News & Events Highlights
Here you will find information on some of the exciting things going on at FCC. Visit this page often to review featured events, ongoing opportunities, and various updates from the congregation.
Gratitude: Guest Columnist Jamie Rudd
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
January 5 2021
“Adopting an Attitude of Gratitude” was the culture topic at Nebraska Medicine for the month of December. How timely. On December 23rd, as I sat briefly in a chair in a massive conference room converted to be a large scale vaccine clinic, to get my first COVID vaccine, I couldn’t help but feel gratitude and relief. For all, 2020 has been exhausting, frightening and over-whelming, but it’s awe-inspiring to reflect back on what was accomplished. The care, the compassion, the adaptability, the logistics and the SCIENCE! For the 0.3mL of liquid medical miracle that I received, thousands of hours of drive, ambition, study, ingenuity, resiliency & fortitude went into its creation. Thousands had a hand in getting that vaccine into my body.
It has been a pleasure to work at these employee vaccine clinics. Staffed by 30 volunteer colleagues per day, some who have been telling me for months that they wanted to help when it was time, the music plays and people are excited. “Joy was the only side effect”, Dr. Linder, Nebraska Medicine CEO, said on national t.v. last week. It’s true – we set up a selfie station so that joy could be captured and shared.
I personally did not have any side effects. I was expecting to feel a bit feverish and achy on Christmas Eve, but never did. Not even a sore arm. Whatever negative effects I may have had, would have been worth it. That much hope and relief feels like it should have cost my body more.
Now the work comes to get the vaccine out to everyone. The logistics hurt my head and hours of meetings trying to figure it out have me exhausted each night. But we are getting there, bit by bit. I do hope that when it’s your turn, you can feel what I felt – the gratitude for all that went into it, as well as the hope and relief.
Jamie Rudd is a member of First Central, a Registered Nurse at Nebraska Medicine, as well as Manager of Clarkson Family Medicine, Residency Program Administrator, and manager of the Universal Swab Center.
Scott’s Column: The Consolations of Poetry
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
December 31 2020
I encountered my slogan for the year 2020 in the Selected Poems and Prose of Paul Celan: This cracked year with its … More
Advent – Guest Columnist, Fred Nielsen
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
December 9 2020
This the first real Advent of my life. There were other Advent seasons, of course, all of them arriving precisely on schedule … More
Scott’s Column: Gratitude
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
November 18 2020
My sister ordered Sebastian an Advent calendar. He knows it has arrived but hasn’t seen it yet. The other day he asked … More
An Interview With… Barb & Bonnie
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
October 28 2020
Long time finance guru, Lou Lamberty recently stepped down from keeping the books at First Central. He left it all in the … More
Katie’s Musings – But/And
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
October 14 2020
I’ve been thinking a lot about language and the way we use it to talk about life and each other and about … More
Tug, My “AA” Buddy
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
October 7 2020
Thank you Kathy Hoyt sharing this story of her faithful Tug at this year’s Pet Blessing! Unlike the rest of us, Tug … More
Pandemic Spirituality
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
June 24 2020
This spring Senior Minister Scott Jones wrote a series of five essays connecting our pandemic and quarantine experiences with the spiritual wisdom … More
Katie’s Musings: COVID Time
Katie Miller
June 24 2020
I think the weirdest thing about COVID life is the passage of time. June is almost gone. But May was only … More
Living Well During the Pandemic: Zoom Forums
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
May 26 2020
We are living through a public health crisis with profound implications for all other aspects of human living—morality, psychology, culture, politics, economics, … More
From the Health Team
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
May 13 2020
Submitted by Bonnie Harmon, First Central Health Team In preparation for this week’s Adult Forum on Mental and Spiritual Well Being, … More
From The Refugee Team
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
May 5 2020
We received word last month that our (current) refugee family was struggling during this time of pandemic. The bread-winner of the Khamis … More
From The Health Team – Mask Mastery
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
April 24 2020
Your mask protects me, and my mask protects you. I hope you have heard this many times by now. It is the … More
An Interview With… Sally Lewis
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
March 18 2020
Late last year, the Council – with guidance from the Health Team – asked First Central member Sally Lewis to step into … More
State of the Church 2020
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
January 27 2020
At yesterday’s Annual Meeting, Senior Minister Scott Jones delivered his annual “State of the Church” address. This being my tenth Annual Meeting … More
TAGG – One Easy Way to Give to First Central!
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
November 20 2019
TAGG, which is an acronym for “Together A Greater Good” is a non-profit organization unique to Omaha. The phone app was launched … More
From the Health Team: Cold & Flu Season
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
November 19 2019
Here we are again, right at the onset of cold and flu season. We are all interested in things we can do … More
Education Spotlight: What’s Happening Downstairs?
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
November 6 2019
On Sunday mornings, the kids all head out of the sanctuary after the Children’s Sermon. But then what happens? Most Sundays, the … More
Parables: Wednesday Night Bible Study
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
September 11 2019
“The parables give us access to the way Jesus re-imagined the possibility of living, of being in the world.”–Brandon Scott Our Wednesday … More
First Central Library
Cassie Williams
June 21 2019
Ever wondered what books are available in the church library? The First Central Library catalog is now online. You can access it … More
Scott’s TED Talk
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
April 2 2019
In February Scott was an invited speaker to this year’s TEDxUNO where the theme was Resilience. His talk, “Living Open” has now … More
Scott’s Column: Mayflower Compact
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
November 11 2020
On November 11, 1620 the Mayflower floated in Provincetown Harbor (the landing at Plymouth was a month away). The crew was grumbling. The … More
Advent Devotionals
Kerrie Kleppin-Winn
October 22 2020
Advent approaches. Already. In honor of the season (and what will likely be a weird season at that) and our upcoming Advent … More
Scott’s Column: Sandhills Retreat
Rev. Dr. E. Scott Jones
September 28 2020
Shortly after I arrived at Kamp Kaleo last week, our denomination’s campground and retreat center in Burwell, Nebraska, David Butz, the director, … More