Fox Valley religion events

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.

Chocolate. The Festival: Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St. in Elgin, invites the public to "Chocolate. The Festival" from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Saturday, Oct. 11. The festival will include handmade chocolates for sale, raffles for a quilt, cakes, and gift certificates, a lunch counter featuring chocolate chili along with hot dogs, a bakery of chocolate desserts, a bake sale, a craft, home party, and flea market sale, and a garage sale. There will also be a petting zoo and games for children. For information, call (847) 742-2025 or visit holytrinityelgin.org.

Special prophetic meeting: On Sunday, Oct. 12, join Morning Star Church for a special prophetic meeting featuring Jeremy Lopez at 10 a.m. Lopez holds a doctorate of divinity degree and is founder and president of Identity Network International. He has prophesied to thousands of people and releases the prophetic word of God everywhere he goes. He desires to see every believer awakened to their destiny, and when he ministers through this prophetic teaching gift, a spirit of revelation and understanding are released. There is no charge for this meeting. Morning Star Church is at 41W350 Powers Road, just north of the I-90 Route 47 exit in Huntley. For details, call (847) 669-9800 or visit www.morningstarwoc.org.

Life Center banquet: The Life Center in Elgin will host its annual benefit banquet, "Behold I Will Do a New Thing," at 6:30 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16 in the Empire Room at Villa Olivia, Route 20 and Naperville Road in Bartlett. The special guest speaker will be Beth Chase. She is the founding board member of National Institute of Life and Family Advocates and has been involved with pregnancy help organizations for over 28 years. She has been the president and CEO of two help medical centers and specializes in corporate development, marketing and fundraising. She has helped more than 100 pregnancy centers convert to medical status. Her expertise will be an asset to the Life Center as they launch Life Choices, the medical facility which offers ultrasound to clients in addition to pregnancy testing. The event will include a musical program. The dinner is free, but underwriting donations are being accepted to help defray the cost of the banquet. For details or to RSVP, call (847) 622-1235.

Fall rummage sale: The First Congregational Church of Huntley will host its fall rummage sale. Sale hours will be noon to 7 p.m. Thursday, Oct. 16, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Friday, Oct. 17 and 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 18. Items will be reduced on Saturday to $3 per bag. This sale, sponsored by the Women's Circle, has become so large that the entire church is involved in making it happen. The fellowship hall will be filled, as well as many classrooms throughout the church. There is a room with kitchen items; another looks like a gift shop, etc. Items include many toys, adult, youth and children's clothing, a boutique, games, books, jewelry, furniture, holiday items, and more. Items to be donated for the sale may be dropped off in the fellowship hall from Oct. 12-14. There is no storage available for items before Oct. 12. The church is at 11628 E. Main St. in downtown Huntley. For details, call (847) 669-3691.

Worship conference: On Friday, Oct. 17 and Sunday, Oct. 19, join Morning Star Church for a special worship conference featuring Sean Feucht. Feucht is the founder and director of Burn 24-7. He is a prophetic psalmist with a vision for planting Davidic houses of vertical worship and prayer and "resting places" for God all over the earth. His passion is to see people of all nations come into their destiny to release the sounds and fragrance of Heaven through night and day worship and prayer that will usher in the Presence of God until all of the world burns with the Glory of God. A Night of Worship with Feucht will be at 7 p.m. Oct. 17 with Worship and Ministry with Feucht will be at 10 a.m. Oct. 19. There is no charge for these meetings. Morning Star Church is at 41W350 Powers Road, just north of the I-90 Route 47 exit in Huntley. For details, call (847) 669-9800 or visit www.morningstarwoc.org.

Celebrate Calm: A workshop for parents and teachers, "Celebrate Calm," will be held 9:30 to 11 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 18, at the Congregational Unitarian Church, 221 Dean St., Woodstock. It is free and open to the public. Free child care will be provided. The workshop will offer ten keys to a stress-free home and school from Kirk Martin, founder and education director of Celebrate Calm, who has trained over 400 parents and teachers. Martin is known for his humorous, practical approach and providing workshop participants with hands-on ideas they can begin using immediately. His strategies focus on: creating a stress-free home by eliminating yelling, arguing and whining; improving a child's focus, attention and behavior; creating stress-free discipline and homework time; channeling disrespect and defiance into positive experiences; and relieving anxiety and sensory integration issues. Martin will explain why some children are bossy, anxious, easily overwhelmed, like to argue, fidget and make noises. Medication, nutrition and handling siblings will be addressed as well. While Martin's strategies work for all families, he specializes in working with intense children and their families, including those affected by anxiety, sensory issues, Asperger's, autism, Oppositional Defiant Disorder, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder and Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. According to a July 2008 Washington Post article, Martin believes that something isn't necessarily wrong with children who struggle because of these conditions. He believes they are simply wired differently and have gifts, talents and passions that are not compatible with traditional educational settings. Rather than asking how to fix these kids, he says he asks, "What are the advantages, what are the ways we can work with this mind to obtain good results?" Martin, who majored in international business and marketing at Towson University in Maryland, first developed the approaches that led to Celebrate Calm in helping his own son, who was diagnosed with ADHD. In addition to giving workshops throughout the country, Martin has written several books, produced self-help CDs and runs a camp for children with ADHD. For information on the Celebrate Calm Workshop, call Congregational Unitarian Church, (815) 338-0731, or visit CelebrateCALM.com.

Gingerbread Lane Bazaar: On Saturday, Oct. 19, Epworth United Methodist Church in Elgin will hold the annual Gingerbread Lane Bazaar from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sweets, treats, hand-crafts and decor will be showcased by local crafters and confectioners. Jellies and jams, candies and holiday items will be available, and there is something for every age. There is still time to reserve a space for all interested crafters. Call the Epworth Church office for details on registration. (847) 931-5400, or log on to www.epworthumcelgin.org.

CROP Walk rally: Join your neighbors in celebrating the 25th anniversary of the Cardunal CROP Walk Against Hunger on Sunday, Oct. 19. And what better way to celebrate than by making this year's walk the best ever. People in Carpentersville, Algonquin, Dundee Township, and Lake in the Hills have been participating in the walk together since 1984. Over the years, they have raised over $221,900 to fight hunger around the world and here at home. One-quarter of the money collected supports FISH Food Pantry and Algonquin/Lake in the Hills Interfaith Pantry. And the rest of the money goes to the global humanitarian agency Church World Service, which uses the funds for both domestic and international poverty-reducing efforts. The 2008 CROP walk will step off at 1:30 p.m. starting from Joy Community Presbyterian Church, 108 S. Lakewood Road, Lake in the Hills. Registration starts at 12:30 p.m. For details, call (847) 515-8800. If you can't participate, consider sponsoring those who can.

Pastors from Columbia: Presbyterian pastors from Columbia will speak at Ridgefield-Crystal Lake Presbyterian Church, 8505 Church St. The Rev. Milton Mejia will speak on Sunday, Oct. 19 at 9:30 and 11 a.m. on his work to seek a negotiated peace to Colombia's 40-year civil conflict. The United Nations has called this conflict "the greatest humanitarian catastrophe in the Western hemisphere." After he began receiving death threats, he fled with his family to the United States in 2006. The Rev. Diego Higuita, recently elected executive secretary of the Presbyterian Church of Colombia, will speak at the church about his experiences as a pastor in the midst of the Colombian conflict on Wednesday, Oct. 22, with supper at 6 p.m. and his presentation at 7 p.m. Call (815) 459-1132 for supper reservation. Both pastors will speak in Spanish, and English interpretation will be provided. For details, contact Ann Legg at ataglegg@sbcglobal.net.

Music of South India: On Sunday, Oct. 19, Prema Bhat will present a concert of classical music from South India at 4:30 p.m. at the First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St., Crystal Lake. An accomplished vocalist, she is widely known for her clear, expressive voice and elegant improvisation techniques. Her singing of Carnatic music has received widespread appreciation, including praise from His Holiness the 14th Dalai Lama. Her presentation of the Carnatic tradition will both be informative and provide an exquisite experience for listeners. She will be accompanied by Chicago area musicians Manjula Rao, violin (Indian style), and Ravishankar on the mridangam (percussion). Born in Karnataka, South India, where she began performing music at the age of six, Bhat started to give full concerts in the Carnatic style by age eleven. For nearly four years, she hosted "Sangeet," an Indian classical music radio program. She has lectured and given demonstrations at Princeton, Emory, Rice and other universities, the United Nations, Atlanta's Goethe German Institute, etc. She recently was featured on National Public Radio. Bhat has received many awards and reviews. Her mastery of the technical aspects of Indian classical music and her ability to convey its deeply spiritual quality make her one of the top vocalists of her generation. Everyone is welcome. There will be no charge, but a free will offering will be collected. For information, call the Rev. Gilbert "Budd" Friend-Jones at (815) 459-6010, ext. 11.

Youth Ministry fundraiser: On Sunday, Oct. 26, Saint Peter and Paul Church, 410 First St. in Cary, will host a free pasta dinner at 6 p.m., following the 5 p.m. Mass. The Youth Ministry is sponsoring this event. Thanks to Panera Bread in Fox River Grove for donating the bread once again. After dinner at 7:30 p.m., comedian Sally Edwards will perform in the school gym. Free-will donations will be accepted to benefit high school mission trips. This is an opportunity for the village community to unite with the church community for a fun, social event. Bring the family. For details, call (847) 516-2636.

Graphic novels: "Modern Marvels: Jewish Adventures in the Graphic Novel" is a discussion series examining major works in graphic literature from some of the foremost creators in the field. Featuring a different graphic novel every three weeks this fall, Professor Terrence Wandtke will lead discussions of novels by authors such as Will Eisner, the "inventor" of the graphic novel, and Art Spiegelman, a Pulitzer Prize winner, among others. The series is supported by a grant from the American Library Association and Nextbook. All discussions begin at 7 p.m. in Classroom 221 in the Harm A. Weber Academic Center at Judson University, 1151 N. State St., Elgin. All discussions are free and open to the general public. Books may be found at local libraries or purchased from online booksellers or local bookstores. The Judson University Library has 15 copies of each discussion book available. The schedule will be: Oct. 28, Ben Katchor Julius Knipl, Real Estate Photographer; Nov. 18, Harvey Pekar's The Quitter; and Dec. 9, Joann Sfar's The Rabbi's Cat. For specific questions, contact Judson University Library Director Larry Wild at lwild@JudsonU.edu or (847) 628-2036.

Financial workshop: Want to get your finances under control? Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School in Elgin welcomes the community to attend a "More than Money Matters" workshop series beginning on Oct. 29. The six sessions include "Stewardship and Values," "Communicating about Money," "Setting Goals," "Credit and Debt," "Finding Money to Save," and "Budget and Net Worth." It will be held from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesdays at the Nesler Road and Route 20 Christian Life Center. There is no cost to attend. Registration is required by Sunday, Oct. 19. For details, call the preschool office at (847) 697-4745, or visit goodshepherd-elgin.org.

Learning to Pray: Westminster Presbyterian Church will hold a Prayer Seminar from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1 at the church, 2700 W. Highland Ave. in Elgin. The seminar is titled "Prayer Life-Learning to Pray in a Distracting World." Many are quietly defeated in their private prayer lives. They have tried praying but it just doesn't seem to work. So they feel a combination of frustration and guilt. In this study you will learn step-by-step how to begin a private life of prayer. This study is for all Christians, particularly those who find themselves defeated in the trenches. It deals with such practical questions as: "How do you stay focused when you are distracted with so much to do? How do you pray longer than 5 minutes? How do you pray when your own life is messed up?" The seminar is led by Bob Allums who is special sales manager for Crossway Books and Bibles in Wheaton, where he is part of a team bringing the ESV Study to market Oct. 15. You may recognize the Crossway name because it has become one of today's leading publishers of evangelical Christian fiction, nonfiction, gift and children's books. As associate pastor of Presbytery Ministries of Spring Valley Presbyterian Church in Roselle, he specializes in teaching PrayerLife which is being taught in churches (in various denominations) and seminaries throughout the U.S. and in some foreign countries. Bob and his wife Helen of 28 years live in Algonquin, and have 3 children. Adult registration for the seminar is $20 if received by Oct. 17 and $30 after Oct. 17. Student registration is $10 if received by Oct. 17 and $15 after Oct. 17. The fee includes the book and a sack lunch. There is no refund or child care. Registration must be made with the church office in person or by mail with checks made payable to Westminster Presbyterian Church. The church office is open 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. weekdays and the phone number is (847) 695-0311.

Craft show: Good Shepherd Lutheran Church and School will host its 23rd annual "Doorway to the Holidays" fundraising craft show and luncheon from 8:30 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 1. The craft show is at Good Shepherd's Nesler Road and Route 20 Christian Life Center in Elgin. The sixth- to eighth-graders of Good Shepherd Lutheran School will serve a luncheon in the gathering room. There will also be a bake sale and cookie walk. Crafters are needed. For information, call the school office at (847) 741-7795 or visit goodshepherd-elgin.org.

Bazaar, food expo: The St. Sophia Philoptochos Society presents its annual Christmas Bazaar and Food Expo from 9 a.m. to 8 p.m. Friday, Nov. 7 and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 8 in the St. Sophia Greek Orthodox Church's recreation center, 525 Church Road (near Route 31 and I-90) in Elgin. There will be an assortment of vendors, from jewelry to designer handbags, as well as handcrafted items such as holiday decorations and floral assortments. Another highlight will be the Greek Gourmet Shop where you can find imported goodies from Greece, and after you shop the vendors, take a moment to sit and enjoy some authentic Greek cuisine such as Grecian chicken, gyros, pastitsio, spanakopita and Greek salad. For dessert, they will be offering Greek as well as American coffee and homemade Greek pastries. They will once again have their "Grandma's Attic" section, where shoppers can find hidden treasures among the various donated items. Get a raffle ticket for $2 to win prizes. There is no admission fee. For details, call (847) 888-2822.