Church and religious events

Arcadia United Methodist Arcadia United Methodist will celebrate the third Sunday of Advent with music by their Praise Band, Echoes of Grace. Pastor Gerry Hubbs will continue with her series "Christmas Playlist: O Come, O Come, Emmanuel." The church is hosting a "Longest Night-Blue Christmas" service at 6 p.m. All are welcome. College First Church of God FINDLAY — Come join College First Church of God this Sunday! The sermon message for Sunday is "Prince of Peace," and the scripture reading is Isaiah 9:2-7. We will be using Handel's Messiah to journey through Advent and into Christmas Eve. Come and celebrate the reason for the season with us! The holiday season can be difficult for those who are going through some tough times or for those who have experienced the loss of a loved one. For this reason, College First is offering a special service of remembrance and hope on Sunday, December 21, 2025 at 6 PM. The service is open to everyone. Childcare for infants and toddlers available. Please plan on attending Christmas Eve on December 24 with us! 3 PM service is ideal for families with children and fun worship with the littles in mind. Come and celebrate Christmas Eve at College First Church of God! We will have three candlelight services at 5, 7, and 9 p.m. filled with wonderful music and an inspiring sermon with touches of Handel's Messiah themes. Any questions, please contact the church office at 419-422-7365. Please join us for a magical night! Night To Shine, part of the Tim Tebow Foundation, will be held on Friday, February 13, 2026. College First Church of God, along with St. Marks United Methodist, and Movement Church will host Night to Shine for the fourth year. The event will be held at Alumni Memorial Union at the University of Findlay. Night to Shine is an unforgettable prom night experience held all over the world, centered on God's love, for people with special needs. Please go to https://www.findlaynighttoshine.org to learn more, volunteer for the event, or donate. Concordia Lutheran FINDLAY — Concordia Lutheran Church, 1431 Sixth St., will hold its Christmas Eve service at 7 p.m. On Christmas Day, the service begins at 10:15 a.m. First Lutheran FINDLAY — All are welcome to worship at First Lutheran as we celebrate The Fourth Sunday of Advent. Pastor Tucker O'Leary will share the message from Matthew 1:18-25 at the 8:15 a.m. service, and there will be a special Sunday School Program, "The ABC's of Christmas," at the 10:45 service. The Senior Choir will sing "Behold, the Child of Bethlehem," by Martin and Nolan. Sunday School for youth and adults meets at 9:30 a.m. Access to the weekly bulletin and announcements are on the web page: www.1stlutheranchurch.org and if you are unable to attend the worship service a video of the service will be available on the web site on Monday afternoon and can be viewed by clicking on Online Services. The pantry requests for the Blessing Basket, the Lutheran Food Pantry at St. John's Findlay, this month are canned tuna and canned chicken, and laundry soap, shampoo, and dish detergent. These items can be placed in the cart by the elevator or dropped off at the Food Pantry Tuesdays 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Pastor Tucker leads a 15 minute midday prayer service at 11:30 am, Monday through Thursday in the Chapel, for members and people of our community to sit and refocus their day with personal prayer. Holy Communion will be offered on Tuesday and Thursday and a short Healing Service will be available on Monday and Wednesday. On Wednesday December 24, there will be two Christmas Eve services, a Family Service at 7 p.m. with music selections beginning at 6:30. The 10 p.m. Christmas Eve service will be a service of Lessons and Carols, with a viewing of the 14 icons of the Stations of the Manger in the Narthex. Both will offer Holy Communion. Come and welcome Christ the Savior. Good Hope Lutheran ARLINGTON — Good Hope Lutheran Church offers three services including today at 5 p.m., and Sunday at 7:30 and 10 a.m. In celebration of the fourth Sunday of Advent, the Angel Candle of Love will be lit at the beginning of each service. The Rev. Steven Ramsey's message will be "Joseph, husband of Mary." Bible study and Sunday school begin at 9 a.m. Classes for all ages as well as a nursery class are available. At the 10 a.m. Worship service, the bell choir will be performing under the direction of Dan Basinger. In observance of Christmas, the Good Hope Food Pantry will be held on Tuesday, Dec. 23. Christmas Eve services will be held at 7 and 10 p.m. on Wednesday evening and will begin with the lighting of the Christ Candle for Purity. There will be Holy communion. Services will end in candlelight with all singing "Silent Night." The youth of the church along with the choir, will be providing special music. All are welcome! Grace Brethren FINDLAY — The congregation of Grace Brethren Church, 209 Lexington Ave., will study the Gospel of Matthew Sunday. The topic will be "Love," and understanding the connection between Jesus birth and marriage. The church will launch Christmas Week with a potluck luncheon on Sunday following the service. All are welcome. Coffee and doughnuts are served prior to the service at 10:15 a.m. On Christmas Eve, a special presentation will be held at 3 p.m. featuring slides and music telling the true meaning of Christmas. The Christmas Eve service begins at 4 p.m. as the congregation celebrates the birth of Jesus with the singing of Christmas carols, recounting the Christmas story and lighting the Christmas candle. The church has launched a Kids Club that meets every Monday from 3:05-3:30 p.m. Call the Rev. Bill Seng at 419-889-9710 or email Findlay.grace.org to register or to ask questions. Anyone without a church home is invited to attend the Sunday service. Immanuel Lutheran The Sunday School children of Immanuel will lead a Christmas service, "God's Love at Christmas," Sunday morning at 10 a.m. A Christmas Eve Candlelight Service will be held at 7:00 PM Wednesday, and Christmas Day Festival Service will be 10 a.m. Thursday. Immanuel is at 2300 Northridge Rd. Redeemer Lutheran FINDLAY — The Rev. Bill Geiger's sermon last week was "What Kind of King," making reference to the baby Jesus. The Heavenly Host called him "King of Kings." The third candle of the Advent wreath was lit as a symbol of Joy, representing the light of Jesus coming into the world. For information about joining the church, contact Geiger at 567-208-2079. Call David Roth, communion deacon, at 419-306-5416, with questions about communion. St. Andrews UMC FINDLAY — This Sunday, we invite you to St. Andrew's Church as Pastor Amy Miller shares her message, The Theology of Proximity. Our worship service begins at 9 a.m. and includes scripture, music, prayer, a children's message, and a meaningful sermon. Communion is offered on the first Sunday of each month, and all are welcome to participate. This Sunday, the Jubilation Choir will be singing Emmanuel is Coming. We look forward to seeing you! Can't join us in person? Watch the service online at saumcfindlay.org or on Facebook. You can also listen live on WFIN Radio (1330 AM & 95.5 FM) or WFIN.com. On Sunday St. Andrew's will be hosting the Community Dinner. The menu for the meal is ham, cheesy hash brown casserole, vegetable, salad and dessert. St. Marks UM FINDLAY — St. Marks United Methodist Church, 800 S. Main St., offers a traditional service at 9 a.m. Sunday and a contemporary service at 10:45. This is the fourth Sunday of Advent. The Rev. Dan Metzger will give a sermon titled "Mary, Full of Grace." The scripture is Luke 2:26-33. Both services have a Children's Moment with many children followed by their Sunday school. Immediately following the first service, adult worshipers are welcome to attend the Bible study class. Services can be viewed on the church's website: stmarksfindlay.org and on Facebook. St. Marks will have two services on Christmas Eve. A family-friendly celebration will be held in the DOCK at 5 p.m. This one-hour service brings the story of Jesus' birth to life through the voices and creativity of the children in their Christmas pageant. The 7 p.m. service will feature classic carols, scripture and moments of reflection as the congregation celebrates the birth of Christ together. The service concludes with the candlelight ritual — each person holds a lit candle as the sanctuary glows with the hopes and peace of Christmas. St. Paul Lutheran The fourth Sunday of Advent will be observed at the 9:00 AM traditional service and the 11:15 a.m. contemporary service at St. Paul, 9340 TR 32. Minster Deb Noll will preach on the topic, "Emmanuel—God with Us". Sunday School for all ages begins at 10:15 a.m. Christmas Eve Service with Holy Communion will be held at 7p.m. on Wednesday. Trinity Episcopal FINDLAY — Christmas Eve services will begin at 7 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church with congregational and choral carols. The Christ Mass with procession to the crèche, candlelight hymn, choral music and sharing in Holy Communion will follow at 7:30 p.m. A quiet, said service of Holy Communion will be held on Christmas Day at 9:30 a.m. The feast of the Holy Innocents will be observed on Dec. 28. At the 10 a.m. service Jan. 4th — the second Sunday of Christmas — the children of the parish will present their Christmas pageant with the help from the adult choir. Services of Holy Communion will also be held at 8 a.m. on Jan. 1 for the Feast of the Circumcision of Christ and on Jan. 6 for Epiphany. All baptized Christians may receive Holy Communion, and all people are welcome to attend at the Findlay church, located at 128 W Hardin St. To learn more, consult the website at www.findlayepiscopal.org or call the church office at 419-422-3214. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, Arcadia ARCADIA — Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church will celebrate the fourth Sunday in Advent. The day serves as a reminder of the importance of community and the grace of living as a holy people in the world. Mike Beeson will present the message for the day. Kendra Holman will deliver the children's message on Matthew 1:18-25 and then the children will be dismissed for Sunday school. The adult choir will sing "Like a Child, I Wait." There will be coffee and fellowship following the service. The candlelight Christmas Eve service is at 9 p.m. The church is located at 18974 Ohio 12. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran, Jenera JENERA — All are welcome to attend Sunday services at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 301 N. Main St., at 8 and 10:30 a.m. with Bible classes for all ages beginning at 9:20. The early service is also livestreamed at tlcjenera.org . The children of the church and school will present their Christmas service, "The Carols of Christmas," at 10 a.m. Tuesday and again at 7 p.m. on Christmas Eve. The service will celebrate the birth of Jesus through scripture and song, including many familiar songs sung by the congregation and students. The first verse of "Silent Night" will be sung in German. Many of the teens of Trinity will serve as narrators and guide the congregation to see how the scriptural truth shared by the students is captured in song. The piano students of Trinity will provide pre-service music on both dates beginning 30 minutes prior to the start of the service. The church will celebrate the Nativity of Jesus with a special service at 9:30 a.m. on Christmas Day. The theme is "Christmas Is About Giving," based on Titus 2:11-14. The choir will sing "Away in a Manger." Hymns include "Once in Royal David's City," "Angels We Have Heard," "Go, Tell It on the Mountain," "Of the Father's Love Begotten," "From Heaven Above" and "Hark! The Herald Angels Sing." Everyone is welcome to attend all services. The church is handicapped accessible. The Christmas Eve services will be livestreamed on the website. Visit the website or call 419-326-4685 for more information. Upper Room Church of God FINDLAY — This Sunday at 10:30 a.m., you're invited to join us for our Sunday Morning Worship Service as we continue the Advent Season with a Message of Love. This week's message, "The Love of God: Promised, Present, and Coming Again," will be brought to you by our special guest speaker, Matthew Delaney. Matthew teaches Hebrew at Oral Roberts University. He has a podcast called Hebrew Bible Insights. He is excited to share God's word with us this Sunday. If you need a ride to our Sunday morning worship service, please call 419-422-8017. Ask for the bus to pick you up and leave a message with your name, phone number and address. In this Season of Advent, we believe God wants His LOVE to abound in your life. The Love of God has come and is here to fill your heart to overflowing. Upper Room Church of God is located at 520 W. Bigelow Ave., Findlay. Life groups for all ages meet regularly Sunday at 9:30 a.m., followed by Spirit-filled worship at 10:30 a.m. Our Vision Theme for this year is Thrive in 2025. Come and see how you can thrive during this Holiday season! Join us this Sunday and experience what God is doing! West Independence FOSTORIA — The fourth Sunday of Advent, celebrating Love, will begin with a children's program, "The Birth of Jesus," at the 9 a.m. worship service at West Independence Church. Special music, "Noel," will be sung by Macy Wallick. The choir will sing "Come, Let Us Worship Medley" and the Rev. Ben Wallick will deliver his message, "God with Us," based on scripture taken from Matthew 1:18-23. A noisy offering benefiting Chopin Hall and the mobile food pantry will be collected. A nursery is available during worship for infants through preschool. The service is also livestreamed on YouTube. Following worship, attendees are welcome to gather for coffee fellowship in the Family Life Center. Sunday school classes begin at 10:15 a.m. and offer a variety of topics for all ages from nursery through adult. At 5 p.m., the youth will have a special event in the Loft. On Christmas Eve, a candlelight service begins at 7 p.m. All are welcome. West Independence Church is a Global Methodist Church located east of Findlay at 22876 U.S. 224. Zion UM FOSTORIA — The Rev. Gay Blau will speak on "A Quieter Speaking Statement" based on Matthew 1:18-25 on Sunday at Zion United Methodist Church, 9009 W. Ohio 12. Lighting of the fourth candle of Advent along with a hymn sing will also be celebrated at the 10:45 a.m. Sunday worship service. The congregation will worship on the traditional Luke 2:1-20 on Christmas Eve. The service will also include lighting the Christ candle of Advent and singing "Silent Night " by candlelight at 9 p.m.