Fox Valley religious events

Boundaries: Winter blues? Come discover the warmth of meaningful adult fellowship and Bible study at Barrington United Methodist Church, 98 Algonquin Road (at Route 59) in Barrington. Starting Jan. 11 from 9:15 to 10:15 a.m. Sundays, join them in the parlor for the DVD-based study, "Boundaries" by Henry Cloud. "Boundaries impact all areas of our lives: Physical boundaries help us determine who may touch us, mental boundaries give us the freedom to have our own thoughts, emotional boundaries help us to deal with our own emotions and spiritual boundaries help us to distinguish God's will from our own." All are welcome. Call (847) 836-5540 or visit: www.BarringtonUMC.com.

Finance workshop: "More Than Money Matters," an interactive, values-based money management workshop, will be offered from 9:30 to 10:30 a.m. Sundays, Jan. 11 to Feb. 15 at Immanuel Lutheran Church, 310 E. Main St. in East Dundee. The workshop, developed by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans, will be presented by Nancy Winterburg, congregational relationship manager, Thrivent Financial for Lutherans - Chicagoland Region. "More Than Money Matters" starts with a foundation of stewardship. Attendees will learn how to identify what's most important in their lives and set goals. They will also learn how to make sharing, saving and spending decisions in line with personal values and use basic management tools to help budget, reduce debt and find money to save. The six sessions include: "Stewardship and Values" defines what stewardship means to you, identify your values and align how you share, save and spend your money; "Communicating About Money" provides tools to help you effectively communicate about money with your spouse, children, financial professionals and others; "Setting Goals" highlights the importance of setting goals, how to calculate the cost of your goals, as well as learning techniques for managing pressure to spend; "Credit and Debt" learn how overusing credit or having too much debt can prevent you from achieving your goals; "Finding Money to Save" focuses on helping you develop skills to find money to save. You'll learn specific ways to increase your income and decrease your spending, as well as how to develop a savings plan; "Budget and Net Worth" shows how to make and manage a budget to achieve your goals. There is no cost for you to attend the More Than Money Matters workshop. To register, call the church office at (847) 428-4477. The registration deadline is Monday, Jan. 5. The community is invited to attend.

Faith to Faith: A coalition of McHenry County faith communities has developed a two-year lay certification program in interfaith studies to respond to these and other questions. Described as "more rigorous than a simple Sunday school approach but less demanding than a university program," "Faith to Faith, Face to Face" will bring representatives of Chicago's faith traditions to McHenry County for reflection and dialogue. Classes will meet from 7 to 9 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of each month beginning Jan. 15, at the First Congregational Church, 461 Pierson St. in Crystal Lake. (Transportation to and from the Metra station can be arranged for no charge.) Dates will change occasionally to accommodate the holy days and festivals of each faith, or major secular holidays. There will be nine or 10 class meetings each semester. The registration fee is $145 per person per semester. Using a model developed by the London Inter Faith Centre, "Faith To Faith, Face to Face" draws on expertise and leadership from Chicago's universities and diverse religious communities. Classes are designed for people from all faith communities. A diverse class membership will make for a richer experience for all. There are no academic prerequisites. A "Certificate of Interfaith Studies" will be awarded by FaithBridge upon the successful completion of the four semesters. Participants will learn about the beliefs, practices, history and texts of various world faith traditions. They will become acquainted with the diversity within each faith tradition considered. They will reflect upon the positive and negative contributions of religion to contemporary global, national and local conflicts, and develop skills in multicultural communications. The program is supported by a generous grant from the McHenry County Community Foundation. Presentations for the first semester will be offered by the Rev. Fred Rajan, vice president for mission and spiritual care, Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital; Ed, Young Man Afraid of His Horse Lakota (Ogalala), spiritual leader, Pine Ridge Indian Reservation; Rabbi Maralee Gordon, McHenry County Jewish Congregation; Promila Kumar, teacher of language and culture, Hindu Temple at Lake County; Asayo Horibe, president, Buddhist Council of the Midwest; Cathy Benton, professor of Asian religions, Lake Forest College; Rabbi Laurence Edwards, Congregation Or Chadash, Chicago; Ron Miller, co-director, Common Ground, religion department chair, Lake Forest College; Ayse Arslan Cinar, community projects director, Niagara Foundation of Chicago; and Jim Kenney, co-editor, Interreligious Insight, co-director, Common Ground. Future sessions will include presentations by representatives from these and other faith traditions in the Chicago area. To obtain details or to register, call Gilbert Friend-Jones at (815) 459-6010, ext. 11; The Blue Lotus Buddhist Temple, Woodstock, (815) 444-8915; The First Congregational Church of Crystal Lake, (815) 459-6010; The Islamic Center of McHenry County, (847) 604-4818; The McHenry County Jewish Congregation, (815) 455-1810; and the Mission and Spiritual Care Department of Advocate Good Shepherd Hospital, (847) 381-9600.

Perspectives: Jesus calls Christians to be the salt of the earth, but do you wonder how you can do that? How can you use your skills and passions to glorify God in all the earth? Attend a "Perspectives" course to hear true stories of how God is using people like you. This semester-long course will provide you with a greater perspective on how to live your life with eternal significance and purpose. Since 1974, more than 70,000 believers in North America have participated in Perspectives on the World Christian Movement. In 15 lessons, you will engage with a range of dynamic speakers. Weekly readings and study will help you dig even deeper. This course is also available for college credit. For more details or to register, visit perspectives.org, call Kirk at (847) 398-7005, or e-mail to kvanmaanen@harvestbible.org. There is a fee for the course. The study will run from 6:30 to 9 p.m. Tuesdays, Jan. 20 to May 5 at Harvest Bible Chapel, 1000 N. Randall Road in Elgin.