Music notes
St. Luke’s United Church of Christ: The church at 125 N. Main St., North Wales, presents the annual January Tuesday at Noon Organ Recitals series. The next recital is Jan. 16 with organist Wesley Parrott. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music and has performed in such places as the Kennedy Center, Washington National Cathedral, the Kimmel Center’s Verizon Hall, Ocean Grove Camp Meeting Association, and the Macy’s Grand Court Wanamaker Organ. These free recitals are sponsored by the Philadelphia Chapter of the American Guild of Organists. A reception follows. Visit www.uccnorthwales.org. Church of the Holy Spirit: The Episcopal church in Upper Salford will kick off a “Best of Holy Spirit” 25th anniversary concert series with a “Best of Sopranos” concert at 7 p.m. Jan. 20 at the church, 2871 Barndt Road at Sumneytown Pike. The concert of classical and light classical works will be presented by Eve Keane, local music teacher and composer, and Angela Shelly, music teacher and choral assistant at Holy Spirit. The concert series celebrates the church music program since the church was founded 25 years ago. The concert is by free will offering. A dessert reception follows. For more information, call (215) 234-8020 or visit www.churchoftheholyspirit.us. St. John’s United Church of Christ: The Chancel Choir at St. John’s United Church of Christ will sing “Psalm 139” by Allen Pote at the 10:15 a.m. service on Sunday. The church is at 500 W. Main St., Lansdale. Call (215) 855-5489 or visit www.st-johns-ucc.org. Franconia Mennonite Church: Doris Diener performs special music during the 10:15 a.m. service Sunday. The church is at 613 Harleysville Pike, Franconia.
Communicate better
Calvary Church: “Changing the Conversation,” a free Livengrin Council panel presentation, is held 7 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 16 in Calvary’s Heritage Hall, 820 Route 113, Hilltown. Effective communication can change an angry, frustrating conversation into a positive, productive one. For families suffering with a loved one’s addiction, simple conversations get complicated. Learn easy communication strategies that will help you maintain your own sanity, give your loved one a better chance to change their behavior, and open the lines of communication. Livengrin Senior Family Therapist Dana Cohen will facilitate a discussion on communication, enabling and helping, followed by a panel discussion illustrating personal stories of recovery from both family members and recovering people. RSVP to www.livengrin.org/event/ thecouncil.
Food and fellowship
Congregation Beth Or: RSVP by Jan. 17 for the Brotherhood Man of the Year Shabbat & Dinner, scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Jan. 19. The synagogue’s Brotherhood group will assist in leading Shabbat worship, followed by a catered dinner honoring Man of the Year Aaron Nielsenshultz. Cost is $18 per person. Check www. eventbrite.com/e/2018beth-or-brotherhood-annual-shabbat-worship-andman-of-the-year-dinnertickets-41510084781. RSVP by Jan. 18 for a “Les Miserables” & Brunch with Sisterhood and Rabbi Gerber on Jan. 21. Join the synagogue’s Sisterhood group to see the musical “Les Miserables” at the Academy of Music. Enjoy an optional brunch at Estia prior to the show, where Rabbi Gerber will discuss how themes from the musical apply to Judaism. Cost is $135, $35 for brunch. Go to https:// bethor.org/les-miserablessisterhood. Appalachian Brewing Co.: A Montgomery County Metanoia group for Catholic young adults meets for Theology on Tap Jan. 16 at the restaurant, 50 W. Third Ave., Collegeville. The gathering begins at 7 p.m., with a talk at 7:30. Find out more at http://metanoiayoungadults.weebly.com or www.facebook.com/metanoiayoungadults.
Peace and justice for all
Wissahickon Faith Community Association: A Martin Luther King Jr. Solidarity Walk, with clergy and members of Congregation Beth Or, Bethlehem Baptist Church, Salem Baptist Church, North Penn Mosque and other congregations, is set for Sunday. It begins at 3 p.m. in the Wissahickon High School parking lot, travels along Dager Road in Lower Gwynedd, and ends at Bethlehem Baptist Church, where a service remembering and celebrating the life of King will take place at 4. The guest speaker will be Rev. Dr. Alyn E. Waller of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church in Philadelphia.
Evensong
St. Paul’s Episcopal Church: The Lincoln Pilgrimage Choir of Church of the Holy Spirit in Upper Salford will present an Evensong service at 5 p.m. on Sunday at St. Paul’s in Chestnut Hill. The Holy Spirit choir and friends will be traveling to England in August for a week long pilgrimage at the Lincoln Cathedral. For more information, contact the church at (215) 234-8020 or www. churchoftheholyspirit.us.
Sign up
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: Registration begins Sunday for a bus trip to the upcoming Pro-Life March in Washington D.C. Cost is $30 and includes a metro pass and dinner. Send your name, address, phone number, number of tickets and a check to made out to SMG, ATTENTION PRO-LIFE MARCH. For more information, call Bob at (215) 362-1247 or bobmcc52@ verizon.net.
Shop reopens
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church: The St. Peter’s Thrift Shop is open 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays at 211 S. Main Street in North Wales. Browse clothing for women and children, attic treasures, housewares, books, linens, vintage items and a winter boutique line. Winter coats, gloves and furs have just arrived. There is a new half-price sale every week, with bargains on specially ticketed items. Call (215) 699-4604.
For men
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: Men of all ages are welcome to That Man Is You 7 to 8:30 a.m. Saturdays in the lower level of the Parish Center, Derstine and Cowpath roads, Hatfield. TMIY is a program for men organized around a central theme, and presented through the lens of seven steps. Each morning session has three components: a social gathering over breakfast refreshments, a 30-minute DVD presentation and opportunity for discussion. The program addresses the pressures and temptations that men face in our modern culture. For more information, or to register, contact Bill at tmiysmg@gmail.com or (215) 721-0199, ext. 254.
Need work?
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: St. Joseph’s People, a group which assists the unemployed and underemployed, meets at 7:30 p.m. on the first and third Thursdays of the month in the Parish Center Library, Derstine and Cowpath road, Hatfield. Contact Nancy at nancyboak@aol.com.
Parents and kids
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: A Play and Pray Moms and Tots group meets 9:30 to 11 a.m. Thursdays in the Parish Center basement at Cowpath and Derstine roads, Hatfield. Mothers, grandmothers and their little ones, infant through age 5, are welcome to join. Contact Janna at jlkerr8@gmail.com.
Gather together
Church of the Holy Spirit: An Al-Anon Family Group, Pathway to Peace, meets from 10 to 11 a.m. Fridays at the church, Sumneytown Pike and Barndt Road, Upper Salford. If you have, or have had, a family member, friend or coworker whose drinking or drug use is affecting or troubling you, contact Judy at jemorice@gmail.com. Bethel Hill United Methodist Church: A Prayers Regarding Addiction Recovery prayer group meets
at noon the last Sunday of each month in the church sanctuary, 2000 Bethel Road, Worcester. All are welcome. Plains Mennonite Church: Parents and caregivers of a child with autism or Asperger’s syndrome are invited to join a monthly support group that meets at 7 p.m. the second Friday of the month at the church, 50 W. Orvilla Road, Hatfield. Give and receive emotional and practical support, as exchange information and stories to be more effectively equipped with skills and insights to parent children on the autism spectrum. To RSVP or for more information, go to http://plainsmennonitechurch.org/eventscalendar/everyone or call (215) 362-7640. Congregation Beth Or: If you or someone you know is struggling with a challenging life moment or transition, support is available. Cantor David Green facilitates counseling and support groups for a variety of issues, including bereavement (a support group meets the last Wednesday of each month at 8 p.m.), divorce, adult care giving, mental health and addition. Contact dgreen@bethor. org or (215) 646-5806, ext.
218. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church: The church at Fourth and Broad streets in Lansdale hosts a discussion group on various topics each Monday from 2 to 3 p.m. This is open to the community. Anyone who would like to connect with others in a discussion group setting is invited. The Sunday service is at 10 a.m. Fairview Village Church: Celebrate the Journey, a Bible-based support/recovery program, meets at 6:45 p.m. Fridays at The Village Norristown, 329 E. Main St., Norristown, and 6:45 p.m. Mondays at Fairview Village Church, 3044 W. Germantown Pike, Worcester. Large group gathering of prayer and praise, as well as a lesson, begins at 6:45 and small group time takes place from 7:30 to 8:45 p.m. Most groups are genderbased — men with men, and women with women. Some groups address a specific need; others are designed to allow each person to bring their unique challenges to a safe place. Each group is strictly confidential and is led by trained leaders with similar life experiences. For information on the Friday Celebrate the Journey, contact Megan at megan. brooks@fvcn.org or (610) 539-3333, ext. 7729. For information on the Monday Celebrate the Journey,
contact Pastor Kelly Yetter at Kelly.yetter@fvcn.org or (610) 539-3333, ext. 7717. Christ Lutheran Church: A local chapter of PFLAG, the national organization that supports Parents, Friends and Families of Lesbian/Gay and Transgender individuals, meets at 7 p.m. the fourth Monday of each month in Weaver Hall. For questions or additional information, contact Sue at sdaubert@ yahoo.com. Silverdale Brethren in Christ Church: Singles Connection, a non-denominational Bux-Mont area group for single, widowed, divorced and separated adults age 45+ meets at 7 p.m. Thursdays at the church, 165 W. Main St. (Route 113), Silverdale. For information, call (215) 5939995 or email carolonline1@ verizon.net. Celebrate Recovery: This group meets 7 to 9 p.m. Mondays at Franconia Mennonite Church, Route 113, Franconia. All are welcome.
Holy Hour
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: The monthly Holy Hour to pray for the needs of the church (especially vocations to the priesthood) will be held on the Thursday evening, before the first Friday of every month, at 7 p.m. The church is at Derstine and Cowpath roads, Hatfield.
Study
Congregation Beth Or: Torah study is held at 9:30 a.m. Saturdays, after the 9 a.m. Shabbat Worship, at 239 Welsh Road, Upper Dublin. Montco Bible Fellowship: A study from the Book of James starts at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at the church, 160 E. Main St., Lansdale. Call (215) 855-0899 or visit www.montcobf.org. Trinity Lutheran Church: A Bible study exploring the Acts of the Apostles is held 10 to 11:30 a.m. Wednesdays in Room 125⁄127. Bring your favorite Bible translation. The church is at 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale. Central Schwenkfelder Church: Spend Thursday nights reading and studying the Old Testament with a Bethel Bible Program (now in its 44th year). The program meets 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursdays through May in the church’s Bethel Room, 2111 S. Valley Forge Road, Worcester. Dates will be decided by the class members and meetings will not be held on the fourth Thursday of the month. Each lesson has a picture with concepts noted, with several pages of reading, as well as assignments of scripture. For those who have previously taken the course, it has changed — with new pictures and detailed study guides. Register with the church office, or call Allen at (610) 584-5379 or e-mail tennislob31@comcast.net. Holy Trinity Episcopal Church: The church at Fourth and Broad streets in Lansdale will be holding a weekly Bible study on Wednesday evenings at 7 p.m. All are invited to attend.
Play time
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: Games Day for adults 50+ is held 1 to 4 p.m. the first Wednesday of the month in the Parish Library, Derstine and Cowpath roads, Hatfield. Presentation of Our Lord Ukrainian Catholic Church: Weekly Wednesday Bingo is held at 1564 Allentown Road, Towamencin. Doors open at 5 p.m., with food available for purchase, and the games begin at 6:30. For questions call (215) 362-9599. St. Anne Ukrainian Catholic Church: The church at 1545 Easton Road, Warrington, hosts bingo Tuesday nights. Games start at 6:45 p.m. and cost is $13, extra for bonus sheets and rip-offs. Visit www.stanneukrainiancc.com or email stannesecretary@comcast. net.
Help others
St. Maria Goretti Catholic Church: A blood drive is held 2 to 7 p.m. Jan. 16 in Drexel Hall, Derstine and Cowpath roads, Hatfield. Christ Covenant Church: During January, Christ Covenant Church, 2200 Mainland Road, Towamencin, will be supporting Keystone Opportunity Center with donations of non-perishable food. Items especially needed in restocking their food pantry are: cereal, oatmeal, pancake mix (complete), pancake syrup, canned meats (tuna, chicken, ham, salmon), spaghetti sauce, baked beans, meals in cans (pasta with meatballs meat, ravioli), canned fruit in natural juices, sugar, ketchup, mayonnaise, mustard, oil, personal care items (shampoo, razors, toothpaste, body wash, deodorants, feminine hygiene products), toilet paper, laundry soap and dryer sheets, also gluten free, sugar free, and low/no sodium products. Contributions may be dropped off at the church office Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Fridays from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sundays 9 to noon. Call (215) 256-8101 or visit www.christ-covenant.org.