McHenry County religion notes
Notes on religion To include your church in the free listings, e-mail to foxvalley@dailyherald.com, fax to (847) 608-0849, or mail to 385 Airport Road, Suite A, Elgin IL 60123.
McHenry County Jewish Congregation: In observance of Holocaust Memorial Day (Yom Hashoah), the McHenry County Jewish Congregation will host a presentation by Julie Kohner at 7 p.m. Thursday. Kohner, a nationally recognized Holocaust speaker, will present "Voices of the Generations," which recounts the story of her parents, particularly her mother, who survived internment in four concentration camps. The talk is free and open to the public.
On May 4, from 9 a.m. to noon, MCJC's Religious School will host a Yom Ha-atzmaut program in recognition of Israel's 60th birthday. The program will feature Israeli dancing, food, games and poetry, and all ages are welcome.
Each Tuesday at noon, Rabbi Maralee Gordon holds a "Lunch and Learn Torah Study."
The religious school offers two-day a week on Wednesday evenings and Sunday mornings. Instruction is offered to students in second to eighth grade, and Sunday-only instruction is provided to children in kindergarten and first grade and high school. For information on membership or a registration packet, call (815) 455-1810.
The synagogue operates a gift shop offering a wide array of Jewish-themed gift and holiday supplies that is open during religious school hours.
Shabbat services are at 6:30 p.m. Fridays, and 9 a.m. Saturdays at the synagogue, 8617 Ridgefield Road in Crystal Lake. Shabbat services are led by Gordon and are free and open to everyone. This is the only Conservative Jewish congregation in McHenry County. Interfaith families are welcome. It is located on Ridgefield Road in unincorporated Crystal Lake, accessible from Route 14. For information, call (815) 455-1810 or visit mcjc-online.org.
First Congregational: On Sunday, the Rev. Michelle McNamara's sermon will be "Now You See Me, Now …," based on John 14:15-21, at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services at the First Congregational Church, 11628 E. Main St. in Huntley.
The Instrumental Group will play in both services and Genesis Bells will play in the second.
The Sunday school children will continue their adventure called "Digging into the Bible," in which they learn about its layout and construction.
At 2 p.m. Sunday, the junior and senior high youth will participate in an event called "Fear Factor," patterned after the popular game show. Anyone interested should call the church at (847) 669-3691, because a signed permission slip is required.
The Knit/Crochet Group will meet at 1 p.m. Wednesday at the church. For details, call the church at (847) 669-3691.
St. John Lutheran: This weekend, the Rev. William Stroup will deliver the message, "High-Powered Dirt Remover," based on 1 Peter 3:13-22, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 8 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday at St. John Lutheran Church, 300 Jefferson St., Algonquin. Sunday school is at 10:30 a.m. Adult Bible class is at 9:15 a.m. Sunday. A supervised nursery is offered at the 10:30 a.m. service. Coffee and fellowship follows the Sunday services.
There will be an Ascension Day worship at 7 p.m. Thursday with Stroup officiating.
The Mission Resale Shop, located on Washington Street, is open on Fridays from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Gifts and good quality used clothing, and small household items can be purchased at reasonable prices. Donations are gratefully appreciated, and proceeds benefit mission work locally and afar. Call (847) 658-9300 or visit www.stjohnsalgonquin.org.
St. John's Lutheran School offers a day school program for first to eighth grade; all-day kindergarten and morning and afternoon preschool for 3- and 4-year-olds. Church membership is not required. To register or schedule a school tour, call Principal John Kirchhoff at (847) 658-9311.
Shepherd of the Prairie: On Sunday, the Rev. Mark Boster will preach at both services at Shepherd of the Prairie Lutheran Church. The 9 a.m. traditional and 10:30 a.m. contemporary services are held at the Cosman Cultural Center, 12051 Mill St., Huntley. Holy Communion will be celebrated at each service. Sunday school and nursery care are available at both services.
The youth group will participate in a 30-hour famine today and Sunday.
The Merry Widows will meet at 3 p.m. Sunday. The "Homeless Helpers" will help serve PADS dinner at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The dinner is held at Bethany Lutheran Church in Crystal Lake..
Music rehearsals are at the Citizens Bank in Huntley: Shepherd Voices will meet at 7 p.m. Monday and Prairie Ringers Chime Choir will meet from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
Prairie Prayer Team will meet at 1 p.m. Sunday at Citizens Bank.
The "Unashamed" book group will meet at 12:45 p.m. Tuesday at Citizens Bank.
Confirmation meets at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday with pizza at 6 p.m.
The church office is in Citizens First National Bank, 12101 Regency Square, Huntley. Call (847) 515-3711 or visit www.sotp.org.
Faith Community: On Sunday, the Rev. Bruce Cole will lead worship with "Growing Up!" based on Ephesians 4:11-16, at 9 and 10:30 a.m. at Faith Community Church, 10547 Faiths Way in Huntley. Holy Communion will be celebrated at both services. Nursery for children up to age 3 is available at both services as well as Sunday school for children from age 4 through second grade.
Sixteen eighth-grade students will affirm their faith through confirmation at the 10:30 a.m. service. A reception in their honor will be held in the fellowship hall at 10 a.m. The middle school classes are now on summer break.
The high school group will meet at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the church,
Alcoholics Anonymous holds a weekly meeting at noon Sunday and 7:30 p.m. Mondays. On Tuesday, TOPS meets at 11:30 a.m. The Friends Bible study meets at 7 p.m. Tuesdays at the Century 21 office on Route 31 in Algonquin.
Adult Bible studies are offered Wednesdays. At 9 a.m., study the text for the upcoming Sunday. At 7:30 p.m., they will study the book of Mark.
Call (224) 569-6501 or visit www.fccwired.tv.
Preschool registration is now open. Call Michelle Sullivan at (224) 569-6512 for information.
Unitarian church: On Sunday, the Congregational Unitarian Church, 221 Dean St. in Woodstock, continues its discussion on spiritual goals and practices for Unitarian Universalists at the 10:45 a.m. service.
The topic for this Sunday is "Final Lesson." This is the 10th and last in a series of talks on Unitarian Universalist spiritualist practices by the Rev. Dan Larsen, with a class to follow at 7 p.m. Monday. Larsen will speak about your identity as a Unitarian Universalist, developing your experience, faith, ethics, and identity in every life.
After the service, the church will celebrate Teachers' Appreciation Day in the Religious Education Program.
The adult choir, led by musical director Tom Steffens, will perform.
Church school students will remain at worship until after Sue McCowin's Children's Story and then go to religious education class. For details, call (815) 338-0731, e-mail office@cucw.org or visit www.cucw.org.
First Congregational: On Sunday, the Rev. Budd Friend-Jones, senior minister, will preach will preach at the 9 and 10:45 a.m. services at First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St. in Crystal Lake.
Sunday school is offered at 9 and 10:45 a.m. Each Sunday, all children, age 2 through seventh grade, will begin worship with their family. After the children's message, they will be excused to their appropriate Sunday school class. Nursery care and Toddler Time is provided for infants, and toddlers at each service.
On Sunday, there will be a special ceremony to dedicate the church library to the Rev. Ray Banner in recognition of his time and service to First Congregational Church.
On Sunday, the Vestry Choir Spring Concert along with the second annual Wesley M. Vos Memorial Organ Recital will be performed at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary. The public is invited to attend. Admission is free.
On Tuesday, the Heartland Blood Drive will be held in the fellowship hall from 3 to 7 p.m. Also, there will be a Stephen Ministry Informational Meeting at 7 p.m. in the library.
On Wednesday, Seasons of the Spirit Bible study group will meet at 10 a.m. in the library.
On Thursday, the Women's Fellowship Luncheon and Program will be held at noon in the fellowship hall. This is the annual spring salad luncheon. Members with last names beginning M-Z are asked to bring a salad to share. The program will be presented by FCC member Judy Porter and is titled "Family Heirloom Stories."
On Friday through May 4, the annual Moms' Retreat will be held in Green Lake, Wis. For details, call (815) 459-6010 or visit fcc-cl.org.
Light of Christ: This weekend, the Rev. Kendall Koenig, senior pastor, begins a new sermon series, "Our Calling, Our Life: Serving Joyfully" with his sermon, "Downward Mobility" at Light of Christ Lutheran Church, 100 Hanson Road, Algonquin. The Scripture reading for Koenig's sermon is taken from Matthew 20:20-28.
The Rev. Sharon Rogers will be installed as associate pastor at the 7:45 a.m. service Sunday. Recognition of her installation will be acknowledged at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services.
There will be a congregational forum Sunday immediately after the 10:45 a.m. service to gather thoughts and ideas about the new ministry building.
Starting the Journey membership class will be held from 1 to 7 p.m. Sunday. This class is an opportunity to discover more about Light of Christ's ministries, how you are gifted and how you can grow spiritually. Call the church office if you are interested.
Light of Christ is sponsoring a blood drive from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. Walk-ins are accepted. For details, call Joanne Weber at (847) 658-9250.
Bethany Lutheran: This Sunday, the Rev. Harold J. Hoekstra will share the message at 7:45, 9, and 10:45 a.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, 76 W. Crystal Lake Ave. in Crystal Lake. Holy Communion will be celebrated at 7:45 a.m.
Faith Quest Sunday school meets at 9 a.m. Child care is available at the 9 and 10:45 a.m.
Part two of "Building Bridges, Tearing Down Walls" concludes at 10:30 a.m. May 4 and 11 with "The Immigrant Experience" and "The Church's Response."
On Sunday, new members will be received at 10:45 a.m. with a luncheon for new members at noon. The sixth-grade Milestone, "The Ten Commandments" will be at 9 a.m. Sunday.
The Camper Scamper Run/Walk fundraiser will be at 10 a.m. May 10 at Moraine Hills State Park in McHenry.
Pentecost Sunday will be May 11. Services at 7:45, 9 and 10:45 a.m. The Chicago Brass Band Arts Concert will be at 3 p.m. May 18.
A church garage sale is being planned for June 6-7. Vacation Bible school, "Power Lab" is set for 9 a.m. to noon July 14-18.
For details, call (815) 459-2690 or visit www.bethanylc.com.
Preschool registration for fall 2008 begins this month. Programs are available for 2- to 5-year-olds. For details, call Marcia Baker, preschool director, at (815) 477-7463.
St. Paul's Anglican Church: At St. Paul's Anglican Church, a traditional Episcopal Church, the Rev. Michael DuCette, deacon in charge, will use the 1928 Book of Common Prayer to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at the former First Presbyterian Church, 225 W. Calhoun St., Woodstock.
His sermon will be based on John 16. The Bible Study group will meet from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m. They are studying John 10.
Synod XXIII of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley/Anglican Church in America will be held June 3-5 in Des Moines, Iowa. See Mike Hepperlen for details.
St. Paul's Parish is part of the Diocese of the Missouri Valley Anglican Church of America. For details, visit www.acahome.org or call (815) 338-0205.
McHenry County Church of Religious Science: The McHenry County Church of Religious Science, Center for Spiritual Evolution welcomes everyone to its new permanent location in Cary at 204 Spring St., lower level. "The Transformed Life" will be the Rev. Anne S. Muelleman's topic on Sunday. New members will be recognized during the service. Special guest musician is Amy Beth.
Everyone is welcome to attend the 10 a.m. Sunday Celebration Service, and children's program and toddler care.
The children's curriculum is "Spiritual Practices for Kids." April lessons relate to the realization step of treatment. Your kids will uncover wholeness and eliminate thoughts of lack and limitation. This week's topic for kindergarten through fifth grade is "Accepting Truth."
Those who arrive early will enjoy the meditation at 9:45 a.m. As a trans-denominational church, all services and activities are open to everyone without obligation. For details, call (847) 516-1950 or visit www.newthoughtmchenry.org .
Congregational Church of Algonquin: On Sunday, the Rev. Brian Cope will preach at the 10 a.m. service at the Congregational Church of Algonquin, 109 Washington St.
The message is based on Acts 17:22-31, Palm 66:8-20, 1 Peter 3:13-22 and John 14:15-21. The Senior Choir will provide the music. The elementary students will take a trip to the fire station after the worship service.
Every Tuesday at 7 p.m. there is a Bible study with the pastor.
The Men's Breakfast will be at 8 a.m. May 10. The leadership meeting for all boards and committees will be from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. May 10. Confirmation Sunday is at 10 a.m. May 25. Summer vacation Bible school will be June 23-27.
For information, call the church office (847) 658-5308.
Wednesday practice for vocal and handbell choirs includes: Chapel Choir for third through eighth grades from 4:45 to 5:15 p.m.; Cherub Choir for kindergarten through second grades from 5:20 to 5:50 p.m.; Chimers for third through sixth grades from 5:20 to 5:50 p.m.; Joyful Sound Handbell Choir for seventh-grade to adult from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.; and Senior Choir from 7:30 to 9 p.m.
Shop at the Heavenly Attic Resale Shop, 307 S. Main St. in Algonquin. Hours are from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Wednesday through Friday and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. The church is handicap accessible at the rear entrance. For details, call (847) 658-5308.