Advent Evangelical Lutheran Church has stood on Kenny Road in Upper Arlington, a suburb on the northwest side of Columbus, Ohio, since a group of Christians who had been gathering in a school building organized themselves into a congregation on May 1, 1966. Five decades later the church remains a family-friendly community of roughly 300 members, marked by Spirit-filled worship, a deep love of music, and hands that stay busy serving neighbors near and far.

Worship on Sunday Mornings

Two services are held every Sunday at 8:30 and 11:00 a.m., with the later service livestreamed on the congregation's YouTube channel. Between the two services, an education hour fills the 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. slot with an adult Bible study and Sunday School classes for preschoolers through high schoolers during the school year. A typical service moves through prayer, scripture readings, music, a sermon around fifteen minutes long, and Holy Communion. Greeters meet visitors at the door, and the congregation's only rule about dress is that worshipers should come in whatever feels comfortable.

Communion is offered at every service, and the nursery is fully staffed for infants through preschoolers; parents carry beepers so they can be reached if their child needs them.

What Lutherans at Advent Believe

Advent is a member congregation of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, the largest Lutheran body in North America, formed in 1988. The church's stated tagline - Worship God, Follow Jesus, Serve Others, Make Disciples - points to the heartbeat of its life together. Lutherans at Advent summarize the Christian faith around the confession that Jesus Christ is God's own Son, fully human and fully divine, crucified on Good Friday and raised on Easter morning, and that salvation is received by grace through faith. As the congregation puts it, GRACE stands for "God's Riches At Christ's Expense."

Three Lutheran convictions shape the teaching: salvation by grace alone, salvation through faith alone, and the Bible as the norm for faith and life. The congregation also acknowledges the ELCA's full-communion partnerships with the Episcopal Church, the Moravian Church, the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.), the Reformed Church in America, the United Church of Christ, and the United Methodist Church.

Two sacraments are celebrated: Holy Baptism (for infants, children, and adults) and Holy Communion. The congregation's website includes a downloadable baptismal parent handout for families preparing for an infant baptism.

A Building Full of Music

Music is woven into nearly everything Advent does. The Adult Choir, directed by Matthew Pittman, alternates anthems between the two Sunday services and rehearses on Thursday evenings with child care provided. The Handbell Choir, open to high schoolers and up, rehearses at 6:40 p.m. in the sanctuary and offers music throughout the church year. Children have a place too: the Angel Choir welcomes ages two-and-a-half through kindergarten (with first and second graders welcome helpers), and the Youth Choir draws singers from first grade through middle school. Both children's choirs sing in worship and at the 4:30 Christmas Eve service.

On Sundays, Courtney Pittman runs the livestream and slides for the 11:00 service and also plays guitar with the Advent Praise Band.

Growing in Faith Together

Sunday morning at 9:45 a.m. is the church's main education hour. The adult class, led by the pastor, walks through books of the Bible and discusses current topics while supporting one another in conversation. During the school year, Marcy Layne directs Sunday School for preschoolers through high schoolers across the hall from the pastor's office, following the liturgical year so the lessons connect with that Sunday's worship.

Other ongoing studies gather in smaller circles:

• S.A.L.T. - Sharing and Living/Learning Together - brings men together on the first and third Monday afternoons for fellowship and growth in Christ.
• Women's Bible Study meets on the first and third Wednesday at 1:00 p.m. in the sanctuary.
• Zoom Bible Study gathers on Thursday evenings online for an hour-long conversation around the upcoming Sunday's Gospel or Epistle lesson.

Confirmation is a three-year journey for sixth through eighth graders, rotating through the Bible, Luther's Small Catechism, and lifelong discipleship, with Sunday afternoon sessions that include lunch, music, service projects, and an optional summer trip to HopeWood Pines. The current year's focus is on the Small Catechism.

Youth and Family Life

Marcy Layne serves as both Director of Youth and Family Ministries and Director of Music Ministries. She plans the y² program for younger youth (a once-a-month Wednesday evening gathering of games, learning, and service that also pairs kids with adult Prayer Buddies) and the Senior High Youth Group, which meets on selected Sunday afternoons for service projects, devotional time, and social events. Activities throughout the year include Swoop-In Service Days, ELCA National Youth Gatherings, winter ski retreats, meals prepared for Jacob's Porch Campus Ministry, and mission trips around the country.

Seasonal family events include the Live Nativity (a community tradition since 1970 featuring costumes, live animals, free food, and the barbershop group The Singing Buckeyes), Vacation Bible School, an Easter Egg Hunt, and Christmas with the Staff, an evening of crafts, music, snacks, and a movie for potty-trained through elementary-aged children.

Isabel's Quilting Ministry

A long-standing outreach at Advent is Isabel's Quilting Group, whose members sew and assemble quilts in faith, fun, and fellowship to ship through Lutheran World Relief. LWR distributed its first quilts in 1945 to families in war-torn Europe and now sends roughly 300,000 quilts a year to people in crisis around the world. Advent members have made and donated 214 quilts, sent in recent years to Georgia, Iraq, Ethiopia, Armenia, and Lebanon. The quilts are blessed each year on the second Sunday in October as part of a regular worship service.

Thanksgiving Ingathering and Other Service

Each November, Advent collects bags of specific food items (mashed potatoes, stuffing, gravy, vegetables, cranberry sauce, pumpkin, cake mix, and canned fruit) for Lutheran Social Services of Central Ohio, which distributes Thanksgiving meals to neighbors experiencing food insecurity in the region. Monetary donations are also accepted to purchase additional bags.

Through the Time and Change ministry, the congregation sponsors a child through Compassion International - currently Wendkouni in Burkina Faso - raising $464 a year to support her schooling, medical care, nutrition, mentoring, and the opportunity to hear the gospel. The senior high youth writes letters to her throughout the year. Advent also partners with the Loaves & Fishes ministry and the LSS Food Pantry, and members support God's Work Our Hands service days and Thrivent Financial programs.

A Prayer Labyrinth on Site

One of Advent's more distinctive features is its prayer labyrinth, built by the congregation's youth. Unlike a maze, the labyrinth has a single winding path that leads to a center and back out again, serving as a spiritual tool for prayer, meditation, and listening to God. Walkers are invited to let go on the way in, rest and receive at the center, and integrate on the way out. Benches are provided, and visitors are welcome to plan at least twenty to thirty minutes for the walk.

Weddings, Baptisms, and Funerals

The church hosts weddings and works closely with couples to plan a service rooted in worship. Each couple completes an online inventory and meets with the pastor for at least two premarital sessions, and couples are asked to worship with the congregation on Sunday mornings beforehand. Wedding guidelines and a fee schedule are available in downloadable form from the church's website.

Baptisms are scheduled with the pastor and can take place during either Sunday service. Parents and sponsors (godparents) promise to teach the child the Apostles' Creed, the Lord's Prayer, and the Ten Commandments, and to raise the child in the Christian faith. A baptismal parent handout is available online.

Funerals are considered public times of worship and are held in the church whenever possible, with the baptismal font, communion rail, altar, and cross shaping the liturgy. The church offers a worksheet for members to record their funeral preferences and intended memorial gifts in advance.

Leadership and Governance

The Rev. Joel Richter serves as pastor, with Beth Pittman as Church Life Coordinator and Marcy Layne overseeing both youth and family ministries and music. Courtney Pittman serves as Digital Content Manager, handling the livestream, announcements, slides, and social media. Courtney Crum is the nursery attendant, caring for infants through preschoolers.

The congregation is led by a nine-member Church Council, elected on a rotating two-year basis, that meets on the third Monday of each month at 6:00 p.m. and acts as the church's board of directors. Council members serve as liaisons to standing committees including Administration, Parish Life, and Worship & Witness.

Getting Connected

Visitors are welcome at any worship service, Sunday School class, ministry, or event. Office hours vary, so anyone wishing to visit in person is encouraged to email the pastor or the church office or call 614-451-3639 first. Giving is available online, with separate funds for general offerings, emergency assistance, and memorials. Prayer requests can be sent confidentially to the Prayer Chain at prayers@adventelc.org.

From its founding in a school building to its half-century of ministry on Kenny Road, Advent Evangelical Lutheran Church continues to gather as a family of faith rooted in grace and animated by music, learning, and service.