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

It may be cold outside but registration for summer camp is open as of January 2! Youth summer camp at Bear Creek is an AMAZING God-centered, fun-filled, outdoor time for personal growth and play on a 3,000-acre property just 80 minutes away in the Pocono Mountains. Sessions are weeklong, Sunday afternoon through Friday and is for children who have completed grades 1-12. Half-week sessions (Try Camp) are available for first-time campers who have completed grades 1-2. Advent supports all our campers through subsidies and full camp scholarships. Contact Karen Evans for more information. Register before March 31 and get a free T-shirt!

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. 

As part  of celebrating the 11th anniversary of the annual ECLA Day of Service (also known as "God's Work, Our Hands Day") on September 8, 2024 following our last worship service under the Summer schedule, Advent hosted three separate service projects in Fellowship Hall:

• 100 School Kits for Lutheran World Relief – packing the school supplies donated by members in August into drawstring backpacks.
• 1,000+ Bag Challenge for E-Meal Ministry – assembling the base bags needed for meals distributed at Emmanuel Lutheran in Souderton.
• 60 Peanut Butter & Jelly Sandwiches for the Bread Drop/E-Meal Ministry – making PB&J sandwiches for those in our community facing food insecurity.

More than 50 volunteers (ranging from toddlers to senior citizens) worked together to complete all three projects in just about an hour!