FAITH

Brian Free and Assurance, a top southern gospel group, to perform at Berryton United Methodist Church

Two shows to take place on Friday, April 7

Phil Anderson
Southern gospel’s Brian Free and Assurance will be in concert at 3 and 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, at Berryton United Methodist Church, 7010 S.E. Berryton Road. (Submitted)

Brian Free and Assurance, one of the top southern gospel groups in the nation, will be in concert at 3 and 7 p.m. Friday, April 7, at Berryton United Methodist Church, 7010 S.E. Berryton Road. A freewill offering will be received, and concessions will be available.

The group has been awarded Dove Awards for Southern Gospel Performance of the year for “Say Amen” in 2013 as well as “Long as I Got King Jesus” in 2006.

In other religion news:

—University United Methodist Church, 1621 S.W. College, will have its spring thrift sale from 8:30 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 1. The sale will include clothing, household items, books, magazines, toys, DVDs and CDs and plants.

—The 187th Annual General Conference of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be shown live via satellite at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m. Saturday, April 1, and Sunday, April 2, in the LDS Topeka Stake Center, 2401 S.W. Kingsrow Road, and in the LDS meetinghouse, 3611 S.W. Jewell.

The annual conference will include talks about Jesus Christ and other messages of inspiration and guidance by the LDS Church’s worldwide leaders. Music will be performed primarily by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir. At 10:30 a.m. on Sunday, the choir’s weekly program, “Music and the Spoken Word,” will be shown live prior to the 11 a.m. session.

Conference sessions will also air online on www.lds.org and www.byutv.org and on Cox Cable’s Channel 152, Dish Television Network’s Channel 9403, and Direct TV’s Channel 374.

—An Easter egg hunt for children 12 and younger will take place at 3 p.m. Saturday, April 1, at the Avondale East NetReach Center, 455 S.E. Golf Park. Food and refreshments will be provided for all ages. The event is sponsored by Christ the Victor Church and Fellowship Bible Church.

n Light of the World Christian Center, 3301 S.W. Gage, will present the Topeka Fun Fest from 4 to 6 p.m. Saturday, April 1. The free event will include free food while supplies last; giveaways including kids’ bikes; gift cards; and gift baskets. Inflatables and carnival games also will be featured.

—The Topeka Churches Singing Convention will take place at 7 p.m. Saturday April 1, at Mount Olive Primitive Baptist Church, 701 N.W. The convention will re-convene at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 2, at St. Luke Missionary Baptist Church, 2222 S.E. Madison. The Rev. McCoy Caraway Sr. will preach and the convention choirs will sing.

—Dove Award-winner and Grammy-nominated singer Lauren Daigle leads the lineup of artists who will perform Friday, March 31, through Sunday, April 2, during the 42nd annual Young Christians’ Weekend at Silver Dollar City in Branson, Mo. Other performers will include The Museum, Building 429 and 7eventh Time Down. For more information, visit www.silverdollarcity.com.

—Faith Temple Church, 1162 S.W. Lincoln, will honor Sandra Lassiter with a “Book of Memoirs” at 4 p.m. Sunday, April 2.

—Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 312 N.E. Freeman, will have fish and shrimp dinners from 4 to 7 p.m. Fridays during Lent through April 7, in the church hall. The cost is $8.50 for adults and $4 for children ages 12 and under. Carryouts are available by calling (785) 234-6727.

—Mater Dei-Assumption Catholic Church, 204 S.W. 8th, will have fish frys from 5 to 7 p.m. on Fridays during Lent through April 7, in Rossiter Hall, located in the church’s basement. The cost is $8 for adults and $4 for children ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under eat free. Discount meal tickets are available — buy five, get one free. Stations of the Cross will be presented at 5:30 p.m. inside the Mater Dei church.

—Most Pure Heart of Mary Catholic Church, 3601 S.W. 17th, will have fish dinners from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Fridays during Lent through April 7. The suggested donation is $10 for ages 11 and older, $5 for ages 4 to 10 and free for ages 3 and under. The maximum is $35 per household.

—Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church, 7433 S.W. 29th, will have its First Wednesday Wesley Cafe at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday, April 5. The menu will include burgers, chips, slaw, wheat-free vegetarian stuffed peppers and an ice cream sundae bar. The cost is $6 for adults and $3 for children. A worship service will follow the meal. Call the church at 785-478-3697 or go to http://www.swumc.org/wesley-cafe-sign-up1.html to sign up.

—Faith Temple Church, 1162 S.W. Lincoln, will have the “Outpour 2017 Holy Ghost Revival” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, April 5, through Saturday, April 8, and at 11 a.m Sunday, April 9.

—“Come Unto Christ,” a free walk-through depiction of Christ’s life, teachings, last few days, and resurrection, will be held Thursday, April 6, through Saturday, April 8, at the Lawrence meetinghouse of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 3655 W. 10th in Lawrence.

Thursday and Friday hours will be 6 to 9 p.m., with the last of the one-hour tours beginning at 8 p.m.

Saturday hours are 10 a.m. to 1 p.m., with the last tour beginning at 8 p.m.

Tours will start every five minutes. The event features actors dressed as Jesus and other biblical characters; lifelike sets of biblical events; artwork; and music. Refreshments will be served at the end of each tour.

For more information, call (785) 554-8068.

—First Lutheran Church of Topeka will celebrate its 150th anniversary during the month of April.

Among special events will be a brief “Founders Day” worship service of word and song at 6 p.m. Friday, April 7, in front of Constitution Hall, 429 S. Kansas Ave., near where the church first gathered in 1867. Attendees are invited to bring a chair for the outdoor service, which will take place on the sidewalk in front of the hall and last around a half hour.

The church will have an open house from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, April 29, at its present location at 1234 S.W. Fairlawn. Light snacks will be provided, and displays of church memorabilia will be displayed.

A festival worship service will take place at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, April 30, with guest preacher Bishop Roger Gustafson of the Central States Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America. A potluck dinner will follow.

For more information, call (785) 272-5302.

—Victory City Church, 2622 S.E. 6th, will present the Easter drama “The Road to Calvary 2017” at 7 p.m. Friday, April 7; 4 and 7 p.m. Saturday, April 8; and 4 and 7 p.m. Sunday, April 9.

—The Men’s Ministry of Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church, 7433 S.W. 29th, will sponsor a potato drop from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, April 8. Approximately 40,000 pounds of potatoes will be available to hunger-relief organizations in the area.

Potato drops were started 16 years ago by United Methodist Men through the Society of St. Andrews, an organization that gleans food and produce from across the United States to get the food to where it is needed.

Volunteers are needed in several areas for the potato drop. The Susanna Wesley Hospitality Team will provide cookies and drinks for volunteers. For more information, to volunteer, or donate to SOSA, contact Susanna Wesley at (785) 478-3697 or e-mail at swumc@swumc.org.

—Elmont United Methodist Church, 6635 N.W. Church Lane, will have its annual pork loin dinner and bazaar from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, April 8.

—Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 610 S.E. Lime, will celebrate its 109th anniversary, at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, April 9. Special guests will include the Rev. Michael Black and congregation of Rising Star Baptist Church, from Kansas City, Kan., and the Rev. Michael Moore and congregation of St. James Missionary Baptist Church, from Emporia.

—Easterfest, an event featuring a parade, egg hunt and entertainment, will be held from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, April 15, at Garfield Park, 1600 N.E. Quincy. The parade will begin at 10 a.m. in the 700 block of N. Kansas Avenue and proceed north, ending at Garfield Park. The Easter egg hunt will follow the parade. Christian bands will perform from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. A vendor market with food trucks will be open throughout the event, which is presented by the Capital City Christian Chamber of Commerce.

—Evangelist Josh Radford will lead revival services at 10:30a.m. and 6 pm. Sunday, April 9, and at 7 p.m. Monday, April 10, at Family of God Church, 1231 N.W. Eugene.

—The Topeka Women’s Connection Spectacular Spring Style Show Luncheon will take place from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. Tina Price, of Abilene, will speak on “Happily Ever After: A Story of Forgiveness and Freedom.” Music will be provided by Jessica Matheis. A “Spectacular Spring Style Show” also will be featured. The luncheon cost is $14, with prepaid reservations due by April 10. There is no charge for those attending the program only

—The Women’s Dinner Connection will have a spring fashion show meeting from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Thursday, April 13, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. Spring fashions will be presented by Findables, an upscale resale store benefiting Midland Hospice. Music will be provided by Stephanie Teagarden and Joel Davidson. The speaker will be Tina Price, of Abilene. The cost of the dinner is $14. For reservations, call Arlene (785) 233-0701 or email leidacloud@cox.net.

—First Lutheran Church, 1234 S.W. Fairlawn, will have Holy Week services including Maundy Thursday worship at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 13; Good Friday services at noon and 7 p.m. Friday, April 14; an Easter communion service at 5 p.m. Saturday, April 15; and Easter Sunday services at 8:15 a.m. and 11 a.m. Sunday, April 16, with Easter brunch and an Easter egg hunt at 9:30 a.m.

—Annunciation Catholic Church will have a smoked pork chop dinner with all the fixings, along with a country store featuring crafts and baked goods, from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 23, at the Cigna Center, 402 N. Maple in Frankfort. The meal cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children ages 10 and under. All proceeds will benefit the Annunciation parish.

—Temple Beth Sholom, 4200 S.W. Munson, will have its 52nd annual Blintze Brunch and Jewish Food Fair from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, April 30. The brunch was voted Topeka’s Beth Ethnic Event in 2016.

Food items will include blintzes, rolled cabbage, lox spread and bagels, meat knishes and kosher hot dogs, as well as kugel.

In addition to food offerings, the event will feature performances of Israeli music and dancing, a bake sale and a gift shop with Judaica items. Temple hosts also will be available to explain Jewish symbols, faith and culture. A drawing for a $750 gift certificate from Briman’s Leading Jewelers also will be held, with a $1-per-chance donation appreciated. Other prizes will be offered through a silent auction.

Brunch buffet tickets are $12 in advance and are good for all-you-can-eat. Brunch buffet tickets are $15 at the door. Advance tickets are available at the temple and at Einstein’s Outdoor Outfitters, 1820 S.W. 10th.

—Mormon Tabernacle organist Richard Elliott will be in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, April 30, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. The concert is sponsored in part by the Topeka and Kansas City chapters of the American Guild of Organists. Admission is $10 for adults, $5 for students and free for children 12 and younger. More information is available at www.GreatSpaces.org.

—The annual State of Kansas Holocaust Commemoration Service will be held at 1 p.m. Monday, May 1, at the Ramada Hotel and Convention Center, 420 S.E. 6th. The program theme is “The Power of Memory to Shape Our Future.”

The program will feature remembrances of Herbert Moses, a Holocaust survivor, in his own recorded words and through the perspective of his family.

Gov. Sam Brownback will make a Holocaust proclamation, and Holocaust survivors, World War II veterans and children of survivors will be honored.

Additional participation will come from Kansas clergy, political leaders and students.

The event is free, and a reception will follow. For more information, call (785) 272-6040.

—Singer-songwriter Mitch McVicker will be in concert at 7 p.m. Saturday, May 6, at Topeka Free Methodist Church, 3450 S.E. Indiana Ave. There is no admission charge and a freewill offering will be received.