FAITH

Topeka religion roundup: Open Arms Outreach aims to help veterans return to ‘normal’

Phil Anderson
An event highlighting a wide range of programs and services available in the Topeka community will be held starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Open Arms Outreach Ministries, 2401 S.E. 11th. (Google Maps)

An event highlighting a wide range of programs and services available in the Topeka community will be held starting at 9:30 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at Open Arms Outreach Ministries, 2401 S.E. 11th.

The event, titled “What is Normal?,” will offer information on programs that assist veterans experiencing post-traumatic stress disorder and depression over the holidays.

Also featured will be Sheltered Living, Harvesters, the YWCA, and “No-Cents” services, where items and information are free from agencies that provide assistance such as food, clothing, help for single mothers, dental services, and job training.

Food and carnival games will be featured at the free event.

In other religion news:

n The men’s group of Grantville United Methodist Church will have its annual fall breakfast from 7 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, at the church, 3724 South St. in Grantville.The menu will include biscuits and gravy, pancakes, scrambled eggs, sausage links, juice, milk and coffee. A freewill offering will be received. Baked goods also will be available for purchase.

n Temple Beth Sholom will benefit from a portion of the proceeds from a going-out-of-business sale this weekend at the Stanley Flowers store, 1300 S.W. 6th. The sale will take place from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, and from noon to 5 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. Members of Temple Beth Sholom will set up and staff the sale.

n West Side Baptist Church, 1008 S.W. 4th, will have a community yard sale from 8 a.m. to noon Saturday, Oct. 14. The church’s youth group will have a breakfast fundraiser. For more information, call (785) 233-4241.

n Unity Church of Christianity, 9126 S.W. 10th, will have its “Second Hand Rose Sale” from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. The sale will include household items, paintings, small furniture, linens, toys, games, pet supplies, cleaning appliances and jewelry. Chili, cornbread, brownies and other baked goods will be available.

n Highland Heights Christian Church, 2930 S.E. Tecumseh Road, will have its Harvest Festival from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14. The event will include bingo, a cake walk, face-painting, cookie decorating, games, a bounce house, live music and lunch. For more information, call (785) 379-5642.

n Faith and Hard Works Ministry Inc. will sponsor the “One Kansas Family Celebration Concert” and “Day of Healing” from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 14, on the south steps of the Statehouse, 300 S.W. 10th. Church choirs are invited to participate. For information, call (785) 408-6325.

n Harveyville United Methodist Church will have its annual “Praise in the Pumpkin Patch” at 11 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at the Country Bumpkin Pumpkin Patch, 11668 K-31 highway near Harveyville. A potluck dinner and wiener roast will be held at noon. Hot dogs, buns, condiments and drinks will be provided. Those planning to attend are invited to bring a lawn chair and a covered dish for the dinner.

n Shiloh Baptist Church, 1201 S.W. Buchanan, will celebrate its homecoming at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. The message will be delivered by the Rev. D.C. Clark. Music will be furnished by the Shiloh Soulful Sound of music and Shiloh Voices of Faith. Dinner will be served following the service.

n The Washburn University Faculty Brass Quintet will be in concert at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. The quartet will perform music from Italian Renaissance composer Giovanni Gabrielli through modern-day composers. The concert is part of the cathedral’s Great Spaces Music & Arts Series. Special guests will include the university’s top student quintet players plus a final piece combining brass and the great cathedral organ played by Cathedral Organist Sylvia Hamilton. Admission is free and gifts are welcome.

n Lane Chapel Christian Methodist Episcopal Church, 1200 S.W. Lane, will be the host congregation for the Union Methodist Service at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. Participating congregations will include Asbury-Mount Olive United Methodist Church; St. John African Methodist Episcopal Church; and St. Mark’s AME Church. The Rev. Pamela M. Mason, pastor of St. John AME Church, will bring the message and the St. John church choir will provide the music. For more information, call (785) 232-0015.

n New Jerusalem Missionary Baptist Church, 1018 S.E. 8th, will observe “Harvest Day” with a special service at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15. Special guests will include the Rev. Bill Nicholson and congregation from Second Baptist Church.

n The American Guild of Organists for Topeka will present an organ recital by Stephen Wurst at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 15, at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 901 S.W. Fillmore. Music by Bach, Brahms, Widor, Kerll, Mussorgsky, Reger and Debussy will be featured. Wurst received his undergraduate degree in parish music from Concordia University in Wisconsin and is currently a doctoral candidate at the University of Oklahoma with the American Organ Institute. There is no charge for admission.

— Kansas Avenue United Methodist Church, 1029 N. Kansas Ave., will have its Harvest Dinner and Bazaar from 4 to 6:30 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20. The meal will include chicken-fried steak; mashed potatoes and gravy; green beans or corn; salad; roll; homemade pie or cake; and drink. The suggested donation is $8 for adults and $3.50 for children.

— Potwin Presbyterian Church, 400 S.W. Washburn Ave., will have a soup supper, bazaar and bake sale from 4 to 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 20. All-you-eat soup with other food items will be $7 for adults and $3.50 for children under 12.

— The artwork of Sanford Pomerantz will be featured in October at the Cloister Gallery at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. The gallery is open from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays; and 8 a.m. to noon Saturdays and Sundays.

— Our Lady of Guadalupe Catholic Church, 216 N.E. Branner, will have its Fall Festival from 8 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21, and from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, in the church’s Marlo Cuevas-Balandran Activity Center.

Vendors will have products including, purses, jewelry, candles, essential oils, Thirty-One Bags, Scentsy, Tupperware, Avon, University of Kansas items, homemade goodies and quilts. Food sales will be available both days. Vendor fees are $40 and reservations are due by Oct. 19. For more information, call (785) 409-4475.

— Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 610 S.E. Lime, will have a trunk-or-treat event from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 21.

— “Choose the Right” is the theme of the upcoming Primary children’s annual sacrament meeting program for four Topeka congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. A combined program by children ages 3 to 11 years of the Colly Creek Ward and Topeka Spanish Branch will be at 11:30 a.m. Sunday , Oct. 22, in the LDS meetinghouse, 3611 S.W. Jewell; the Sherwood Ward’s program will be at 11:30 a.m. on Sunday, Oct. 29, in the LDS Topeka Stake Center, 2401 S.W. Kingsrow; and the Lake Shawnee Ward’s program will be at 9 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 12, in the 3611 S.W. Jewell meetinghouse. Though all the programs are based on the same theme and will feature songs, scriptures, stories, and the children’s own experiences of making good choices, each one is original and unique, having been written by adult Primary leaders of each congregation.

— Shiloh Baptist Church, 1201 S.W. Buchanan, will have a pastor’s appreciation service at 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 22. The speaker will be the Rev. Gregory Smith.

— A celebration marking the 200th anniversary of the birth of Baha’u’llah, the prophet-founder of the Baha’i religion, will take place at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 22, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th.

Indiana Avenue Church of Christ, 3510 S.E. Indiana Ave, will have a grand opening for its Fight Famine, Feeding Friends food pantry from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 24. For the month of October, the pantry will be open from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Oct. 24 and 26. The pantry will be open every other Tuesday and Thursday. The pantry is designed to provide a shopping experience for people in need, allowing them to get what they need and not what has been previously packaged.

— Silver Lake United Methodist Church, 204 Madore St. in Silver Lake, will have its 91st annual Harvest Home celebration on Wednesday, Oct. 25.

The event will begin with a bake sale and craft bazaar, which will run from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m. Lunch featuring soups, sandwiches and homemade pies will be served from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dinner featuring roast turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy, green beans, salads, rolls, dessert and beverage will be served from 5 to 7 p.m., with a requested donation of $9 for adults and $4 for children 10 and under.

The Harvest Home celebration is a fall tradition since 1926 at the Silver Lake church. Its history can be traced to the farming heritage of Silver Lake when, just before Thanksgiving, church members would gather for a noon-time meal and bazaar to give thanks for the completion of harvest season.

In 1931, the celebration switched to an evening meal open to the community. In 1970, in addition to the dinner, a lunch was added — primarily to feed the ladies in the kitchen who were busy preparing the evening dinner. When word of the lunch began to spread, people started to come and it grew so popular that it was decided to expand the bazaar hours and incorporate the lunch into the celebration.

— Susanna Wesley United Methodist Church, 7433 S.W. 29th, will have its annual Harvest Celebration from 6:30 to 8 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27. The free event will feature crafts, carnival games, puppet skits, prizes and food including hot dogs, chips, cookies and a beverage. Trunk-or-Treat starts outdoors at 7:30 p.m., following door prize giveaways. Children are invited to wear costumes and bring a container for goodies.

— The 20th annual “Silents in the Cathedral” event featuring “spooky” silent films will take place at 7 p.m. Friday, Oct. 27, at Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th. Live music will be performed by Marvin Faulwell and Bob Keckeisen, accompanying the silent films “Nosferatu: A Symphony of Horror,” from 1922; and shorts including “The Haunted House, from 1921; “Felix Switches the Witches,” from 1927; and “Spook Spoofing,” from 1928. The event is sponsored by the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library.

— Wakarusa Presbyterian Church, 10135 S.W. Jordan Road, will have its 26th annual all-you-can-eat ham-and-bean feed from 11:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The dinner will include Colorado beans and Ozark-smoked ham cooked outdoors in iron kettles over an open fire. The meal includes all the ham and beans and cornbread you can eat, plus a salad, pie or cake and a drink. The meal cost is $7.50 for adults and 50 cents per year for children 14 and under. Beans also will be for sale for $7.50 a quart. Weather permitting, live bluegrass music will be performed, plus pony rides for children. To find the church from S.W. Topeka Boulevard, take S.W. 97th to the west and follow the blacktop road as it crosses the railroad tracks and bends left, leading to the church.

— Crestview United Methodist Church, 2245 S.W. Eveningside Drive, will have “Halloween Fest” from 10:30 a.m. to noon on Saturday, Oct. 28. The event will include a Trunk-or-Treat.

— Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th, will have a Trunk-or-Treat at 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28.

— Wanamaker Woods Church of the Nazarene, 3501 S.W. Wanamaker, will show the “date-night” Christian movie titled “Extraordinary,” at 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 28. The film tells the story of an ultra-marathon runner and college professor and his wife who attempt to finish their marriage race well. The movie presentation is sponsored by the Women of the Woods group at the church. Tickets are on sale for $8 in advance and $10 the day of the movie at the church. Tickets also can be purchased at www.faithfilmsnetwork.com and may be charged by phone by calling 1-(800)-965-9324.

— Mount Carmel Missionary Baptist Church, 610 S.E. Lime, will have its sixth annual cancer survivors service at 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. The Rev. Albert Walker, of Galilee Baptist Church in Kansas City, Kan., will bring the message and his choir will render the music.

— Highland Park United Methodist Church, 2914 S.E. Michigan, will have a Trunk-or-Treat event from 2:30 to 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29.

— Grace Episcopal Cathedral, 701 S.W. 8th, will an a vespers service commemorating the 500th anniversary of the Reformation at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 29. The service will include hymns, Scripture, prayers and anthems including J.S. Bach’s “Reformation Cantata No. 79,” with a full chamber orchestra, choir and soloists.

— University United Methodist Church, 1621 S.W. College, will have a Trunk-or-Treat from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Tuesday, Oct. 31.

— St. David’s Episcopal Church, 3916 S.W. 17th, will have its eighth annual holiday bazaar from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. The event will feature crafts, a bake sale, holiday items, books and floral designs. A pancake breakfast served from 8 to 11 a.m.

— Mater Dei Catholic Church will have its annual fall bazaar from 4 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, and from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5 at the church’s school, 934 S.W. Clay. A groundbreaking ceremony for the church’s new parish hall will follow the 10:30 a.m. Mass on Sunday, Nov. 5, at the church, 1104 S.W. 10th.

— Harveyville United Methodist Church, 371 Wabaunsee St. in Harveyville, will have a barbecue pulled-pork fundraising dinner from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4. The menu will include pulled pork, cheesy potatoes, baked beans, salad, dessert and a drink for a suggested donation of $8 for adults, $5 per child ages 6 to 12. Children 5 and under eat free.

— Annunciation Catholic Church will have its annual turkey dinner with all the trimmings from 11 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 5, at the Cigna Center, 402 N. Maple. The dinner cost is $10 for adults and $5 for children 10 and under. The event also will include a country store with food items, crafts and handiwork items. Take-out meals are available. Delivery is offered in Franklin. For more information, call the parish office at (785) 292-4462 during morning hours Mondays through Fridays or on the day of the dinner.

— The Topeka Women’s Connection luncheon will take place at 11 a.m. Thursday, Nov. 9, at the Topeka and Shawnee County Public Library, 1515 S.W. 10th. The speaker will be Tanya Burk, of Thayer, who will tell her story of overcoming an eating disorder to become a personal trainer and fitness competitor. Music will be provided by Toni Corkill. Prepaid reservations are $14 and are due by Nov. 3 by calling (785) 554-3617. There is no charge to attend the program only.

— Christian pop group Casting Crowns will be in concert at 7 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 12, at the Topeka Performing Arts Center, 214 S.E. 8th. Zach Williams, a Grammy Award-nominated singer known for his song “Chain Breaker,” will open for the group. Tickets are $26 to $76. For more information, visit www.topekaperformingarts.org.

Concert organist Tandy Reussner and Friends will present their 21st annual organ Vespers concert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 26, at First United Methodist Church, 946 Vermont in downtown Lawrence. Doors open at 2:45 p.m. Admission is free, with donations accepted for local organizations that serve the Lawrence community.