F.Y.I. (Religion digest)

Officers to be honored

YOUNGSTOWN — A service celebrating our community’s finest will be at Triedstone Missionary Baptist Church, 2045 Jacobs Road, at 4 p.m. Sunday.

Retired officers from 1950 to present and police officers killed in the line of duty of the Youngstown Police Department, Youngstown State University Police and Mahoning County Sheriff’s Department will be honored.

Police and families of past police officers are invited to this celebration. Certificates will be presented to families of deceased police officers: Michael T. Hartzell, Millard Williams, Paul Durkin, Ralph DeSalle, Frank Cichon, Henry Clemons, Benjamin Yeadon, George Leonard, Alexander Warren, Samuel Banks, Alfred Evans, William Freed and John R. Litch.

Pastor Lewis Macklin of Holy Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, Youngstown, will be the speaker.

The International Brotherhood of Christian Men is hosting the event.

First Presbyterian to celebrate 100 years

GIRARD — First Presbyterian Church, 890 Church Hill Road, will celebrate 100 years Sunday, beginning with a special worship service at 11 a.m. Organized in 1909, the congregation originally worshipped in a church on Wilson Avenue. In 1962, it celebrated its first service in its current building.

Harvest Day Celebration

VILLA MARIA, Pa. — Sisters of the Humility of Mary will host its 10th annual Harvest Day Celebration from noon to 5 p.m. Oct. 3 at Villa Maria Community Center.

Families will be entertained with hayrides, pumpkin painting, face painting, nature-trail walks, corn toss and a drum circle.

Children are welcome to join in old-fashioned games and relay races. Visitors can create crafts, herb dip and vinegar from fresh herbs from the Villa’s own herb garden.

Guests can fashion an Indian bead necklace or design a bookmark. Live entertainment includes popular bluegrass band Well Strung. There also is a bake sale, raffles and gift-basket give-aways.

The Villa Maria Market Barn will be open for purchases of organically grown produce, herb crafts, pumpkins and seasonal mums. The Villa barn has decorative corn stalks, straw bales and pumpkins.

Food stations will include dishes made from the Villa farm’s own freshly harvested vegetables. Treats include deep-dish caramel apples, sausage, pepper-and-onion sandwiches, pumpkin coffee, apple cider, Villa Veggie Wraps, Village Veggie Stir Fry and butternut squash soup, and burgers from the Villa’s own organically raised beef.

Start Christmas shopping early with one-of-a-kind gifts from The Villa Shoppe that support Fair Trade work around the world.

New items include hand-woven purses from Guatemala and recycled silk purses from India. Other items include onyx candles from Kenya, a new line of Irish sterling silver, hand-woven baskets made from recycled magazines and more.

Admission for this event is free. For more information, call Kathleen Perry at (724) 964-9020, ext. 3348, or e-mail kperry@humilityofmary.org.

Helping young adults

YOUNGSTOWN —The Diocese of Youngstown Vocation Office is sponsoring “How to Find the Love of Your Life,” two Young Adult Discernment days, Oct. 3, at the University Parish Newman Center in Kent and Oct. 10 at the Immaculate Heart of Mary Parish Center in Austintown.

Both days will focus on helping young adults, age 18 and older, begin to discern and discover God’s call to a particular state in life, marriage, single life, ordained priesthood or consecrated life.

Bishop George V. Murry, S.J. Bishop of Youngstown, will be the keynote speaker at both events.

There also will be presenters on each state in life. The events also will include time for prayer, reflection, opportunities for individual consultations, music and multimedia presentations on the primary states in life.

The days begin at 10 a.m., include lunch and refreshments, and conclude with the celebration of the Sunday Vigil liturgy.

Register online or by telephone and pay $6 at the door. Registration at the door is $10. To register online, go to www.kentnewmancenterparish.org, click on the eCommunity tab and look for the “Discernment Day Form.”

For telephone registration, call the Diocese of Youngstown at (330) 744-8451 and ask for Geri Deane, ext. 329.

Blessing of pets

NEWTON FALLS —Sts. Mary and Joseph’s CCD program is having a blessing of the pets service at 9:30 a.m. Oct. 4 in the school parking lot, 709 Milton Blvd. A free-will donation of pet items will be collected to benefit the Animal Welfare League of Trumbull County. The Animal Welfare League is in particular need of large heavy-duty garbage bags, canned cat food, blankets and throw rugs, paper towels, pet toys and treats, brooms and dust pans, toilet paper, nylon collars, bath towels, copy paper, 6-foot leashes, dish and laundry detergent. For more information about this event or the Animal Welfare League, contact Sts. Mary and Joseph Parish at (330) 872-5742.

Mike and Kelly Bowling to perform in Hubbard

HUBBARD — Chestnut Ridge Church of God with Pastor Rob McFarland will present one of gospel music’s well-known couples, Mike and Kelly Bowling, at 6 p.m. Oct. 18.

The Bowlings have appeared on the Gaither Homecoming series concerts and videos, TBN, during Gospel Music Week’s Dove Awards, at GMS’s Seminar in the Rockies and other major events.

Their debut Canaan Records’ release, “Faith to Believe,” has garnered three No. 1 songs as well as the 2008 Song of the Year, “Your Cries Have Awoken the Master.”

The church is at 7215 Chestnut Ridge Road. Doors will open at 5 p.m. Seating is limited to 340. Tickets are $10 each. For more information, call the church at (330) 534-0084. Tickets may be purchased through the church or the following Christian book stores: Heaven on Earth in Boardman, (330) 726-0369; Family Christian Store in Boardman, (330) 758-1774; A New Beginning in Warren, (330) 372-4111; JMJ Spiritual Connections II in Youngstown, (330) 270-5657.