Bible School

Brooklyn Heights United Methodist Church will sponsor vacation Bible school from 6:30 p.m. to 8:15 p.m. starting tonight and continuing through Friday. This year's theme is "turnabout Paul." Classes are for children ages 2 through eighth grade. Adult classes also will be held.Everyone is invited to share in the crafts, music, stories and fun. Children will need to bring a clean T-shirt the first evening.The church is at 110 Townsend Ave. For more information, call 789-3688.*St. Paul Lutheran Church will sponsor vacation Bible school from 6:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. beginning tonight and continuing through Friday.

If you have a child in school, a big part of your life must revolve around the school. Your involvement will help your child to thrive and achieve more than without that support. Be sure to attend Back-to-School night if at all possible and get involved with PTA at each school level.. Back-to-School night for River Hill High School is Sept. 19. Parents of ninth-graders should report to the auditorium at 6:30 p.m. All parents should be in the child's 1st period class at 7 p.m. The River Hill High School class of 2015 will be looking for hungry parents eager to exchange donations for baked goods.

BROOKLYN HEIGHTS United Methodist Church, 110 Townsend Ave., is holding its vacation Bible school from 6: 30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Aug. 4 through 8. Classes will be available for adults and for children age 2 through sixth grade. Everyone can join in the crafts, fun, fellowship and refreshments.A vacation Bible school kickoff rally will run from 4 p.m. to 5 p.m. Aug. 3 at the church. Besides registering, you can sing, have refreshments and do crafts.Information: 410-789-3688.This week, Wonderful Wednesday, a time of fun and family fellowship, will run from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. Magician Steve Gambrill will entertain.

I applaud Russian authorities for convicting "Pussy Riot" - the very name suggesting sex and violence - of committing a hate crime against religion. The all girl punk band willfully, maliciously and blasphemously desecrated a Russian Orthodox Church. Everyone has a right to freedom of expression. This includes those who were attending the religious service in question. These people's rights were obviously denied and violated by the surprise guerrilla invasion. Many of them - especially the older and religiously devout - may actually have been seriously traumatized for life by the devilish antics of these young, radical feminists.

One more week until school begins. Time for the last vacation Bible school of the season.Brooklyn United Methodist Church will sponsor Bible school from 6:30 until 8:30 p.m. today through Friday.Classes are available for children in kindergarten through high school. Come join in the fun and fellowship.To register or for more information, call 355-8740.*North County High School news: There will be a staggered opening to provide ninth-grade students with an orientation program. Ninth-graders only will report to school Aug. 28. All students will report to classes Aug. 29. Doors open at 7:10 a.m., with classes starting at 7:25 a.m.* There will be a PTSA executive board meeting at 6 p.m. tomorrow in the conference room.

It's that time of the summer when the heat and humidity are still relentless, but mail-order companies are sending their fall catalogs to lure us into purchasing wool sweaters and snow boots.In the stores, a few remaining swimsuits are displayed next to the winter coats. Halloween decorations and make-it-yourself costume ideas are in full force at the fabric stores.And the same kids who couldn't wait for school to let out are restless and a little bored now -- they're tired of the pool, all their friends seem to be on vacation, it's been too hot to take a bike ride or play an impromptu game of baseball.

At the '90s version of Vacation Bible School, the traditional flannel boards and "I love Jesus" songs just don't seem to cut it anymore.In this era of sound-bite attention spans and schedules crammed with soccer practice and computer camp, Vacation Bible School leaders have found they have to innovate to compete.So they employ creative themes, such as the tropical-oriented "Sonlight Island" at Faith Lutheran Church in Eldersburg, where each session recently started with a song by a Christian rock band.

The life and times of Jesus of Nazareth will come to life this week in an unusual Bible school program at Magothy United Methodist Church.For two days, children will experience life in Palestine, circa A.D. 29. They'll munch figs and dates, wear period-era costumes, live in tents representing the tribes of Israel and play Jewish and Roman games.The program, a mammoth amount of work for the 300-member church on Mountain Road, will include everything from street dramas depicting scenes from the New Testament to farm animals common during the life of Christ.

Megan Walburn, 5, squatted on the porch of a Manhattan Beach home and smiled as she surveyed her handiwork: her photo, framed by cardboard she'd painstakingly colored during morning Bible club."

Navy linebacker Clint Bruce is one of the true throwbacks."He'd be just as happy playing in a parking lot in a foot of mud before a handful of people," said Navy linebacker coach Tommy Raye. "He just loves to hit people and plays with a passion you used to see in a Dick Butkus or Ray Nitschke."Bruce, a senior co-captain from Garland, Texas, was the soul of ** the defense last year, leading the team in tackles (117) and earning second team All-Independent honors.Along with graduated Andy Person and Fernando Harris, Bruce was primarily responsible for Navy's defense jumping from 87th to 17th in the national rankings.

Open house - Open Arms half-day program, Thu., Aug. 4, 3:30-6:30 p.m., Open Arms School, Our Savior Lutheran Church, 13611 Laurel Bowie Road. Children and parents invited to meet the director, staff and teachers who will be working with children during the 2011-2012 school year. 240-568-9352. Vacation Bible school - Monday, Aug. 15 through Friday, Aug. 19, 9 a.m. to 6 p.m., Solomon's Porch Worship Center, Quality Inn and Suites, fifth floor Patuxent Room, 1 Second St. Take a trip down Gratitude Avenue, Compassion Drive, Forgiveness Lane, Grace Parkway and Faithfulness Road.

Vacation Bible School at Franklin Baptist Church from July 25-29 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. for kids ages 4 - 17 with transportation available by calling Rick Wilson at 410-378-5346. The church is at 2106 Franklin Church Road in Darlington. All are welcome to attend. Vacation Bible School will be Aug. 1 through Aug. 5 at the Dublin United Methodist Church. A light supper will be served beginning at 5 p.m., followed by the start of the program. For further information call 410-836-3647.

First United Methodist Church of Laurel will offer vacation Bible school Sunday, July 10 through Thursday, July 14, 6:30-9 p.m., at the church, 424 Main St. There is no fee. Children ages 3 through sixth grade can enjoy music, games, snacks and stories centered on Jesus growing up in Nazareth. Class sizes are limited, assigned on first come/first registered basis. Stop by the church and fill out a registration form or contact 301-725-3093 or office@fumcl.org .

Summer is just around the corner, and vacation Bible school registration has begun at some of our area churches! At Friendship Baptist, a free Bible Week for the whole family begins with a kickoff celebration July 10 from 5:30-6:45 p.m. and then classes run July 11-15 from 7 to 9 p.m. Children and teens will enjoy "Beach Blast: God's Faithfulness" while adults participate in a fun, interactive discussion. To register, go to http://www.fbcmd.org , or call the church office at 410-442-5506.

Turnout was light but the conversation was animated as the Greater Baltimore Highlands Community Association met May 16 at Christ United Methodist Church. State Sen. Ed Kasemeyer, who represents District 12 that includes our neighborhoods, Catonsville and part of Howard County, provided a report on the most recent legislative session in Annapolis. He acknowledged voting for a bill to aid illegal residents' children in receiving the tuition rate for state residents to attend Maryland colleges and universities.

Labyrinth walk scheduled Aug. 19 Journeys Community, a nontraditional spiritual-seekers group, will meet at Bon Secours Spiritual Center, 1525 Marriottsville Road, Marriottsville to walk the labyrinth on the center's grounds. The labyrinth, an archetypal image in many cultures, is a symbol of journeying toward the divine. The group will meet at 10 a.m. Aug. 19. Light refreshments will be available after the walk. Journey Community meets during the fall, winter and spring at 10 a.m. Sundays in the second-floor auditorium of Vantage House retirement community, 5400 Vantage Point Road in Town Center, Columbia.

Anchor Baptist Church to sponsor Bible schoolAnchor Baptist Church will sponsor a Vacation Bible School from 6: 30 p.m. to 8: 45 p.m. Monday through Friday at the church, 320 West Pasadena Road."