The following is some news from our friends at the Auburn Church of the Nazarene on East Genesee Street Road in Auburn.

“Our worship service is at 10:30 a.m. and Sunday School at 9:15 a.m. We are a small, but growing, congregation. We have a worship team that is the absolute best - though quite contemporary. Our building is used by the Alzheimer's group once a week on Tuesdays. Right now, the Auburn cheerleaders are meeting there for practice. Often the policemen/firemen use our gym for basketball. Our pastor is a great teacher and gives wonderful messages. We are the host church (drop off church) for Operation Christmas Child, which will be coming up soon. That means that all the churches in the area drop their shoeboxes filled with gifts off at our church, and we organize them and pack them in large shipping boxes and take them to another distribution point where they are transported to Boone, N.C. There they are searched and packaged to go everywhere around the world for children.

“We are a loving, caring church but small in that our people in ministry are somewhat saturated. However we have been helping out at the Salvation Army Sunday meal on the third Sunday each month; we handed out free lemonade and a calling card at the Memorial Day Parade and Duck Derby. Almost all of our people help other people, though it's not necessarily a consolidated purposeful endeavor but more individual. There is so much need.

“We love Jesus and try to make him the reason to live. We are praying for a revival of faith in the Auburn area. The people who made Auburn great were hard working, God-believing people.”

Thanks so much to Paula Durgala of the Auburn Church of the Nazarene for her beautiful and heartfelt words.

In other news:

€ The youth at St. Mary's, Sacred Heart and St. Ann's invite the community to celebrate World Youth Day this weekend. There will be a Youth Mass at 4:30 p.m. today, at Sacred Heart and at noon Sunday, at St. Mary's. Local youth will perform music for the liturgy by nationally known artists Mercy Me and Steve Angrisano. Musicians are: piano Jack Kavanagh and/or Marissa Rescott on piano, Jacob Rusinko on bass, Brandon Berry on guitar, Mary Doyle and/or Marissa Rescott on flute and Noah Rusinko on drums. Chorus members are: Emily Alexander, Lizzie Malloy, Emma Christiantelli, Chrissy Macholl, Georgi Ervolina, Kate Deluca, Jennifer Clark and Mariah Lukowski, Anne Adessa. The youth are indeed the future of the church.

€ First Presbyterian Church of Scipioville will host its 29th annual Craft Fair featuring more than 60 crafters from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at Southern Cayuga Central School on Route 34B in Poplar Ridge. The fair offers holiday decorations and gifts, plus a wide variety of handcrafted and collectible items. In addition, lunch is available, as well as child care. Admission and parking are free. Proceeds from the fair are donated to community organizations.

€ SS. Peter and Paul Church and School will hold a benefit dinner at 5 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3, at the Ukrainian National Club on Washington Street. Featured will be a full buffet dinner, open bar and DJ. Only 200 tickets are available at $100 each. Guest tickets $15 for adults and $8 for students. $10,000 in cash prizes will be given away. Call Joan at 252-5567 or 252-1022 for more information.

The two best autumn events I know of are happening today: Michele and Jim Courtney's family annual Halloween party featuring Shelly's famous homemade Halloween cookies, and Chris and Brian Collins' annual family harvest dinner featuring homemade treats from Chrissie's own garden.

Have a safe and Happy Halloween this week.

And remember God loves you.

“When we are grown we'll smile and say

we had no cares in childhood's day.

But we'll be wrong.....'twill not be true.

I've this much care...I care for you.“

Denise Bennett is a parishioner at Holy Family Church in Auburn. She can be reached at deniseb132@yahoo.com