Church and religious events

College First The Rev. Lance Finley will speak on the sermon "Come, Follow Me" at the blended worship services at 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday in the sanctuary at College First Church of God, 1100 N. Main St. The contemporary worship service at 10 a.m. is in Winebrenner Auditorium, 950 N. Main St. The sermon text is Luke 18:15-30. The early service can be viewed live on YouTube and Facebook. Services at 9 and 10 a.m. offer Sunday school for babies through fifth grade. The church is holding an evening of prayer from 6:30-8:30 p.m. Friday. This is a time for reflection as you prepare your heart for Holy Week. People are welcome to come anytime during those two hours. Children in grades K-5 are invited to attend "Glow!" themed kids' activities at Encounter from 6-7:15 p.m. on Wednesdays. Call 419-422-7365 or visit collegefirst.org for more information. Concordia Lutheran Concordia Lutheran Church will hold its final Lenten service of the season at 7 p.m. Thursday. Palm Sunday will be observed at the church at 10:15 a.m. March 24. First Lutheran All are welcome to come to First Lutheran Church to celebrate the fifth Sunday of Lent. Senior pastor, the Rev. Tucker O'Leary, will preach on the Gospel of John 12:29-33. Worship services are at 8:15 and 10:45 a.m., with Sunday school for youth and adults at 9:30. Special music will be provided by First Lutheran Bells, playing an arrangement of "Jesus Paid It All." The senior choir will sing "My Song Is Love Unknown." Access to the weekly bulletin and announcements can be found at www.1stlutheranchurch.org . A video of the service will be available on Monday afternoon and can be found by going to the website and clicking on "Online Services." 40 Days of Giving has started and items can be placed on the cart by the elevator. Items collected will be donated to Lutheran Social Services. O'Leary leads a 15-minute midday prayer service at 11:30 a.m. Monday through Thursday in the chapel for members and community members to sit and refocus their day with personal prayer. A Lenten service will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday using the Holden Evening Prayer. The theme will be "Compassion That Rejuvenates," inspired by Psalm 130:1-2. First Presbyterian Worship at First Presbyterian Church, 2330 S. Main St., begins at 9:30 a.m. Sunday. On this fifth Sunday in Lent, the Rev. Jessica Commeret will be preaching on Mark 13:1-8; 14-37: Cultivating Patience. The service livestreams on Facebook.com/findlayfpc and YouTube. Following worship, the second hour Faith Formation will continue the conversation about cultivating hospitality. At 3 p.m., the Chancel Choir along with guest musicians will present John Rutter's "Requiem." The Lenten suppers continue at 5:30 p.m. on Wednesday with conversations on "Cultivating and Letting Go." All are welcome. Visit findlayfpc.org. Pandora UM PANDORA — The Pandora United Methodist Church Choir will present its Easter cantata, "Praise the God of Resurrection," written by Mark Hayes, Lloyd Larson, Joseph M. Martin and Ruth Elaine Schram at 9:30 a.m. March 24 during the worship service. The service and refreshments in the fellowship hall afterwards are open to the public. The choir is directed by Pat Basinger and accompanied by Kira Davis. The church is located on Ohio 12 at 108 E. Washington St. Redeemer Lutheran Redeemer Lutheran Church will again serve lunch to those eating at the Salvation Army. Anyone who would like to help is asked to call 567-208-2079. This Sunday, the Sunday school group will see how the times have changed from "song heavy" services to those featuring the words of God and Jesus along with music and singing. Reservations are still being taken for the Seder meal that will be served on Maundy Thursday. The church will return to watching "The Chosen" after Easter. Anyone who has not yet turned in their "Giving Up Cards" should take them on Sunday. These will be burned following the service. St. Andrew's UM The Rev. Gunnar Wene will share his message from the Lenten sermon series "Wandering Heart" on Sunday at St. Andrew's United Methodist Church. Worship services are at 9 (traditional) and 11:15 a.m. (contemporary). Services include scripture, music, prayer, a children's message and sermon. Both services can also be seen online at saumcfindlay.org or Facebook. The early service is also broadcast live on WFIN radio and WFIN.com. The church has many ministries to be a part of including music, education and outreach. Check the website for more details or contact the church office at 419-422-4845 or office@saumcfindlay.org. The church will host the community dinner from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday. The menu includes Irish stew, biscuits, salad, fruit and dessert. Free monthly blood pressure screenings will be offered as well. St. Marks UM St. Marks United Methodist Church, 800 S. Main St., will celebrate the fifth week of Lent with services at 9 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday. Both services are live-streamed and can be found at stmarksfindlay.org or on Facebook. This week the Rev. Dan Metzger will continue the series "Lent – The Passion Week" with a sermon about Good Friday. The scripture is Mark 15:25-38. A St. Patrick's Day bake sale will be held in the lobby. The youth group is raising money to defray the cost of their upcoming mission trip to Puerto Rico. The United Women in Faith are collecting vegetable seed packets for the Jackson Area Ministry which teaches people how to grow a vegetable garden so they not only have more food for their table, but a higher quality of food. St. Paul Lutheran JENERA — The fifth Sunday in Lent will be observed during both worship services at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 9340 Township Road 32. Traditional worship begins at 9 a.m., followed by small group studies for all ages at 10:15. Contemporary worship opens with praise songs at 11:15. Confirmation class meets from 5-6 p.m. with the ReFUEL group gathering from 6-8 p.m. On Wednesday, Bible study begins at 5 p.m., followed by a soup supper at 6 and worship at 7. TGMA Gospel Music CAREY — TGMA Gospel Music Promotions will present a Palm Sunday Gospel Praise Gathering at 5 p.m. March 24 at Ridge Chapel Church of the Nazarene, 370 Ohio 568. Performers will include Ed Ewing, One Voice, Arnold Coy, All 4 Him, Ken Ziegler, Miss Amanda, Dee Runion, Susan Wildman, HeartSong, Stan Kline, Owen Stapley, Jake Reel and the Gospel Praise Gathering Choir. Call 419-934-5456 for more information. Trinity Evangelical Lutheran JENERA — The Rev. Kurtis Freimuth from Peace Lutheran Church in Deshler will be the guest pastor at Trinity Evangelical Lutheran Church, 301 N. Main St., on Wednesday. This special Lenten service starts at 7 p.m. Freimuth's theme is "God on Trial: Sympathy," based on Luke 23:26-34. The hymns are "Go to Dark Gethsemane," "God Was There on Calvary" and Delay Not! Delay Not!" Jerry and Mark Burkholder will serve a free supper of barbecued pork and green beans beginning at 5:30 p.m. The church is handicapped accessible and everyone is welcome to attend the supper and service. The service will be live-streamed and archived at tlcjenera.org . Call 419-326-4685 for more information. Upper Room Life groups for all ages will meet at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Upper Room Church of God, 520 W. Bigelow Ave.. Worship follows at 10:30. The March sermon series is Mourn Again, and the week's message is titled, "Joy Comes in the Morning." Bible studies for men, women and children are held at 7 p.m. on Wednesday. Those interested are encouraged to join at anytime. West Independence FOSTORIA — The Garage of Hope will be highlighted as a mission during the 9 a.m. Sunday worship service at West Independence Church. Melissa Houck, who is at the Garage of Hope from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Fridays, will share a brief reflection about the mission which provides mattresses, bedding, furniture and other necessities for free to those in need. The noisy offering will be designated to the Garage of Hope. The Rev. Ben Wallick will continue the sermon series "Blueprint for Holiness." Coffee fellowship and Sunday school classes for all ages will immediately follow the service. Children ages kindergarten through fifth grade will participate in an EGGstravaganza at 4 p.m., and the youth group meets at 5 in the youth loft. West Independence Church is affiliated with The Global Methodist Church and is located east of Findlay at 22876 U.S. 224.