2-part benefit being held for church where Arabic is spoken
The Middle Eastern Presbyterian Fellowship will benefit from a two-part event at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church, 7650 N. Paseo del Norte.
The event on Saturday, Nov. 21, begins with a bazaar featuring live entertainment, food and a silent auction, and starts at 11 a.m., according to press materials.
A presentation will follow around 1 p.m., sharing the stories of refugees and providing a status update on the Middle Eastern Presbyterian Fellowship, an Arabic-speaking church that meets at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 2450 E. Fort Lowell Road.
The Rev. Georges Bitar from Syria pastors the fellowship, and will share Saturday.
Tickets for the benefit cost $25, and include food. Children 16 and younger are free. For more information on the Middle Eastern Presbyterian Fellowship, visit mepftucson.weebly.com.
Cowboy church plans barn dance, potluck
The Rincon Valley Cowboy Church will celebrate Thanksgiving with a barn dance on Saturday, Nov. 21.
A potluck begins at 5 p.m. at Rocking K Ranch Stables, 13401 E. Old Spanish Trail, and dining dancers are asked to bring a side dish or cooked turkey to share.
The dancing follows from 6 to 8 p.m. with The 2 Lazy 2 Ranch Band providing the tunes.
“This will be very different,” said Joe Grizzle, the pastor. “A Baptist church having a dance.”
For more information, visit rinconvalleycowboychurch.com or call 404-3380.
Exhibit of Christian paintings opens in OV
An exhibit with paintings of Christian figures will open at the Episcopal Church of the Apostles, 12111 N. La Cholla Blvd. in Oro Valley on Sunday, Nov. 22.
The exhibit, called “Icons: The Human Face of God,” showcases the work of two Arizona artists and will run through Jan. 31.
The icons, in both traditional and contemporary styles, are by Laura Fisher Smith of Phoenix and Sister Carmela Rall of the Benedictine Sisters of Perpetual Adoration at the monastery in Tucson, according to press materials.
Icons are a form of religious artwork that Orthodox and other Christian traditions use to better connect with God during meditation or prayer. Jesus Christ and the Virgin Mary are common subjects for iconographers.
This exhibit has about 35 pieces, all to be displayed in the church sanctuary, said the Rev. Debra Asis of the church.
“We have an enormous amount of blank wall space, and we thought, ‘What if we put art on the walls and invited the community to enjoy with us,’” Asis said.
A free reception will include a piano and violin concert from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday. After that, the exhibit will be open 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Mondays through Thursdays and during Sunday church services, which begin at 7:30 and 9:30 a.m.
For more information about the exhibit and upcoming events, visit ovapostles.org or call 544-9660.
Freethought Arizona hosts talk on polls
The editor of a secular humanist magazine will speak about religions’ polls and their reporting of unbelievers from 10 to 11:45 a.m. on Sunday, Nov. 22.
Freethought Arizona will host Tom Flynn, the executive director of the Council for Secular Humanism for a discussion titled “Who are those doubters anyway? The demography of unbelief,” according to press materials.
The free talk will take place in the DuVal Auditorium at Banner—University Medical Center, 1501 N. Campbell Ave.
For more information, visit freethought-az.org.
