Advent Lutheran’s Welcome Team will be hosting our first annual Yard Sale. Sales tables are limited to members of Advent but the event is open to the public. There is no charge to host a table, and the tables/chairs will be provided by Advent, or you may bring your own table.

Setup will be on Saturday morning starting at 7:00 am. We will be using the parking lot for both tables and visitor parking. (In the event of inclement weather, the sale will be moved into Fellowship Hall.)

Refreshments will be available for sale, to benefit the Bear Creek Campership Fund.

VOLUNTEERS ARE NEEDED for parking, the Welcome table, the Refreshment stand, setup, and cleanup.

If you have already signed up on SUG, there is no need to sign up again. There is also a signup sheet in Fellowship Hall.

If you are interested in signing up to host a table, please click HERE. To sign up to volunteer (if you can only help for part of the day, that's great!), click HERE and include a note that you are volunteering (and when).

Requests for tables will close on Wednesday, September 24 so we can determine the layout and number of the tables.

Advent Lutheran will host Mennonite Heritage Center Executive Director for a special gathering.

We will have a chance to go deeper into the Anabaptist/Mennonite story on Sunday, September 21. The Heritage Center Executive Director, Joel Nofziger, will join us at Advent. He will be our guest preacher at 8:30 and 11:00am. He will also lead an Adult Forum session at 9:45 and provide more Mennonite history.

Our worship that Sunday will include prayers and hymns reflective of the Mennonite tradition. Joel Nofziger’s preaching text will be excerpts from the Sermon on the Mount – a key scriptural passage for Mennonites.

Just 7 years ago, Lutherans worldwide celebrated the 500th anniversary of Martin Luther posting his 95 Theses in Wittenberg, Germany in 1517 that became the catalyst for a movement in the Church that we now call the Reformation. Calls for reform within the church had existed, almost from the beginning, but the monk who became Professor who became reformer set many things in motion, including other voices calling for reform – other Reformers would follow.

On January, 21, 1525, a group of Christian Reformers including George Blaurock and Conrad Grebel gathered for a secret service in Zurich, Switzerland. They were protesting the state church and infant baptism which seemed to be more of a secular moment than spiritual decision. At the service, they baptized one another.

This was the beginning of the Anabaptist Movement from which Mennonite and Amish believers stem. ‘Ana’ means ‘again’ – these first Anabaptists were ‘baptized again.’ It was a rebellious action that led to consternation in the Church – Catholic, Lutheran and Reformed - and the persecution of many Anabaptists.

Of course, there is much more to these stories of reform and reformers. It took almost 500 years, but there have been acts of reconciliation between Lutherans and Mennonites. Internationally, the Lutherans publicly apologized to the Mennonites at the Lutheran World Assembly in Stuttgart in 2010. Locally, the Lutherans of the SE PA Synod publicly apologized to local Mennonites at their Synod Assembly in Franconia in 2011.

Congregationally, Advent Lutheran and Salford Mennonite have forged a relationship that has led to sharing work in a community garden, combining for outreach projects and joining for a Thanksgiving Eve service annually.

Bravo Frappuccino!  Eddie Fisher and his friends Jetta, Brandon and Alfredo were fantastic, treating the crowd to the music of American composer Stevie Wonder.  And while they were cookin' (and the crowd was groovin'), the Fellowship Team led by Leda and Jen were doing some cookin' of their own, preparing a great lunch to follow the concert. 

Memorial Pavilion's first ever Concert is in the books! (By the way, Eddie was at our first American Music Concert. He was 1 year old!)

Lenten Appeal for World Hunger: Grow the church, fight hunger, and save lives – all at the same time! As part of the ELCA 40 Days of Giving program, Advent is organizing an appeal during Lent to benefit ELCA World Hunger. Working through Lutheran congregations, ELCA World Hunger can reach communities in need and develop strategies to reduce the impact of hunger and poverty.

Beginning on Ash Wednesday, March 5, Advent members and friends can select items from the Hunger Tree in the narthex, or from the online link below, to donate to ELCA Good Gifts. These purchases allow the ELCA to connect those in need with resources to produce food and gain access to clean water, education, health care, and sources of income.

       Please consider sharing your blessings with those experiencing hunger. Honor a special someone in your life! Thank you for supporting our mission to help others!

~ Advent Social Ministry Team

Click HERE to Select a Gift to Donate to ELCA Good Gifts

During the season of Lent, Advent is inviting members and friends to donate non-perishable food items for the Bean Bag Food Program in Souderton. This community program serves students in local schools who have been identified as food insecure. On weekends, food at their homes may be limited or even non-existent.

The Bean Bag Food Program provides a backpack filled with breakfast, lunch, and snacks to help students through the weekend. The food provided helps to stop hunger and allows children to focus and learn better when they return to school on Monday.

100 Box Challenge: The Bean Bag Food Program is challenging the community to collect enough food donations to fill 100 boxes! Starting in Lent, we invite you to donate any of the food items listed below (shopping lists will be posted at the Church). Donations are due by April 6 and may be dropped off in the narthex or office vestibule. Thank you for generously sharing with neighborhood children!

Click HERE to learn more about the 100 Box Challenge!

100 Box Challenge Food Collection List:

• Belvita or Granola or Fruit & Nut Bars

• Mac-n-Cheese Microwave Cups

• Hormel Compleats Microwave Meals, 10oz

• 90-Second Ready Rice, 8 oz bag or cup

• Microwave Soup Bowls, 11 to 15 oz

• Microwave Popcorn

• Pudding Cups

• Fruit Cups, 4oz

• Canned Vegetables or Chunky Soups

• Canned Chili or Pasta

The 2025 summer camping session is complete. Registration for the 2026 season will open in January. Registration is open now for several Fall 2025 events. Contact Karen Evans for more information. 

Click HERE for more info and to register!

Advent Supports our Bear Creek Campers!

Monies in Advent’s Bear Creek Camp General and Camperships Funds come from generous donations and fundraising efforts and support our campers by:

1) Advent youth attending summer camp can receive $150 towards camp registration.

2) Advent youth who are FIRST-TIME campers receive an additional $150 towards camp registration.

3) Camperships for either a full week ($545) or Try Camp ($370) are available.

4) All Advent’s campers receive a care package while they are at camp.

Please give Carrie Ryan a copy of your registration and you will be reimbursed your subsidy amount.

If you are interested in sponsoring a full or partial campership for our Bear Creek Fund, please see Karen Evans or Pastor Mark. Thank you for your generosity!

The totals for 2024 are in:  The Salford Mennonite-Advent Lutheran Garden produced 14,493 lbs. of fresh, organic produce this year!

The gardening partnership between Salford Mennonite and Advent Lutheran provides much needed food, all season long, to groups facing food security.

THANK YOU to all the volunteers who helped make this amazing total possible.  Many individuals and families in our community benefited from your hard work and dedication.

The Capital Campaign to build the pavilion kicked off in February and thanks to the great response by the congregation, the Memorial Pavilion is now complete and ready for use. Thank you for your generosity in supporting this project.

On September 15, 2024 a dedication ceremony was held to give thanks and recognize the significant efforts to bring the vision of this pavilion to fruition.

On September 29, 2024 we had a picnic and celebration after the second service. Although the weather could have been nicer (but then that's one reason why we built the Pavilion!), nothing could dampen the festive spirit! 

The seed money for the pavilion was provided from the memorial gifts given in the memory of Leroy & Doris Oelschlager, Elaine Bergey, Linda Johnson, George Keck, Rachelle Shollenberger, and Jim Miller. We honor and are thankful for their many contributions to the ministry life of our congregation.

The pavilion is a multi-purpose facility, designed to accommodate a variety of activities, events, and gatherings, and will serve as a versatile and welcoming space for our Advent congregation and the broader community.