Notes on Religion

To have your information included, e-mail it each week by noon Tuesday to faith@dailyherald.com, fax it to (847) 680-0189 or mail to Religion listings, 1795 N. Butterfield Road, Suite 100, Libertyville, IL, 60048.

First Presbyterian Church: The church at 219 W. Maple Ave., Libertyville, to begin the Advent season, will offer a special service of "Lessons and Carols" at 5:30 p.m. Dec. 2. The Vespers Choir, under the direction of Jane Orth, will present this traditional worship service. Child care will be available.

For information, call (847) 362-2174 or visit www.firstpreslibertyville.org.

Holy Cross Lutheran Church: The church in Libertyville invites all members of the community in need of comfort to a "Blue Christmas" Worship Service at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 16. The worship service will be followed by a time for light refreshments and fellowship.

This service is open to the community at large, of all faiths, who are "feeling blue" and desire to feel hope. For more information visit www.holycrosschurch.org or call (847) 367-4060.

Lutheran Church of the Holy Spirit: Lights & Miracles Hanukkah Service and Songfest will be held at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 7 at the church, 30 Riverwoods Road, Lincolnshire (just north of Ryerson Woods Lake County Forest Preserve).

Shir Hadash Reconstructionist Synagogue will celebrate the story of Hanukkah through music and drama at the annual family-friendly Lights & Miracles Hannukah Service and Songfest. Shir Hadash's adult, teen and children's choirs will perform and lead a sing-aalong of seasonal songs and fun.

The highlight of the evening will be Shir Hadash's traditional glowstick dance. A homemade latke cook-off will be featured at the conclusion of the service.

The event is free and open to the public. Children of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend.

St. Lawrence Episcopal Church: The St. Lawrence Episcopal Church Women will sponsor a Holiday Bazaar and Sweet Shoppe from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 1 and 8. A select group of handmade craft items, Christmas candy, baked goods, St. Lawrence cookbook, and ornaments will be available for purchase. The event will be held in the Fireside Room of St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St., Libertyville. For more information, contact the church office at (847) 362-2110 or visit the Web site at www.stlawrencechurch.org.

• Holiday Voices will be presented by the North Suburban Symphony and Chorus at 4 p.m. Dec. 15 at St. Lawrence Episcopal Church, 125 W. Church St. in Libertyville

Suggested donation of $20 individual, $45 family, $10 students and seniors. Tickets may be obtained through the church office or by calling the Lake Bluff Park District at (847) 234-4150. Tickets are also available at the door.

The same program will be repeated at 2 p.m. Dec. 16 at the Gorton Community Center in Lake Forest. For more information, contact the church at (847) 362-2110 or visit the church Web site at www.stlawrencechurch.org.

St. Matthew Lutheran Church (Missouri Synod): The church at 24500 N. Old McHenry Road, Hawthorn Woods, will offer the following Advent services: Dec. 2, 6, 8, 9, 13 (St. Matthew Day School Christmas Program), 15, 16, 22 and 23. Service times are Thursdays at 7 p.m.; Saturdays at 5:30 p.m.; and Sundays at 8, 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. There will be no contemporary service on Dec. 16 and no worship service on Dec. 20. St. Matthew Day School Christmas Program will be at 7 p.m. Dec. 13 and St. Matthew Sunday School Christmas Program will be at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 16.

World AIDS Day: The Watoto Ugandan Children's Choir will give a concert at 11 a.m. Thursday at Sedgebrook Retirement Community, 800 Audubon Way, Lincolnshire.

The choir --composed of children who have experienced the loss of one or both parents to AIDS -- will perform a concert blending native African rhythms, contemporary gospel music and ethnic dance for the residents of Sedgebrook Retirement Communities.

• The AIDS Walk for Orphans will step off at 9:30 a.m. Dec. 1 from Park Center, 2400 Chestnut Ave., Glenview.

North Shore residents will take 6,000 steps, approximately 3 miles, through Glenview, in solidarity with the 6,000 children who will be orphaned that day by AIDS. The walk will conclude with a concert performed by Watoto Ugandan Children's Choir.

• AIDS Caregiver Kit Assembly will take place at 10 a.m. Dec. 1 at Sedgebrook Retirement Community, 800 Audubon Way, Lincolnshire.

Residents of Sedgebrook and Monarch Landing retirement communities, their families and local community volunteers will assemble World Vision AIDS caregiver kits which will be distributed to trained World Vision volunteers worldwide who care for individuals with HIV/AIDS. The caregiver kits contain basic necessities including antifungal cream, latex gloves, flashlights, wash cloths and soap.

Antioch United Methodist Church: The church will hold its annual Cookies and Confections sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dec. 8 at the church, 848 Main St.

Many varieties of homemade goodies will be available for purchase. Proceeds from the cookie sale will benefit missions projects. Also, new this year is a gently loved Christmas ornament sale. Proceeds from the ornament sale will benefit the youth group mission trip this summer.

Call the church office at (847) 395-1259 for additional information.

Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church: The church will present the musical "Hotel Bethlehem" at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 7 and 2 p.m. Dec. 8. This musical will bring to life the Christmas story and is appropriate for all ages. Beautiful Savior Lutheran Church is located at 1501 Deep Lake Road in Antioch about one-third of a mile south of Hwy. 173. Admission is free. For more information, contact the church at (847) 395-9400.

Bethel Lutheran Church: Bethel Lutheran Preschool, 5110 Grand Ave., Gurnee, is offering a new program, Terrific Two's, for children 2 years of age by Sept. 1, 2007. Class begins Jan. 8 on Tuesday and Thursdays from 12:15 to 2:15 for eight weeks. Registration deadline is Dec. 3. Call the preschool at (847) 244-9672 for information.

Congregation Am Echod: The congregation at 2945 Falling Waters Blvd., Lindenhurst, will offer a special Shabbat service at 7:30 p.m. Friday for the dedication of the new Reform prayer book, Mishkan T'filah with Scholar in Residence student Rabbi Carmit Harari. For information, call (847) 265-1818 or e-mail amechod@amechod.org

Holy Cross Anglican Chapel: The church will celebrate Christ the King Sunday, marking the last Sunday of the Pentecost season and looking forward to the season of Advent. Holy Cross Anglican Chapel celebrates the Kingship of Christ on Sunday with the Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. at the chapel and office complex at 500 Park Ave, Unit 102, in Lake Villa.

Millburn Congregational United Church of Christ: The church at 19073 W. Grass Lake Road, Lake Villa, will hold a Cookie Walk from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 1. Cookies and candy will be $6 per pound. For more information, call the church office at (847) 356-5237.

Open Arms Mission Food Pantry: The food pantry is in the midst of the busiest time of year with a Christmas Holiday Meal Box Program and the Adopt-a-Family Christmas program, but donations are considerably down.

The most pressing need at this time of year is for cash donations, said Executive Director the Rev. Scott Keenan, explaining that the food pantry can purchase food at deeply discounted prices. A donation of $25 goes a long way, providing 80 pounds of food to each family.

The food pantry is on Route 83 south of Route 173, on the west side of road next to A to Z Rental. Food is distributed from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays.

Contributions may be sent to Open Arms Mission, P.O. Box 79, Antioch, IL 60002. Donations are tax-deductible. Donations may be made through Christmas for the Holiday Meal Boxes.

Open Arms Mission also is sponsoring the Adopt a Family holiday gift program. More than 300 families are enrolled. Wrapped and tagged gifts are due by Dec. 8 for distribution on Dec. 15. For more information or to adopt a family, call (847) 395-0309.

Prairie Circle Unitarian Universalist Congregation: PCUUC will welcome the Rev. Scott Prinster at 9:15 a.m. Sunday in the Byron Colby Barn, 1561 Jones Point Road, Grayslake, in the Prairie Crossing community. Prinster, a graduate student at the University of Wisconsin, studies the interaction between religion and science.

Additional details, directions, and contacts are available at www.prairiecircleuuc.org, or call (847) 604-1908.

• "Churning God: The Emerging World Questions," a talk by Dr. John Biersdorf, will be presented at 4 p.m. Sunday at Byron Colby Barn, Prairie Crossing Community, 1561 Jones Point Road, Grayslake.

Biersdorf will explore the fundamental questions religion has raised in the human psyche through history; with particular attention to emerging questions and issues in American and world cultures.

Biersdorf is an ordained minister in the United Church of Christ. He has been an officer in the Marine Corps, a parish pastor in California and Michigan, director of the Department of Ministry at the National Council of Churches, and on the faculty of Union Theological Seminary in New York City and Yale Divinity School.

The presentation is free. For information, call (847) 543-1202.

St. Paul the Apostle Church: The Adult Choir, together with members of the Children's Choir of St. Paul the Apostle Church, at Hunt Club and Gages Lake Road in Gurnee, will present a Christmas Cantata called "Emmanuel -- God with Us" at 7 p.m. Dec. 15.

This will be the perfect opportunity for families to take a break for one hour from the hustle and bustle of the Christmas season and come listen to the telling of the Christmas Story in a beautiful setting. This performance will be in a "Lessons and Carols" format with the Christmas story being narrated by Peter Glover and both choirs led by music director Ruth Peck. The songs that will be performed will be contemporary and traditional and the audience will have the opportunity to join in singing a couple traditional Christmas carols while holding lighted vigil candles toward the end of the performance.

A reception with homemade Christmas cookies and beverages will be held in the church's narthex following the performance. There is no charge for the tickets to this event, however a ticket will be needed for admittance. To obtain free tickets for this performance, contact Ruth Peck via e-mail: stpaulapostlemusic@msn.com

St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church: The church will celebrate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception with Masses at 8:30 and 11 a.m. Dec. 8 at the church, 2101 E. Route 173, Antioch.

United Protestant Church of Grayslake: Come pick out delicious holiday treats for gift-giving and holiday parties from among thousands of cookies at the 6th Annual Cookie Walk at the United Protestant Church of Grayslake Dec. 1. The cookie walk will feature cookies, candies and holiday treats priced per pound. There will also be holiday decorations and giftware for sale. The festive Cookie Walk will be held from 9 to 11 a.m. in the lower level of the church Fellowship Hall, at the corner of Park and Whitney streets in downtown Grayslake. The Cookie Walk is sponsored by the UPC Women's Christian Fellowship. For information, call UPC at (847) 223-8131.

• At 4 p.m. Dec. 9, the premier performance of "The Holiest of Nights," a Christmas story featuring The Pater's Puppets and the United Protestant Church Chancel Choir, will be held in the UPC sanctuary, 54 S. Whitney St., Grayslake. The community is invited to attend "The Holiest of Nights," which features UPC youth using marionettes and hand, rod, scarf and shadow puppets. The production uses a biblically-based script that was written and is being directed by the Rev. Fred Berchtold, a UPC member, retired United Methodist pastor and a member of Puppeteers of America and the National Storytelling Network. In addition, Rev. Berchtold's display of more than 60 creches from around the world will be on display in the sanctuary that day and throughout December.

Catholic talk radio, as broadcast on Relevant Radio, can now be heard throughout Chicago and the suburbs on WNTD 950 AM, Monday through Friday from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. This programming includes the hour-long Catholic Community of Faith, which airs Monday through Friday from 9 to 10 a.m. The program is produced by the Archdiocese of Chicago's Radio and TV office in their downtown Chicago studios. Listeners are encouraged to call in during the live broadcasts of the Catholic Community of Faith at (312) 751-1979 with their comments and questions.

Congregation Beth Judea: The Men's Club of Congregation Beth Judea will hold its annual blood drive from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the Social Hall of the synagogue, which is on Route 83 and Hilltop Road in Long Grove. The blood drive is being held at this time due to the severe shortage of blood during the Thanksgiving holiday.

A photo ID is required when you fill out paperwork. Bring a state ID or driver's license and make sure to have something to eat before you arrive. Refreshments will be provided by Shalom Kosher Bakery and Life Source.

Call the Beth Judea office at (847) 634-0777 to make an appointment.

• The Beth Judea Youth Department will host a Shabbat Dinner and Service for the members of the various youth groups (Kadinkers, Kadima and USY) and their families Friday. All congregants are cordially welcome to attend.

The dinner begins at 6 p.m., followed by a 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service.

Cost of the dinner: adult (12 years and older) $18; 6 to 11 years old $10; 5 years old and younger $5. Vegetarian meals are available upon request.

Please contact Aaron at the synagogue office (847) 634-0777, ext. 114, for further information. Beth Judea is on Route 83 and Hilltop Road in Long Grove.

Gages Lake Bible Church: The church will welcome Pastor Bill Swanger as interim pastor on Dec. 2. He was the pastor of Grace Missionary Church in Zion for 20 years and is now serving in churches that are between permanent pastors.

December sermons will focus on several beloved Christmas Bible passages of the Christian faith. The morning service time is 10:45 a.m. and a nursery is available. The church is located on Gages Lake Road, one block east of Route 45 in Gages Lake.

Our Lady of Humility Catholic School: The school at 10601 Wadsworth Road, Beach Park, is holding its annual Breakfast with Santa from 8 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Dec. 2 in the Parish Center. The event will feature pancake breakfast, photos with Santa and a Christmas Craft Show. The craft show will also be open at the school from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Dec. 1. Advance tickets for Breakfast with Santa cost $3 for children (up to 12 years) and $5 for adults. A family ticket (up to 5 people) costs $15. Prices at the door will be $4 for children, $6 for adults and $20 for a family ticket. For additional information, contact the school office at (847) 746-3722.

St. Martin de Porres: The school at 515 S. Martin Luther King Jr. Ave., Waukegan, will have an open house for prospective students from 6 to 8 p.m. Wednesday and 6 to 8 p.m. April 27. For information, call (847) 244-6895, ext. 225.