Cook Co. religion notes

Your faith To submit items, e-mail faith@dailyherald.com, or send fax to (847) 427-1301.

Adult education

Immanuel United Church of Christ will hold a new weekly Parents Group Mondays in the west classroom during the same time as the Lifeboat High School Community Youth Group, 6:30 to 8:30 p.m., 1500 Old Church Road Streamwood. (630) 837-0190 or streamwoodiucc.org.

The next series of New Member Classes for Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA) will be held at 9:45 a.m. June 1, 8 and 15 at the church, 930 W Higgins Road, Schaumburg. Anyone interested in membership at Prince of Peace should contact the church office at (847) 885-7010 to confirm your attendance. For more information about the church, visit princeofpeace.net.

The Ministry of New Beginnings, part of the Phoenix Group, is a 31-year-old, Catholic-oriented, nondenominational social support organization for separated, divorced, widowed and single persons. Meetings are held every Monday (except holidays) at 7:30 p.m. in the Hughes Center in front of St. Matthew's Church, 1001 E. Schaumburg Road in Schaumburg. (847) 891-1220, $3 per meeting, with first visit free.

St. Hubert Job and Networking Ministry, 729 Grand Canyon Blvd., Hoffman Estates, holds a variety of non-denominational events free and open to all occupations. Learn the fundamentals of careering and get in-depth knowledge from the seminars and meetings and career topics offered in various area locations. Call Bob Podgorski at (847) 925-6005.

Children, teens

Living Lord Lutheran Preschool will offer three separate summer camps. All camps are open to children age 3-5 years (entering kindergarten in the fall) and will be held from 9-11:30 a.m. Mondays-Thursdays. Camp weeks are June 23-26, July 14-17, and Aug. 11-14. For more information or to register, contact Nancy Collins at (630) 830-7158 or nancy.collins@livinglordlutheran.org. A minimum of 10 children per week are required to run each camp. For more preschool information, visit the preschool page at www.livinglordlutheran.org. Living Lord Preschool is located at 1044 Congress Drive, just south of Stearns Road on Route 59.

Immanuel Evangelical Lutheran (Missouri Synod), 1116 Devon Ave., Bartlett, has preschool openings for the fall session for 2-, 3- and 4-year-old children. (630) 483-9611.

Parents who would like to have their children baptized at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church (ELCA) in Schaumburg must attend a series of three classes. The classes explore faith development, the sacrament of baptism, how church and family partner to raise children in faith, and other topics. The next classes will be held at the church at 11 a.m. June 1, at 9:45 a.m., June 8, and at 11 a.m. June 22. Call (847) 885-7010 to register for the classes. Prince of Peace Lutheran Church is located at 930 W Higgins Road, Schaumburg. For more information, visit princeofpeace.net.

St. Hubert Catholic School, 255 Flagstaff Lane, Hoffman Estates, continues registration for new students for the upcoming 2008-2009 school year for preschool, kindergarten, first- through sixth-grade elementary, and seventh- and eighth-grade junior high. New to the 2008-2009 school year will be a five-day, full-day combined 3- and 4-year-old preschool program, in addition to the current half-day early childhood program offerings. (847) 885-7702.

Prince of Peace Preschool and Kindergarten, 930 W. Higgins Road, Schaumburg, has begun registration for the 2008-09 school year. It offers several different options for preschool and kindergarten classes, and an extended day through a Parents' Day Out program. (847) 885-7036.

The Big Barn Preschool at 888 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg, has openings for full-day programs for ages 3-5. Registrations also are being accepted for special summer programs. Call Director Mary Fisher at (847) 895-3257.

Beth Tikvah Congregation will offer Camp Tikvah this summer for children entering kindergarten through fourth grade. The camp has two sessions running from June 23-July 3, and July 7-18. Registration is now being accepted. (847) 885-4545 or www.beth-tikvah.org.

Fundraisers

St. Andrew United Methodist Church, 250 N. Gary Ave., Carol Stream, is searching for crafters for this year's Corn Fest on Aug. 2. If you are a crafter or a local artisan who would like to sell your creations at this year's event, call Vicki Wright (630) 510-0145 to receive booth information.

Crop 'til you drop and stamp 'til you cramp. From 2-11 p.m. today, join stamping and scrapbooking pals at Living Lord Lutheran Church, 1044 Congress Drive, Bartlett.

The cost is $25 to reserve a space. A light dinner is included and more food will be available for purchase. Borrow stamps and ink pads, take breakout classes and participate in a raffle for prizes.

For details or to register, call Glenda Travelstead at (630) 213-2061 or visit www.thankyoucrop.eventbrite.com. Proceeds will benefit the ministries of Living Lord Church.

Get a gift for Mom and help a mother in a Third World country by shopping at Gifts of the World, a not-for-profit shop at 888 S. Roselle Road, Schaumburg,. The shop has unique, handmade gifts created mostly by women in developing countries. Items include jewelry, silk scarves, purses, carved boxes, candleholders, household items and art pieces. Register for gift drawings to be held Friday. Winners will be notified by phone. Store hours are 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday, Friday and Saturday and other times by appointment. Call (847) 895-3676.

St Paul United Church of Christ, Barrington, will be holding a car wash in the church parking lot from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today. Proceeds will fund the church's mission trip to the Bridger, South Dakota Indian reservation where the team will help with building and repair projects. Rain date for the car wash is May 18 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. St Paul is located at 401 E Main St. (847) 381-0460.

Lectures, seminars

Holy Family Catholic Community will offer the Gifted Discovery Lab from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at the church, 2515 W. Palatine Road, Inverness.

Come and discover your gifts for life and ministry in this one-day workshop. Find out how your personality type, interests and life experiences reflect the uniqueness of you as a person.

For more information, call (847) 359-0042 or visit www.holyfamilyparish.org.

Men's fellowship

St. Matthew Lutheran Church, 720 Dundee Ave., Barrington, will host a Men's Prayer Breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. May 17 at the Onion Pub in Lake Barrington. The event is sponsored by the Board of Christian Education at St. Matthew. Guest speaker for the breakfast will be Kevin Eyster, who will be sharing his personal testimony of how a life-threatening medical emergency changed his life. Tickets are $20. Reservations for the breakfast can be made by calling the church at (847) 382-7002.

Miscellaneous

Faith World Outreach, 6N100 Route 59, Bartlett, is partnering with Angel Food Ministries to provide groceries to those in need. For $25, a family in need receives a box of quality groceries, both fresh and frozen items. (630) 830-0193 or visit the Web site at angelfoodministries.com.

Living Lord Lutheran Church in Bartlett will host a community blood drive from 8 a.m. to noon today at the church, 1044 Congress Drive, just south of Stearns Road on Route 59. Heartland Blood Centers will sponsor the event. For an appointment, call Holly Gould at (224) 238-3093. Walk-ins also are welcome.

All kinds of school supplies -- paper, pencils, pens, and books are needed in Tanzania. The Missions Ministry Group at Barrington United Methodist Church is asking the community to bring school supplies of all types to the church and put them in a special receptacle in the narthex marked "Tanzania." The church learned of the need from Peace Corps volunteer Pete Wesley, who grew up in North Barrington and has been stationed in Tanzania. For more information, contact Kiran Frey at (847) 382- 5410. Barrington United Methodist is located at 98 Algonquin Road (at Route 59) in Barrington. (847) 836-5540 or visit the Web site barringtonumc.com.

Performances

St. Marcelline Catholic Church's Music Ministry presents its Sixth Annual Spring Concert at 7 p.m. May 18 at the church, 822 S. Springinsguth Road, Schaumburg. The concert is free. The concert features the Sanctuary Choir, Jubilation Ringers and the Joyful Noise Children's Choir. For more information, call (847) 524-4429 or visit www.stmarcelline.com.

The Midwest Chamber Strings with Taka Matsunaga, music director, will hold its 3rd Annual Spring Concert May 25 at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, 930 W. Higgins Road, Schaumburg. Doors open at 2 p.m., with the performance starting at 2:30 p.m.

Featured music will include Mozart Piano Concerto No. 13 (Midori Saito, piano), Vivaldi Concerto in D minor, Sibelius Andante Festivo and more. The 48 members of the group range in age from 9 years old to adults.

A party will be held after the concert at the church. The public is welcome. Admission is $10 at the door, and free for kids under 5. A free nursery room will be available with a licensed kindergarten teacher.

For more details, call Midwest Conservatory of Music at (847) 312-3690 or e-mail to info@midwestconservatory.com.

Seniors

Victory Centre of Bartlett, 1101 W. Bartlett Road, Bartlett, will offer the following events. They are free and open to the public, but reservations are encouraged. For details, call (630) 213-0100.

• May 17 at 3:30 p.m.: Pastor Pearley Champion of the Peace, Mercy and Charity Church of Forest Park will speak, and members of the choir will sing.

May 23 at 2 p.m.: A Quarterly Memorial Service will be held honoring all those who have passed away. Chaplain Nicole Grasse of Vitas Hospice will lead the service, and candle-lighting, special music and a time for sharing memories are included. Everyone is welcome from all faiths.

May 25 at 3 p.m.: In honor of Asian/Pacific American Heritage Month, a program on Indian weddings and dance will be presented. Enjoy watching folk dance from Punjab and modern Bollywood dance led by dancers Samir and Suraj Mehta of Bartlett. Madhu Mehta will demonstrate henna art. After the presentation, the movie "Bride and Prejudice" will be shown.

Special services

Congregation Kneseth Israel holds Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m. Fridays and 9:30 a.m. Saturdays at the synagogue, 330 Division St., Elgin. Religious school for pre-kindergarten to high school. (847) 741-5656 or ckielgin.org.

Congregation Shirat Shalom offers Shabbat services every Saturday at 9:45 a.m., followed by a community kiddush luncheon. At 12:30 p.m. today will be a class on "Medinat Yisrael, 60 Years of Independence." Tot Shabbat services are on the third Friday of the month. Adult education classes are on Thursdays and Saturdays. (847) 695-6246, e-mail hazzansarah@gmail.com, or visit CongregationShiratShalom.org.

Faith World Outreach Church will offer two services May 18 with worship leader and recording artist Daniel Eric Groves. The events are free and child care is provided. The events will be at 10:45 a.m. and 7 p.m., respectively, at Faith World Outreach Church, 1280 S. Route 59, Bartlett. For details, call (630) 830-0196 or visit danielericgroves.org.

A prayer service for peace in the Middle East will be held at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at Lutheran Church of the Atonement, 909 Main St. in Barrington. The service includes reading from the Bible, music, and prayers for peace in the Middle East. Following the service there will be a presentation "Islamic Fundamentalism: Is it Fact or Fiction?" by Dr. Khalid Sami, a Muslim and a practicing physician anesthesiologist. He is a native of India, has been in the U.S. since 1963 and now lives in Roselle. The service will continue to be held on the 15th of each month until a just and lasting peace is achieved. The prayer service is part of an ecumenical effort in the U.S. and the world to pray daily until peace comes to the region. (847) 381-0243 or visit elca.org/middleeast.

Vacation Bible school

Register children entering kindergarten-fifth grade now for vacation Bible school at Living Lord Lutheran Church in Bartlett. "God's Big Backyard" will run from 9 a.m.-noon June 16-20. Kids will learn all about serving others through engaging Bible stories, fun crafts, exciting games, and music with praise band Captive Free. The fee is $25 and includes snacks and crafts. Free T-shirt if registered by May 31. For more information and registration, visit livinglordlutheran.org or call (630) 830-3630. Living Lord Church is located at 1044 Congress Drive, on Route 59 just south of Stearns Road.

Registrations are being accepted now for vacation Bible school, June 16-20 at Church of the Cross, 475 W. Higgins Road, Hoffman Estates. Power Lab will be fizzing with fun for children ages 3 to 12. Call (847) 885-1199 or register online at www.cotc-pcusa.org.