Religion roundup for July 30

Top Christian artists to perform at the 22nd annual outdoor faith and family festival The Fest is Northeast Ohio's largest outdoor Christian music and family festival that draws more than 35,000 visitors. It is a free event that will take place Aug. 7 at the Center for Pastoral Leadership in Wickliffe. The grounds open at 10 a.m. with five national Christian artists performing on the main stage starting at noon. The Fest will feature contemporary Christian music artists like Crowder, Phil Wickham, We the Kingdom, Tyler Micah and Rhett Walker. The closing Mass will take place at 8 p.m. with the Most Rev. Edward Malesic, bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland. After Mass, there will be a fireworks display. This year's Fest will also include activities for kids, such as giant bubbles, a petting zoo, kid-friendly entertainment and a Simplay3 kids play area. There will be displays and presenters for adults and lots of food. Marc's, the presenting sponsor, will be giving away premium coupon books at The Fest. Attendees can win appliances, Marc's gift cards and more. There is ample parking, and a video outlining the convenient parking options on The Fest's website at thefest.us/parking. View a complete schedule of the day and a listing of activities online at theFEST.us. Benefit dinner to aid family's medical costs Lafayette United Methodist Church is planning two benefit dinners for a local family. The husband has cystic fibrosis and is in need of a double transplant. The first benefit is Aug. 12 at the church on 6201 Lafayette Road. A carryout or eat-in spaghetti dinner is available from 5:30 to 7 p.m. The cost is $8 for dinner. This will be followed by an evening of bluegrass music with $3 admission. A variety of gift baskets, a quilt and other donated items are available for raffle. Raffle tickets are $1 each or 6 for $5. A second dinner is planned for September with a date yet to be determined. All proceeds go to this family to help with medical costs. New auxiliary bishop to be ordained for service in the Catholic Diocese of Cleveland The Rev. Michael Woost, a priest of the Diocese of Cleveland, will be ordained as auxiliary bishop for the diocese during Mass at 2 p.m. Thursday in the Cathedral of St. John the Evangelist in downtown Cleveland. Due to space restrictions, Mass attendance at the cathedral is by invitation only. The Mass will be livestreamed and available for viewing at dioceseofcleveland.org. Woost currently serves as a member of the faculty of St. Mary Seminary. In addition, he recently was appointed as the interim director of the diocesan Office for Worship. The Cleveland native graduated from St. Ignatius High School and attended Borromeo and Saint Mary seminaries. He was ordained to the priesthood for service to the Diocese of Cleveland in 1984. After ordination, he was assigned as parochial vicar at Immaculate Conception Parish in Madison. He did this until being appointed to the diocesan Vocation Office, which he co-directed from 1988 through 1995. He then began graduate studies at the Catholic University of America. After earning a licentiate in sacred theology in 2000, he joined the faculty at St. Mary Seminary and Graduate School of Theology, where he teaches sacramental-liturgical theology. An auxiliary bishop's role in the church is to assist the residential bishop in the pastoral care of the diocese. Once ordained, his title would be bishop. Wadsworth United Methodist Church Vacation Bible School HayDay! is a one-day Vacation Bible School that will be from 2-8 p.m. Aug. 7 at the Kilbride Farm on Johnson Road in Wadsworth. All children ages 4 through those having completed the fifth grade are invited to come. Children will rotate through several stations such as the animal petting area, hog wild games, crowin' crafts, mooo-sic and songs, Bible adventures and more. The event is sponsored by the Wadsworth United Methodist Church. To register, visit wadsworthumc.com. For more information, call (330) 336-6689, ext. 130; or email doug@wadsworthumc.com. The registration deadline is Sunday. Doug Meek, the director of Children's and Family Ministries at the church, said he is excited about the event. "We love kids at Wadsworth United Methodist Church, and we're sure your kids are going to love HayDay! One-Day Vacation Bible School," he said. We are so excited to have HayDay! on a real farm. It's going to be so much fun. Kids are really going to enjoy petting animals, playing games, creating crafts, singing songs and participating in fun farm activities as we explore one simple truth: Jesus will always love us. We'll be serving dinner in the evening, and throughout the day we'll be learning all about life on the farm. Your kids won't want to miss it." Build-A-Dog lunch and bake sale today at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church A Build-A-Dog lunch and bake sale will be from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at Mount Pleasant United Methodist Church. The church is at 2768 Laurel Road in Brunswick. The lunch includes several toppings for hot dogs, chips and beverages. — from staff reports