Religious Offerings: 4/13

4/13/2018
BLADE STAFF

‘Blessing of Hands’

Third Baptist Church hosts a “Blessing of Hands” on Sunday. The interfaith service is intended to acknowledge and bless law enforcement officers, educators, clergy, caregivers, medical professionals, and others who make Toledo “such a unique and wonderful city.”

Pastor K. David Johnson of Third Baptist Church will preside over the blessing service and anoint attendees’ hands with oil. He will be assisted at the service by representatives of the Catholic, Muslim, and Jewish communities.

The service begins at 10 a.m. The church is at 402 Pinewood Ave.

Students toss colored powder into the air in celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi at the University of Toledo in 2015. This year's Holi Toledo at UT takes place Thursday afternoon.
Students toss colored powder into the air in celebration of the Hindu festival of Holi at the University of Toledo in 2015. This year's Holi Toledo at UT takes place Thursday afternoon.

Holi Toledo

The University of Toledo celebrates Holi on Thursday with colored powder, music, and dancing outside the Memorial Field House. The free festivities take place between 3 and 5 p.m.

“Holi is a popular springtime festival that is celebrated with great fanfare in India,” said Yonatan Miller, director of the Center for Religious Understanding, in a statement. “It is a colorful celebration — both cultural and religious — of the change of seasons and the triumph of good over evil. And, significantly, it is also a time when, at least for one day, all people are considered equals; the usual social hierarchy is suspended."

The Hindu Temple of Toledo celebrated Holi in March.

Expansion midpoint

Epworth United Methodist Church, 4855 W. Central Ave., is celebrating the midpoint of its $5.7 million expansion this month. Families last week had the opportunity tour the construction site and sign beams, and will again on Sunday, after each of three morning services: 8:30 a.m., 9:45 a.m., and 11 a.m.

The donation-funded expansion adds 23,000 square feet to the facility, doubling its current size. Its features include an education wing, multi-purpose meeting rooms, a children’s area and a lobby with a cafe. A consecration service is slated for Sept. 23.

Franciscan pilgrimages

The Sisters of St. Francis in Sylvania host “mini-pilgrimages” at their campus on Thursday, as well as April 21 and May 10. Pilgrims will visit sites that pay tribute to Saint Francis and Saint Clare, as well as learn the history of the community, engage in personal reflection, and eat lunch.

Each pilgrimage runs 10 a.m. to noon and meets at Madonna Hall, 6832 Convent Blvd., Sylvania. The cost is $20. To make a reservation, contact Sister Joan Jurski at 419.824.3528 or jurski@sistersosf.org.

Baptist Association

The Toledo Area American Baptist Association holds a spring worship service at 4 p.m. Sunday at Ashland Church, 2350 Starr Ave., Oregon. More than 200 attendees are expected, accounting for the largest association event in years.

The service will include contemporary worship music, a five-octave bell choir and a more than 70-member combined choir. The message will be a one-act play, Mountaintop, connecting to the story of Abraham and Isaac to the crucifixion of Jesus. A meal will follow the service.

Race and justice

The Commission on Racial Understanding of the Episcopal Diocese of Ohio presents, “Race and the Criminal Justice System: A Conversation,” at St. Timothy’s Episcopal Church, 871 E. Boundary St., Perrysburg, between 4 and 6 p.m. Sunday. It is free and open to the public.

Professor Shelley Cavalieri of the University of Toledo College of Law will moderate the discussion. It will encompass excerpts of the acclaimed Ava DuVernay documentary 13th.