Church News

St. Jude Catholic Community, New Lenox, will hold a community-wide blood drive on Nov. 11. The blood drive will be held in Franciscan Hall, 241 W. Second Ave. from 3 to 7 p.m.

To schedule an appointment, please sign up online at www.heartlandbc.org or call 708-342-9772. Although walk-ins are welcome, appointments are encouraged to eliminate long waits.

This blood drive is sponsored by St. Jude Council of Catholic Women. For further information, contact the parish office at 815-485-8049.

Those donating will receive a Heartland Blood Center Sweatshirt. A photo ID is required to donate.

New Life Church invites area families to join them for SHINEfest from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday in the church parking lot for trunk or treating, games, stories, food and a costume parade (no scary costumes, please). There is no charge for this event, but all children must be accompanied by a parent/guardian. SHINEfest is geared for children up through 5th grade, and pre-registration is requested. It can be done online at www.newlifenewlenox.org or by calling Lisa at 815-462-0202. The church is located at 500 Gougar Road in New Lenox just north of Lincoln-Way West High School.

The third annual ShareFest in New Lenox exceeded expectations once again. Thank you to all of the community organizations and individual volunteers and donors who came together for a day of compassionate service on Sept. 13. Approximately 200 volunteers helped better the community, steward Creation and meet the needs of area residents. 2,700 food items were collected and redistributed to New Lenox area food pantries. 1,500 books were recycled, thanks to the Girl Scouts, and 61 bags of clothing were donated to Morningstar Mission's Treasure Chest shop.

In addition, 16 children were screened and 10 were referred for early intervention services through the Ages and Stages screening sponsored by the Will County Health Department. Approximately 30 volunteers also worked on clearing non-native brush from the Will County Forest Preserve District's Hickory Creek Barrens Access site, and used electronics and latex paint were collected at the New Lenox Township office. For more information on ShareFest, visit www.sharefestnewlenox.com.

The Father Dick Allen, New Lenox Council #10926 will host a pancake breakfast from 7:30 to 11 a.m. Nov. 8 in the school gym, 241 W. Second Ave, New Lenox. Our joyful staff of KC members and squires will serve the best breakfast of pancakes, eggs, sausage, juice, milk and coffee.

Please come for breakfast and support the Knights of Columbus and stay a while to chat and relax. Also, if you are a man 18 years or older and are interested in learning more about the Knights of Columbus or becoming a member, please come and talk with us.