Religion Notes

Area groups host Israel

independence celebration

The Jewish Federation of Greater Kansas City and the Jewish Community Center of Greater Kansas City, along with area Jewish agencies and synagogues, host a communitywide Israel Independence Day celebration from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. Thursday at the Jewish Community Campus, 5801 W. 115th St., Overland Park.

The event will feature Israeli food, musical performances, activities for kids of all ages, a teen lounge modeled on an Israel chain of coffee shops, and educational opportunities.

The menu will include Israeli staples – hummus, pita, and falafel – as well as an American favorite – hot dogs. Proceeds from the food will help cover expenses for the celebration.

Slated to perform between 5:30 and 7:30 p.m. are a number of local performers, including Yachad, the Nigun Orchestra, the Tzimoret Orchestra, the Tikvah Dancers and the Jewish folk and klezmer music trio Oy Tate. At 7:30 p.m. there will be a special performance by Ramnoar, a band from Kansas City’s Israeli sister city Ramla. The group will perform in the Lewis and Shirley White Theatre.

In addition, the Heritage Center will be decked out for teen comfort and caffeine and cocoa consumption in the style of the Israeli coffee chain, Café Aroma. Teens in attendance will hear Israeli tunes, see Israeli video clips, and listen to information about programs in Israel.



Ministry hopes to decrease breach between faiths

Ministries of New Life, a Leawood­based prayer ministry, has released the location and date of the Call To Repentance. The event marks the third phase of a move by Kansas City’s Christians to restore the breach between Christians and Jews.

Call To Repentance and Reconciliation will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 13 at Kehilath Israel Synagogue, 10501 Conser, Overland Park.

A reception will follow the event and attendees must make reservations with Ministries of New Life at 383-3222 or Kehilath Israel Synagogue at 642-1880.

Cherokee Christian hosts ‘Spring Into Art’ event

Cherokee Christian Church, Belinder Road and 75th Street, Prairie Village, will host an out-of-doors art fair, “Spring Into Art,” from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, May 10 at the church.

The fair is open to the public. Artists of every persuasion are invited to display their work for sale.

Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove will entertain children from 11 a.m. to noon, and there will be face painting and an inflatable maze.

The Children’s Choir will perform at 12:30 p.m. and the Furst Light Christian Band from 2 to 4 p.m.

Artists wishing to show their work should contact Nicole Browning at nbrowning@kc.rr.com or 262-2912.



Overland Park man receives community service award

The Islamic Center of Topeka, The Islamic Society of North America, Interfaith of Topeka and Washburn University held a conference on April 20 and presented a community service award to Zulfiqar Ali Malik of Overland Park.

Malik is the secretary of the Muslim Council of America, a Washington-based organization. and a board member of the Heartland Muslim Council. He is the editor of e-newsletter “Muslim News Digest.”

He and his wife, Shaista, live in Overland Park. They have two sons, Adnan and Farhan, and a daughter in-law, Azra.

Malik received a master’s degree from the University of Punjab in Lahore, Pakistan. He has been working for the U.S. Postal Service for 31 years.

He is a founding member and former executive of the Islamic Society of Greater Kansas City. He is the former coordinator of the Christian-Jewish-Muslim Dialogue Group of Kansas City.

Imago Dei names Trinity

Arts Organization of Year

On April 11, Imago Dei - Friends of Christianity and the Arts, honored Trinity Lutheran Church as the Arts Organization of the Year.

Imago Dei is an organization with headquarters in Kansas City, Kan., that encourages and enables Christian churches to make use of both visual and performing arts to enrich the worship life of its members.

Trinity was honored for its 25-year history of sponsoring a religious art show that encouraged artists to express their faith through various art forms and provided a venue where these works of art could be displayed and enjoyed by others.

Anyone interested in seeing or displaying Christian art work, as well as the performing arts, can contact Imago Dei, 730 Armstrong, Kansas City, Kan., at 233-0266 or www.imagodeiarts.org.

Churches offer bilingual

worship services

Mision Neuva Vida and St. Mark’s United Methodist Church have started monthly bilingual worship services at St. Mark’s, 6422 Santa Fe Drive, Mission.

The first service took place April 19. The services will be held the third Saturday of each month.

Both congregations said the option of a bilingual service will meet the needs of diverse groups.

The leadership will consist of  St. Mark’s Pastor Larry Keller, Mision Neuva Vida  Pastor Juan Tristan, a teacher from Puerto Rico and a music director from New Zealand.

Both congregations hope the monthly experimental service will grow quickly. Participating in bilingual worship will take patience and commitment from worshippers, Keller said.

St. Mark’s regularly worships at 9:30 a.m. Sundays and 5 p.m. Saturdays. Mision Neuva Vida worships at 1 p.m. Sundays. For more information about the bilingual or regular services, call 722-2310.