Church life

RAKING FOR OTHERS: “Rake It Out” on Sunday will feature about 500 Lutherans raking the yards of about 100 homeowners. The metro-wide effort is the first event organized by Walking Together Lutheran Ministries, a shared ministry of outreach and caring among the Lutheran Church-Missouri Synod congregations of Omaha. Volunteers, with their rakes, will meet at St. Mark Lutheran Church at 90th and Blondo Streets for a 1 p.m. send-off. From there, volunteers will clear leaves from yards whose owners are no longer able to do the raking.

REMEMBERING VETS: Among the efforts in churches honoring veterans this month are these:

All of Morning Star Lutheran Church’s veterans will get a special salute this week. Sunday services (8:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m.) will include patriotic songs, and a reception honoring all member veterans is planned between the services. In addition, a Veterans Night Dinner is planned Wednesday as a thank-you to veterans for their service to our country.

Sunday is the final day for Kountze Memorial Lutheran Church members to donate to holiday care packages for Kountze men and women in the military. Church members are writing cards and sending snacks, small toys or games, reading materials and holiday decorations.

St. Martha Episcopal Church, at 72nd Street and Cornhusker Highway in Papillion, will hold a service to honor all veterans on Wednesday, Veterans Day, at 7 p.m.

At Dundee Presbyterian Church, a children’s group will be assembling care packages for military personnel during November. The packages will include donations of snacks and personal care items. The effort is a service project of the FISH group (Following In Step with Him).

SOUP SUPPER SUNDAY: The Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church’s annual Soup Supper is set for Sunday from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at the parish school, 6316 N. 30th St. The menu will feature a variety of homemade soups, breads and desserts. Fresh baked breads also will be available for sale. The cost for supper is $7 for adults and $3 for children under 10.

BENEFIT FOR HOMELESS: The second annual Benefit Concert for the Homeless, hosted by the Cross Training Center of Omaha, is set for Nov. 14. Doors will open at 5 p.m., and music will begin at 6. Admission is a $5 donation plus any nonperishable items you care to donate. There also will be presentations by representatives from local homeless shelters as well as talks by people who were formally homeless and how their lives were changed by the unselfish acts of others.

2ND SUNDAY CONCERT: Holy Family Catholic Church will present Rivertown String Band on Sunday. The appearance is part of the church’s second-Sunday-of-the-month concerts. Band members Jenni Wallace, Jim Wood and Kathy Wood perform acoustic traditional folk music on such instruments as the hammered dulcimer, guitar, fiddle, autoharp, mandolin, mountain dulcimer and penny whistle. Sunday’s concert begins at 2 p.m. at the church, 1715 Izard St. Attendees also may shop from an assortment of handmade craft items, home-cooked foods and near-new items. All proceeds will go to the Holy Family Door Ministry to assist people with such needs as food, shelter and utilities.

CONCERT FOR YOUTHS: A free concert for youths, featuring Devoted Sound, is set for Wednesday at the United Methodist Church in Louisville. It will run from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m.

HAND BELL PERFORMANCE: The River City Ringers community hand bell ensemble will appear in concert with the Solid Brass Quartet on Sunday at 4 p.m. in the sanctuary of St. Paul United Methodist Church, 54th Street and Northwest Radial. The concert is free and open to the public; donations will be accepted to offset the evening’s expenses. A reception will follow in the gathering area outside the sanctuary.

ORGAN RECITAL: Bruce Jeffries, pastor of the Rock Port and Watson United Methodist Churches, will present an organ recital Sunday at 3 p.m. in the sanctuary at the Rock Port church, which is at the corner of Opp and Nebraska Streets in Rock Port, Mo. The recital will help raise funds for a youth mission trip to Fallmouth, Jamaica. A reception in the church’s fellowship hall will follow the performance.

MEDITATION WORKSHOP: The Nebraska Zen Center-Heartland Temple, at 3625 Lafayette Ave., will offer a workshop in Zen Buddhist meditation for beginners on Nov. 14 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. The workshop will focus on sitting and walking meditation that harmonizes body, mind and breath. The cost is $20. For further information or to register, call 402-551-9035 or e-mail heartland@prairiewindzen.org.

Share your church information: e-mail to connect@owh.com with Religion in the subject field, or fax to 444-1231.