Churches

Special services for Advent will be held on Wednesdays, November 28, December 5 and 12 at 7:00 pm at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 301 North Main Street, Jenera.

The theme of the three is "God is Near: and will focus on preparing our hearts for the coming Savior.

Riley Creek United Methodist Church invites the community to its forty-first annual Christmas Carol Sing on Sunday, Dec. 2, at 7:30 p.m. 

Like an old-fashioned songfest around the piano, the program will feature congregational singing of many traditional carols, as well as readings from Scripture about Jesus’ birth, special performances by the Pandora United Methodist and Ottawa Sts. Peter and Paul choirs, and a candle lighting ceremony.

Since 1972 this special service in a little church built by pioneers has provided an uplifting way to get into the Christmas spirit.

Bluffton’s Community Assistance Program needs some emergency Christmas assistance, according to its two news co-directors, Jami Crawfis and Sarah Shank.

“We have a record number of families signed up to be ‘adopted’ for Christmas this year,” Crawfis and Shank told The Icon.

“We are getting a little bit nervous because we are down to only a month until the gifts and groceries are picked up and we still have over 15 to adopt out,” they said.

In fact, five new families signed up to be adopted last week.

The churches of Pandora and Gilboa are offering food boxes for households in the Pandora-Gilboa School District. The boxes are designed to provide nine meals for a family of four.

In order to pick up a box, persons must register by 5 p.m. on Monday, Nov. 19, by calling 419-384-3905. Boxes will be available for pickup on Saturday, Nov. 24, at 11 a.m. at the Pandora United Methodist Church, State Route 12.