FIRST EVANGELICAL FREE CHURCH CELEBRATES 75TH ANNIVERSARY

The First Evangelical Free Church, 2401 Ohio St., has started a building fund for a new addition to begin next year in celebration of the church’s 75th anniversary. The Rev. John Bodnar, pastor for the past 18 years, said the addition will give the church a much-needed elevator, handicapped-accessible wash rooms, offices and classroom space.

First Evangelical Free Church was started in 1934 as a Sunday school by Mr. and Mrs. Clark De Garmo. The meeting place was in the Town Hall behind Horlick dam. The Sunday school was called Union Gospel Press. The church was officially organized in 1938 as Union Gospel Center on the corner of Olive and Russet. The first pastor was the Rev. Cecil De Garmo. His daughter, Lolita Ketchum, is currently the church organist.

In 1947, the church affiliated with Evangelical Free Church of America. In 1957, the church relocated behind the doughnut shop on Lathrop Avenue. It was then renamed First Evangelical Free Church.

In 1961, a parsonage was built at 2400 Virginia, and in 1969 Garrettt Veenstra donated the property at 2401 Ohio St. and construction began. On Oct. 18, 1970, the first service was held at the new location.

ECUMENICAL THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP IN BURLINGTON

Burlington residents are invited to gather for the annual Ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve Worship at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Cross Lutheran Church, 126 Chapel Terrace, Burlington. The service is offered by the Burlington Area Association of Churches and Ministers. The sermon will be given by the Rev. Robert Wang, pastor of Plymouth Congregational/UCC, Burlington. In this time of challenge for our community and our country, attendees will come together to give thanks to God for the abundance we do have in our lives and in the community.

An offering will be accepted of nonperishable foods items and cash. The food items will go to the Food Pantry at Love Inc. The cash offering will be given to the Transitional Living Center of Burlington.

OLYMPIA BROWN TO HOST INTERFAITH THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE

Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church will host this year’s Interfaith Thanksgiving Eve Service at 7 p.m. Wednesday, sponsored by the Downtown Cooperative Parish. The service will include members of many faiths, including Methodists, Presbyterians, Unitarian-Universalists, Catholics, Buddhists, Jews, Muslims and others. During the service, there will be three musical pieces, one by the Olympia Brown Church Choir, one by the First Presbyterian Church Choir and one by a joint choir of members of all congregations and the public. Rehearsal begins at 6:15 p.m. A pie fest will follow at 8 p.m. 

EMMAUS OFFERS THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE, PIZZA SUPPER, PIE SOCIAL

A Thanksgiving Eve worship service with Holy Communion begins at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Emmaus Evangelical Lutheran Church, 1925 Summit Ave. Worshippers are encouraged to bring nonperishable food items for use in the church’s holiday food baskets.

Pizza will be served in Fellowship Hall at 6 p.m. After the worship service, the church will hold a pie social in the Sunset and Fireside Rooms.More information is available on the Web at http://www.emmaus-racine.org

RENOVATION OF HOLY COMMUNION LUTHERAN CHURCH CELEBRATED

The “church on the hill” is celebrating the completion of its renovation during an open house at 3:30 p.m. Sunday at Holy Communion Lutheran Church, 2000 W. Sixth St.

Featured will be music by Caritas; the choirs of Holy Communion under the direction of Greg Berg and Kate Potter-Barrow; the bell choir directed by Dianne Johnson; and the Casavant pipe organ played by Randy Fischer. Tours of the sanctuary and its stained-glass windows and the adjoining parish house murals by David Holmes will be provided.

UPCOMING PROGRAM AT SIENA CENTER

“Pre-Holiday Soul Treat” will be held from 9:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today at the Siena Center, 5635 Erie St. This is a day of reflection and prayer, a time to focus on your life situation, whether you have many family responsibilities, or will be alone. The day will include presentations, reflection, prayer, journaling, art, and opportunity for individual conversation with the presenter.

Cost to attend is $42.50. For more information, contact Sister Rita Lui at (262) 639-4100 ext. 1230.

NEW RECTOR AT ST. LUKE’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH

The Rev. Liz Huskey Simmons has been hired as a new rector after a three-year interim period at St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 614 Main St. Madre Liz, as she prefers to be called, comes to the parish from Boulder, Colo., where she was assistant rector at St. John’s Episcopal Church. Simmons is a graduate of the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill, and The General Theological Seminary in New York. Before entering the seminary, she worked as a counselor in addictions treatment, and has interests in interfaith work, contemplative spirituality, and spiritual direction.

She will serve on the boards of the Racine Vocational Ministry and the Racine Community Foundation, as well as participate in the Racine Interfaith Coalition.

“MITZVAHS AND MIRACLES” AT OLYMPIA BROWN

In “Mitzvahs and Miracles,” the Rev. Dr. Tony Larsen will explore the concepts of mitzvah, which means “duty” in Hebrew but is usually understood as a good deed; and miracle, which means something to “wonder” at, and will ask if mitzvahs are really homemade miracles. The children will join in the first half of this service, and both the Children’s Choir and the newly organized Multigenerational Choir will perform for the first time during the 9 and 11 a.m. services Sunday at Olympia Brown Unitarian Universalist Church, 625 College Ave.

ECUMENICAL THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE IN YORKVILLE

Four area congregations will join together for an ecumenical Thanksgiving Eve worship service at 7 p.m. Wednesday at Yorkville United Methodist Church, 17645 Old Yorkville Road, with the Rev. Gary Swanson as host pastor. Other participants are the Rev. Manda Stack of Raymond Community Church UCC and Union Grove Congregational Church UCC, and the Rev. Mark Trump of Union Grove United Methodist Church. The choir under the direction of Ellen Jante will perform the anthem “A Celtic Thanksgiving” by J. Paul Williams and Joseph M. Martin. There will be a skit on the evening’s theme of “Giving Thanks.” An offering will be taken for the Union Grove Area Food Bank. Holy Communion will be served.

The church is completely accessible by elevator. For more information, call (262) 878-2388 or visit the Web at http://www.yumc.org

ADVENT SILENT RETREAT TO BE HELD AT DEKOVEN CENTER

An Advent silent retreat, called “Emmanuel, Come,” will be held Dec. 4-6 in Taylor Hall at the DeKoven Center, 600 21st St. The retreat conductor is the Rev. Margaret Guenther, the author of “The Practice of Prayer, Holy Listening,” “The Art of Spiritual Direction” and “Toward Holy Ground: Spiritual Directions for the Second Half of Life.” Guenther lives in Washington, D.C.

The retreat begins at 5 p.m. Friday with a reception and dinner and concludes after the 9 a.m. breakfast on Sunday. The cost for this retreat is $200, and includes the program, lodging and all meals. Commuter rates are also available. For more information, call Julia Peyton, Taylor Hall manager, at (262) 633-6401 ext. 3, or e-mail jpeyton@dekovencenter.org To learn more about the retreat, go to http://www.dekovencenter.org

THANKSGIVING AT ST. JOHN’S LUTHERAN CHURCH

A Thanksgiving Festival service will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. John’s Lutheran Church, 1501 Erie St. The Rev. Daniel B. Quinn is the liturgist and will preach the sermon. Special music will be provided by the Senior and Children’s Choirs under the direction of church organist Arthur Preuss Sr. Psalms of thanksgiving, praise and gratitude will be followed by the singing of favorite traditional Thanksgiving hymns. 

THANKSGIVING EVE WORSHIP AT ST. ANDREW LUTHERAN CHURCH

A Thanksgiving Eve service will begin at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. Andrew Lutheran Church, 1015 4 Mile Road. The offering for this service will be given to HALO, the Homeless Assistance Leadership Organization. Worshipers are also encouraged to bring one box or one can of nonperishable food items to this and to other services at the church.

THANKSGIVING EVE SERVICE SET AT CHRIST CHURCH

Christ Church United Methodist, 5109 Washington Ave., will hold a Thanksgiving Eve worship service at 7 p.m. Wednesday. Joining the service will be members of a Hispanic congregation which shares the church facilities. The Christ Church Chancel Choir will sing during the service. The regular Thursday evening service will not be held next week but will resume at 6:30 p.m. Dec. 3.

Evangelist and trumpet player Don Shire will bring his music and message to the 8 and 10:30 a.m. worship services Sunday at Christ Church, a United Methodist congregation. Shire has been the featured guest in concerts, evangelistic outreach and mission conferences throughout the United States and in 32 other countries. His music is heard on radio across the country and he also co-hosts a weekly radio program aired in Wisconsin and sponsored by Silver Birch Ranch, a Christian youth camp. Christ Church’s annual congregational turkey dinner will be served following the second service on Sunday.

YMCA HOSTS CONFERENCE TODAY

A TruU Conference will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. today on the second floor at the YMCA, 725 Lake Ave. Speakers include the Rev. Sonya Visor, the Rev. Yolanda James, Prophetess Roshena Andrews and the Rev. Tony Visor.

Religion Today is a listing of special events held at Racine County churches and is published every Saturday in Faith & Community. Notices of regularly scheduled services and sermon topics are not used. Announcements must arrive by noon Wednesday to be considered for publication the following Saturday, as space permits. Submit information to The Journal Times Online Calendar at http:www.journaltimes.com/calendar and select the Religion category; by mail to Sharon Knox, The Journal Times, 212 4th St., Racine, WI, 53403; e-mail sknox@journaltimes.com or fax information to the attention of Sharon Knox at (262) 631-1780.