Free lunch offered

Free lunch will be available from 11 a.m. until 12:30 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 8, at the Twenty-eighth Street Church of the Brethren, 2800 Union Ave., Altoona. The lunch will be eat in or take out, with take out available beginning at 11:30 a.m. The meal includes ham and bean soup, sandwich and dessert.

Melbinger to host concert

Timothy Melbinger, part-time lecturer in music at Penn State Altoona, will offer a performance of his work at 3 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 23, at the First Evangelical Lutheran Church, Altoona.

The concert includes four new compositions by Melbinger, who will be playing the piano for the event. It features members of the Altoona Brass Collective, musicians on the organ and saxophone, and 2019 Penn State Altoona graduate Brandis Ajay with vocals. Melbinger will offer a brief lecture about the music. The event is free and open to the public.

Wild game dinner planned

A wild game meal will be served Saturday, Jan. 22, at Crossview Missional Church in Cassville. Doors open at 4 p.m. with a covered dish meal at 5 p.m. Guest speaker is Brandon Baker, a Roaring Spring native who is a competitive archery shooter and founder of Take A Stand Outdoors. The event is free to the public. Attendees are encouraged to bring their favorite wild game covered dish to share.

The church is at 18546 Cooks Road in Cassville. For more information, call Freddie McKnight at 814-386-0120.

Clothing giveaway planned

Grace’s Closet at Grace Lutheran Church, 1114 N. Cambria St., Bellwood, will host a clothing giveaway from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Jan. 8. Winter clothing is available. Masks are optional. For more information, call the church at 814-742-7501.

Hollidaysburg Free Soup Program

The Hollidaysburg Free Soup Program will be held from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Saturdays Jan. 8 through March 5. The program has been modified this year, due to the spike in COVID-19 cases, and may vary from church to church. Four churches will be participating this year.

St. John’s Reformed Church will start the program and offer free soup and bread as a drive-thru event Saturday, Jan. 8 and Jan. 15. It will take place in the church parking lot at the rear of the church. There will be several varieties of soup available in quarts and pints, plus loaves of bread. A limit of 4 pints or 2 quarts of soup and one loaf of bread per car will be available while supplies last. Due to COVID-19, dining in will not be provided.

â-  St. John’s Reformed Church, 906 Maple Ave., will host the lunch on Jan. 8 and Jan. 15.

â-  Hollidaysburg Church Of The Brethren, Penn and Hawthorne streets, Jan. 22 and Jan. 29.

The lunches are free; donations will be accepted.

Free books available

Free books, craft supplies and toys are available at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 1433 13th Ave., Altoona, from noon to 1:30 p.m. Sundays in January, while supplies last. Bring a tote bag and choose from a selection of picture books and coloring books featuring Bible stories from the Old and New Testaments. These books and toys are gently used and recently cleaned. Families, pastors, churches and charities are welcome. Call 814-943-0091 for messages indicating any cancellation due to inclement weather and for continued availability.

‘Perspectives’ class to begin

“Perspectives on the World Christian Movement,” a 15-week course on the biblical, historical, cultural and strategic aspects of God’s heart for the world, will be held at Altoona Alliance Church beginning with the first class, slated for 6:30 to 9:30 p.m. Jan. 10. The classes will be held Mondays through April 25. Homeschool duel-enrollment, college and graduate level credit is available.

Interested participants can register for “First Night Free” by going to www.perspectives.org/altoonaarea or attend the event Jan. 10. The Altoona Alliance Worship Center is at 3220 Pleasant Valley Blvd. For more information, call 814-761-4821.

The opening night speaker is Bob Sjogren, president of UNVEILINGLORY.

Faith camp scheduled

The Williamsburg United Methodist Church will host a one night VBS-style camp from 5 to 7 p.m. Saturday, Jan 15. The event is geared to all ages. Children four years and younger must be accompanied by an adult. Parents are welcome to stay for the event. Dinner will be served at 5 p.m. with the camp set to begin at 5:30 p.m.

The church plans to hold a similar event each month. Those planning to take part should pre-register online at the Williamsburg United Methodist Church Facebook page or pick up a registration form at the church office Wednesday to Friday mornings.

Deadline

Religious organizations are invited to submit upcoming events, special speakers and other items to be published free of charge in Spiritual Notes. Items can be emailed to religion@altoonamirror.com or call Holly at 814-946-7451. Items may also be submitted online through the Mirror’s virtual newsroom at vnr.altoonamirror.com. Deadline for submissions is 4 p.m. Mondays.