Fox Valley religion special events
Dinner and movie: Have you ever had "Poor Man's Lobster?" You will not want to miss this directly from Fitzgerald's Genoa Junction Restaurant in Genoa City, Wis. Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St. in West Dundee, will be serving an all-you-can-eat rib and fish boil from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Sunday. They will be showing a first-run Christian movie, "The Wager" with Randy Travis. "The Wager" will be shown before or after the dinner. Tickets for dinner and a movie are $20 for adults and $12 for children under 12. Call the church office to purchase your tickets now at (847) 426-7311.
Author to lead workshop: People in our community will have the opportunity to attend the inspirational, life-changing workshop, "Conscious Love: Finding and Keeping Your Soul Mate." Based on the book, "How to Attract Your Soul Mate: The Secrets of Lasting Love," by Barbara Gulbranson, this workshop empowers participants to put the Law of Attraction to work to develop unconditional love, heal the wounds of the past, forgive and release unwanted attachments, uncover the secrets of the soul, keep the love alive and reach greater states of joy. In addition, each workshop participant will receive a free keepsake gift. The workshop will be held from 12:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at the Center for Spiritual Evolution, 204 Spring St. in Cary. Cost is $25 in advance or $35 at the door. Gulbranson will also be the guest speaker at the 10 a.m. Celebration Service this week. She will do a book signing after the service. Barbara Gulbranson is an author, speaker, workshop leader and minister of New Thought. Her focus is on enhancing lives through spiritual unfoldment. In keeping with this vision, she develops and conducts transformational workshops to deepen spiritual awareness and reveal the healing power within. A student of truth for more than 20 years, she is devoted to meditation, teaching and writing. She has a bachelor of science degree in journalism and is a graduate of the Religious Science International ministerial program. The curriculum, which integrates sacred wisdom from the east and west, reveals the most powerful laws in the universe and explains how to use them for finding a life partner and for cultivating loving relationships in the home, in the community and in the world. The book and curriculum have been used as a teaching guide for churches and centers throughout the U.S. and Canada. To register or for details, call (847) 516-1950. The Center for Spiritual Evolution, a Religious Science community is a trans-denominational church, all services and activities are open to everyone without obligation. Visit the Web site at www.newthoughtmchenry.org for more details.
Learn about Israeli culture at day camp: The McHenry County Jewish Congregation will be welcoming four teenagers from Israel to lead a two-week day camp at the Crystal Lake synagogue from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Monday to Friday, July 21 to Aug. 1. The camp is open to nonmembers, and kids of all ages who wish to learn more about the Israeli culture. Through song, folk dancing, language, food and games, the Israeli counselors will introduce campers to a what life is like in Israel. The campers will also take field trips to area pools and beaches. Cost for the camp is $150 for the two weeks, and campers are asked to bring their own dairy lunches. Registrations are still being accepted. For information, call (815) 455-1810 or visit mcjc-online.org. The congregation holds Shabbat services at 6:30 p.m. each Friday, and 9 a.m. each Saturday. Shabbat services are led by Rabbi Maralee Gordon. It is free and open to everyone. It 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 on the congregation or any of its events or educational programs, call (815) 455-1810 or visit mcjc-online.org.
Barbecue dinner: The First Congregational Church of Huntley's annual Faye's Pork Chop Barbecue will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. July 26. This community event includes Faye's famous pork chops and/or chicken, a full dinner, beverage, dessert and entertainment on the grassy lot at the corner of Main and Myrtle streets. Enter from Main Street. Everyone is invited. Carry-outs will be available. Advance tickets are $12 and may be purchased from the church office at (847) 669-3691. Walk in tickets may be purchased at the dinner, as available, for the price of $13, but purchasing sooner is recommended.
Power Lab: St. John's Lutheran Church in Elgin invites children entering kindergarten to entering sixth grade to come and have a "blast" at "Power Lab: Discovering Jesus' Miraculous Power." The Power packed week is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4-8. During the week, children will travel to different stations to hear God's Word at "Bible Blast," play games at "Hyperspeed," create a snack at "Test Tube Treats," plus assemble crafts and sing songs that are out of this world. Each day the children will hear different Biblical Truths and how they apply to their lives. A "Bible Buddy" will be given out every day to each child to remind them of what they learned that day. While the children are moving from station to station, the parents are encouraged to stay each night for some planned sessions of fellowship, discussion and fun. There is no registration fee. A donation of $3 per day is encouraged. If you would like to preregister your child(ren) forms are available at the church office. The church is at 101 N. Spring St. just a couple of blocks east of the Fox River in old downtown Elgin. For details call the church at (847) 741-0814, ext. 102.
Picnic at Good Shepherd: Good Shepherd Lutheran School is having a picnic celebration for the community from noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 7 at its 1111 Van St. location. All are welcome to come see the improvements made to the school to meet the needs of today's learners, and register for the new year. Come see the "face lift" staff and school members have done to the building, and learn about its accreditation, curriculum, and Lutheran-based education, and enjoy food. This is an opportunity to visit the classroom and meet the teachers. All teachers will be on hand to describe what a typical day is like and answer any questions parents have. Good Shepherd strives to meet the individual needs of children in the classroom and provides a wide variety of learning experiences. The school is accepting enrollment for the 2008-09 school year for preschool through eighth grade. Preschool and kindergarten both offer full-day options, and both locations offer after-school care. The Van Street location houses kindergarten and grades first through eighth, and the preschool is located at the Nesler Road Christian Life Center. For information, visit the Web site at www.goodshepherd-elgin.org, or call the school at (847) 741-7795, or the preschool at (847) 697-4745.
Healing service: The Center for Spiritual Evolution offers a 7 p.m. Wednesday healing service each week with meditation and prayer. Services are held at 204 Spring St (lower level) in Cary. Previous healing services at the McHenry County Church of Religious Science demonstrated uplifting effects including high vibrational energies revealing spiritual perfection from within participants. The service begins with participants anonymously submitting prayer request forms which are then read aloud and prayed upon. Known as Spiritual Mind Treatment, it is a spiritual practice that is also scientific. It allows emotional, mental, and physical healing to occur by one's consciousness accepting direct spiritual influence which includes new perceptions about old challenges. With practice it literally rewires patterns of thought, changing the brain's neural network to think from an affirmative perspective. The founder of Religious Science, Ernest Holmes writes, "A treatment is a conscious movement of thought. There is no hocus-pocus in mental treatment. It is definite, conscious, concrete and explicit." The Rev. Anne Muelleman will deliver a short message leaving ample time for prayer, meditation, and spiritual mind treatment by the pastor and the church's licensed practitioners in response to the healing requests. Visit the Web site at www.newthoughtmchenry.org for details or call (847) 516-1950.