McHenry County 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.

First Congregational: On Sunday, Feb. 1, the Rev. Michelle McNamara's sermon will be "The Power to Do," based on Mark 1:21-28, at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services at the First Congregational Church, 11628 E. Main St. in Huntley. This is Communion Sunday. The chancel choir will sing in both services and the Crusader Bell Choir will play in the first. The Mission of the Month is the Love Fund.

The Sunday school children will continue their journey called "Following the Footsteps of Jesus" by "traveling" to the town of Capernaum where the roof collapses and Jesus miraculously heals a man. The performers for this year's Hobo Show will practice at 10:30 a.m.

On Wednesday, Clickin Sticks, the knit/crochet group, will meet at 1 p.m., the Crusader Handbell Choir practices at 4:15 p.m. and the Chancel Choir will practice at 7 p.m. On Thursday, the Genesis Bells will practice at 6 p.m. and the Whitechapel Bells will practice at 7 p.m. For details, call the church at (847) 669-3691 or visit www.firsthuntley.org.

St. John Lutheran: This weekend, the Rev. William Stroup will deliver the message, "A Brother, A Prophet, A Savior," based upon Deuteronomy 18:15-20, 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 children meet at the 10:30 a.m. service Sunday, and are excused to go to their classes after the pastor's children's message. Adult Bible class Sunday at 9:15 a.m. and Sunday school at 10:30 a.m. A supervised nursery is offered at the 10:30 a.m. service. Coffee and Fellowship follows the Sunday services.

Evy's Cafe will be held from 9 to 10 a.m. on the fourth Sunday of the month.

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 Ralph Peterson at (847) 658-9311.

Shepherd of the Prairie: On Sundays, 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. Nursery care is available at both services. Sunday school is at 9 a.m. Contributions for the Grafton Food Pantry will be received Feb. 1.

On Mondays, Shepherd's Voices Choir meets at 7 p.m. at Citizens Bank. On Tuesdays at Citizens Bank, the first music team will meet at 5 p.m. with the second music team at 6 p.m.

On Wednesdays at Citizens Bank, the adult Bible Study will be at 10 a.m. and the confirmation class at 6:30 p.m. at Citizens Bank. Pizza will be at 6 p.m.

On Thursdays, Prairie Ringers Bell Choir will meet from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. at Cosman Center.

The Prairie Crafters meet at 9 a.m. Thursday, Feb. 5 at Citizens Bank. A new member orientation will be Sunday, Feb. 8 with new members being received Feb. 15. Feb. 15 is Bring a Friend to Sunday school Day.

On Fridays, the church's Prayer Hour will meet at 1 p.m.

Construction continues on the new church building at the corner of Main and Manhattan. 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, Feb. 1, the Rev. Bruce Cole will lead worship with Part 2 of the series "Help Wanted: Surviving Tough Times - I Think We Might Lose Everything" at 9 and 10:30 a.m. at Faith Community Church, 10547 Faiths Way in Huntley. Holy Communion will be celebrated. Nursery for children up to age 3 is available at both services as well as Sunday school for children from age 4 through middle school.

Faith v. 1 membership information class will be held at 11:45 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 in the sanctuary. If you are interested in hearing more about membership at FCC, join this one-hour program. Call the church office if you'd like to attend.

Awana meets every Monday with a family dinner at 5:30 p.m. and Kids Club from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Children from preschool through fifth grade are invited to attend. Everyone is welcome. On Feb. 2, the theme is "Great Outdoors Night."

Alcoholics Anonymous holds a weekly "closed" meeting at noon Sundays and 7:30 p.m. Mondays. On Tuesdays, TOPS meets at 11:30 a.m.

The middle school kids will meet for dinner, fellowship, worship and small groups from 5:15 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 4.

Adult Bible studies meet at 9 a.m. Wednesdays to study the upcoming Sunday's scripture; and again at 7:30 p.m. to study "The Parables of Jesus." Meet in the church library.

The high school kids meet from 7 to 8:30 p.m. every Wednesday. Call the church office for the location.

Open enrollment for preschool has begun. To schedule an appointment call Director Michelle Sullivan at (224) 569-6512.

Call (224) 569-6501 or visit www.fccwired.tv.

Unitarian church: On Sunday, Feb. 1, the Congregational Unitarian Church, 221 Dean St. in Woodstock, welcomes guest speaker Elizabeth Marsh at the 10:45 a.m. service. Marsh is a Unitarian Universalist seminarian at Starr King School for the Ministry in Berkeley, Calif., and is serving as the Jane Anderson campus ministry intern at the Unitarian Universalist campus center, Channing-Murray Foundation, at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana. She will present a sermon titled "Do Not Despair for the Future of the Movement."

Sue McCowin will have the "Story for All Ages" before the kids go to their religious education classes. For information, call the church at (815) 338-0731, e-mail office@cucw.org, or visit www.cucw.org.

First Congregational: On Sunday, Feb. 1, the Rev. Budd Friend-Jones will preach at 9 and 10:45 a.m. at First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St. in Crystal Lake. At the 9 a.m. service, Boy Scout Sunday will be observed.

Each Sunday at 9 and 10:45 a.m., all children, age 2 through seventh grade, will begin worship with their families. They will be excused to their appropriate Sunday school class early in the service. Nursery care and Toddler Time is provided for infants, and toddlers at each service.

On Saturday, Jan. 31, the men's fellowship breakfast will be at 8 a.m. in the fellowship hall.

On Sunday, Feb. 1, the Pilgrim Fellowship will be making Super Bowl Subs to be sold after each service as a fundraiser for their summer work tour. They will not have an evening meeting.

On Wednesday, Feb. 4, Seasons of the Spirit Bible study is held at 10:15 a.m. in the Banner Library.

On Thursday, Feb. 5, the Women's Fellowship Luncheon and Program will be held at noon in the fellowship hall. Faith to Faith, Face to Face session will be held at 7 p.m. in the Children's Worship Center. Great Decisions Discussion Program starts at 7:30 p.m. in the Banner Library.

On Saturday, Feb. 7, at 9:30 a.m., a new group, Womens Connection, invites all women to a light breakfast and a program conducted by Felicia Moller in the fellowship hall. For details, call (815) 459-6010 or visit fcc-cl.org.

McHenry County Church of Religious Science: Love in the air - is it in your heart? This month at the Center for Spiritual Evolution, a Religious Science community, you will learn how to create a consciousness of love each day as the Rev. Anne Muelleman leads you on a path of opening your hearts to receive and accept love. The Rev. Anne Muelleman's topic for Sunday, Feb. 1 is "Opening The Door" with special music by Patricia Caldwell.

Everyone is welcome to attend the 10 a.m. Sunday Celebration Service at 204 Spring St., lower level in Cary. There is a children's program and toddler care. If you arrive early, there is a meditation at 9:45 a.m. The children's Science of Mind curriculum is "Castles of Creation."

There is a Tuesday morning mediation with Bhanta Sujatha at 10 a.m. for a $10 donation. For details, call (847) 516-1950 or visit www.newthoughtmchenry.org.

Congregational Church of Algonquin: On Sunday, Feb. 1, 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 Mark 1:21-28. On Tuesdays at 7 p.m., there is a Bible Study with the pastor.

What does God want me to do with my life? If this is a question that causes you to wonder periodically, then perhaps the new adult Sunday school class, "Discovering your Spiritual Gifts" may be for you. Scripture say that everyone has at least one spiritual gift. These gifts are entrusted to you for the building up of the church. The new adult offering will help discover answers to the following: Who am I? What makes me unique? What spiritual gifts do I possess? What does God want me to do with my life? How can I make a difference in the life of the church? Join them for "What Does God Want Me to Do With My Life" at 8:45 a.m. Sundays through Feb. 15 in the fellowship hall.

There will be a Men's Breakfast at 8 a.m. Feb. 14.

The Men's Fellowship will have a Chili Cook-off at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 15.

The monthly men's breakfast will be at 8 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 21. There will be a Dixieland Service at 10 a.m. Feb. 22. The Ash Wednesday service will be at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 25.

The four-week finance class, "Building the Lifestyle You Deserve" continues from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Thursdays, through Feb. 12. What does retirement mean to you? How much will you need to invest to help you reach your retirement goals? This free information exchange provides insights and strategies where you'll discover some steps you can take to help build the retirement you want. Space is limited, call Rev. Cope at (847) 658-5308 to reserve your place.

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.

St. Paul's Anglican Church: St. Paul's Anglican Church, a traditional Episcopal Church, will worship using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer to celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Feb. 1 at the former First Presbyterian Church, 225 W. Calhoun St., Woodstock. The Rev. Michael DuCette's sermon will be based on the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 8. This will be the Fourth Sunday after Epiphany. Bible study will meet from 8:45 to 9:15 a.m.

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.

Woodstock Bible: Woodstock Bible Church, 770 E. Kimball Ave. in Woodstock, worships at 6 p.m. Saturdays and 9:30 a.m. Sundays. Nursery is available. KidzLife for age 3 to fifth grade meets at 9:30 a.m. Sunday.

On Sundays in January, authors Ray and Nancy Kane will share "Surviving the Storms of Life" at 9:30 a.m. The Kanes are professional marriage counselors; and Nancy is a professor at Moody Bible Institute.

The January Saturday worship series with the Rev. Len DiCicco is "When Opportunity Roars." When the days ahead are seen as God-sized opportunities, courage replaces fear and faith outweighs risks.

CrossRoads, Adult Recovery Groups, meets from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays. For details, call (815) 338-3006 or visit www.woodstockbiblechurch.com.