Religion Briefs

Spokane Unitarian pastor visits Flathead church

The Rev. Todd Eklof of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane will visit the Glacier Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Kalispell this weekend.

Eklof will visit on Sunday, Sept. 25. He is excited to continue his outreach to the small local congregation and hopes to forge a bond between the two congregations.

Eklof has been the minister of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Spokane since July 2011. He moved to Spokane from Louisville, Kentucky, where he was minister of the Clifton Unitarian Church for 12 years.

He also had a 15-year career in TV news and corporate video production and has been active in the areas of marriage equality, economic justice, the peace movement, restorative justice, criminal justice reform and environmental issues.

Eklof has been married to his wife, Peggy, a public school teacher, for more than 25 years. They have two children, Julian and Cassidy, who are both currently in college.

A potluck luncheon will follow Sunday’s service.

Glacier UU Fellowship is located at 1515 Trumble Creek Road in Kalispell. For more information, call Program Committee Chairperson Jill Fanning at 406-862-8070 or email [email protected].

Church holds blessing of the animals event

All Saints’ Episcopal Church will conduct a Blessing of the Animals in the spirit of St. Francis of Assisi, the patron saint of animals, on Saturday, Oct. 1, at noon.

The Blessing of the Animals is an annual service welcoming pets and people of all denominations. Prayers with special intention will be offered for each pet present. As well, those wishing to honor their companion animals who have died are welcome to bring the ashes of the pet, a toy, a picture, or another article which reminds them of the pet for that portion of the service.

Each pet will receive a certificate of his or her blessing, a St. Francis medal for their collar and a treat. There will be an ice cream party following the festivities.

All pets must be on leashes, in crates, or kennels, or otherwise restrained for everyone’s safety. For pets that can get anxious or aggressive among other animals and would not do well at the service, Friar Bradley Wirth, the Rector of All Saints’ Church, is more than happy to make house calls for the blessing of that pet.

All Saints’ Church is located at 2048 Conn Road, between Whitefish and Columbia Falls on Montana 40.

For more information, call 406-862-2863.