The Living Advent Wreath is a beloved annual tradition at Gloria Dei. It gives us an opportunity to demonstrate God's hope, joy, peace, and love in real time, in the lives of real people that live around us. We collect items each Sunday of Advent and then deliver them to people that need them in Rochester. Join us as we celebrate the coming of Christmas this year through the Living Advent Wreath!

HOPE: Sunday, Nov 30

Diapers for the Crisis Nursery at Families First of Minnesota

We've all experienced times in life when hope seems lost. When a family faces an unexpected crisis—whether it’s the sudden loss of childcare, homelessness, a mental health emergency, or domestic violence—having a safe place to turn can make all the difference. The Crisis Nursery at Families First of Minnesota offers immediate, short-term care for children while their parents work to stabilize their lives. For our first week of Advent, we are focusing on bringing HOPE to families in crisis by providing diapers, wipes, and diaper cream to the Crisis Nursery in Rochester.

JOY: Sunday, December 7

Breakfast for the Overnight Shelter

For our neighbors that experience homelessness, simple things like sleeping in a warm bed and waking up to a good breakfast are no longer guaranteed. The Overnight Shelter near downtown Rochester provides a warm place to sleep, eat, shower, do laundry, and get help. This week we want to bring JOY to our neighbors who stay at the Overnight Shelter by collecting breakfast items, including instant oatmeal packets, breakfast bars/granola bars, ground coffee, and hot chocolate packets.

peace: Sunday, December 14

Bedding for Family Promise

When parents lose stable housing, they often fear being separated from their children. Family Promise helps prevent that by offering homelessness prevention, emergency shelter, and long-term housing support. In Rochester, their short-term housing program keeps families together while they rebuild stability. This week’s focus is providing PEACE and comfort through new bedding—pillows, twin sheets, and blankets. Families will be able to take these items with them when they move into permanent housing.

love: Sunday, December 21

Socks & Underwear for Threads

At Gloria Dei we often talk about "welcome and love of neighbor." One of the ways we seek to show love to our neighbors is through our Threads Clothing Boutique, which provides good quality free clothing to people who need it. While we rely on the many donations of gently-used clothing brought to Threads, we want visitors to have the dignity of new, unused socks and underwear -- items that are needed constantly. For our last week of Advent, let's show LOVE to our Threads visitors by providing new socks and new underwear (in original packaging).