Manitonquat, a Salem-born Native American storyteller, will deliver a sermon titled "Changing the World: A Native American Perspective," at the First Universalist Society of Salem, 211 Bridge St., Salem, on Sunday, July 12, at 10 a.m. Manitonquat, or "Medicine Story," was born in Salem and will be celebrating his 80th birthday at the church. The event is free and open to the public. For more information, contact the church at 978-744-3224.

"For The Bible Tells Me So," a movie on religion and homosexuality, will be shown at the Church of St. Andrew, 135 Lafayette St., Marblehead, on Sunday, July 12, at 11:30 a.m. and Wednesday, July 15, at 7 p.m. For more information, call 781-631-4951.

A Vacation Bible School at Holy Trinity United Methodist Church, 16 Sylvan St., Danvers, is now accepting registration. The program will be held July 20 to 24 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. with the theme "Beach Party Beatitudes, Surfin' Through the Scriptures." Songs, comedy skits, creative crafts, games, Bible stories and tasty snacks will be offered. Vacation Bible School is open to children in the community. Advance registration is required. For more information, including fees, call 978-777-7408 on Sundays or speak with Lisa Smith at church.

A vacation Bible school for ages preschool through grade five will be held Aug. 3 to 7, from 9 a.m. to noon, at Dane Street Church.¬ The theme is "Crocodile Dock: Where Fearless Kids Shine God's Light."¬ Admission is free. The church is at 10 Dane St., Beverly.¬ To register, call the office at 978-922-4325.

Our Lady of Hope Parish Youth Group is participating in a Catholic Youth Conference, July 24 to 26, at the University of Rhode Island. The cost of $210 includes three-day admission, housing in the dorms and meals. Tickets are still available for the parish group. For more details or to register, contact Rosemary Dyer at YouthOLH@yahoo.com or 978-356-2522, ext. 3. Teens who are entering ninth grade this fall through 2009 high school graduates are eligible.

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The choir school at Grace Episcopal Church will hold a choir camp for boys and girls in grades two through seven, from Tuesday, July 28 through Friday, July 31, from 9 a.m. to noon. The camp will be directed by Mark Engelhardt, director of the Choir School and director of music at Grace Church, and the Rev. Deborah Phillips, rector of Grace Church. Tuition is $25, and scholarships are available. Grace Church is at 385 Essex St. in Salem. For more information or to register, contact Mark Engelhardt at 978-744-2796 or Mark.Engelhardt@verizon.net.

A vacation Bible school at Our Lady of Hope Parish in Ipswich will be held Aug. 3 to 7, Monday to Friday, from 9 a.m. to noon. For children 4 to 12 years old, the cost is $40 per child. The program will include Bible stories, singing, arts and crafts, games, and snacks. Adult and teen volunteers are also needed for the program, as are donations of juice; juice boxes; snacks; paper cups, plates and napkins; and crafts. To register or volunteer, call Nancy Salah at 978-356-2522.

The Jewish Community Foundation of the North Shore invites applications for grants from the Jewish Women's Endowment Fund, which provides money for projects of nonprofit agencies. Projects, to be considered, must address specific needs of Jewish women and girls in the North Shore. The deadline for grant applications is Friday, Aug. 14. For more information or to receive a grant application, call Arlyne Greenspan at 978-564-0708 or e-mail agreenspan@jfns.org.

Temple B'nai Abraham, a family-friendly, conservative synagogue at 200 E. Lothrop St., Beverly, is now accepting applications for membership. A special introductory rate of $100 is available to new members. For more information, visit www.templebnaiabraham.com or call Deborah Vozella at 978-927-3211, ext. 14.

Gordon-Conwell Theological Seminary will offer 23 one-week intensive courses this summer, covering the theological spectrum, from Old and New Testament, pastoral counseling and contemporary theology, to church planting, christian leadership, sexual ethics and more. Additional intensives will also be available in the winter and spring terms. For more information, visit www.gordonconwell.edu/admissions/intensives.php or call 800-428-7329.

The North Shore Teen Initiative has launched a Web site, www.nsteeninitiative.org, as a resource for Jewish teens to learn about social action and community service opportunities, trips and other sponsored programs. NSTI has also created a calendar on its Web site to post events of interest to Jewish teens. Community organizations that have events targeted to Jewish teens are encouraged to send them to Adam Smith at adam@nsteeninitiative.org. For more information, call Adam Smith at 781-244-5544.

Tabernacle Baptist Church, at 11 Summer St. in Peabody, has a new Web site, at http://tbcpeabody.wikidot.com. Information is also available at 978-531-5578.

Heaven Cent Clothing, a children's thrift store, is opening at First Parish Church Congregational Chapel, and is now accepting gently used clothing and items to stock the shelves of this new youth-run thrift shop. The church is on Chapel Lane, behind Sovereign Bank and next to the library in Manchester. Donations are accepted Monday to Friday from 8 a.m. to noon. No consignments will be accepted. For more information, e-mail JeanneMargaret@comcast.net or call 978-526-7611, ext 1.

Alternative Church Service, open to all intellectual abilities, will be held on the third Sunday of every month at 5:30 p.m. at North Shore Community Baptist Church, 9 Hart St., Beverly. For more information, call 978-927-2014.

The Jewish Federation of the North Shore offers a Limudim curriculum on themes relating to leadership, community and philanthropy, with connections made between activism and Jewish values. The free course is offered one Monday night a month from 7 to 9 p.m. For more information, contact Susan Feinstein at 978-564-0727 or sfeinstein@jfns.org.

First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, 225 Cabot St., provides a meal to the needy at the Baptist Church in Beverly on the second Monday of every month. Members who would like to participate can contact Fran Gerrior at fmarie@comcast.net or 978-922-4854 or Beth McAvoy at elizabethmcavoy@comcast.net or 978-927-4881.

All-you-can-eat dinners are held every Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. for $6 at the First Congregational Church in Boxford. Dinner is followed by classes, prayer and "Hour of Power" for youth. The church also offers the "Friday Night Hang" for young people in middle school and high school every Friday from 7:30 to 10:45 p.m.

The Safe Havens Interfaith Partnership Against Domestic Violence is collecting used cell phones in local churches across New England. Newer cell phones will be collected at St. Stephen's United Methodist Church, Marblehead, 67 Cornell Road. Newer phones will be reprogrammed, and older phones will be sold for parts. Bring cell phones to church and place them in the box marked "cell phones" in the narthex. For more information, call 781-631-2756.

First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, serves a meal to the needy at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday night that is provided by Beverly Hospital. A Yahoo group site has been established, for volunteers who work or would like to work at these dinners, at TuesdayNightDinners@yahoogroups.com, where the calendar may be viewed and volunteers can receive reminders. The church is at 225 Cabot St. For more information, call Diane Bianchetta at 978-921-0895 or e-mail auraleeddb@aol.com.

The North Shore Hebrew School is raising money by collecting empty inkjet and laser cartridges, old cell phones, laptops (with power cords), PDAs and video games. "Cartridges for Kids" will reimburse the school for each item that is brought in to the Temple Shalom office, 287 Lafayette St., Salem. Call 978-741-4880.

A course on spiritual parenting is sponsored by the First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, for parents and their children one Saturday a month from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Parents gather in the minister's study from 5 to 6 p.m. for discussion, while children play with sitters downstairs, followed by a potluck dinner. For more information, contact Sarah Shamel at sishamel@alumni.princeton.edu or 978-969-1913.

Dinner is served every Sunday at 6 p.m. at St. Peter Episcopal Church, 4 Ocean St., Beverly, for those in need. For more information, to volunteer or to make a donation, call Dena Lisle at 978-922-3291.

Sermon Conversations are held Sunday evenings at First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, 225 Cabot St., to discuss the morning's sermon topic. Locations are announced following Sunday worship. For more information, call Eric Hacker at 978-921-5278.

Congregation Sons of Israel in Peabody will have three 100th Anniversary Celebrations this year. A gala dinner/dance at the Danversport Yacht Club will be held Saturday, Nov. 14, and on Dec. 13, the annual congregation meeting will celebrate the original charter. For more information, contact the Shul at 978-532-1624 or www.peabodyshul.org.

St. Adelaide Parish brings Holy Communion to those who are ill or housebound. Anyone in this position, or who knows of anyone in this position, can call the rectory office at 978-535-1985.

Artists who would like to display their work for a month at the First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, 225 Cabot St., should contact Paula Stephens in the church office at 978-922-3968.

The Clifton Lutheran Church, in partnership with Got Books, has a drop-off location where town residents can donate books, videos, CDs and DVDs. Money raised from the purple container with yellow signs at the church, at 105 Humphrey St. in Marblehead, will be used for community charities, including youth scholarships for summer camps. The drop-off site is open to everyone, at any time.

Collections for the Ipswich Food Pantry will be accepted at Our Lady of Hope Parish, 1 Pineswamp Road, Ipswich, in baskets placed near church entrances. Only nonperishable donations will be accepted. The church can be reached at 978-356-3944 or www.ipswichcatholics.org.

Temple Ner Tamid and All Care Hospice are offering a monthly Jewish Bereavement Group to the North Shore Jewish community. The group is free and open to anyone who has suffered a loss of a loved one. It will meet on the second Monday of each month at Temple Ner Tamid, 368 Lowell St., Peabody, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Anyone interested may call Jerry Schwartz at 781-586-1620, ext. 684.