Fox Valley relgion events
Dinner theater: "Music 101: A Dinner Theatre/Musical with Class" will be presented at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 2 and Saturday, Oct. 3, in the Activity Center at St. John Lutheran Church, 300 Jefferson St., Algonquin. The story line follows the plight of New Horizons which needs a music teacher. Enter Miss Moselle. She is young, hip and has a love of music. Her goal for the school year is to help the students gain a respect of and interest in music. Will she succeed in teaching the class or will she be schooled herself? Tickets are $15; there will be special discounts of $1 per year for kids, age 12 and younger. For tickets, call director Tim Groskopf at (847) 767-3705.
"Into the Woods": This year's fall drama by the FCC Players of the First Congregational Church of Huntley will be the enjoyable "Into the Woods" by Stephen Sondheim and James Lapine. Performances will be held at 1 p.m. Saturdays and Sundays, through Oct. 4, on the empty lot at the corner of Main and Grove streets. Tickets are $10 and will be sold at the site. Seating will be on a first-come, first-served basis. Folding chairs will be available, but audience members are invited to bring lawn chairs or blankets or even a picnic lunch to enjoy before the show. Refreshments will be available for purchase. Everyone is invited.
Festival of chocolate: "Chocolate! The Festival" will be held from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, 357 Division St., Elgin. The festival includes handmade chocolates for sale by the piece along with a bakery of chocolate desserts. Red Bar Winery & Bistro will hold a wine tasting and sale. An art show with demonstrations and workshops and a rummage sale will be part of the event. A lunch of chocolate chili and hot dogs will be available. Admission is free. The festival is open to the public. For details, call (847) 742-2025 or visit holytrinityelgin.org.
Church Women United: The Elgin-South Elgin Unit of Church Women United will meet at 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3, at the First Presbyterian Church, 240 Standish St., Elgin. There will be a potluck luncheon. The speaker will be Audrey DeCoursey, associate pastor of Highland Avenue Church of the Brethren. The theme is "Seeking Shalom," and the pastor will talk about her interests and travels while working for world peace. For details, call Peggy Homfeldt, (847) 741-6358.
Fall Festival: Light of Christ Preschool will hold a Fall Festival fundraiser from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 3 and Sunday, Oct. 4. There will be games, face painting and food. Tickets are $1 per activity/item. Pumpkins and mums will be available for purchase. Light of Christ Lutheran Church is at 100 Hanson Road in Algonquin.
Anniversary dinner: Bethlehem Lutheran Church in West Dundee is celebrating 100 years. A dinner will be held at 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Holiday Inn, 495 Airport Road, Elgin. Bethlehem began 100 years ago from a group of people who attended Immanuel Lutheran Church and has been proud, strong part of the Dundee community for many years. All this year the church has been celebrating the anniversary on a monthly basis with many former ministers and lay people coming to share their journeys and connections to Bethlehem. Tickets can be purchased through the 100th Anniversary Committee members or by calling the church office at (847) 426-7133 and speak to Jan from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. weekdays. Historical brass ornaments will also be on sale at the time of the ticket purchase.
Pet blessing: Bethany Lutheran Church invites all pet owners and animal lovers to bring their animals for a Service of Blessing at 11:15 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, to the church, 76 W. Crystal Lake Ave., Crystal Lake. They will gather outside for prayer and song as they bless all God's creatures. Proper cages and leashes required to best care for the little creatures and little children. For details, call the church office at (815) 459-2690.
Life Chain Sunday: St. Catherine of Siena Parish in West Dundee will participate in National Life Chain Sunday from 2:30 to 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the corner of routes 72 and 31. All ages are welcome to come and join in this hour of quiet and respectful prayer. For details, call Debbie Schmalen at (847) 426-7326.
Concert: The Ondas Ensemble, which specializes in the music of Central and South American classical composers, will perform at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 4, at the Presbyterian Church of Barrington, 6 Brinker Road. Works by Hector Villa-Lobos, Astor Piazolla and Chicago-based composer Elbio Barilari will be performed. The concert is free. Cash donations will benefit the work of the church mission committee.
Workshop: In Christ Image Training Level 1 Course will be offered at Immanuel Lutheran Church in East Dundee beginning in October. This is a class designed by the Rev. Francis Frangipani, best-selling author of 14 books and founder of River of Life Ministries in Cedar Rapids, Iowa. Biff and Eileen Hawkey, graduates of ICIT, will facilitate this class, which will be at 6 p.m. Sundays, beginning Oct. 4, in the church office conference room. Tuition per person is $75 and includes all class materials, online materials, online tests and audio CDs. For details, visit frangipane.org, ICI Training, Level 1. To register, call Biff or Eileen Hawkey at (847) 426-5877 or e-mail neenbiff@sbcglobal.net.
"Answers for the End of Life": St. Mary Church, 10307 Dundee Road, Huntley, presents an opportunity to learn the facts and Catholic perspective from an expert. The Respect Life Ministry presents its third annual Dorothy O'Grady speaker series, "Answers for the End of Life" presented by Bonnie Quirk, at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 5. Quirk is a registered nurse specializing in the ICU. An active abortion opponent since 1968, she is a co-founder of the Lake County Right to Life. She is also a founding member of the International Task Force working hard against euthanasia. She is active in all levels of the Right to Life movement, especially with the Chicago Archdiocese. She and her husband have six children and eight grandchildren. Refreshments will be served. Child care will be provided. For details, call (847) 669-3137.
ProLife Month: On Friday, Oct. 9, abortion opponent speaker Yvonne Florzcak-Seeman will speak at 6:30 p.m. at St. Thomas the Apostle's Oak Street Church in Crystal Lake. Churches throughout the region celebrate October as ProLife Month. During this month, there are a variety activities and events that occur within different parishes. As an organized effort between aborton opponents groups, Florzcak-Seeman and Tom Salvi have been asked to address the difficulty and effects of abortion and the importance of the healing process. "With the pending health care legislation, it is more critical than ever for citizens to become as informed as they can be and take an active role in protecting all life," said Jean Diamond, event organizer and Chairman of the St. Thomas ProLife Committee. Florzcak-Seeman is a national speaker and a frequent guest on Relevant Radio. She has worked with the Archdiocese of Chicago speaking to youth on the importance of chastity. She has written two books, "A Time to Speak" and "A Time to Heal," providing guidance for women who have had an abortion through the healing process. Salvi is a well-known internal medicine physician who speaks locally on the physical effects of abortion and its profound effects on family and community. The event, organized by the St. Monica Guild and St. Thomas Pro-Life Committee, is open to the public and free, donations appreciated. For details, call (815) 245-4556 or e-mail wheelsback@aol.com.
'Whole Day of Holy Play': Church Women United of the Barrington Area invites all women to a "Whole Day of Holy Play" from 8 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 10, at Techny Towers in Northbrook. Candee Nustra, CWU president, describes the day: "Based on the Biblical story of Queen Esther, who really knew how to play, we will explore how we, as women of God, may play, be pampered, love our sisters and serve our God by serving others." For complete information, see downloadable details at churchwomenunited.freehostia.com, contact any Church Women United representative or call Community Church of Barrington at (847) 381-1294.
Catholics Returning Home: Have you drifted away from the Catholic Church? Perhaps it is time to look at the issues again with the hope of healing past hurts. St. Margaret Mary Catholic Church, 111 S. Hubbard St. in Algonquin, invites you to its "Catholics Returning Home" program at 7:30 p.m. beginning Tuesday, Oct. 13. No reservation is required. For details, call the parish office at (847) 658-7625.
Open house: On Wednesday, Oct. 14, Immanuel Lutheran School in East Dundee will open its doors for a community open house. Parents of prospective families, neighbors and interested members of the community are invited to take a look inside the preschool and kindergarten classrooms. Reservations are suggested but not required. The preschool will be open from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. for tours. Meet with the teachers and tour the facilities. Information on the curriculum will be available. Children are welcome with adults. The kindergarten will be open during class times from 9 to 11 a.m. and 1 to 3 p.m. to allow participants to see the school in action. Come see the successful methods Immanuel has been using to teach children as young as kindergarten to read. The teacher and principal will be available for questions. If you would like a tour of first through eighth grades, call the office to schedule an appointment. Reservations are suggested for the open house but not required. All interested members of the community are welcome. For details, call the school office at (847) 428-1010 or visit Immanuel-ed.org/school.
Olive Tree Project: The Lutheran Church of the Atonement in Barrington, in collaboration with the Environmental Education Center of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in Jordan and the Holy Land, plans to offer a peaceful, green response to the violence in the Middle East by assisting in an ongoing project of "Planting New Olive Trees - Planting New Hope." The center works at bridging cultures and making personal connections for peace and reconciliation with both Israeli and Palestinian peoples. Members of Atonement will be personally planting some of these olive trees in November while making a pilgrimage to the Holy Land. Orders for $20 must be in before Oct. 15. To purchase a tree, visit churchofatonement.org to download an order form.
Library conference: The Evangelical Church Library Conference, "Celebrate God's Faithfulness Through the Ages," will be held on Friday, Oct. 23 and Saturday, Oct. 24, at the College Church Commons, 332 E. Seminary Ave., Wheaton. This conference is sponsored by the ECLA whose purpose is to enrich lives through the ministry of well-organized church and school libraries and media centers. The conference features practical worships, speakers, a book swap and much more. Librarians and book lovers are welcome. For details and cost of the conference, visit ECLAlibraries.org or call (630) 375-7865.
Sean Feucht comes to Huntley: Join Morning Star Church and The River Church in Huntley for a worship conference with Sean Feucht and his full band on Friday, Oct. 23 to Sunday, Oct. 25. It features intense worship, passionate music and a driving desire to touch the heart of God. He will be accompanied by his full band, including Will Regan, Brandon Hampton, John Romero, Andrea Carr and Terrell Pierce. Feucht is the founder and director of the Burn 24-7. Meeting times are 7:14 p.m. Friday, Oct. 23; 6 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24; and 10 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. There is no charge for these meetings. Morning Star Church and The River Church are at 41W350 Powers Road, Huntley. For details, call (847) 669-9800 or visit morningstarwoc.org and theriver-church.com.
Flu shots: St. John's Evangelical Lutheran Church and School, 300 Jefferson St. Algonquin, will offer flu vaccinations from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. Flu vaccinations are $24.99. Appointments are recommended. To make an appointment, call the Crystal Lake Walgreens at (815) 455-2460. For details about the vaccination schedule, call Lou at (847) 854-8089.
Halloween Fun Night: Good Shepherd Lutheran Preschool will hold its annual Halloween Fun Night at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 30, at its 195 Nesler Road Christian Life Center, Elgin. Kids of all ages can enjoy the fun with storyteller Chris Fascione for entertainment. Every child will receive a bag of treats after a costumed parade. Admission is $10 per family; all children must be accompanied by an adult. To register, call (847) 697-4745. The school is accepting enrollment for the 2009-10 school year. It offers an all-day kindergarten and first-fifth grade at 1111 Van St., and preschool at its Nesler Road location. Before-school care is available for preschool and after-school care is available at both sites. For details, visit goodshepherd-elgin.org.
Fish boil, Rib Fest: On Sunday, Nov. 1, Bethlehem Lutheran Church, 401 W. Main St., West Dundee, will host its annual Fish Boil and Rib Fest. The cost is $17 for fish only; $18 for fish and ribs; or $10 for children 12 and younger. Tickets can be purchased through any outreach member or by calling the church office at (847) 426-7133 and speak to Jan from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Also there will be a silent auction.