Community events

Orthodox Churches to hold ancient blessing

Area Orthodox churches, including Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, St. Nicholas Orthodox Church, Christ the Savior Orthodox Christian Church and St. John the Baptist Orthodox Church, will celebrate the second annual Great Blessing of Waters today at 2 p.m. in Riverfront Park near the Carrousel.

This ancient blessing will be held in conjunction with the Feast of Theophany, or the Manifestation of God, a celebration of when John baptized Jesus Christ in the Jordan River.

The Blessing of the Waters commemorates that act. The water will be used by the churches to sanctify members and homes and the blessing of other objects.

For more information about this event, call the Rev. Michael Shanbour at 263-6441.

Voice of the Faithful speaker series

The Spokane chapter of the Voice of the Faithful, a Roman Catholic lay group that supports victims of clergy abuse and promotes greater laity participation, is presenting a speaker series that will focus on the Spokane Diocese’s bankruptcy filing and its impact on the community.

The first speaker, Paul Seebeck, a longtime local broadcaster and writer, will speak at 7 p.m. Monday at O’Malley Hall at St. Aloysius Roman Catholic Church, 330 E. Boone Ave.

For more information, call 684-6997.

Hamblen Park youth activities

Hamblen Park Presbyterian Church, 4102 S. Crestline St., is presenting a new program for children in kindergarten through the third grade.

The Fish Club will be held the second and fourth Wednesday of every month starting on Wednesday from 5 to 7 p.m. The club will include games, music, dinner and Bible studies.

The church also will present a Baptism of the Lord Party during Sunday school this Sunday at 9 a.m.

For more information about either of these events, call the church office at 448-2909 or e-mail hppc@hamblenpres.org.

Book reading

Episcopal Church Women is hosting Linda Hunt, local author of the book “Bold Spirit: Helga Estby’s Forgotten Walk Across Victorian America” at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 5720 S. Perry St., Thursday at 7 p.m.

Estby was a woman who walked across America from Spokane to New York City in 1896 with her daughter. They dressed in bicycle pants and carried a Smith and Wesson in order to win $10,000 from an anonymous donor.

For more information about this event, call the church office at 448-2255.

Fund-raising concert

A fund-raising event for Christ Clinic, a full medical clinic for uninsured and underinsured working people, will be next Saturday at the South Hill Bible Church, 958 E. 29th Ave.

The evening’s activities will include a presentation by Dr. Richard Swenson, physician, futurist, best-selling author and award-winning educator, as well as live music performed by The Bluegrass Conspiracy.

Events begin at 7 p.m. Admission is free; donations will be accepted.

For more information on Christ Clinic, call 325-0393 or contact Sharon Hunter at 534-9045 or 869-4525.

For more information on Swenson, visit www.richardswenson.org.

Yoga

The Radha Yoga Center, 406 S. Coeur d’Alene St., Suite T, will present a Rose Ceremony next Saturday from 1:30 to 4 p.m.

Those attending will be asked to reflect on the symbol of the rose to remember the beauty of their life and themselves to begin the new year. Admission is by donation.

For more information, call the center at 838-3575.

New church open house

A new church will hold an open house celebration next Saturday from 1 to 5 p.m.

Ancient Traditions Community Church, 1928 E. Rich Ave., has a goal of providing a path to God for skeptics without pressuring participants into believing anything. The church wants to promote a balance between faith and science, as well as focusing on cultural activities such as ethnic music and dance and building a community.

The church also will offer weekly classes for anyone wishing to learn more about the denomination.

A class on “Spiritual Aspects of the Enneagram Personality Types” will meet Mondays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. from Jan. 17 through Feb. 28. The classes will discuss transforming a fragmented inner world into wholeness. There is a suggested donation of $30.

A class on “Early Christian Roots of the Gurdjieff Method of Transformation” will meet Tuesdays from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Jan. 18 through March 8. Discussions will focus on spiritual practices adapted for ordinary life based on the teachings of George Ivanovich Gurdjieff.

There is a suggested donation of $40.

For more information about these events, call the church office at 981-5202.