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10TH PASTORAL ANNIVERSARY: Friendship Baptist Church, 1954 Brier St. SE, Warren, will host the 10th pastoral anniversary worship celebration at 10:30 a.m. Sunday for the Rev. Dr. Avan M. Odom and First Lady Tracy Odom. The Odoms have served the church for 10 years.
Guest speaker is the Rev. Russell Penn Jr., who was installed in 2011 as the pastor of Second Missionary Baptist Church in Farrell, Pa. He previously was pastor of the Mount Olive Baptist Church in Grove City, Pa. from 2003 to 2005.
BAPTISM EVENT: McKinley Community Church, 1524 Elm Road NE, Warren, will host a baptism at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. Three members of the church will be baptized as Ray and Debbie Doerschuk, who operate a portable baptismal font, will be coming.
Ray also is the founder of The Greentown Men's Breakfast and is a team member of The Men of Faith, which hosts the Men's Rally in The Valley. Every year, he sets up the portable baptismal font and ministers to several men before seeing them baptized at the men's rally. The baptism will be open to anyone who wishes to be water baptized. To be baptized, you must attend the 9:30 a.m. baptismal class on Sunday prior to the 10:30 a.m. service. Candidates are asked to wear a dark-colored shirt and shorts or dark jogging pants with under garments. Bring a towel, change of clothes and a pair of slip-on shoes or flip flops.
NEW PASTOR: Third Baptist Church, 1177 Park Hill Drive, Youngstown, will host a pastoral installation at 4 p.m. Sunday for the church's new pastor, the Rev. Sean Tucker of Hudson. The church was established in 1874.
PRESENTATION: Church at Warren, 3179 Hoagland Blackstub Road, Bazetta, will host an information event at 6 p.m. Monday with Protect Our Children's Jonathan Broadbent. Protect Our Children is a statewide grassroots volunteer organization dedicated to watching schools and school boards across the nation. Discussion will include materials being presented to children across the state.
MISSIONARY VISIT: Canfield Presbyterian Church will host Bob and Kristi Rice, missionaries from Sudan, at 7 p.m. on June 20 at the church, 140 W. Main St., Canfield.
CONCERT SET: Girard First Christian Church, 140 Broadway St., will host the Girard Community Swingtime Band at 6:30 p.m. Sunday. The concert is free.
RETIREMENTS SET: A retirement party for the Rev. Carl Kish, pastor of St. Robert Bellarmine Church in Cortland is set for June 25 with 11 a.m. Mass at the church with a reception from 12:30 to 4 p.m.
Kish's former parishioners in Newton Falls and Ravenna and friends will be invited for Kish's 61 years of ministry and pastoral service. His retirement is effective July 1.
Kish, a native of Youngstown, was an Ursuline High School graduate and was a former parks director at Tod Park in the Brier Hill neighborhood of Youngstown.
The Rev. Joseph Rudjak, pastor of Holy Apostles Parish in Youngstown, is also retiring on July 1. A retirement dinner reception is being planned for him on June 18 at Ciminero's Banquet Center, 123 N. Main St. Niles. The reception will follow two farewell Masses at 10 a.m. and 2:30 p.m. June 18 at Holy Apostles Parish-SS. Peter and Paul Church, 421 Covington St. in Youngstown.
Reservations are required for dinner, which costs $25 per person or $200 per table of eight. RSVP with payment sent to Holy Apostles Parish.
DRUMS AND YUMS: The Unity Spiritual Centre, 1226 Naylor Lloyd Road in Liberty, will host a drumming circle at their location at 7 p.m. June 23. "Drums & Yums" will be led by Dan and Pam Susany and the ingredients for making S'mores and the fire will be provided by the Centre. The Susanys have been leading drumming events regionally since 1997. Bring your own drum or some drums will be available if you need one. In case of rain, the drumming will be moved inside. The event is free, but donations will be accepted. Call 330-539-0122.
ORDINATION SET: Bishop David Bonnar of the Diocese of Youngstown will ordain three seminarians at 10:30 a.m. June 17 at St. Columba Cathedral in Youngstown. The ordinations of Deacon Robert England, Deacon John Rovnak and Deacon Frederick Schlueter to the priesthood will take place.
All three are serving as transitional deacons for the Diocese of Youngstown. The ordination liturgy will be available for viewing online at The Catholic Echo website at www.catholicecho.org/live/
Upon ordination as priests, England, Rovnak and Schlueter will be assigned to serve as a parochial vicar (associate pastor) at a parish in the Diocese of Youngstown. Their assignments will be announced during the ordination Mass.
• England is from Christ Our Savior Parish in Struthers. Before entering seminary, he worked professionally in the water treatment industry for about 20 years. As a transitional deacon, while completing his seminary formation, England was assigned to St. Christine Parish and Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Youngstown.
• Rovnak is from Our Lady of Sorrows Parish in Youngstown. He worked for several companies before entering seminary. As a transitional deacon, while completing his seminary formation, Rovnak was assigned to St. Michael Parish in Canfield.
• Schlueter is from St. Paul Parish in Salem. As a transitional deacon, while completing his seminary formation, Schlueter was assigned to St. Anthony/All Saints Parish in Canton.
BISHOP'S LETTER: The Catholic Diocese of Youngstown announces the second pastoral letter written by Bishop David J. Bonnar is available in parishes. Entitled "Practicing Faith, Hope and Love: Living the Virtues Together in Tough Times," the pastoral letter has been sent to registered parishioners, and can be found online at www.doy.org/faith-hope-love/
A pastoral letter is an official letter a bishop writes to the faithful of his diocese and to the wider community.
"Practicing Faith, Hope and Love begins by acknowledging the tough times being experienced in the northeast Ohio region and the Diocese of Youngstown, including a declining population, unemployment, violence, poverty, addiction and natural and man-made disasters that have threatened our health and well-being, affecting the poor and vulnerable in disproportionate ways. They also include pressures on Church life, such as the shortage of priests and lay ecclesial ministers, declining Mass attendance, financial challenges and the impact on strained priests and on the faithful as parish life changes," his letter states.