250 women gather to make challah bread

About 250 women came together at the Tucson Jewish Community Center, 3800 E. River Road, on Thursday evening to learn to make challah, a traditional Jewish bread.

For the second year, Chabad Tucson and the community center partnered to host the event as part of The Shabbos Project, a global effort to encourage Jews to observe Shabbat, or the Sabbath, from sundown Friday to the end of Saturday.

In Tucson, each woman received measured ingredients to make the dough, and Chabad Tucson program director Feigie Ceitlin guided them through kneading and braiding, teaching about the significance of each ingredient and the blessings a woman traditionally makes during the process. The women baked the dough in their own homes.

Women of all ages participated, including University of Arizona students learning for the first time.

Hoedown, petting zoo at Methodist festival

Although Catalina United Methodist Church’s first fall festival will have variety for all ages, organizers vetoed a suggestion to include bingo.

β€œWe didn’t think bingo was quite what we had in mind,” said organizer Carol West, laughing.

Instead, the free festival from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25, will include a hoedown, food trucks and a petting zoo, among other activities. At 1:30 p.m., David Devine, author of β€œTucson: A History of the Old Pueblo from the 1854 Gadsden Purchase,” will speak. For more information, visit catalinamethodist.org or call 327-4296.

Sunshine Ministries has 29th fall festival

Sunshine Ministries Inc. hosts its 29th fall festival from 3 to 7 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25.

The event that now blocks off a street for a kiddie train and includes live performers, jumping castles and free food began in 1987 in Martha Wills’ backyard. Wills, now in her 80s, is still the event coordinator.

Back in the 1980s, Wills’ daughter wanted a safe alternative to trick-or-treating for her own daughter. The party ballooned, and this year Wills said she is expecting hundreds if not close to 1,000 attendees.

The costume party at Sunshine Training Center, 2145 S. Sahuara Ave., includes pizza, candy and other sweets β€” all free β€” along with health, Fire and Police Department representatives. For information, call Wills at 790-0866.

Church class examines
book of Revelation

As part of its adult education series, Saint Francis in the Foothills United Methodist Church, 4625 E. River Road, will offer a class on the apocalyptic book of Revelation, the final last book of the Bible’s New Testament. The class is 11:45 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 25. For more information, visit stfrancisumc.org or call 299-9063.

Speakers lacking limbs at Theology Uncorked

In its Theology Uncorked series, Most Holy Trinity Parish, 1300 N. Greasewood Road, will host two local speakers born without limbs 6:30 to 8 p.m. Monday, Oct. 26.

Jessica Cox, a parishioner at St. Odilia Catholic Community, 7570 N. Paseo del Norte, was born without arms but has earned more than one Taekwondo black belt and became the first person without arms to pilot an airplane.

Sami Madden became the president of the International Child Amputee Network, I-CAN, as a University of Arizona student. A parishioner at Most Holy Trinity, Madden was born without fully-developed arms or legs.

The series is β€œall related to social-justice-type things,” said Vicki Myers, parish director of social justice and concerns.

For information, visit mostholytrinityparish.org or call 884-9021.


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Contact reporter Johanna Willett at jwillett@tucson.com or 573-4357. On Twitter: @JohannaWillett