Fox Valley religion events

Barbecue dinner: The First Congregational Church of Huntley's annual Faye's Barbecue Dinner will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. today on the field at the corner of Main and Myrtle streets. Everyone is welcome to enjoy a full dinner and dessert with entertainment. Advance tickets are $12 and can be reserved by calling the church office at (847) 669-3691. Tickets may be purchased at the door as long as they last for $13. For details, call the church at (847) 669-3691 or visit www.firsthuntley.org.

Ice cream social: First Congregational Church of Carpentersville is having an ice cream social from 1 to 4 p.m. today at the church, 30 N. Washington St. Tickets, which will be available at the door, are $3. It includes a large scoop of ice cream (with toppings), a cookie treat and beverage. There will also be a jumping castle for the children and raffles. For details, call (847) 428-1712.

Power Lab: St. John's Lutheran Church in Elgin invites children entering kindergarten to entering sixth grade to come and have a "blast" at "Power Lab: Discovering Jesus' Miraculous Power." The Power packed week is from 6 to 8:30 p.m. Aug. 4-8. During the week, children will travel to different stations to hear God's Word at "Bible Blast," play games at "Hyperspeed," create a snack at "Test Tube Treats," plus assemble crafts and sing songs that are out of this world. Each day the children will hear different Biblical Truths and how they apply to their lives. A "Bible Buddy" will be given out every day to each child to remind them of what they learned that day. While the children are moving from station to station, the parents are encouraged to stay each night for some planned sessions of fellowship, discussion and fun. There is no registration fee. A donation of $3 per day is encouraged. If you would like to register your child(ren) forms are available at the church office. The church is at 101 N. Spring St. just a couple of blocks east of the Fox River in old downtown Elgin. For details call the church at (847) 741-0814, ext. 102.

Elgin Citywide Street Revival: On Aug. 6-7, join the African-American Minister Alliance for the Elgin Citywide Street Revival at the Elgin City Hall plaza, between the Hemmens and city hall buildings. The revival will begin nightly starting at 6:30 p.m. Each night will feature praise through songs performed by various choirs, testimonials, and preaching. Come out and support this spiritually uplifting program. The revival is sponsored by the African-American Christian Minister Alliance.

Picnic at Good Shepherd: Good Shepherd Lutheran School is having a picnic celebration for the community from noon to 7 p.m. Aug. 7 at its 1111 Van St. location. All are welcome to come see the improvements made to the school to meet the needs of today's learners, and register for the new year. Come see the "face lift" staff and school members have done to the building, and learn about its accreditation, curriculum, and Lutheran-based education, and enjoy food. This is an opportunity to visit the classroom and meet the teachers. All teachers will be on hand to describe what a typical day is like and answer any questions parents have. Good Shepherd strives to meet the individual needs of children in the classroom and provides a wide variety of learning experiences. The school is accepting enrollment for the 2008-09 school year for preschool through eighth grade. Preschool and kindergarten both offer full-day options, and both locations offer after-school care. The Van Street location houses kindergarten and grades first through eighth, and the preschool is located at the Nesler Road Christian Life Center. For information, visit the Web site at www.goodshepherd-elgin.org, or call the school at (847) 741-7795, or the preschool at (847) 697-4745.

Healing service: The Center for Spiritual Evolution offers a 7 p.m. Wednesday healing service each week with meditation and prayer. Services are held at 204 Spring St (lower level) in Cary. Previous healing services at the McHenry County Church of Religious Science demonstrated uplifting effects including high vibrational energies revealing spiritual perfection from within participants. The service begins with participants anonymously submitting prayer request forms which are then read aloud and prayed upon. Known as Spiritual Mind Treatment, it is a spiritual practice that is also scientific. It allows emotional, mental, and physical healing to occur by one's consciousness accepting direct spiritual influence which includes new perceptions about old challenges. With practice it literally rewires patterns of thought, changing the brain's neural network to think from an affirmative perspective. The founder of Religious Science, Ernest Holmes writes, "A treatment is a conscious movement of thought. There is no hocus-pocus in mental treatment. It is definite, conscious, concrete and explicit." The Rev. Anne Muelleman will deliver a short message leaving ample time for prayer, meditation, and spiritual mind treatment by the pastor and the church's licensed practitioners in response to the healing requests. Visit the Web site at www.newthoughtmchenry.org for details or call (847) 516-1950.

Register for preschool: Noah's Ark Christian Preschool and Kindergarten, 98 Algonquin Road (at Route 59) in Barrington, has limited openings for the 2008-09 school year which begins Sept. 2. Preschool hours are from 9 to 11:30 a.m. and kindergarten hours are 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Classes are available for children age 2 to 6. For details, call (847) 844-3738 or visit www.BarringtonUMC.com.