St. Paul in Merced is building stronger bridges between church and school by empowering students to lead worship. On Oct. 19, students from preschool through sixth grade took over the planning and execution of Sunday morning service. This was the second such event in the past year. Since Principal Ruth Sebastian took leadership in Fall 2024, she has worked intentionally to integrate all three ministries: church, school, and preschool. Beyond the Kids Takeover services, studen

Giving Bibles to Lutheran school students is nothing new, and some of you may do this as well, but here is one "best practice' for this process. St. John's Lutheran School and Preschool in Napa, California have a tradition of presenting Bibles to their new preschoolers and their second grade students at the start of the year. The congregation is asked to sponsor a preschool student by donating the money to purchase a Children's Bible, in which the sponsor can write a short me

Grace Lutheran School in Visalia, California has been providing quality Lutheran education along with proclaiming the Gospel of Christ with students and their families since 1977. The school is small with a current enrollment of 60 in elementary school and 57 in preschool. The elementary school has a single Kindergarten and combined grades through 8th grade (1-2, 3-4, 5-6, 7-8) and are taught by an experienced faculty of five teachers. Two of the teachers, Joanne Cook and

St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Tracy, California, continues to find joyful and creative ways to connect with, serve, and bless the community. One of those events is the “Everything Free Sale,” an outreach event where every item is truly free. This fall marked the church’s fifth Free Sale, and the excitement and generosity surrounding it were as strong as ever. Donations and setup took place on Thursday and Friday, with the big event happening on Saturday, October 11. Members o

About a year and a half ago, Pizza with the Pastor was launched as a simple, welcoming gathering for connection and community by Pastor Gary Gerloff at St. Mark, Santa Rosa. The group currently meets in a church conference room on the first Friday of each month. The invitation is straightforward: “If you like pizza and want to hang out with the pastor, come to church this Friday at 6 p.m.” Typically, around 20 people attend, sharing pizza, salads, and desserts. Beyond being a

Like many congregations in the CNH District, St. John’s in Napa recognized September 28 as Disability Awareness Sunday. As part of the...

This year, Holy Cross, Los Gatos, put a fresh spin on a church tradition. For decades, the congregation has gathered for its Anniversary...

In this episode we sit down with two representatives from LCEF who partner in a big with the CNH district through resources for ministry...

In July, Our Savior Lutheran Ministries in Livermore partnered with the Livermore Homeless Refuge to host a successful “needs drive.” The...

Meet A Pao Xiong - candidate for the pastoral ministry from Peace Lutheran in Fresno, CA. Apao was at the CNH office to talk through his...

The 4th annual Pastors Party hosted by Matt & Sherrah Behrens in San Lorenzo was a huge win for fellowship and encouragement as area...

For two Sundays in July, the church courtyard buzzed with worshipers at St. John’s, Bakersfield stepping up to purchase children’s Bibles...

Brenda Plath is the new principal at St. Peter Lutheran School in Lodi, California. This is the story of her journey into ministry in...

Join us at The Mission Table as Paul welcomes Rev. Berhanu and Marion Smith from Mercy Holistic Ministry in Sacramento. Discover how...

Two words that define not just our heritage, but our identity and purpose as the CNH District: Concordia  and Synod . What do these two...

By Pastor Daniel Vang (Mt. Olive, Folsom) It started first with a couple of us pastors meeting at a coffee shop in Sacramento late 2023...

St. John’s Lutheran Church, Bakersfield, California, returned for the third year in a row to the island of Kauai for a mission trip...

Kana gasa bai Uma S hankar (Uma) was installed on August 10 as pastor at Messiah, Ewa Beach, on Oahu.  President Lange was the celebrant...

The preschool serving 2–5-year-olds has been in operation for over 40 years, and we have also maintained a Summer Extended Care Program...

In this episode, we’re sitting down with Pastor Marsh Shamburger to reflect on Holy Cross Rocklin’s incredible year of growth—new...