Vigil planned
Lansdale United Methodist Church: The community and other churches are welcome to join in a Candlelight Prayer Vigil from 7 to 8 p.m. March 30 on the front steps of the church at 300 N. Broad St., Lansdale. The vigil will include songs and prayers for anyone impacted by the violence at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School in Parkland, Fla., and other acts of violence in our country.
A time to dance
Christ United Methodist Church: The Perky Promenaders Square Dance Club holds a free St. Patrick’s Square Dance for Beginners from 7:15 to 9 p.m. March 26 at 1020 S. Valley Forge Road, Towamencin. Singles are welcome, or bring a partner, family or friends. Dress code is casual and no experience is needed. For more information call (610) 584-3744, email news@ perkyprom.org or visit www. perkyprom.org.
Guest speaker
Franconia Mennonite Church: Richard Showalter will deliver the message during the 10:15 a.m. service Sunday at 613 Harleysville Pike, Franconia.
Drive safe
Congregation Beth Or: An AARP Safe Driver Refresher Course runs 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. March 27. Completing the course could lead to a discount on your car insurance. The course is open to both AARP members and non-members over 50. Bring your driver’s license. The fee is $15 for AARP members and $20 for non-members. RSVP to Jillian at jglick@bethor.org or (215) 646-5806.
New appreciation
Blooming Glen Mennonite Church: Every five years since 1998, the church has presented performances of “The Song of Mark” by Marty Haugen — a performance work based on the Gospel of Mark with solo, adult and children’s voices and instrumental ensemble. The fifth presentation of this work includes two performances directed by Michael Bishop at 6:30 p.m. today and Sunday at 713 Blooming Glen Road, Hilltown Township. A free-will offering will be received. For more information, call (215) 257-3431 or visit www.bgmc.net.
Come to bid
Grace Christian School: The school at Penn Valley Church, 320 N. Third St., Telford, holds its annual Spring Auction 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. today. Highlights include live and silent auctions, kids’ entertainment and games, and food.
Easter enjoyment
Trinity Lutheran Church: Children 3-11 are welcome to participate in an Easter egg hunt at 11:45 a.m. Sunday. The church is at 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale. Mater Dei Catholic School: From 8 a.m. to noon Sunday will be a “Pictures with the Easter Bunny” event, sponsored by the Knights of Columbus Pius IX Council during their monthly Breakfast with the Knights. There will be a pancake and sausage breakfast. Cost is $5 per person or $20 for a family of four or more. Breakfast is held in the school’s cafeteria, 493 E. Main St., Lansdale. Visit www.koc4396.org for more information. Blooming Glen Mennonite Church: A free Easter Egg Hunt for ages 12 and under is held rain or shine at 9 a.m. today at the church at 713 Blooming Glen Road, Hilltown Township. For information, call (215) 2573431 or visit www.bgmc. net. Bring an Easter basket. Christ Reformed Church at Indian Creek: A Children’s Easter Fest is offered at 2 p.m. today, with an Easter egg hunt for ages 2-10, games, prizes, a puppet show and food. Check it out at 171 Church Road, Franconia Township. St. John’s Lutheran Church: An Easter egg hunt starts at 10 a.m. March 31 at the church at 3104 Main St., Sumneytown.
Let’s talk
North Penn Mosque: Join Moulana Abu Rashed for a weekly halaqa at 5 p.m. every Saturday after magrib salah. Various family-friendly topics will
be covered each week. The halaqa will be informal, with a potluck. Bringing a dish to share is encouraged, but not required to attend. The mosque is at 600 Maple Ave., Lansdale.
Sign up
Congregation Beth Or: The Sisterhood group sponsors an outing to see political satirists The Capitol Steps at the Kimmel Center in Philadelphia. Tickets are $50, with an optional dinner (cost is $30). RSVP to Ellen at semirbach@gmail.com by March 28.
Let’s eat
Grace Bible Church: A free community Easter dinner starts at 5:30 p.m. March 31 at 423 Main St., Souderton. RSVP by March 28 by calling (215) 723-3992 or emailing info@gracebiblesouderton. org. Tabor United Methodist Church: The church at 2209 Hendricks Station Road, Woxall, will be having an all-you-can-eat pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. March 31. The menu consists of pancakes, sausage, scrambled eggs, coffee, tea, hot chocolate and orange juice. The cost is $7.50, $4 for children 6-12. The proceeds will benefit the youth/young adult mission trip to China in July. For more information call the church office at (215) 234-4852. Lansdale Presbyterian Church: The church at 450 Oak Park Road, Hatfield Township, hosts a free meal at 1 p.m. Sunday. All are welcome and reservations are not necessary. For more information call (215) 3681119. Christ Covenant Church: The church at 2200 Mainland Road, Towamencin, offers a free Community Hot Breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. the last Saturday of every month. For more information call (215) 256-8101 or visit www.christ-covenant.org. Trinity Lutheran Church: Join in a community meal every Wednesday from 5 to 6 p.m. The meal is a freewill donation of $3 per person. The church is at 1000 W. Main St., Lansdale.
Special services
Franconia Mennonite Church: At 7 p.m. March 29 in the Fellowship Hall, Jews for Jesus presents a service entitled “Christ in the Passover,” which will include a model Seder meal and Communion. Everyone is welcome. Congregation Beth Or: A Celebrations Shabbat will be held at noon the second Saturday of each month during the school year. This program provides a simplified service with rabbinic intern Janine Jankovitz Pastor. Beth Or is at 239 Welsh Road, Upper Dublin.
Holy Week happenings
St. Stanislaus Catholic
Church: “The Passion Play of Our Lord” will be presented by Mater Dei Catholic School at 2 and 7 p.m. March 27 at St. Stan’s, 51 Lansdale Ave., Lansdale. Peace-Tohickon Lutheran Church: Holy Week Worship Services are held at 8:15 and 10:15 a.m. March 25 for Palm Sunday, 7:30 p.m. March 29 for Maundy Thursday, 7:30 p.m. March 30 for Good Friday and 7 and 10:15 a.m. April 1 for Easter. The Good Friday service will feature the dramatic presentation “Two Faces in the Shadows.” An Easter Egg Hunt starts at 10 a.m. March 31. All pre-school and elementary school age children are welcome. Peace-Tohickon is at 100 Old Bethlehem Road, East Rockhill. St. Peter’s Lutheran Church: The church at 211 S. Main St., North Wales, celebrates Palm Sunday with services at 8:30 and 10 a.m. There will be a Maundy Thursday Holy Communion service ay 7 p.m. March 29, a Good Friday Tenebrae service at 7 p.m. March 30 and Easter services of Holy Communion at 8:30 and 10 a.m., with an Easter breakfast available from 8 to 10:30 and an Easter egg hunt for the children and community at 11:30 a.m. All are welcome. Call (215) 699-4604.
Preschool registration open
Zion Mennonite Church: Enrollment is open for the 2018-2019 school year at Zion Mennonite Nursery School on Cherry Lane in Souderton. They offer classes for 3-, 4- and 5-yearolds. For more information, call (215) 723-3592, go to www.zionmennonite.org or stop by a new student open house from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. March 21. Trinity Lutheran Church: Children that will be 4 years old by Sept. 1 can be signed up for preschool for the 2018-2019 school year. The 3-year-old and 4-year-old morning class will meet 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays. The 4- and 5-year-old prekindergarten morning class will be held 9:15 to 11:45 a.m. weekdays. Contact Lisa at lcorr@trinitylansdale.com.
Music notes
Franconia Mennonite Church: A men’s quartet performs special music during the 10:15 a.m. service Sunday at 613 Harleysville Pike, Franconia. Also there will be a children’s choir with palm branches. Hopewell Christian Fellowship: Enjoy an evening with singer/songwriter Kathy Troccoli at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. Tickets are free. Call the church office at (215) 721-0834 to pick up your ticket. Doors open at 5:45 p.m. The church is at 601 Hunsicker Road, Franconia Township. St. John’s United Church of Christ: The next St. John’s Artist Series event is an “Explore the Psalms” choir and organ concert with
the St. John’s Chancel Choir and Friends, David Furniss and Kevin Freaney at 4 p.m. Sunday. Admission is free and a free-will offering will be taken. The Children’s Choir and Chancel Choir at St. John’s will sing “Life Your Voices, Wave the Palms” by Stan Pethel on Sunday at the 10:15 a.m. service. In addition, the Chancel Choir will sing “Lift Up Your Heads” by Walter Mathias. The church is at 500 W. Main St., Lansdale. Call (215) 855-5489 or visit www.st-johns-ucc.org. North Penn Church of Christ: Live auditions for new students for this summer’s Dali Quartet Music Festival are held 2 to 4 p.m. today at the church at 300 N. North Wales Road, Montgomery Township. Learn more at www.arconetwork. org.
Shop here
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church: The St. Peter’s Thrift Shop, 211 S. Main St., North Wales, is open Wednesdays from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Signs of spring are here, with a buy-one-get-one sale, as well as children’s and some women’s clothing for less than $1. Browse a selection of books, frames, artwork, jewelry, toys, attic treasures, linens, vintage items, CDs and DVDs. 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
Souderton Mennonite Church: A support group for dementia caregivers is held at 6:30 p.m. the fourth Tuesday of the month in the Connections Cafe, across from the Fellowship Hall at 105 W. Chestnut St., Souderton. 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. 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. 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.
Help others
Congregation Beth Or: An American Red Cross blood drive is held 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sunday at 239 Welsh Road, Upper Dublin. Call (800) RED-CROSS. Trinity Lutheran Church: Volunteer your time to help homeless men in the Montgomery County area during cold winter nights at a Code Blue shelter at the church. Available shifts are intake runs from 8 p.m. to midnight, overnights from midnight to 6 a.m. and breakfast shifts from 6 to 8 a.m. Sign at www.trinitylansdale.com. Also, the shelter is in need of men’s boots, jeans, socks, gloves, underwear (medium and large), T-shirts and hand warmers. Contact Joe at (215) 375-2928 for more information or to volunteer. Christ Covenant Church: During March, Christ Covenant Church, 2200 Mainland Road, Towamencin, will be supporting the Lamb Foundation’s Cornucopia Cupboard with donations of non-perishable food. Items especially needed in restocking their food pantry are: canned fruit and vegetables, peanut butter, jelly, gravy, 100 percent juice, pasta and pasta sauce, rice, beans, instant pudding, dry cereal, oatmeal, canned soups, canned tuna and salmon, dried fruit, disposable razors, deodorant, bar soap, shampoo, bleach, laundry detergent, fabric softeners, paper towels, toilet paper and all other supplies. 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..
Got wine?
Congregation Beth Or: The Brotherhood group offers a Passover wine sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday in the Spain Lobby, 239 Welsh Road, Upper Dublin.