About Our Church

About Our Neighborhood

Where We Began

In January 2017, a group of people came together with the desire to bring a meaningful and loving church to the Fallbrook area of northwest Lincoln, Nebraska. Today, we are a church that believes in a deep and simple approach to loving God, loving ourselves, and loving our neighbors.

About The Name

Early in discussions, the name “Neighbors” was proposed and it quickly stuck with the Launch team. The name implies a shared, foundational belief about the essence of this church. It is intended to teach us to love our neighbor as Christ loves us. However, the idea of “neighbors” surprisingly didn’t just come from the Bible. It came from a neighbor you’ll likely remember from your childhood. Fred McFeely Rogers, aka Mister Rogers of Mister Rogers Neighborhood, was much more than a children’s television host. He was an activist, a Presidential Medal of Freedom winner, a writer, and, most importantly, a minister. He spent decades of his life creating his “neighborhood,” a place in which all people could feel loved and accepted regardless of flaws, fears, or faults. That’s the kind of community we strive to build at Neighbors Church. “Love isn’t a state of perfect caring. It is an active noun like ‘struggle.’ To love someone is to strive to accept that person exactly the way he or she is, right here and now.” – Fred Rogers

Worship Times

Living The Mission In The Neighborhood

Our Beliefs & Values

We follow the early church’s sacred practice of sharing the love of God in small and intimate community; we believe the best way to sustain this tradition of worshipping together is by ensuring that every person from every background feels welcome and is loved, honored, and celebrated for exactly who they are. Neighbors is designed to engage seekers, doubters, skeptics, and marginalized—the unchurched and the de-churched—along with those who have experienced spiritual maturity. We describe ourselves as a deep and simple church—a community based on the teachings of Jesus: to accept how completely we are loved, and to love those around us – all our neighbors – with that same type of love.

Everyone is our neighbor

The world is full of wonderful people. People created by God and people deeply loved by God. Everyone in the world is loved by God and everyone in the world is our neighbor.

We cannot love others until we allow ourselves to be fully loved

When we do not love ourselves, it becomes difficult to define and express love for another. Faithfully believing in God’s love for us, leads us to feelings of being lovable. When we have faith that we are lovable as we are, we grow into a faith of loving others as they are. As Christ loves us and as Christ loves them.

Everyone is fully deserving of unconditional love

Our God is a God of love. To love God, is to love loving. God’s love cannot be a funnel, only reaching a few. It is more like rain, touching everyone regardless of who they are. To deny Gods love for all is like standing outside and trying to dictate where each and every raindrop can fall.

Our actions are an echo of our faith

Jesus served as an Advocate for the forgotten and marginalized. As Christ-followers we are called to do the same. As a community, we advocate for the needs of our neighbors and the vulnerable so we can respond: to be the hands and feet of Christ to feed the hungry, clothe the naked, invite the stranger, visit the imprisoned, share hope with the hopeless, seek justice for the marginalized, and bring light into the darkness.

We embrace the mysteries of faith

As a United Methodist Church, We approach our faith questions with openness and through the lens of Scripture in context, illuminated by tradition, awakened by experience, and explained by reason through the work of the Holy Spirit. We do not shut the doors to questions of faith. We believe grace is transforming, it changes us and brings new life. This movement of grace is what our church is filled with – grace that calls and pushes us to make a difference in our communities, to give voice to the voiceless, to meet the needs of the poor, and to extend hospitality to the marginalized – molded by love and living out love.

If we loved our neighbor as they are; if we saw every person as being special for who they are – not conditional, not “You’d be great if…” – but just loved them for who they are and we heard that every day…that would be a foundation for joy.

– Pastor Trever

Ministry Team

Jay Stewart

Pastor

Jay@neighborscommunity.org

Welcome to Neighbors United Methodist Church!

I’m really glad you stopped by. Whether you’re looking for a church home, exploring faith, or simply wanting to learn more about Neighbors, I hope you’ll discover a community where you are welcomed, valued, loved, and invited by God to live out the words of the Lord’s Prayer: “Thy Kingdom come, Thy will be done, on earth as it is in heaven.”

I am incredibly excited to serve as the pastor of Neighbors United Methodist Church. Beginning this new chapter with this church family is one of the greatest joys of my life. I love helping people discover God’s grace, grow in their relationship with Jesus, build meaningful friendships, and find ways to make a difference in our community. No matter where you are on your faith journey, there is a place for you here.

If we meet on a Sunday, there’s a good chance we’ll end up talking about music, movies, and especially sports! I’m a lifelong fan of the Nebraska Cornhuskers, the Kansas City Royals, and especially the Kansas City Chiefs. I love the excitement of game day, the lessons that come from teamwork, and the way sports bring people together. Win or lose, you’ll usually find me cheering on my teams and enjoying the conversations, memories, and connections that come with them.

I also love being outdoors. Whether I’m playing tennis or pickleball, shooting hoops, riding my bike, walking my dog, Colby, or simply enjoying God’s beautiful creation, being outside helps me recharge, reflect, and remember the many blessings God has given me.

My greatest joy, though, is my family. My wife, Molly, and I are blessed with four wonderful children—Stella, Theodore, Preslee, and Analeigh. They keep life exciting, keep us laughing, and remind us daily of God’s faithfulness. We are so thankful to call Neighbors United Methodist Church our church family and to serve alongside each of you.

I would love the opportunity to meet you, hear your story, and welcome you in person. Whether you come with questions, doubts, excitement, or simply a desire to belong, you’ll find open hearts, open doors, and a place to belong at Neighbors.

I hope to see you soon!

Orion Walsh

Worship Leader

Similar to Trever (our founding Pastor) I have also spent a great deal of time running from God, until He also knocked me on my definite derrière as well. Returning back to my faith I began to lead worship music at First Plymouth Church & also at the People’s City Mission where I have also spent many years serving as an on-call supervisor working with the homeless population in Lincoln. I have been playing music since I was 15 years old & have released nine solo albums, four albums with my previous band, and I have toured extensively in Europe & the USA in years past. I originally helped out with music at Neighbors in the very beginning of the church as I was drawn to the deep & simple approach. I have returned to Neighbors once again & it feels good to be home.