Our Story

“Remember the days of old; consider the generations long past. Ask your father and he will tell you, your elders, and they will explain to you.”

-Deuteronomy 32:7

Our Past…

The Southwest Omaha Church of Christ met for the first time on February 11, 1962. Nine families were present that day at the First Federal Savings and Loan Building in Countryside Village. In early April, a house was rented in the Westgate area on "C" Street. Worship services were conducted in the basement and classes were held in the upstairs area. On April 3,1962, the congregation agreed to purchase 2.26 acres of land at 115th and Center, and planning for a new church building started.

By April 1964, average attendance at the new building had reached 90. In June of 1964, Albert Gardner moved to Omaha as the church's first full-time preacher. Over the years, God sent other preachers to be a part of the Southwest family including Don Kinney, Bob Taylor, Dean Bryce, Jim Tenery, Curt Sparks, Tim Herbel, and Jim White.

In May 1971, nine years after the Southwest church started meeting, the first elders were appointed.

In 1982, Tim Pate was hired as the first Outreach Director.

In March of 1983, ground was broken for a additional buildings to house classrooms and a large fellowship hall. Those facilities were ready for use by September 1, 1983. At that time the average attendance had reached 250.

Nebraska Christian Services, (NCS) a counseling and referral agency for crisis pregnancies, was begun in May 1983 as a fully-supported work of the Southwest church. In addition to duties as Outreach Director, Tim Pate served as the first Director of NCS. The agency was incorporated in December 1985. In November of 1986, Alan Watson was hired as Outreach Director and Director of NCS. Then, in July 1987, NCS was licensed by the state of Nebraska as a private adoption agency. Burrel Beck took over as interim director in 1992. Several families at Southwest answered the call to foster or adopt children because of the influence of NCS. NCS is no longer in existence, but Southwest Church of Christ continues to have a heart for the care of children, whether it be foster care or adoption, or in our children’s programs.

In the fall of 1985, Greg Clark was hired as Southwest's first Youth Minister on a part-time basis while completing his college work at U.N.O. Other Youth Ministers that served at Southwest include Michael Blakely, Chris Jaekel, Franklin Wood, and Caleb Smith. Southwest has also hired almost a dozen youth ministry interns over the years to inspire a passion for our youth and their families. These interns have come from several Christian Universities, including Abilene Christian, Oklahoma Christian and York University.

In the latter part of 1997, attendance had far outgrown Southwest's facilities. After many months of meetings and decisions, the congregation was prepared to break ground on a new auditorium and fellowship hall at that location. This would mean moving all worship services and church activities to the cramped fellowship hall area or to a temporary location while the work was being completed. Suddenly, God brought a miracle to Southwest. The congregation at Love and Grace Family Church contacted Southwest about the purchase of their facilities at 124th and Center. On February 27th, 1998, Southwest Church of Christ moved into the facilities at 2600 South 124th Street and the congregation of Love & Grace Family Church moved into Southwest's old facilities on 115th and Center.

Chris Pierson served as Involvement Minister in the early 2000’s until he moved to be closer to family.

Since that time, the Southwest family has continued to be shaped by God. We’ve experienced profound sorrow and loss, we’ve said goodbye to some beloved spiritual mentors, and like many churches we were saddened to be separated because of a pandemic. But we have also experienced great joy as we have welcomed new children and members, gone on mission trips to serve others, and found our place in the Omaha community.

Our Present…

Shayna Franson joined our ministry staff as Southwest’s first Children’s Minister in 2020. Bryan Fojtasek came on board as our Pulpit Minister in February of 2024. Franklin Wood (who had previously served as Youth Minister) returned to our staff as Body Life Minister in April 2024. Jamey Grimsley joined the team as Youth Minister in September 2024.

Southwest has been blessed with many people who continue to serve as Deacons and Elders, teachers and assistants, Ministry Leaders, Small Group Leaders, and much more.

Our Future…

God is still writing Southwest’s story. We give God all the glory, because He has been writing our story from the beginning. We are joyfully anticipating what the Lord has in store for us, and can’t wait to be a part of the next chapter!