Religion Briefs

Annual Fire & Ice Festival this weekend

CLEVELAND, N.Y. >> Vanderkamp Center invites all ages to the Annual Fire & Ice Festival on Saturday, Feb. 25 from 12-8 p.m. and Sunday, Feb. 26 from 12-5 p.m. The event features live entertainment including magic, clowning and fire eating; character visits, balloon twisting, face painting and crafts. Outdoor activities include sledding, cross country skiing, bonfire and glow sledding. One-time admission is $5 per car. An $8 per car weekend pass is also available. Food will be available for purchase. A benefit brunch will be held on Sunday, Feb. 26 from 9-11 a.m. Proceeds will benefit Vanderkamp’s outdoor ministry including youth programs and community outreach. Visit www.vk.org or call (315) 675-3651 for information. Vanderkamp Center, a Christian retreat center and summer camp, is located at 337 Martin Road.

Big Winter Sale underway

ONEIDA>> The Second Hand Rose Consignment Shop is holding its Big Winter Sale through March 1. The sale is for clothing only; household items are excluded. The shop, located on Stone Street behind First Presbyterian Church, is open Wednesday through Saturday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Spring and summer consignments will be accepted beginning March 1.

Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner

ONEIDA>> St. John’s Episcopal Church will have its annual Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner on Feb. 28 from 4:30-7 p.m. at the church, 341 Main St. Pancakes, bacon, sausages, and applesauce will be served along with coffee, orange drink, and milk. Dinners are $7 for adults, $6 for seniors, $3 for children (6-12) and free for ages 5 and younger. For information, call the church at (315) 363-1940.

Pancake dinner planned for Feb. 28

VERONA>> St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will hold a pancake dinner on Tuesday, Feb. 28 from 4-7 p.m. at the church, 4897 Old Oneida Road. The menu will include plain and blueberry pancakes, sausage, bacon, scrambled eggs, fried potatoes, home- made applesauce, and beverages. Proceeds from the dinner will go to the Althouse family to help with their medical bills for cancer treatment. The price is $8 for adults, $4 for children 6-10, and free for children 5 and younger. Take outs will also be available. For information, call (315) 363-5211.

Services offered on AshWednesday

VERONA>> St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will offer drive-through ashes for Ash Wednesday, March 1 from 6:30-8:30 a.m. at the church, 4897 Old Oneida Road. Those who are not able to attend a worship service that day can follow the signs in the parking lot and receive a cross of ashes on their forehead without getting out of the car. St. Peter’s will also offer drivers and passengers a complimentary cup of coffee from Utica Coffee Roasting Company. Ash Wednesday is the first day of Lent, a Christian season of contemplation and reflection consisting of the 40 days leading up to Easter. Ashes are a symbol of human brokenness and the need for forgiveness and healing. St. Peter’s will provide information on the meaning of the ashes to drivers and passengers. St. Peter’s will also offer traditional Ash Wednesday worship services at noon and 7 p.m. For information, call (315) 363-5211.

Ham and scalloped potatoes served March 4

VERNON>> Vernon United Methodist Church, Route 5, will hold a ham and scalloped potato dinner on Saturday, March 4 from 4-6:30 p.m. The menu will also include rolls, vegetables and homemade pies. The cost is $9 for adults, $4 for ages 6-11 and free for children 5 and younger. Take outs are available; call (315) 829-3535. The church is handicapped accessible. Ten percent of proceeds will benefit a local mission.

Corned beef dinner set for March 11

VERNONCENTER>> Vernon Center United Methodist Church will hold a corned beef and cabbage dinner on March 11 from 4:306:30 p.m. at the church, Youngs Road. The menu includes corned beef, cabbage, carrots, applesauce, marble rye bread and dessert. Take outs are avail- able. The cost is $10 for adults, $6 for children 6-12 and free for ages 5 and younger. The church is handicapped accessible.

Senior ministry offered Wednesdays

VERONA>> St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will hold a Christian Ministry for Seniors each Wednesday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church, 4897 Old Oneida Road. There will be coffee and conversation, Bible study, and at 10:30 a.m. a special program will be held. There will also be exercise and lunch at noon.

Friendship Inn open each Thursday

MORRISVILLE >> Friendship Inn at St. Joan of Arc Church offers a free weekly meal to the Morrisville community every Thursday from 5-6:30 p.m. Nondenominational and open to all, regardless of financial need, Friendship Inn draws on a small army of volunteers who fulfill numerous tasks, from set-up, cooking, serving, to cleanup. Volunteers are always needed. Donations are welcome as well to supplement food offerings and to purchase equipment and supplies. Checks may be made out to Friendship Inn, c/o St. Joan of Arc Church, 6 Brookside Dr. P.O. Box 1087, Morrisville, N.Y. 13408. For more information contact Nettie Periard, (315) 684-9636, Diana Johnson, (315) 6846090 or Sarah Mazza, (315) 684-6077.

Clothing donations accepted at St. John’s Church

ONEIDA>> St. John’s Episcopal Church, 341 Main St., has been chosen by St. Pauly Textile, Inc. as a repository for used clothing. St. Pauly’s mission is to provide wearable clothing to people who need it, both in the United States and Third World countries. Items that can be collected include clothing, shoes, sneakers, belts, purses, linens, blankets, curtains and stuffed toys. No rags or fabric scraps, pillows, toys or household goods are accepted. Donations are not cut up or shredded. Items should be placed in plastic bags (no larger than 13 gal. size) and placed in the chute of the shed located on St. John’s driveway. Donations are acceptable any time of the day or night. This mission has provided more than 30 million garments to people all over the world who are in need. WASHINGTON >> President Donald Trump on Tuesday condemned recent threats against Jewish community centers in the U.S. as “painful reminders” of lingering prejudice and evil, his first full-throated comments on the rise of antiSemitic venom after pressure for him to speak out forcefully.

With his somewhat delayed denunciation, Trump sought to reset his relationship with American Jews, which has been strained by a recent White House statement on the Holocaust, comments by some of his supporters and his own fractious exchange with a reporter for an Orthodox Jewish publication.

Trump’s latest remarks, made at the newly opened National Museum of African American History and Culture, marked the first time he directly addressed recent incidents of anti- Semitism. Earlier in the day, the White House put out a statement denouncing “hatred and hate-motivated violence” but not mentioning Jews, the weekend vandalism at a Jewish cemetery or multiple threats to community centers Monday.

Eleven Jewish community centers across the country received telephoned bomb threats, according to the JCC Association of North America. Like three waves of similar phone calls in January, the new threats proved to be hoaxes, the association said in a statement. In addition, as many as 200 headstones were damaged or tipped over at a Jewish cemetery in suburban St. Louis late Sunday or early Monday.

“The ant i - Semit ic threats targeting our Jewish community and community centers are horrible and are painful and a very sad reminder of the work that still must be done to root out hate and prejudice and evil,” Trump said. He did not outline what that might entail.

On Monday, Trump’s daughter Ivanka Trump wrote on Twitter, “We must protect our houses of worship & religious centers,” and used the hashtag #JCC. She converted to Judaism ahead of her 2009 marriage to Jared Kushner. She joined her father at the AfricanAmerican museum tour.

The FBI said it was joining with the Justice Department’s Civil Rights Division to investigate “possible civil rights violations in connection with threats.”

Ryan Lenz, spokesman for the Southern Poverty Law Center, said it has seen an uptick in incidents since Trump’s election. “People are much more willing to express their bigoted selves than they were prior to the election,” Lenz said.

Trump’s statement Tuesday followed a series of episodes that put some American Jews on edge.