Batavia interfaith service is Aug. 31 at Riverwalk

Batavia clergy and religious leaders are planning an interfaith service at noon Aug. 31 at the Batavia Riverwalk at Houston Street and Island Avenue. The service, which will take place under a tent with chairs provided, is part of the celebration of Batavia's 175th anniversary. A community picnic will follow the service at 1 p.m.

Christian clergy will be joined by Mazher Ahmed of Batavia, a member of the Islamic community, and Rabbi Shmuel Mann of Temple B'nai Israel in Aurora. The call to worship will be sounded by the ringing of bells in the Christian tradition, the ram's horn as in the Jewish tradition, and the call to worship that is heard from mosques several times a day in Muslim nations.

"Our focus will be on thanking God for our wonderful community," said the Rev. David Foxgrover of Batavia Congregational Church, one of the organizers. "We take everything for granted in a community like this. We will also look at the past to reflect on what the religious community did for the common good of the community. And we will talk about what we can do in the future."

Other clergy participating are the Rev. Michael Rasicci of Calvary Episcopal Church in Batavia, the Rev. Chris Ek of Batavia Covenant Church and the Rev. Jan Little of Fox Valley Unity in Batavia.

Jean Ton will play the keyboard to accompany songs of praise.

"It's a fun celebration but we will be setting aside a few moments to praise God and dedicate ourselves to serving the command good," Foxgrover said.

Call (630) 879-1999 for details.

Block party:

Cornerstone Community Baptist Church will host a summer bash/block party from 3 to 7 p.m. Aug. 30 at the church at 307 Banbury Road (across from Schneider Elementary School) in North Aurora.

Music will be provided by Christian artist Brian Hill, James Vrettos and the band Velvet Hammer. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be served and there will be a jumping castle and a dunk tank.

Call the church at (630) 896-8010 or visit www.ccbc7.org.

Aurora gathering:

The public is invited to Aurora's second annual citywide worship gathering from 4 to 5:30 p.m. Aug. 24 at McCarty Park on Galena Boulevard east of Route 25 in Aurora. The event is titled "Celebrate Jesus Together."

The gathering will present a citywide gospel choir and combined Latino worship. The audience will hear messages from several Aurora pastors. English to Spanish translation will be provided.

Participants are requested to bring a lawn chair or blanket.

Parking is available around McCarty Park, and in many neighboring church parking lots.

Visit www.lovefoxvalley.org or call (630) 859-0600.