FAQs

As this is the Lord's Table, all who wish to follow Jesus are welcome to receive the Sacrament of Holy Communion, regardless of denomination. Children who have not yet received instruction are welcome to come forward to receive a blessing. We offer red wine and white grape juice for the receiving of the wine at the table.

Yes!

Yes, the ample church parking lot is right next to the building.

All areas of the facilities are handicap accessible, except the second floor Youth Room. Our single level building is very accessible. There are designated handicap parking spaces. The main, flat walkway leads to the main entrance. In the sanctuary there are reserved spaces for wheelchairs, as well as reserved companion seats in the back of the sanctuary with chairs instead of pews. We also have an ADA-compliant bathroom and large print on the screen in the front of the sanctuary.

If you wish to discuss specific needs, please contact the Church Office.

Guests are always welcome at Advent. Guests are invited to sign our guest register in the church lobby. Please feel free to introduce yourself to Pastor Chris. Information bags for our guests are on the table by our guest book. We invite you to take a bag home. Please feel free to call the church office with any questions at 610-436-0807.

Yes! It is wonderful when children worship with their parents or guardians. Children are invited forward for a message each Sunday, before the sermon, and they receive a "children's bulletin" with activities related to the day's Bible reading(s). Activity bags are also available for younger children. Advent strives to be a child friendly congregation. So, rather than provide a nursery, we provide a "prayground" near the rear of our sanctuary.

Some Christians get dressed up for worship, desiring to "put on their best for God", while others dress very casually, believing "God accepts us just as we are." Others vary how they dress, depending on what they have planned for the remainder of the day. Come as you wish, knowing God will simply be glad that you decided to come, regardless of what you are wearing.

While Advent is a "Lutheran" church, we are Christians first who see ourselves as part of the "one holy catholic (Christian-the dictionary definition for "catholic" is universal) church." We are a congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. Their website, www.elca.org includes more information about "What we believe". All of us who come to worship are on a faith journey, trying to better understand and relate to the living God made known to us in Jesus Christ.

Our pastor would be honored to baptize your child. Baptisms are scheduled in consultation with our pastor and generally occur during a Sunday morning worship service. In Baptism, we believe a child becomes a member of the body of Christ, the church. Parents need to understand that the service for the Sacrament of Baptism includes parents making a commitment to raise their children in the Christian faith. Being an active part of a faith community is the best way to do that! Adults who have never been baptized are also welcome to be baptized.

After you worship with us, if you feel that Advent is the place you would like to continue your faith journey, simply speak with our pastor. He will meet with you to tell you more about our mission and answer any questions you may have. Then if you wish to join, you will receive a sponsor who will stand with you during a part of the worship service as we confess our faith using the Apostles' Creed and we welcome you into our midst. Classes are not required to join. Our pastor can make various reading materials available as needed. Know that whether you are a member or not, you are welcome to participate in anything at Advent that is of interest. Membership is only required to serve on council, or fully participate in the annual meetings of the congregation.

Our large parking lot, located off of Green Lane, offers plenty of parking, including handicap spaces if needed.

As you walk up the main sidewalk, you will see a sign pointing to the sanctuary and office, to your left by the bell tower. The social hall is to your right. You can expect to be greeted at the door and bulletins are in the sanctuary as you enter, to help you follow the service. Most of the service is printed in the bulletin or included in the hymnals located in the pew in front of you. However, all you need to easily follow the entire service is projected on the screen in the front of the sanctuary.

You can expect to see people of all ages and many parents with children. Children are very welcome in worship. Sometimes, parents of young children enjoy using the “prayground”, located in the rear of the sanctuary to your left.

Restrooms are located outside the social hall, accessible via the doors to your right as you walk up to the sanctuary, or through the Christian Education wing, where signs point the way.

We invite you to stop by the Welcome Center, which is located in the Church Narthex (Lobby) after worship. Special gifts await those who visit the Welcome table, where a member will greet you and help you find additional information about the ministries at Advent. You may leave us contact information if you wish (including email). We offer a weekly Eblast (Newsletter) that alerts members and the community at large about events that take place at Advent.

Our first Worship service is 9AM* and includes a bulletin and a screen to follow for all to participate easily. The service includes organ and piano music, special music, a children’s message and communion to include all baptized Christians. At 9:15 the children can leave to go to Sunday School while their parents stay for the remainder of the service.

*During the summer months this service moves to 8:00am

9:15am – Sunday School

Classes are offered in Sunday School for children from birth through grade 6. (Confirmation classes are offered during the week for 7th and 8th graders.) Sometimes older youth help with Sunday School.

Our weekly EBlast newsletter and website include information on the classes being offered each week. Classes are held the Sunday after Labor Day through mid-June.

10:30am – Our second Worship Service

This service includes the same elements as the 9am service with live and recorded music led by Advent’s Praise Team. There is also a Children’s Message and Communion at this service. Bulletins and the presentation screen make participating in worship easy.

Communion is a part of almost all worship services. As this is the Lord’s Table, all are welcome but need not feel compelled to participate. We believe that Christ is present in the sacrament of Holy Communion and that by communing, we, in a special way, receive Jesus. The bread remains bread. The wine remains wine. But in Communion, Jesus becomes present in the bread and wine, making it the Body and Blood of Jesus. Communion is distributed by the Pastor or self-serve on the table, which means that those at worship are invited to come forward, receive the communion wafer or take from the self-serve table with grape juice or wine. Gluten-free wafers are available as well.

Children who have not yet received instruction may also receive at the discretion of their parents, who are encouraged to share part of the host.

Worship simply is offering – in worship we offer God thanks and praise. Part of our offering of thanks and praise is a financial “offering” in response to and recognition that all of life and all we have is a gift of God. These gifts support the mission and ministries of the congregation. There are sometimes special offerings for special projects or programs.

An offering box is located in the Church Narthex (lobby) as you enter/exit, or you can donate on-line through our Eblast newsletter, or on our secure website here.

Following worship, you are invited to enjoy social time and refreshments. Refreshments are offered in the Narthex as you exit the sanctuary, and/or in the Social Hall, where seating is also available.

Additional opportunities for fellowship, learning, and serving happen all the time. There are interest groups such as Sports, Bible studies, Prayer Meetings, Men’s breakfast, Quilters, Ladies’ Mahjongg, Book Club, and various youth outings, etc.