McHenry County religion notes
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, Aug. 9, the Rev. Erla Boyle will be the guest minister at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services at First Congregational Church, 11628 E. Main St. in Huntley. Her sermon will be "Comfort Food" based on Luke 10. The Sunday school children, after attending the first part of the 9 a.m. service, will have another "Fun in the Sun" activity, this time called Relay Races and Classic Games. This month's mission is the Hospice of Northeastern Illinois. The Grafton Food Pantry needs for August are brownie mix, canned vegetables, any kind of snack, and tuna. On Wednesday, Clickin Sticks, the knit/crochet group, will meet at 1 p.m. On Saturday, Aug. 8, the Emergent Worship service will be at 5 p.m. in the sanctuary. The church will have a craft booth at the Farmer's Market from 8 a.m. to noon. For details, call (847) 669-3691 or visit www.firsthuntley.org.
St. John Lutheran: This weekend, guest speaker, the Rev. Paul Schuth will deliver the message, "Ready to Give Up?", based upon 1 Kings 19:1-8, at 5:30 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m. Sunday at St. John Lutheran Church, 300 Jefferson St., Algonquin. Adult Bible class Sunday at 8 a.m. A supervised nursery is offered at the 9 a.m. service; no Sunday school for the summer. There will be no Monday evening worship Aug. 10. 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 will resume Sept. 20 in the new church building. On Sunday, Aug. 9, the church's annual picnic will start after the late service in Cole Pavilion at Deicke Park. On Tuesdays at Citizens Bank, the first music team will meet at 5 p.m. with the second music team at 6 p.m. At 7 p.m., Shepherd Voices Choir will meet at the new church. On Thursday, Aug. 13, the Prayer Shawl Knitting Group will meet at 9 a.m. at Citizens Bank. Aug. 16 will be the last service at the Cosman Center, with the first service at the new church on Aug. 13. Dedication Sunday will be Sept. 13, with special guests Bishop Gary Wollersheim and the Rev. Ken McKnight, founding pastor. A buffet luncheon will follow at Walleye Grill. Luncheon tickets are available on Sundays. A community open house will be from 2 to 4 p.m. Sept. 20. The church is sponsoring a blood drive for Saturday, Sept. 5, at the new church. More details for donation hours and appointments times will be available soon. No blood pressure screening during August and September; it will resume Oct. 18 and continue on the third Sunday of each month. The church golf outing is scheduled for Sunday, Aug. 30, at Craig Woods Golf Club. Tickets are for sale each Sunday. 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, Aug. 9, the Rev. Bruce Cole will lead the blended service at 9 a.m. and contemporary service at 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. 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. New members are welcome. A new Bible study for high school students will be held at 11 a.m. on Tuesdays in August at Panera Bread on Randall Road. All high school students are welcome. Adult Bible studies are offered at 9 a.m. Wednesdays to discuss the scripture of the upcoming sermon; and again at 7 p.m. Wednesdays. The topic of the evening study is "What it Means to be a Christian." The Men of Faith will hold their monthly breakfast, fellowship and discussion at 8 a.m. Saturday, Aug. 8 at the Old Country Buffet in Crystal Lake. In honor of the 11th anniversary of the Apollo mission, the discussion will be what the mission of men of faith should be. If you are interested in membership at Faith, the monthly membership class is at 11:45 Sunday, Aug. 9 in the sanctuary. Meet with the pastor and other members of the staff team to learn more about the church's mission, vision, beliefs and values. Call (224) 569-6501 or visit www.fccwired.tv. "Play 2 Learn" playgroups for children ages 2-4 will be offered each Tuesday and Thursday morning here at FCC. For details, call April LoCoco at (847) 309-8445. Open enrollment for preschool has begun. To schedule an appointment call Director Michelle Sullivan at (224) 569-6512.
Unitarian church: On Sunday, Aug. 9, the sermon theme is "Journey to Israel and Palestine"at 10:45 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Congregation of Woodstock, 221 Dean St. During the summer through Labor Day Sunday, they have summer services at the regular time, either upstairs or downstairs depending on the particular service. Carol Alfus will host and Marcia Johnson will discuss a trip she participated in to the Holy Land with 45 Lutheran Bishops. Everyone is welcome, including children. For details call the church at (815) 338-0731, e-mail office@cucw.org, or visit www.cucw.org.
First Congregational: On Sunday, Aug. 9, the Rev. Budd Friend-Jones and the Rev. Mary Cramer will co-celebrate the 10 a.m. service at First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St., Crystal Lake, with a Hymn Sing at 9:45 a.m. Nursery care will be provided. The Sacrament of Holy Communion will be celebrated. Sunday school for children through third grade will be available. The First Forum will be at 8:30 a.m. On Monday, Aug. 10, join in yoga at 6:30 p.m. in the fellowship hall, followed at 7 p.m. by the church council meeting in the multipurpose room. On Wednesday, Aug. 12, Seasons of the Spirit Bible study is held at 10:15 a.m. in the Banner Library. On Friday, Aug. 14, join in softball at 8 p.m. at Lippold Park. On Saturday, Aug. 15, the Family Scavenger Hunt will be held at 5 p.m. in the fellowship hall. For details, call (815) 459-6010 or visit fcc-cl.org.
McHenry County Church of Religious Science: In August, the prosperity secrets of Moses is the theme at 10 a.m. at the Center for Spiritual Evolution, McHenry County Church of Religious Science. On Sunday, Aug. 9, the Rev. Anne Muelleman will reveal the prosperity promises found in the story of Moses crossing the Red Sea and then having enough food and water to sustain them on their journey. In the physical realm, it was impossible to cross such a vast sea and equally impossible to bring along enough sustenance, yet they did. The topic this week is "Crossing the Red Sea and Gathering Manna" with special music by Gloria Taylor. For those wanting to dig deeper into the richness of this story there is an accompanying book study from 7 to 9 p.m. Wednesday based on Catherine Ponder's classic book "The Millionaire Moses." Love offering is accepted. 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. There is a Tuesday morning mediation with Bhanta Sujatha at 10 a.m. for a $10 donation.
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.