Religious Offerings: 2/9

2/9/2018

BY NICKI GORNY
BLADE STAFF WRITER

Robert Smith

‘Reaching for Our Stars’

St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church hosts the Toledo Symphony for its 28th annual Black History Month concert at 5 p.m. Feb. 25. “Reaching for Our Stars,” under the direction of resident conductor Sara Jobin, will feature a variety of selections and composers that reflect the African-American experience. Kisma Jordan-Hunter is the featured soloist.

Pastor Cedric Brock

The parish will also recognize three community members with its St. Katharine Drexel Award, named for the saint who founded more than 60 schools for black and Native American children. Recipients are Robert Smith, director of the African American Legacy Project; the Rev. Cedric Brock, president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, and Bishop Robert Culp, a past president of the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance.

Tickets are available through the parish, 1119 W. Bancroft St. They are $20 general admission, $10 for students, or $25 at the door. For more information, call 419-241-4544.

Lenten Devotional

Zion Lutheran Church in Ottawa Lake, Mich., has published a Lenten Devotional. Copies are available upon request by calling the church office, 734-856-2931, or emailing tjrdet@aol.com.

Pastor Terry Rebert compiled the devotional, which includes a variety of prayers, Bible readings, and art for readers to to reflect on during the Lent. Lent is the liturgical season preceding Easter. It begins on Wednesday.

“Lent is a time to go deeper into reflection and meditation concerning what Christ has done for all who follow him,” Pastor Rebert said in a statement. “People who follow Christ do amazing things to reflect that love. In my ministry I have collected some of these stories and put them into a Lenten booklet to give people a vision of what ‘picking up the cross and following Christ’ means to them.”

Project Linus

Living Faith United Methodist Church hosts Make a Blanket Day through Project Linus on Feb. 17. The community is invited to assemble blankets for children who are ill or otherwise in need of comfort between 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. at the church, 1240 Columbus Ave., Holland.

The Toledo/Lucas County chapter of Project Linus launched 13 years ago. Its volunteers have since delivered an estimated 8,500 handmade blankets to ProMedica Toledo Children’s Hospital and Lucas County Children Services, including more than 60 blankets completed during last year’s annual blanket-making event. Organizers hope to complete 100 blankets on Feb. 17.

For more information, contact Billie Szymanski at 419-866-1427 or tolprolinus@yahoo.com.

‘Glorious Splendor’

Bishop Daniel Thomas of the Diocese of Toledo co-leads a conversation on “Glorious Splendor: Treasures of Early Christian Art” at 6 p.m. Thursday at the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle, 2445 Monroe St. He will be joined by Adam Levine, deputy director and curator of ancient art.

‘Glorious Splendor’ is an exhibition that explores the way that early Christian art borrowed heavily from non-Christian traditions in terms of its techniques, media, style, and iconography. It closes Feb. 18. The free conversation is part of the museum’s masters series.

“There is a rich history associated with these great objects and I am looking forward to having an insightful conversation regarding their Christian origins,” Bishop Thomas said in a statement.

Contact Nicki Gorny at ngorny@theblade.com or 419-724-6133.