CITRUS HEIGHTS, CA (MPG) - Rev. Dr. Gabriele (“Gabi”) Schroeder has been called to serve as pastor of Advent Lutheran Church at 5901 San Juan Ave in Citrus Heights, beginning March 1. Pastor Gabi comes to Advent after serving as foreign missionary with her denomination and as pastor to local congregations in Cupertino and South San Francisco. Prior to working in congregational settings, she has served as interfaith hospital chaplain at different hospitals in Northern California. She studied for the ministry in her native county of Germany, spent time as an exchange student in Israel, and pursued post-graduate studies in Berkeley, CA. Pastor Gabi is married to Kumar, who hails from Southern India. The couple has two teenage daughters who attend Mira Loma High School. Pastor Gabi states that she looks forward to becoming part of the community of Citrus Heights and to leading her new congregation in intergenerational worship, adult education, and hands-on service ministries. “There are so many things that I love about my Lutheran tradition.” Pastor Gabi says. “I love that we ‘dig deep’ to discern the meaning of Scripture. We are not satisfied with easy answers and are willing to live with paradoxes. I love that we are an outward-oriented church that actively and intentionally serves its low-income and homeless neighbors. I love that we welcome all people to worship with us. I love that we embrace diversity – diversity of education, income, race, gender, age, sexual orientation, and so forth. All are welcome.” We welcome you to worship with us at 9:30am on Sunday mornings.