Youth rally

The eighth annual Middle School Catholic Youth Rally will be Sunday, Oct. 12, in the Belle Fourche Area Community Center. Registration is at 8:30 a.m.; cost is $35 per person, which includes two meals, a T-shirt and all rally materials. Concessions will be available.

Keynote speaker Chris Padgett will provide presentations relating to the theme, "Witness." The praise and worship band, Immaculata, will lead song and worship activities. The public is invited to a Mass at 3 p.m., celebrated by Bishop Blase Cupich.

In addition, Helen Guitierres from Catholic Social Services will lead a parent session at 1:30 p.m.

Registration forms are available at the community center or at the Diocese of Rapid City Web site. For more information, call LaVonne Weich at 723-3226.

Fall festival

The annual Fall Festival will be Sunday, Oct. 12, at the Marcus Presbyterian Church. Serving will start at noon with chicken and noodles, chili and bean soup, dessert and salad bar. Donations will be accepted.

Lunch will be followed by trap shooting for prizes, bingo, a cake walk, country store, fish pond and a gift basket table. All are welcome.

Fall bazaar

Divine Shepherd Lutheran Church of Black Hawk will hold its annual fall bazaar and homemade soup and pie lunch from 9 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at the church on the corner of Peaceful Pines and Wedgewood streets.

Proceeds benefit a seminary student, the Pine Ridge mission and Church Response.

Church bazaar

Fairburn Church will hold a church bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 11. Dinner will be at

5 p.m., followed by an auction at 6:30 p.m. There will be quilts, handwork, jewelry, crafts and garden and baked goods.

For more information, call Bernice Churchill at 255-4455 or Connie Gorsuch at 393-4337. All are welcome.

German Oktoberfest

A German Oktoberfest will be Saturday, Oct. 18, in the Sturgis City Auditorium, featuring The Hazuka's and Father Kari. A dinner of brats, potato salad, beans and beverage will be served at 5:30 p.m. The dance will be from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

Tickets for the dinner and dance are $25 per family and $10 for individuals; dance only tickets are $7. The event is sponsored by St. Francis of Assisi Polka Dots, with proceeds going to St. Martin's Chapel and St. Francis of Assisi.

Christian Cowboys

The Fellowship of Christian Cowboys will meet at 4 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 12, at Open Bible Christian Center in Rapid City. All are welcome to attend.

Nominations sought

The Episcopal Diocese of South Dakota is currently receiving nominations for a bishop coadjutor.

In the Episcopal Church, a coadjutor bishop is a person who is designated to assist the diocesan bishop in the administration of the diocese. The person elected as coadjutor succeeds the current bishop of a diocese upon the latter's retirement.

The Diocese of South Dakota encompasses the entire state, as well as small portions of Minnesota and Nebraska, and has about 12,000 baptized members.

Nominations for bishop coadjutor will be accepted until Oct. 15. The nomination form and the diocesan profile are posted at www.diocesesd.org. The final slate of candidates will be announced in March of 2009 with the election to be held May 9 in Pierre.

Worldwide communion

A special service to mark Worldwide Communion Sunday will be at 9:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 5, at First Congregational United Church of Christ, 1200 Clark St., Rapid City. The church choir will provide a series of special anthems to enhance the celebration.

A procession of breads from around the world will begin the celebrations. The congregation practices open communion, and all who wish to participate are welcome to do so. There will be special worship elements for all ages.

A brunch, featuring breads from around the world, will be held following the worship service.

All are welcome.

Concert rehearsals

The combined voices of the Piedmont Valley Ministerial Association will be presenting "The Christmas Offering: Celebrating the Greatest Gift of All" on Sunday, Dec. 14.

Rehearsals will be from

4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. Sundays at the Piedmont Valley Lutheran Church beginning Oct. 12. John Osnes will be directing the combined choirs. Child care is provided. All are welcome to join, regardless of choir experience.

For more information or to sign up, contact Judy Wetering at 787-7093.

Free concert

The River, along with Mt. View Youth Ministries, is hosting a free concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Oct. 6, at Mt. View Church, on the corner of Jackson and 12th streets in Spearfish. The concert features the band Ag Silver and is part of the Clean Water for Africa Tour. There will be bottled water for sale at the concert for $1 and $5, with all proceeds going to provide rural communities in Africa with clean water.

Ag Silver, from Grand Rapids, Mich., won Michigan's largest battle of the bands competition in 2003. For more information on the band, go

to www.agsilver.com. For more information on the concert,

go to ww.theriverspearfish.com or contact Tyson Karn

at tysonkarn@theriver-spearfish.com.

Saturday Night Alive

Saturday Night Alive will have a potluck and life study at 5:30 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 11, at Christian Life Ministries, 1948 N. Plaza Drive in Rapid City. The theme will be "God's Transforming Power."

Main Street Living

Main Street Living will broadcast its Sunday program at 9 a.m. Oct. 5 on KEVN-FOX in Rapid City. The Rev. Keith Bicknase from Emanuel Lutheran Church in Milbank will lead services, with the theme, "A Steady Diet of Christ!" The Main Street Living Choir will present the hymns. The program is interpreted for the hearing impaired.

Announcements

All religion announcements must be received no later than noon Wednesday to appear in the next Saturday's edition. Send announcements to Church Briefs, the Rapid City Journal, P.O. Box 450, Rapid City, S.D. 57709, or fax them to 394-8463, or e-mail them to: features@rapidcityjournal.com. Items will appear once and as space permits. For information, call 394-8405.