Church Briefs - June 20, 2010

Youth choir from Finland to sing in Duluth

The Oulainen Youth Choir from Oulainen, Finland, will sing at Kenwood Lutheran Church, 324 Cleveland Ave., on Sunday, June 20, at 7 p.m. A free-will offering will be received and a reception will follow the concert.

The Youth Choir (pictured) was founded in 1972 and performs a well-rounded repertoire. Of its 31 concert tours abroad, the longest was to New Zealand and Australia. In April, the choir performed in the presidential palace in Helsinki before 200 diplomats from all over the world. In August, it will appear at the 25th annual Convention of the Association of British Choral Directors in Stirling, Scotland.

The choir has been conducted by master of music Tapani Tirilä since its formation. It is a member of the Association of Finnish Youth Choirs.

Good tunes, great eats

Lester Park United Methodist Church, 5401 E. Superior St., will host a free-and-open-to-the-public summer concert series and barbecue at 6 p.m. every Wednesday in July. Come enjoy food, local bands and performers in the outdoor beauty of the summer evening. (Advance warning: The church will also host a barbecue celebrating National Night Out at 6 p.m. Aug. 3.)

Free burger alert!

There will be a free community “burger bash” from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Salem Covenant Church, 339 N. 59th Ave. W. Call 624-4859 with questions.

Something old, something new at Emmanuel Baptist

Emmanuel Baptist Church, 1505 Ecklund Ave., will host an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, June 26. Stop in for refreshments and to see the church’s new addition.

It’s a miracle!

First Love Full Gospel Church, 410 N. 78th Ave. W., will host healing miracle services at 7 p.m. June 25-27. Call 628-3084.

Good laughs, great cause

Temple Israel, 1602 E. Second St., will present “Stand Up for Peace: The Two-Comedian Solution to Middle East Peace” at 7 p.m. Sunday, June 20. It is a groundbreaking comedy show created by Scott Blakeman and Dean Obeidallah that brings Arab and Jewish-Americans together to laugh, and encourages a dialogue in support of a peaceful, political resolution of the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.

The show was born in June 2002, when Blakeman and Obeidallah produced a series of comedy shows to benefit Seeds of Peace, which promotes understanding between Palestinian and Israeli teenagers by bringing them together in a summer camp in Maine. In the summer of 2005, they were the only comedians to perform at the historic Leadership Summit at the Seeds of Peace camp.

“We were not only happy that Arabs and Jews were sharing the stage for a great cause, but also because Palestinians, Israelis, Arab-Americans and Jewish-Americans were sitting side by side in the audience laughing together,” Obeidallah said.

Blakeman added: “Just by standing on stage together, and bringing Arabs and Jews together in the audience, we’re making more progress than they are right now in the Middle East.”

This event is free and open to the public. For more information, visit www.standupforpeace.com or call 724-8857.

Superior Christian Women’s Gathering

“The Treasure of an Encouraging Word” is the theme for the June 23 Superior Christian Women’s Gathering to be held from 10:30 a.m. to noon at Barker’s Island Inn (Michigan/Ontario Room) in Superior. Tickets are $11, which include program, meal, tip and tax.

The main speaker will be Roxie Cardinal of White Bear Lake, who will present “The Treasure of an Encouraging Word.” This young woman knows from experience about the power of words to either destroy or build up those whom we come in contact. When she began to receive encouraging words, her life took off in a new direction. Roxie is an engaging young woman in her 20s attending Bethel Seminary. She loves sports and has a passion for serving as a mentor with youth and others who are hurting. Call 727-5978 to RSVP.

Dinosaur VBS

The Vacation Bible School “Truerassic Park” will be presented by Duluth Gospel Tabernacle, 1515 W. Superior St., from 9:15 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. June 28-July 1. There will be stories, songs, skits, games, prizes, snacks and dinosaurs for kids ages 4 to grade eight. Additionally, there will be a VBS carnival, to which everyone is invited, at 6 p.m. July 1. Register at www.duluthgospeltab.org or by calling 722-1928.