contact info available through the parish office at 402-378-5690.

Pet Blessing and

Celebration of Creation

Wednesday, October 7 6:00 PM

We will offer a chance to have our pets blessed on Wednesday evening, October 7. Please load up your pets and feel free to join us in some holy chaos as we gather for a pizza dinner (and pet treats) and bless our animal friends. 

We are hoping to have an animal encounter of some kind this year, details will be coming soon!

This is a great event for the young and the young at heart. Please join us, and feel free to bring friends! RSVP’s to Kate are helpful just to get a sense of numbers, but we’ll plan for plenty of food and friends! 

Red Cross Blood Drive

in Honor of Amy Churchill

Saturday, October 17

Our quarterly blood drive for the fall will be on Saturday, October 17! Our blood drives began with our friend Amy, who was battling Metastatic Breast Cancer. Her goal was to give back the amount of blood she had used through the course of her treatments. We believe she had done all of that and more in the many blood drives she hosted.



Amy's Blood Drives have become a core ministry for us at St Augustine's, so we will continue them in her honor as long as we have friends show up to give blood. If you are able to help with this drive, or have friends who would like to give back to others by donating blood, please join us at St. Augustine Episcopal Church in Elkhorn (285 S 208th St, Elkhorn, NE 68022).



The need for blood is dire right now, please be sure to share the blood drive, even if you are unable to give. We would love to exceed our goal! If you have any questions, please contact Mary.

Appointments are scheduled in 15 minute increments(Whole Blood) and on the hour (Power Red). For eligibility requirements and to see the difference between the two donations, CLICK HERE. To schedule your donation time, CLICK HERE St. Augustine Episcopal Church should be at the top, click "see times".

August Vestry Notes

The Vestry (the parish board) met on Sunday, August 16th. They reviewed and approved financial reports and an annual audit report, which showed no major issues, and included a recommendation to create a written description of parish financial policies and procedures. The vestry noted that we have a number of areas in which that would be a helpful tool. The Vestry also heard about an invitation to be considered as a site for the Munroe-Meyer Guild Garden Walk in June 2027; serving as a site would involve visitors to our garden throughout a Sunday. The Vestry voted to approve participation pending conversations with our local Property Owners Association and with a requirement that we do not cancel worship that Sunday; if we are selected as a site, we expect a team will discuss garden needs, traffic management through the day, and what hospitality we'd like to offer alongside the walk. In addition, the Vestry reviewed our Summer staffing changes and conversations, and noted that with a new administrator this Fall, we have a prime moment of opportunity to review various staff needs and goals, which our Finance Committee will also be participating in. The next Vestry meeting will be held on Sunday, September 20 at noon; meetings are always open to anyone who would like to participate. If you have something you would like the vestry to review or discuss, please let Fr Ben know a week ahead so it can be added to the agenda!

Young Adult Retreat

October 10-12

Young Adult Retreat Our Neighbor, The Earth is an overnight retreat Oct. 10-12, starting that Saturday afternoon at 2pm and ending on Indigenous Peoples' Day that Monday at 5pm. The theme is "Our Neighbor, The Earth: How She teaches us to heal". This retreat is a continuation of the joint young adult retreats that The Benedictine Way has held with the Diocese of Iowa. The age range is wider than the "Here I Am" retreat. You must be at least 18, and the program is designed for a mixed group of young adults in their 20s and 30s. To register, CLICK HERE by September 22.

Stewardship Month

October 2026

In October, we have a special Stewardship Month at St Augustine of Canterbury, celebrating the Time, Talent, and Treasure we pledge to our church as the foundation of our worship, community, programs, services, and activities. Here are some special things about this year's Stewardship Month!



• Stewardship Letter: a letter will be mailed to parish households by the first week of October, including a note from our Jon Vest (our Finance Chair) and Fr Ben, along with a pledge card, FAQ for the pledge campaign, and some practical graph tools we've used for several years. If you don't receive one, it may mean we need to update your mailing address at the church office, and you can call or e-mail. 
• Treasure Meeting, October 4^th after each service. This coffee hour conversation lets our planning team share information about the coming year's financial needs and goals. It is intended to help people begin prayerful discernment about their financial pledge for the pledge card, and it is a chance to learn about our financial practices at church and ask any questions we have.
• Talent Sunday, October 11^th focuses on how we use our gifts at church. We'll hear about ministries in different ways this morning, including an Outreach presentation between our services and an acolyte training at 11:45. 
• Time Sunday, October 18^th will offer a chance to reflect on the time we commit to God and neighbor and our church community. This year, we'll be hosting The Benedictine Way's monastic community to lead Sunday worship and share about their contemplative programs, food pantry, and weekly prayer opportunities, both to invite people to join in their work and to help us reflect on the role of prayer here at St A's.
• Ingathering Sunday, October 25^th is the date we bring our pledge cards to worship to bless during worship, and celebrate our ingathering with a coffee hour celebration. We'll have extra pledge cards on hand throughout the month and on this Sunday, and everyone is encouraged to participate in our liturgy that day, even if they need to write "still thinking" or "turned in already."

Stay tuned for more as we move through our Stewardship Month in October, and feel free to ask our staff, finance team, or vestry members if you have any questions!

"Feast of All Chilis" Cookoff and Scenes from A Christmas Carol Sunday, November 15 from 5-7 PM

We'll once again celebrate our Feast of All Chilis this coming November! You can sign up to bring a chili and compete by e-mailing Kate.

Over the past few years, we've been entertained by a whodunnit floor show with enthusiastic players drawn from our parish's hidden thespian reserves ... this year, with our director on a brief medical leave, we're going to do pop-up readings of scenes from A Christmas Carol! Fr Ben will be selecting our scenes (so feel free to e-mail him if you have a favorite to include) and we'll invite people to stand up and choose parts scene by scene ... if you have a hidden talent for the stage but no time to rehearse, this is a great chance to share it! We'll create our own floor show as we sample chilis and vote for a winner. Bring-Your-Own-Props are welcome!