Steeple coming to Northford church

OLD LYME — Bishop Ian Douglas will baptize, confirm, receive and reaffirm 20 children, youth and adults on Sunday during the 10:30 a.m. service. He will preside at the Holy Eucharist and preach the sermon for this last Sunday after the Epiphany. The Bishop will be assisted in worship by the parish’s provisional priestin-charge, The Rev. Anita Schell. A coffee hour will be held following the service in the Griswold Room. All are invited to the worship service and the reception where the bishop will greet parishioners, families and friends.

The Rt. Rev. Ian T. Douglas, Ph.D. is the 15th Bishop Diocesan of the Episcopal Church in Connecticut, serving 160 parishes and faith communities in the state of Connecticut. Elected in October 2009, he was ordained bishop in April 2010. From 1989 to 2010 he was a faculty member at the Episcopal Divinity School in Cambridge, Massachusetts where he was the Angus Dun Professor of Mission and World Christianity. Douglas also served as Priest Associate at St. James’s Episcopal Church in Cambridge, Massachusetts from 1989-2010. Douglas resides in Essex, Connecticut with his wife, Kristin Harris. They are the parents of three young adults: Luke, Timothy, and Johanna. Ian and Kristin enjoy fitness training and outdoor activities including sailing, kayaking, skiing and walking their dog, Abby.

Saint Ann's was established in 1883 as an Episcopal mission in the Black Hall section of Old Lyme. Once a month a priest arrived on horseback to celebrate the Eucharist. In 1892 a Guild House was erected and services began to be held there. In 1923 the Diocese of Connecticut purchased the former Baptist Church on Lyme Street for the growing Saint Ann’s Parish. During the Depression, membership dwindled and the Lyme Street building was sold to the Catholic Church for $1. Saint Ann’s Parish resumed services in the Guild House where they remained an active congregation for 30 years. Saint Ann’s building was dedicated in 1956 and renovated in the summer of 2019.

Lent begins on Ash Wednesday

NORTHFORD — St . Andrew's Episcopal Church, 1382 Middletown Avenue, marks the start of the Lenten season with Ash Wednesday worship at 7 p.m. Feb. 26. All are welcome.

For more information, contact Nan Monde at 203-710-7005.

Drive-Thru Ashes offered

SEYMOUR — Great Hill United Methodist Church, 225 Great Hill Road, Seymour, is offering Drive-Thru Ashes on Ash Wednesday, Feb. 26, from 7-9 a.m. and 4-6 p.m. in the church parking lot.

‘Ash on your Dash’ at church

NORTH BRANFORD — North Branford Congregational Church is offering ashes on Feb. 26, 7-8:15 a.m. Visitors will receive coffee and a doughnut after.

The church’s Ash Wednesday evening service will be held at the church at 7 p.m.

Saint Ann’s offers ashes, eucharist, study

OLD LYME —Lent begins on Ash Wednesday with the Imposition of Ashes and Holy Eucharist at Saint Ann’s at noon and 7 p.m. The church will also begin its Lenten study group, “The Way of Love Bible Challenge” March 2. The group will meet at 4 p.m. through April 6 in the Griswold Room. All are welcome to attend.

Featuring fifty days of reflections, The Way of Love Bible Challenge is an extension of The Bible Challenge, a global initiative to encourage daily engagement with scripture and an exploration of the Word of God. The Bible Challenge is written by The Rev. Myrick Zabriskie, Rector of Christ Church, Greenwich. The text for “The Way of Love Bible Challenge” is available through the parish office.

All programs and worship services at Saint Ann’s are free and open to all. No registration is needed. There is ample parking adjacent to the church.

NORTHFORD — Now that the steel base is in place along with the permanent roof and bell platform, the bell tower and steeple are scheduled to be delivered and installed the week of Feb. 24, weather permitting, to the Northford Congregational Church, 4 Old Post Road, Routes 22 and 17. Campbellsville Industries and Petra Construction will work together to install the bell tower, place the bell inside it, and then install and attach the steeple. Once the church has been notified of a date during that week, it will be posted on our website and Facebook page

For details go to www.northfordcongregational.church or email northfordcc@gmail.com.

‘Bible Study And The New Testament’

NORTH BRANFORD — Residents are invited to explore the New Testament at the North Branford Congregational Church. Meetings are held on the first and third Tuesday of each month at 6:30 p.m. in the chapel of our church. For information, email Jennifer at bellmad1@aol.com

Church offers ongoing workshops

NORTH BRANFORD — All are invited to attend continuing community workshops every Thursday from 3-5 p.m. at Northford Congregational Church, 4 Old Post Road, Northford. Note the new time.

The workshops provide projects that help the less fortunate. During the past year, church members have helped vulnerable children, the homeless, families of service members, senior citizens, school children and others. Guests can drop in for part of the time or come for the full two hours. The workshops are ongoing.

To reach the church, call 203-4840795.

Congregation B’Nai Jacob schedules events

WOODBRIDGE — Congregation B’nai Jacob, 75 Rimmon Road, Woodbridge, announces the following:

Monday evenings, 7:30-9:30. Rabbi Shapiro teaches Pirket Avot, Ethics of the Fathers

Weekday minyan services at 7:45 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Feb. 28, 6 p.m. Shabbat Schmooze. 6:30 p.m. Shabbat evening service.

Feb. 28-March 1, Cantor Arielle Green is spending the weekend with us as a cantorial candidate. She will lead services Friday evening and Saturday morning, and will teach after Sat. Kiddush.

Feb. 29, 9 a.m. Bread and Torah, followed by Torah service at 10:15 a.m.

Participate in the Purim fundraiser by purchasing gift bags for the whole congregation and/or sending them to family members.

For information, visit https://www.bnaijacob.org/ or call 203389-2111.

Beth Israel Synagogue schedules events

WALLINGFORD — Beth Israel Synagogue, 22 N. Orchard St., Wallingford, announces the following activities and services. Go to www.bethisraelwallingford.org for more information.

Saturdays, 9:45 a.m., Bagels, Lox & Torah Study with Rabbi Bruce Alpert. Open to the community.

Temple Beth David schedules events

CHESHIRE — Temple Beth David, 3 Main St., Cheshire, announces the following events and programs.

Lunch & Learn with Rabbi Micah every Thursday at noon in the TBD social hall. Bring your own lunch.

Weekday minyan services at 7:45 a.m. and 6 p.m.

Youth Shabbat Service: First Friday for youth, 6:30 p.m.

Shabbat service: First Friday, 7 p.m. In this musical Shabbat experience, sing through much of the service. Services are participatory, spiritual, and fun.

Torah study: Join Rabbi Micah and a group of adults for Torah Study on Saturdays beginning at 8:45 a.m. and enjoy coffee, bagels, and a discussion about the weekly parsha. Details, go to www.tbdcheshire.org

St. Mary-St. Michael School to honor 10 at gala

DERBY – St. Mary-St. Michael Elementary School will honor 10 school alumni and friends for their service to the school and their community at its upcoming “Light, Camera, Auction” Gala.

Thomas and Diane Baklik, Raymond and Lori Veillette, Glenn Gaetano, Charlie and Carmen DiCenso, Walter and Janis Yakimovich, and Christine DeCrisanti will receive awards at the Gala, March 21, 6-11 p.m. at Great River Golf Club in Milford.

Baklik and the Veillettes will receive the Guardian Angel Award, which is given to individuals who have made an impact through service in their community, or for other humanitarian efforts that reflect the mission of St. Mary-St. Michael School.

Gaetano and the DiCensos will receive the Spirit of St. Mary-St. Michael School Award, which is given to alumni who have made a significant positive impact in their field or profession in the community in which they reside.

DeCrisanti and the Yakimovichs will receive the Christian Compassion Award, which is given to individuals or groups who have served the community and school in countless ways, embodying the spirit of generosity, kindness, and goodwill.

Tickets are $80 per person with tables of 12 available for $850. The event will feature a cocktail hour with passed hors d'oeuvres, dinner, a live and silent auction, live music by Acoustic Brew and dancing.

Event sponsorship opportunities are available as well as space in the event program book for advertisements, congratulatory and in memoriam messages. Contact Principal Grace Torres at gtorres@stmarystmichael.org or 203735-6471 for reservations and sponsorship information.

Proceeds will benefit current educational initiatives and enrichment programs for the school. For more information about St. Mary-St. Michael School, visit stmarystmichael.org

Church collecting used clothing

NORTHFORD — St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church, 1382 Middletown Avenue, Northford, has teamed up with St. Pauly Textile Inc., to collect used clothing. The company works with non-profit organizations like St. Andrew’s Episcopal, to set up used clothing dropoff sheds designed to give community members a clean, attractive, and well-monitored place to donate gently used textile items, which are then distributedin the U.S. and worldwide to people who need them.

St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church receives funding for clothing collected, and additionally has the option to use any of this clothing to serve local community needs. St. Pauly Textile, Inc. collects more than 120,000 pounds of clothing every day and estimates that this clothing ends up in 44 different countries, including the United States, yearly.

All of the usable clothing is worn by someone, somewhere in the world. In 2017, the company was able to help keep over 20 million articles of clothing out of landfills. The company was founded 22 years ago in Rochester, NY and is an A+ rated member of the Better Business Bureau.

Accepted items include clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, blankets, sheets, drapes, linens, pillowcases and stuffed animals. Donors are asked to donate items in a plastic bag to protect against dirt and the elements. There is a small box on the shed that contains receipts to help donors take a tax deduction.

For information, call Nan Monde, Sr. Warden, St. Andrew’s, at 203-710-7005

Lay ministry training available

WALLINGFORD — Masonicare Health Center, 22 Masonic Ave., seeks volunteers for its Lay Training in geriatric ministry.

Open to people of all faiths, the program has been teaching basic ministry skills to volunteers nearly 20 years.

For more details, contact Chaplain Thayer Quoos at 203-679-6259 or tquoos@masonicare.org. For more about Masonicare: www.masonicare.org or 888-679-9997.