Church news

The Sterling Pentecostal Church is sponsoring a Fall Festival today at the Sterling Community Center. It will be an exciting time for the kids with games, prizes, candy, and food. The activities begin at 3:30 p.m. and will continue to 7 p.m. Everyone is welcome for a fun family night.

Sterling Baptist Church and Soldotna Bible Chapel are hosting gospel music performers The Liberty Quartet in concert at 5 p.m. Saturday at the Soldotna Bible Chapel. There is no charge for admission; a freewill offering will be taken up. This is the group’s only concert scheduled on the Kenai Peninsula this year.

Lutheran Women’s Missionary League members and members from the South Alaska Chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are hosting a Christmas Bazaar to help fund mission projects locally, nationally and internationally, Saturday from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Star of the North Lutheran Church, 216 N. Forest Drive in Kenai. Baked goods and craft items will be available for sale to provide funds for mission projects. For more information call 283-4153.

Musicians and listeners are invited to a Blue Grass session at the Kenai United Methodist Church Sunday from 1:00-4:00 p.m. Blue Grass enthusiasts should enter through the side door. The music occurs in the downstairs Fellowship Hall. The church is located across the street from Wells Fargo Bank at 607 Frontage Road in Kenai. For more information call Jim Evenson at 776-8060.

Faith Lutheran Church in Homer will host its annual Scandinavian dinner Saturday at 5 p.m. Call 907-235-7600 to reserve tickets. The dinner includes live entertainment and a menue of Swedish meatballs, lutefisk, fresh lefse and pickled herring and more.

The Apostolic Assembly of Jesus Christ is taking orders for its annual Christmas cookie box sale. Assorted Christmas cookies are for sale by pre-order only. The cost is $5 per dozen, or $4 per dozen for ordes of 20 dozen or more. Call Liz at 262-5525 or Diane at 262-1714 by Dec. 4 to place an order. Cookies will be ready for pick-up or delivery on Dec. 10.

A nine-week women’s Bible study on I and II Thessalonians, called “Children of the Day” by Beth Moore is under way at the First Baptist Church of Kenai. The group begins with lunch at noon, a video and discussion. Childcare is available. For more information, call Carole at 283-7772 or Kassy at 283-7672.

Nikiski Aglow meets each Saturday morning from 9-11 a.m. at the Nikiski New Hope Christian Fellowship, Mile 23 North Road. All are welcome to attend. Aglow International is founded on prayer and compassionate outreach. It is global in ministry vision, yet rooted in small groups. Nikiski Aglow is hosting the DVD teaching of Graham Cooke with “Game Changers.” The five themes are: 1. How you are known in heaven; 2. Establishing your internal overcomer; 3. Mind of Christ; 4. Reinventing your walk in the fruit of the Spirit; 5. Law of the Spirit of Life in Christ. For information call Bev at 776-8022 or 398-7311 or Paulette at 252-7372.

Calvary Baptist Church has resumed its Awana Kids Club on Sunday evenings. The group meets at Kenai Middle School from 5:15-7:30 p.m. All kids, ages 3 through sixth grade, are welcome. See the Calvary Baptist Awana web page for further details and Club schedule: calvarykenai.org/awana.

The Kenai United Methodist Church provides a food pantry for those in need every Monday from noon to 3 p.m.

The Methodist Church is located on the Kenai Spur Highway next to the Boys and Girls Club. The entrance to the Food Pantry is through the side door. The Pantry closes for holidays.

For more information contact the church office at 283-7868 or email kumcalaska@gmail.com.

First Baptist Church Soldotna, located at 159 S. Binkley Street, is re-opening its Clothes 4 U program. It is open on the second and fourth Saturday of each month from 10 a.m.-2 p.m. All clothing and shoes are free to the public.

Clothes Quarters at Our Lady of the Angels Church is open every Wednesday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., and the first Saturday of every month from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. For more information, call 907-283-4555.

Submit church announcements to news@peninsulaclarion.com.

More in Life

Historic Elwell Lodge Guest Cabin is seen at its new spot near the Kenai National Wildlife Refuge’s Visitor Center. (USWS)
Around the peninsula

Local events and happenings coming soon.

Nián gāo is a traditional Lunar New Year treat enjoyed in China for over two thousand years. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A Lunar New Year’s treat

This sweet, steamed rice cake is chewy, gooey and full of positivity.

This excerpt from a U.S. Geological Survey map shows the approximate location of Snug Harbor on lower Kenai Lake. It was in this area that William Weaver nearly drowned in 1910.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 2

AUTHOR’S NOTE: Michigan’s hard-luck Swesey clan sprang into existence because of the… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: Rhythms and routines

Your habits are already forming you.

This dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and gets dinner time done fast. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
Full of mother’s love

This one-pot dish is creamy, rich and comforting, and can be ready in 30 minutes.

This screenshot from David Paulides’s “Missing 411” YouTube podcast shows the host beginning his talk about the disappearance of Ben Swesey and William Weaver.
Ben Swesey: More to the story — Part 1

More than a hundred years after Ben Swesey and Bill Weaver steered… Continue reading

Photo by Clark Fair
This 2025 image of the former grounds of the agricultural experiment station in Kenai contains no buildings left over from the Kenai Station days. The oldest building now, completed in the late 1930s, is the tallest structure in this photograph.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 8

Over the past 50 years or more, the City of Kenai has… Continue reading

File
Minister’s Message: So your life story can be better

Last month the Christmas story was displayed in nativity scenes, read about… Continue reading

These gyros make a super delicious and satisfying tofu dish. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A new addition to the menu

Tofu gyros with homemade lentil wraps are so surprisingly satisfying and add extra fiber and protein to a meal.

Death notice: Marvin “Ted” Dale Smith

Marvin “Ted” Dale Smith passed on Dec. 27, 2025 in his home.… Continue reading

Photo courtesy of the 
Arness Family Collection
L. Keith McCullagh, pictured here aboard a ship in about 1915, was a U.S. Forest Service ranger charged with establishing a ranger station in Kenai, a task that led him to the agricultural experiment station there and into conflict with “Frenchy” Vian and his friends.
The experiment: Kenai becomes an agricultural test site — Part 7

AUTHOR’S NOTE: After the agricultural experiment station in Kenai closed May 1,… Continue reading

These treats are full of fiber and protein and contain less sugar than a Nutri-grain bar, so you can feel good about spoiling yourself a little. Photo by Tressa Dale/Peninsula Clarion
A treat for a new start

These cosmic brownies are a healthier, homemade version of the usual cafeteria currency.