Prompt: Share about a time you felt welcomed during the holiday season.
Every Christmas Eve, as the lights dim and the sanctuary fills with warm candlelight, our WPC family stands shoulder to shoulder singing Silent Night. In that moment — surrounded by familiar, glowing faces, gentle voices, and flickering candles — I feel the same steady welcome I’ve known since I was little.
For as long as I can remember, my family has attended the Christmas Eve service at WPC. Walking through those doors and being greeted by people I’ve grown up beside, and by those who have watched me grow, is a feeling like no other. Some of these faces I see only once a year at this service, and that makes the reunion even more special.
One year in particular, my brothers and I had the honor of lighting the final Advent candle. I remember standing on the chancel, looking out into the congregation, and seeing the faces of people who had welcomed me through every season—seasons of joy, grief, growth, and everything in between. As James, Ben, and I lit that last candle, I was reminded of John 1:5: “The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.”
These people and this place have welcomed me faithfully, especially during the holidays. Since losing our mom, this season has felt different. But as the candlelight fades and we softly sing “sleep in heavenly peace,” I’m reminded that I am always welcome here — and that the heavenly peace the Lord brings will never change.
― Lily Montes De Oca, SYF Alumni & Current PLNU Student
Give Financially - You may give during the service on Sunday, use one of the QR codes above, give online here, or mail a check to the church office: 32111 Watergate Road, Westlake Village, CA 91361.
Contact the church staff with questions or concerns: info1@wpcwestlake.org or call 818.889.1491
