Making blankets part of mitzvah project

Twelve-year-old Isaac Marshall of South Elgin was getting ready for bed one night when his thoughts turned to one of the more serious problems of the global community.

"What do poor people do when they don't have blankets?" he asked his mother.

"I just thought about the homeless and decided to make blankets for them," Marshall said.

Marshall will be making blankets for the poor for his mitzvah project and he is inviting the community to help. The fleece blanket-making event begins at 1 p.m. June 8 at Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors, 121 S. Third St. in Geneva. Fabric will be provided. Just bring scissors and a ruler if you wish to help. The finished blankets will be donated to a local organization that serves families in need.

Marshall will become a bar mitzvah -- an adult in the Jewish community -- during a ceremony June 14 at his synagogue, Congregation Kneseth Israel in Elgin.

"One of the requirements of our synagogue is to do a mitzvah project," said his mother, Liza Bachrach. "The real definition of the (Hebrew) word is commandment, but people think of it as a good deed."

Bachrach said the Jewish Torah contains 613 commandments, and when a girl makes her bas mitzvah, or a boy makes his bar mitzvah, they are considered adults and responsible for keeping the commandments.

Marshall and his family have participated in the Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors and thought the group's Geneva center would serve as a good venue for the project.

Snacks and beverages will be provided for those participating.

The Fox Valley Jewish Neighbors is composed of Jewish and interfaith families who meet for social and educational purposes.

For details, visit www.fvjn.org.

Service in the park

The Rev. Rick Weesner and the members of Calvary Baptist Church in Geneva invite the community to a special "Service in the Park" at 11 a.m. June 8. The service will be held at Pavilion 1 in the Fabyan Forest Preserve off Route 31 just north of Fabyan Parkway in Geneva.

The service will be followed by a catered picnic lunch. There will also be an afternoon service at 2.

Calvary Baptist Church is at Anderson Boulevard and Hamilton Street in Geneva.

Call the church office at (630) 232-6363 for details.

Celebrating 150 years

Commemorating 150 years of service to the Aurora community, the First Presbyterian Church of Aurora is inviting the public to a banquet titled "Back to the Future" at 5:30 p.m. June 14 at the Harkness Family Center, 60 S. Fourth St. in Aurora.

Guests are encouraged to "dress up like days of old." The master of ceremonies is Total Living Network television host Jim Gibson.

Tickets for the catered event are $15 and must be reserved by Wednesday. The evening includes entertainment.

For details, call (630) 844-0050 or visitwww.firstpresaurora.org.