Religion

Thousands of revelers from around the region are expected to converge in the township over the next two weekends for the annual Navratri celebration at the Garden State Exhibit Center on Davidson Avenue. Navratri is a Hindu thanksgiving celebration of the Goddess Amba which occurs at the end of the harvest season, In India, the celebrations nine consecutive days. In …

More than 1,100 runners, from children to adults, turned out Aug. 23 for the second annual ZMud 5K Run for charity on the grounds of Zarephath, off Weston Canal Road. Proceeds from the run will go to the Joy of Living Orphanage in Haiti, which houses children with HIV, said race coordinator Andrea Ruta.

It’s possible for adherents of different religious beliefs to work and coexist together without sacrificing their own beliefs, a group of about 200 people was told July 24. The gathering was at the Masjid-e-Ali mosque on Cedar Grove Lane, where the 26th day of Ramadan was observed with the mosque’s annual interfaith dialogue program.

Pillar of Fire Radio Network, headquartered in Zarephath, will launch a sister station on Aug. 1 in Hampton Bays, NY. Star 107.1 hits the airwaves at noon and will feature Rich Anderson in mornings, Dawn Wheeler during mid-days, Scott & Sam for the drive home, and Rick Hall for evenings, according to a release about the launch.  The playlist includes artists …

A free camp for children in grades Kindergarten to 5th is planned by the Point Community Church. The camp is set for 9 a.m. to noon, July 28-31 at Mt. Carmel Orthodox Presbyterian Church, 350 Franklin Blvd.

The Chinese Christian Church in Somerset, Amwell Road, received Zoning Board of Adjustment approval July 17 to raze an existing building and build a new one in its place. The current building, which is used for the church’s Youth Ministry and some worship services, is rife with code violations, church officials told the board.

A free, cowboy themed vacation Bible school will be offered by Middlebush Reformed Church. SonWest Roundup is open to children aged 5 years through those who have completed 6th Grade.

St. Matthias R.C. Church on John F. Kennedy Boulevard kicked off its 27th annual carnival on May 13. The carnival boasts more than 15 rides, food choices ranging from cotton candy to Filipino barbecue sticks and a Super 50-50 that last year paid its winner $20,000.

A Buddhist monk will have to wait until at least July to find out if he’ll be able to convert his Hamilton Street home into a temple. In the meantime, the monk’s planners and attorney will confer to see if the proposed 2,677-square-foot, two-story building can be trimmed down a bit.