"High Sea Expedition: Exploring the Mighty Love of God," a program with games, crafts, music and snacks for children age 5 through entering fifth grade will be held Aug. 16 to 20 from 9 a.m. to noon at Community Covenant Church, 33 Lake St. in Peabody. For more information or to register, call 978-535-5321 or e-mail commcovchurch@aol.com.

"Bringing in the High Holy Days With Song," a concert of solos and ensemble pieces, will be presented by the North Shore Cantorial Association at Temple Beth Shalom, 489 Lowell St., Peabody, on Wednesday, Aug. 18, at 6:30 p.m. Tickets will be available at the door, $18 for adults, $10 for children under 12. Proceeds will benefit Jewish Family Services Food Pantry. For more information, visit www.templebethshalom.org or call 978-535-2100.

Taizé© Service, an ecumenical, candlelight service of music, chants and readings that welcomes all people, will be held monthly, with the next service on Wednesday, Aug. 4, at 7 p.m., at St. Peter's Church, 24 St. Peter St., Salem, in the chapel at the rear of the church. The service lasts about an hour, and parking is available in the parking lot.

A jumble sale will be held at the First United Methodist Church of Hamilton, 391 Bay Road, on Thursday, Aug. 5, Friday, Aug. 6, and Saturday, Aug. 7, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall. Gently used clothing for men, women and children; shoes; books; games; linens; and household items will be available. For more information, call 978-758-6595.

Summer worship at Church in the Cove, 167 Hale St., Beverly, will be held Sundays at 9:30 a.m. outdoors, weather permitting.

A Homecoming flea market will be held at Church in the Cove, 167 Hale St., Beverly, on Saturday, Aug. 7, from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m., with crafts, baked goods, a yard sale and lunch available. Call 978-922-5135 for more information.

Temple Ner Tamid is holding a musical Shabbat service open house for prospective members on Friday, Aug. 13, at Temple Ner Tamid, 368 Lowell St., Peabody. The program will begin at 8 p.m. with music and prayer, followed by a delicious array of desserts and beverages. Music for the event will be provided by Cantor Steve Abramowitz and temple members Cheryl Miller and Rich Sokolow. There is no charge for this event, and it is open to the community. For more information, call 781-334-0303.

A free church lawn picnic at First United Methodist Church, 24 Washington St., Peabody, will be held Sunday, Aug. 29, at 12:30 p.m., following worship at 10:45 a.m. Food, drinks, games and a sprinkler will be on hand. All are welcome. Donations will be accepted. In the event of rain, the picnic will be held indoors.

The Sisterhood of Temple Shalom in Salem will host a book review Sunday, Aug. 1, at 10:30 a.m. The author of "Miraculous Miracles," Elissa Al-Chokhacy, will be at this event to review this book and do a book signing. The event will be held in the garden — bring your own lawn chair — and includes light refreshments. The fee is $7. For more information and reservations, call Charlotte at 978-745-6485.

St. John the Evangelist Parish in Beverly invites families to "Egypt: Joseph's Journey From Prison to Palace" from Aug. 16 to 20, 9 a.m. to noon each day. Families step back in time at "Egypt," exploring the life of Joseph. Kids and adults participate in songs and teamwork-building games, sample Egyptian food, visit Joseph in prison and then in his palace home, and collect Bible Memory Makers to remind them of God's Word. For more information, call 978-922-2122 or visit www.groupvbspro.com/vbs/hl/stjohnsymbeverly.

Congregation Sons of Israel at Park and Spring streets in Peabody will hold a Friday night service on Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. The service will be led by the women of the shul, and Oneg will follow the service. Visit www.peabodyshul.org or call 978-532-1624.

Join Maple Street Church members and friends on Sunday, Sept. 5, for a "Lobster Fest" at Endicott Park in Danvers. Robert Donovan will provide lobsters at $8. Hamburgers and hot dogs will be available for $5. All other food will be provided by the Church Growth Committee. Reservations are requested by Aug. 15, and checks can be made out to MSC with "summer picnic" in memo line. In case of rain, the picnic will be held at the church. For more information, call 978-774-4510.

Winter clothing, new and gently used, for adults and children, will be collected on Saturdays, Sept. 11 and 18, from 9 a.m. to noon and Sundays, Sept. 12 and 19, from noon to 1 p.m. in the Dorman Gymnasium of Ascension Memorial Church, 31 County Road, Ipswich. The Winter Warm Up Sale will then take place Saturday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. and Sunday, Sept. 26, from noon to 1 p.m. Proceeds from the sale will benefit local charities HAWC, Birth to Three and SAFE.

Vacation Bible school at The Salvation Army, 93 North St. in Salem, will be held during the week of Aug. 9 to 13 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. The program will focus on ancient Egypt. Participants will explore Pharoah's palace, experience "real-life" dramas, play games, sample snacks, sing and meet many new classmates. For more information, call 978-744-5181.

Calvary Baptist Church in Peabody invites all children in the area to join their Sonquest Rainforest vacation Bible school. In addition to teaching about God's love, and the best way to live, the program will feature singing, making crafts, watching skits and playing games. The program will be held Aug. 23 to 27 from 6 to 8:30 p.m. To register or for more information, call 978-531-0914 and leave a message.

Dane Street Church's vacation Bible school will be Aug. 2 to 6 from 9 a.m. to noon at the church at 10 Dane St. in Beverly. The school is free and provides safe, educational activities that allow students to learn more about God. For more information, call 978-922-4325 or visit www.danestchurch.org.

There is space available in the Infant Toddler Group held at St. Peter's Episcopal Church, 4 Ocean St., Beverly. Group meets on second and third Wednesday of each month from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and is sponsored by St. Peter's Episcopal Church and WIC. It is staffed by professional educators and a WIC peer counselor. Enter through the side entrance off the parking lot. For more information, call 978-922-3438.

Vacation Bible school at First Church Boxford will feature "Hero Headquarters" this year. The camp is free and will run Aug. 16 to 20 from 9 a.m. to noon for children entering preschool through fifth grade. Register at www.vacationbibleschool.com/FirstChurchBoxfordMA. For more information, visit www.firstchurchboxford.org.

A rummage sale will be held at South Congregational Church, 60 Prospect St. in Peabody (across from Macy's at the Northshore Mall) on Saturday, Aug. 14, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Gently used, name-brand clothes, shoes, linens and accessories will be available. For more information, call 978-531-1964 or visit www.southchurch.net.

A book group at Calvary Episcopal Church is reading "The 19th Wife" by David Ebershoff this summer, a novel that intertwines the history of Mormon leader Brigham Young's last and most rebellious wife, Ann Eliza Young, and a modern-day tale of Jordan Scott, a young man who was cast out of a polygamist sect and returns to uncover why his mother has murdered his father. The group will meet on Thursday, Sept. 23, at 7 p.m. in the parlor at Calvary Episcopal Church, at the corner of Holten and Cherry streets in Danvers. For more information, call 978-774-1150.

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.

First Parish Church in Beverly, Unitarian Universalist, serves a meal to the needy at 5:30 p.m. every Tuesday 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. The church is at 225 Cabot St. For more information, call Diane Bianchetta at 978-921-0895 or e-mail auraleeddb@aol.com.

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.

Maple Street Church at 90 Maple St. in Danvers holds a food drive collection for the Danvers food pantry on the second Sunday of each month. Members are encouraged to bring juice boxes, pasta, canned soups and vegetables, and other items and leave them in the Narthex or the shopping cart in the Social Hall. For more information, call Priscilla Curda at 978-777-0793 or e-mail phcurda@verizon.net.

Ongoing events for adults at South Congregational Church, 60 Prospect St. in Peabody (across from Macy's at the Northshore Mall), include adult small group Bible studies, which meet at home throughout the week on various days (contact the Rev. Grant at 978-531-1964, ext. 2), and monthly men's and ladies' breakfasts that provide biblical teaching with the food. For more information, call the church at 978-531-1964 or visit www.southchurch.net.

The Calvary Episcopal Church of Danvers recently partnered with "Got Books?" and has placed a fundraising donation container on its premises at 46 Cherry St. to collect used books, CDs, DVDs, records and audiobooks. The church is paid on an ongoing basis for all items collected each time the container fills, and money raised is used in the general funding of the church. Donations can be made by anyone at any time. For more information, contact Got Books? at www.GotBooks.com or call 978-284-2500.

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.

St. John's Church Thrift Shop at 19 Chestnut St., behind City Hall, off Main Street, Peabody, has returned to regular summer hours. The store is open Thursdays from 9 a.m. to noon and Fridays and Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Winter items are on sale for $1 or less. Donations are accepted during hours of operation. All proceeds from the sale of clothing for the whole family, shoes, kitchen items, glassware, books, jewelry, pocketbooks, CDs, videos, toys, games, puzzles and small furniture items go directly to St. John the Baptist Church. For more information, call Jane Harris at 978-531-8659.

The North Shore Teen Initiative has launched a website, 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 website to post events of interest to Jewish teens. Community organizations that have events targeted to Jewish teens are encouraged to send them to adam@nsteen initiative.org. For more information, call 781-244-5544.

Pastor Gene Hebert of the Living Hope Church of the Nazarene in Peabody, on the third floor at 36 Walnut St., is offering a Thursday night Bible study course from 7 to 8:30 p.m. For more information, call 978-531-2555 or visit peabodychurch.org on Facebook.

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