Families

• Fourth Street United Methodist Church, 551 S. Fourth St., Aurora, will hold an annual Easter egg hunt for children from 10 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 11. The public is invited. Admission is free. Children should bring their own baskets. Hundreds of eggs will be hidden throughout the church. Before the egg hunt, the story of Easter will be told with a video and other activities. Call (630) 897-5257 for more information.

• Children and families are invited to an Easter celebration at noon Saturday, April 11, at the Herget Middle School, 1550 Deerpath Road, Aurora. Flowing Grace, an outreach worship site of the Batavia United Methodist Church is sponsoring the egg hunt and lunch. The activities will begin at noon with an egg hunt for children up to age 10. A lunch at 12:30 p.m. will be available to all participants. There is no cost and no reservations are needed.

"This area has been so instrumental to the growth of our church," explains Michelle Homer, coordinator of the event. "We want to continue to spread the good news of Easter to our neighbors and thank them for being so receptive to the message."

Batavia United Methodist Church is one church with two worship sites - downtown Batavia and Flowing Grace - which meets at Herget Middle School. "The service at Flowing Grace is unique with fresh, contemporary popular Christian music," according to Jeffry Bross, pastor of Flowing Grace. "The folks attending run the gamut from young adults, to young families, to empty-nesters but maybe more than you ever experienced in a church before; the sense of family jumps right out to you"

For information about the egg hunt or Flowing Grace and the Batavia United Methodist Church, call (630) 879-7060 or visit bataviaumc.com or flowing-grace.com.

• A tradition of more than 50 years will be repeated Easter morning when high school students at Immanuel Lutheran Church in Batavia serve the annual Easter breakfast. The buffet-style meal is served between 7:45 and 9:15 a.m. Sunday, April 12, in the church's fellowship hall between the first and second Easter services. The teens are preparing to serve more than 200 people with a full breakfast including fruit, a breakfast casserole of eggs, meat and cheese, pancakes and sausage, coffee cakes, coffee, milk and juice. Tickets are $5 each and may be purchased in the church office, 950 Hart Road, or by calling the church (630) 879-7163. Proceeds will go toward youth attending the triennial Lutheran Youth Gathering in 2010 in New Orleans.

The breakfast tradition began in the early 1950s and has always been served by the church's youth. At the first breakfasts only coffeecakes - always homemade by women in the congregation - were served with coffee, juice and milk. Later, scrambled eggs, sausage, bacon, and fresh fruit were added. More than 30 high school students and at least 15 parents set up and decorate tables on Saturday and prepare and serve the Easter morning breakfast. They also arrive about 5 a.m. Sunday to get ready for the meal three hours later. The breakfast is coordinated by Kari Larsen, Immanuel's youth director.

• Sugar Grove United Methodist's annual spaghetti benefit lunch will be held from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, May 3, at the Sugar Grove Community House. Join them as they break bread and enjoy home cooked spaghetti pasta together. This benefit event seeks to generate funds to repair flood damaged houses in Oakville, Iowa. For information, call (630) 466-4501. All voluntary contributions should be made payable to Sugar Grove United Methodist Church, designated for Iowa Disaster Relief.

Fundraisers

• Aurora Central Catholic High School invites parents, alumni and the community to the school's biggest fundraiser of the year, "Super Saturday Night." As the school continues its yearlong 40th anniversary celebration, the venue for this popular event, planned for April 25, will be The Gaslite Manor in Aurora. Enjoy an evening of shopping, with hundreds of silent auction items, including gift baskets, sport and garden items, and entertainment certificates. Or try your bidding skills in winning one of the top prizes in the live auction. Prizes like two-round trip airline tickets, a HD/LCD big screen television, or a one-week vacation in Florida are among the more than 20 prizes to be auctioned. The highlight of the evening will be the $10,000 Draw Down raffle. Tickets for the raffle are sold separately and winners do not need to be present to win. The evening of shopping, dining and entertainment begins with cocktails, at 5:30 p.m.; followed by a three-course dinner at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for non-dinner guests are also available for purchase. Entertainment will be provided by a disc jockey along with the Aurora Central Catholic High School Band. Proceeds from this event will help enhance Aurora Central Catholic High School's academic scholarships and programs, along with extracurricular clubs, teams and activities. Doors open at 5:30 p.m., auction begins at 8 p.m.

Dinner/dance tickets are $50 per person, and must be purchased by April 15. Non-dinner tickets are $25 per person and can be purchased in advance or at the door (arrive at 7:30 p.m.) The $10,000 Draw Down Raffle tickets are $100 each (only 500 sold): $500, first ticket drawn; $100, every 10th ticket drawn; $1,000 every 100 ticket drawn; $500, 498th and 499th ticket drawn; $10,000, 500th ticket drawn - Grand prize. Winner need not be present to win. Call the school at (630) 907-0095, ext. 22 to purchase Super Saturday Night tickets, draw down raffle tickets or for details.

• The United Methodist Women of the Burlington United Methodist Church invite you to their annual beef dinner. The all-you-can-eat dinner will be served from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 18 at the Burlington United Methodist Church, 195 W. Center St. The menu features roast beef, mashed potatoes and gravy, buttery green beans, fruit salad, fresh rolls and pie or cake for dessert. Carryouts will be available until 6:30 p.m. during the dinner. And there will be a bake sale of homemade goods. Proceeds from this dinner help support the programs of the United Methodist Church in Burlington and the missions of the United Methodist Church worldwide. Admission is $10 for adults, $4 for children, children under age 6 get in free. For details, call (847) 683-3535 or visit www.Burlington-UMC.org.

• Join the celebration of the 38th "Israel Solidarity Day" and "Walk with Israel" at 11 a.m. Sunday, May 3. The local 6K West Suburban Walk will originate from Congregation Beth Shalom, 772 W. 5th Ave., Naperville. Join other West Suburban and Fox Valley area residents as they support the people of Israel. Pre-walk entertainment provided by the King David Drummers from Israel. Breakfast and lunch concessions available. Volunteers are needed. Registration is required. Visit www.juf.org/walk to register or for details.

Support

• Moms Together welcomes David Bauer who will present "Finding Balance in the Triangle - Body/Mind/Spirit." Humans are multifaceted creations; all the parts must be developed to create the whole. Yet, for mothers with young children, we find it especially difficult to find time for ourselves or balance. Join David Sauer as they focus on fostering healthy attitudes and behaviors in order to achieve improvement in physical and mental health and wellness. He will provide practical information that can be used right away, touching on everything from exercise and diet to body image and self acceptance. Sauer is a licensed professional counselor and a certified personal trainer. His varied experience includes a former naval fitness instructor, drug and alcohol counselor, and former fitness director for Delnor's Health and Wellness Center. He currently owns Integrated Fitness Solutions in St. Charles. Moms Together offers two identical morning sessions which meet from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. Thursday, April 16 and Thursday, April 23 at the west campus of First Baptist Church of Geneva, 3435 Keslinger Road. The cost is $6 per mom, $8 for mom with one child, and $10 for a mom with two or more children. To register, call (630) 232-7068, ext. 137, or email jragains@fbcg.com.

• First Baptist Church of Geneva offers Moms Connected. It is a program for mothers of "tweens" and teens. They serve as a ministry to encourage, support and help moms connect with other women in this stage of teenage parenting. The Moms Connected morning includes an informative speaker, table discussion, a continental breakfast and informal social time. Join a relaxing morning and insightful wisdom on guiding your teen. On Thursday, April 30, Kellie Kammes will be speaking on "Setting Boundaries for You and Your Teen" from 9:15 to 11:15 a.m. at our West Campus. To register, fill out a registration card at the welcome center, call (630) 232-7068, ext. 138 or e-mail jragains@fbcg.com. Cost is $6 per person at the door. Childcare is available for $4 per child. Children need to be registered and prepaid one week in advance at the East campus to secure a spot.