Published courtesy of the Antioch Herald

Join us at Golden Hills Community Church on Christmas Eve for one of our annual Candlelight Services! We will sing Christmas songs of worship and hear from God’s Word as we celebrate the birth of our Savior!

Our first service will be inside the Sanctuary at 7:00 pm. Our second service will be outside on the Plaza at 11:30pm. Please bring your own chair and wear something warm!

These services are for the whole family! Each service will be 30–45 minutes.

Golden Hills Community Church is located at 2401 Shady Willow Lane in Brentwood. For more information visit www.goldenhills.org.

By Allen D. Payton

Since 1978, Antioch resident Frank Ballesteros has been performing as the character of Ebenezer Scrooge in and directing “Humbug!”, an adaptation of Charles Dickens’ 1843 novella entitled, “A Christmas Carol”.

This year, the performances will be held at Friday, December 20 at 7 PM and Saturday, December 21 at 2PM and 7PM at El Campanil Theatre, 602 W. 2nd Street in Antioch’s historic, downtown Rivertown.

Ballesteros has been teaching acting skills to children and adults and holding performances of various plays since 1968.

“I’ve always loved the classic movie ‘A Christmas Carol’, the 1954 version,” he said. “We used to watch it every year. Then George C. Scott played the part of Scrooge in the 1980’s adaptation.”

“Then I put in the Christian message. Instead of Scrooge accepting Christmas, in my show, Scrooge accepts Christ, which is the same as the message of Christmas,” Ballesteros shared. “No one has ever been offended in the 40 years, that it’s not the original story. Charles Dickens did that when he had Scrooge say, ‘I want to follow that star to Bethelehem’.”

Tickets are $15.00 per person and are available at Event Details – Frank Ballesteros: Humbug! – El Campanil Theatre

You are invited to join us for a Grand Chanukah Celebration on Sunday, December 29, 2024, at 4:30pm!

Come celebrate the Festival of Lights with Chabad of the Delta and our surrounding communities as we light the grand Menorah in Brentwood City Park. A reception will follow inside the adjacent Brentwood Community Center.

Our local community leaders will participate in kindling the giant “Menorah of Freedom”. There will be fun activities for everyone including:

• Epic LED Light show
• Giant Menorah Lighting with Dignitaries
• Chanukah Donuts
• Latkes
• Chocolate Gelt
• Chanukah Crafts
• Festival Indoors, Lighting Outdoors
• Win Chanukah Gifts
• Security Presence
• Free Fidget Dreidel for the first 50 Children

For many of us, Chanukah prompts warm, loving memories from our childhood. We light the Menorah every night of the 8-night holiday. These lights offer warmth, joy, strength, inspiration and renews our sense of identity.

This year, Chanukah begins at sunset on Wednesday, Dec. 25th and ends at nightfall on Thursday, Jan. 2nd.

Rabbi Peretz Goldshmid, director of the Chabad of the Delta Jewish Center, describes Chanukah as “a holiday that enriches our lives with the light of tradition. In ancient times our ancestors rededicated the Temple in Jerusalem with the Menorah. Today, we rededicate ourselves to making this world a better and brighter place.”

As we celebrate in East Contra Costa, we join millions the world over, promoting the universal message that good will prevail over evil, freedom over oppression and light over darkness!

Make sure not to miss this opportunity to celebrate with your family and friends! Brentwood City Park is located at 790 2nd Street and the Brentwood Community Center is located at 35 Oak Street.

For more information, contact Chabad of the Delta at (925) 420-4999 or online at JewishDelta.com/Chanukah.

“But the righteous are as bold as a lion.”

Used axe to break in

By Antioch Police Department

When the pastor at First Family Church on Contra Loma responded to check an alarm in the early hours of Thanksgiving he was not expecting to confront a burglar, but that’s what happened. When the burglar saw his wicked deeds had been discovered he decided to fight with the pastor instead of repent. What he did not know was the pastor would win this battle of good and evil, and he held down the perp until APD arrived and placed the man in custody.

We are thankful today that the pastor was uninjured during this incident and hopeful that with amazing community members like we have been highlighting lately, we can turn the tide on crime in our city.

The axe in the photo was used to break a window on the church which is how the burglar entered.

The verse shared refers to what is written in the book of Proverbs in the Bible chapter 28 verse 1.

Allen D. Payton contributed to this report.

6:00 – 8:00 pm at 2401 Shady Willow Lane at Lone Tree Way in Brentwood (across from Target).

The Harvest Carnival is our annual family event designed to serve our community by providing a safe and fun space for families to spend Halloween. We will have candy, food trucks, candy, games, bounce houses… and more candy!

We will have delicious food, drinks and treats available for purchase from our amazing vendors: Straw Hat Pizza, Boondoggies and The Bubble Hive!

At admission to the Harvest Carnival, there is a suggested donation of one sealed bag of individually-wrapped candy per child, but we do not want this to keep you from coming!

Guidelines:

1. Costumes:
   • No costume masks for Middle School age and above.
   • Middle School age and above may not wear/hold props that can be easily mistaken for a weapon.
2. Acceptable Props (for Elementary age and below):
   • Props like plastic lightsabers, toy swords, etc., are allowed as long as they are a part of the costume theme.
3. Costume Guidelines:
   • Costumes must be family-friendly—not objectionable, offensive, or violent.

For more information visit www.goldenhills.org.

We are excited for the annual Holy Eve Community Carnival presented by Grace Arms of Antioch. There will be carnival rides, games, food, bouncy houses and of course, candy – all for FREE. Come out with your friends and family for a fun night and safe environment for all! 

Join us at Grace Bible Fellowship of Antioch, 3415 Oakley Road in Antioch. For more information visit Holy Eve Community Carnival on Facebook, about the church visit www.gbfofantioch.org or www.facebook.com/GBFofAntioch or call (925) 522-2017.

Join us this Halloween for some fun at Antioch Wesleyan Church. We will have a bounce house, popcorn, trunks full of candy and time for you to come and enjoy.

Antioch Wesleyan Church is located at 2800 Sunset Lane in Antioch. For more information about the church, visit www.antiochwesleyan.com or the church’s Facebook page or call (925) 778-8056.