Saturday, December 31, 2022

Happy New Year.



Happy New Year to YOU.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website


Tuesday, December 27, 2022

Advent Activities with Kids

Waiting does not come naturally for children. And yet, the Advent season is all about waiting, hope, and anticipation for Jesus’ birth. Special services at your church help families celebrate the coming of Jesus. A wreath of candles placed near the altar commemorate the passing of the four weeks of Advent, and the appearance of purple pastor stoles and church banners reminds us of repentance. To further help children appreciate the meaning behind this season of anticipation, we’ve made a list of Advent ideas to prepare young hearts and minds for Christmas during the Advent season.

Read more, here.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website

Sunday, December 25, 2022

Wednesday, December 21, 2022

5 ADVENT ACTIVITIES for Catholic Children


In this video I share some advent activities for our beginners, I hope you enjoy!

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website

Sunday, December 18, 2022

Thursday, December 15, 2022

The Days of Advent Introduction - Brother Francis 17 clip


The Days of Advent - Celebrating the Coming of Our Lord. 

Join Brother Francis in this special episode that helps children observe the days of Advent in a way that will be meaningful and fun!

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website

Monday, December 12, 2022

Advent, Week 3


At a time when much of the world is frantically gift shopping, putting up Christmas lawn decorations and anticipating the arrival of Santa Claus, Christians around the world are observing the liturgical season of Advent. From the Latin word for “coming”, Advent is a time of preparation and anticipation for the coming of Christ both in the past in His incarnation as the baby Jesus, but also in the future with His promised second coming as Christ Triumphant. Furthermore, Advent is a time to focus on His present coming to us in the Word and Sacraments.

Read more, here.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website


Friday, December 9, 2022

‘In All Things’

Some 20,000 Lutheran youth and adults flocked to Houston in July for the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering.

Photography by Erik M. Lunsford | Fall 2022

On a sunny morning in Houston, around 20,000 LCMS youth and adults heard God’s Word, confessed their sins, received absolution and the Lord’s Supper, and sang together during a Divine Service at Minute Maid Park.

This service was the culmination of the five days of the 2022 LCMS Youth Gathering, held July 9–13 in Houston under the theme “In All Things,” based on Colossians 1:15–20. In a church body of around 1.8 million, Gathering attendees represented more than one out of every 100 LCMS Lutherans, as well as partner churches from 11 other countries.

The week was full of mass events, Bible studies, topical sessions and service projects. Youth groups donated blood, made recordings of books for Concordia Publishing House, and worked with LCMS Recognized Service Organizations like Lutheran Braille Workers and Orphan Grain Train. More than 4,500 participants were deployed to serve throughout the city, and many others built beds for the nonprofit Sleep in Heavenly Peace that were then delivered to children in the Houston area.

Read more, here.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website

Tuesday, December 6, 2022

November Life Together Digest with Pres. Harrison


In this Life Together Digest, the Rev. Dr. Matthew C. Harrison, president of The Lutheran Church—Missouri Synod (LCMS), visits with the Rev. Dr. Wilhelm Weber in front of the Old Latin School in Wittenberg, Germany.

Weber, the director of the Old Latin School, discusses the joys of being able to house 30 Ukrainian refugees in the building and to hold Divine Services in English and Ukrainian every Sunday, where there is “standing room only” due to the number of Ukrainian Lutherans that attend.

“We’ve got a full house,” says Weber, noting also conferences that have been hosted recently and a spike in post-pandemic tourists.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website

Saturday, December 3, 2022

Loving and Serving Local Families

Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carol Stream, Ill., serves families in the community through its monthly Breakfast with Baby event.

Photography and story by Erik M. Lunsford | Fall 2022

Before the dew had evaporated on a Saturday morning in May, mothers and their young children were already arriving at Our Savior Lutheran Church in Carol Stream, Ill., outside of Chicago.

Families gathered for the monthly Breakfast with Baby event, an outreach ministry that the church started in October 2019. Despite the pandemic, over 70 families continue to attend.

“We want the whole community to know that Christ has invited them into our home and His home. They are a part of our family and we’re here to take care of them as best we can and not only in Word and Sacrament, but also in physical needs,” said the Rev. Tom Sanders, vacancy pastor at Our Savior.

Inside the church’s gymnasium, tables and racks displayed available children’s clothing, while an area of strollers and toys under a large cross attracted children to one end of the room. Guests waited at the door to register near a sign that read: “God loves you! And so do we!”

Lauren Thomas, a wheelchair-bound mother of two with one more on the way, let daughter Viola ride on her lap with a bag of clothing while son Gideon walked behind, carrying another bag of items. Thomas, who has visited several times, said she’s thankful for the help from the church.

“Breakfast with Baby is a service we’re providing for people who are in need,” said Dawn Janke, one of the coordinators of the event. “We don’t question what that need is. We just know that if they’re coming, they are in need of something.”

Read more, here.

Bethany Lutheran Church
1011 Ulatis Drive
Vacaville, CA
(707) 451-6675
mychurch@gobethany.com
Website