About Our Church

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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

Trever Rook

Trever Rook

Founding Pastor

Trever@neighborscommunity.org

I grew up in Waverly, Nebraska, but have called Lincoln home for most of my life. I have held a variety of roles including stand-up comedian and television news producer before becoming a pastor. Before pastoring, I spent a great deal of time running from God until Christ finally caught up with me and knocked me on my defiant derriere. Like the apostle Paul, my past is not a clean record and I was called by Christ during a time of running.

Prior to founding Neighbors, I spent 3 years serving a church in Ord, Nebraska. Living in cattle country when you’re a vegetarian makes for interesting conversations.

Mister Rogers has been a very big influence in my life, and he inspires our mission at Neighbors. It’s my hope that we can all live in a world of kindness, where all can feel loved, included, appreciated, and even celebrated. I believe loving God and for our neighbor is what we are called to do. Our God is a loving God and our neighbor is everyone.

Alison Rook

Alison Rook

Connections Director

Alison@neighborscommunity.org

I have spent over 15 years in active ministry serving in a variety of pastoral, administrative, and outreach roles. I was raised the youngest of 5 in Logan, Iowa. Although an Iowa girl, I grew up in a Husker household. I still cheer for the Huskers, but these days you will most likely find me donning Kansas City Royals gear and counting down to MLB opening day.

God has given me a deep desire to help people discover how much they are loved by God and how God calls them to use their passions and gifts to serve and love others. I am passionate about creating a space where all feel welcome and loved. This is why I am excited to be a part of Neighbors Church where we are building a community of followers of Christ who love God, love self, and love neighbors. And, it’s also a fun place to be. We love to laugh!

Trever and I were married in 2014 and are excited to be in Lincoln starting Neighbors with our dog, Murray. In our free time, we love road trips and finding unique places to stop along the way.

Will Hutchinson

Will Hutchinson

Worship Leader

Will@neighborscommunity.org

My name is Will, I’m a father, husband, musician, songwriter, and heart attack survivor.  To have the opportunity to lead music and become an official part of the worship team at Neighbors is a dream come true.  I’m drawn to Neighbors’ community, inclusive environment, focus on loving God, yourself, and your Neighbor, and Trever’s authentically humorous and equally profound sermons.

In addition to sharing spiritual principles of faith and love with the community at Neighbors, my professional experience in performing, singing, and playing guitar has prepared me to lead music at Neighbors. Throughout life, my passion for music has been a gift. As I grow deeper in my faith, leading song at Neighbors feels like the perfect place to use this gift in a meaningful way.

When I’m not playing music I enjoy taking walks with my family, traveling to national and/or state parks, reading classic fiction, and of course; listening to music.

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