Faith United welcomes new pastor

Members of Faith United Church, 3025 Karnes Road, voted unanimously Nov. 1 to call the Rev. Jim Oswald as their new pastor.

The Rev. Oswald was born in Lincoln, Neb., and has been married to his wife, Julie, for 22 years. They have three children. He entered Central Baptist Theological Seminary full time in 1997. In 1999, the Rev. Oswald received a call from Wyatt Park Baptist Church to be its full-time children's pastor. He continued with seminary while serving on staff there and graduated in May 2002 with a Master of Divinity degree, then was ordained in January 2006.

His ministry with the church begins immediately. Faith United offers Sunday school at 9 a.m. and worship at 10:15 a.m.

'Mind, Body and Soul'

"Mind, Body and Soul" will be the theme for a gathering of Disciple Women today at First Christian Church, 10th and Faraon streets. The event is free and open to women of all ages, with lunch provided. Speakers include Kay Gallagher from the Shape Shop, the Rev. Donna Rose-Heim and Diane Waddell. Registration will begin at 9:30 a.m., and the event will end at 2 p.m. For more information, call 233-2556.

Dagwood party at DeKalb Christian

Lutron Ministries at DeKalb Christian Church will be hosting a Dagwood party after Sunday school Nov. 15. The youth will sell extra large Dagwood sub sandwiches, made to your order, for $10 (or more if you would like to make a donation). Your sandwich may be taken home or eaten at church while you watch the football games that afternoon.

This is the second fundraiser this year to finance Lutron's projects. The youth also will request donations for Mwangaza International, an African mission dedicated to sending essential personal care items to needy children in the Congo. All funds collected for this project will go directly to the African mission.

Scouting committee to meet

The St. Joseph Catholic Committee on Scouting will have a Memorial Mass at 7 p.m. Nov. 15 at Cathedral of St. Joseph, 10th and Isadore streets. Deceased Catholic leaders and members of Boy and Girl Scouting units will be remembered. All interested relatives and friends are welcome to attend.

Ladies of Charity to meet

Ladies of Charity will meet Nov. 18 at St. Francis Parish Center, 2618 Seneca St. Rosary will be recited at 11:40 a.m., followed by a memorial Mass for deceased members at noon. Lunch and a business meeting will follow. All interested women are welcome.

Golden Agers meeting

The Golden Agers group, for adults 55 and older, at McCarthy Baptist Church will present "MO before it was MO" at noon Nov. 19. Bring a friend and a covered dish and listen to Tom Nagel, natural history biologist with the Missouri Department of Conservation, discuss the early natural history of northwest Missouri. He will talk about the effect glaciers had on the Missouri River, where the prairie began and how the landscape looked before the area was populated.

Craft, bake sale at St. Patrick Church

St. Patrick Church, 1813 S. 12th St., will host a fall craft and bake sale from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Nov. 20 and 21 in its Carden room. There will be hot dogs and chili dogs, homemade baked breads, cookies, cakes and pies. Crafts for sale include handmade tea towels, Christmas items, houseplants, baby quilts and dish cloths. For more information or directions, call 279-0025.

Bazaar, crafts at Mound City UMC

The United Methodist Church of Mound City, Mo., will have a bazaar/craft sale from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Nov. 21 at the Mound City Nutrition Site, 613 State St. A soup lunch will be available for a free-will offering.

Supper, bazaar at Hope United

Hope United Church of Christ, 19999 State Route W in Cosby, Mo., will host its 29th annual holiday supper and bazaar from 3 to 8 p.m. Nov. 21. The cost is $8 for adults, $3 for children 6 through 12 and free for children under 6. There will also be crafts and baked goods for sale.

Handbell concert

Savannah First Christian Church will host a Lewis Handbell Concert at 3 p.m. Nov. 22. This concert will feature the talents of Tom and Ramona Lewis and their three daughters, Cindy Price, Kelly Jones and Beth Lewis. Their selections will include some spiritual pieces, classic Christmas songs, a medley of Disney classics and more. There will also be performances by the FCC Sanctuary Choir and the FCC Caryl Chimes.

Union Star has free Thanksgiving dinner

Union Star (Mo.) United Methodist Church, 475 Cedar St., will host a free Thanksgiving dinner beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 25. A Thanksgiving service will be held at 7:30 p.m. All are welcome. The dinner is free, but all donations will be accepted and placed in the Ministerial Alliance Fund. Please RSVP to Tara Wells at (816) 593-2375, Georgia Whorton at (816) 593-2471 or Donna Tritten at (816) 593-2359 no later than Nov. 16.

Thanksgiving Day dinner in Stewartsville

All residents of the Stewartsville, Mo., community are invited to the first Stewartsville community Thanksgiving dinner to be held on Thanksgiving Day in the dining hall of Stewartsville's First Baptist Church. Serving will begin at 1 p.m. Please call Ken or Robin Connell at (816) 669-8257 to let them know how many from your family will be coming.

Helena First Baptist news

First Baptist Church of Helena, Mo., will offer an evening of entertainment and fellowship beginning at 6 p.m. Nov. 29 with its Fifth Sunday Sing, featuring talent from throughout the area. Admission is free, but the church does ask that everyone bring one non-perishable food item for the Andrew County Food Bank. First Baptist also seeks to serve those in the city of Helena and throughout Andrew County who are too busy to wrap their Christmas presents. Church members will wrap presents for free from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Dec. 12 in the basement of the Helena Community Center.

'Choosing to Love the World'

Sophia Center, 751 S. Eighth St. in Atchison, Kan., will host "Choosing to Love the World: Thomas Merton and Contemplative Living," from 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 4 until 2 p.m. Sunday, Dec. 6. This weekend retreat will feature Jonathan Montaldo, director of Bethany Spring, the Merton Institute for Contemplative Living's retreat center. For more information, call (913) 360-6173, e-mail sophia@mountosb.org or go online to www.mountosb.org.

Lifestyles reporter Erin Wisdom can be reached at ewisdom@npgco.com.