Make Meaningful Connections during Advent and Christmas
As the holiday season approaches, church leaders face heightened stress while preparing meaningful celebrations and making meaningful connections. Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff…
Browsing: Advent
Articles
5 Ways to Reach New People by Singing More Christmas Music during Advent
How can congregations reach new people by singing Christmas carols during Advent? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center Staff shares five ways to sing more…
7 Suggestions for Reaching More People this Christmas
Is your church ready to roll out the holiday welcome mat? Ann Michel offers seven suggestions for helping people meet Christ anew this Christmas. Equip…
10 Tips for Hosting A Live Nativity
A live Nativity can be an engaging, heart-warming event not only for church members but for the entire community as well. One Houston-area church has…
6 Ways to Deepen Your Congregation’s Connection to the Community this Christmas
How can your congregation deepen its connection to the community this holiday season? Jessica Anschutz of the Lewis Center staff offers six ways to engage…
Sharing the True Spirit of Christmas in the Places Where Life Happens
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff suggests that in an age of rampant religious disaffiliation our evangelistic task in the Advent and Christmas seasons…
7 Questions to Determine if Your Advent Traditions are Still Meaningful
Meghan Hatcher says planning for Advent is the perfect time to assess whether a ministry tradition is still serving its intended purpose. She suggests seven…
Episode 67: “Virtual Advent” featuring Anna Petrin
How can Advent be special in a year when so much is different? Professor of Worship Anna Petrin shares ideas for bringing Advent from the sanctuary to the home and allowing its themes of longing and hope to speak to our current reality.
Will Your Christmas Visitors Feel Celebrated or Shamed?
Ann Michel of the Lewis Center staff says Christmas visitors can leave feeling shamed or belittled if church insiders project a holier-than-thou attitude. The preparation…
Why Tradition Matters at Christmas
Stephanie Remington of the Lewis Center staff reminds us that Christmas traditions can move the spirit and renew the hope of people in our culture,…
Regifting Joy, Hope, Peace, and Love
Lewis Center Director Doug Powe reimagines the common practice of regifting an unwanted gift. He invites us to think of regifting positively — as a…
Christmas Carols in Advent? Yes!
This year, worshipers at the Washington, DC, church where I serve will be hearing Christmas carols on November 29, the first Sunday of Advent. In…
The Color of Your Advent Candles Doesn’t Matter
I have no patience for debates over the color of Advent candles and whether or not to sing Christmas songs in Advent. God became incarnate,…
Reaching More People during Advent
Advent is a prime season with rich potential for engaging church members and new people. There is arguably no time in the year when people…
Encouraging Personal Devotion during Advent
December is a time when people are looking for experiences to share with friends and families. Church leaders can plan in advance to offer events…
Christmas Giving for Christ
Soon the seasons of Advent and Christmas will be with us, and we will be inundated with commercials and product advertisements on television, radio, and…
Travelers’ Christmas Eve Service
The Travelers’ Christmas Eve Service is quite the tradition at Park Avenue United Methodist Church in New York City. It is part of our Space…
