7960773062?profile=originalThe Step-Above Rummage Sale is put on by the First Presbyterian Church in Delray Beach. This year it takes place Feb. 8-10. Photo provided

By Janis Fontaine

If you like your rummage sale without too much rummaging, the Step-Above Rummage Sale at First Presbyterian Church, Delray Beach, was designed with you in mind.
Think “department store” with neatly arranged and labeled merchandise, conveniently sized and sorted and displayed by department. There will even be a boutique where you’ll find high-end items, like designer dresses and shoes. Sales specialists will be on hand to help and a dressing area is available to ensure a perfect fit.
The media area will contain books, DVDs and electronic games. Kids clothes, toys and games will be organized in their own area. Arrive early for the best bargains.
The Step-Above Rummage Sale is from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Feb. 8-10, at the church, 33 Gleason St. Lunch will be served from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, call 276-6338 or visit www.firstdelray.com/upcoming-events.

Boca Beach Chabad welcomes
Orthodox pop singer

It’s not often folks here get to welcome an A-list performer from the Orthodox community, but that’s about to change. In celebration of its 18th anniversary, Boca Beach Chabad will host the Israeli pop singer Avraham Fried at Mizner Park Amphitheater on Feb. 13.
7960773079?profile=originalFried has released more than 25 albums and sold out concerts at Carnegie Hall and Lincoln Center. His eclectic style mixes genres like rock, pop and jazz, but also incorporates both cantorial-style pieces as well as Yiddish folk songs, tied together by Jewish themes and sentiment.
The concert is part of a wider “Celebration 50:18” recognizing the 50th anniversary of Jerusalem’s reunification following the Six-Day War.
Danny Danon, Israeli ambassador to the UN, will deliver a keynote address at an invitation-only reception at 5:30 p.m. at the Boca Raton Museum of Art, where a special presentation will recognize Israeli troops who served during the Six-Day War as well as family members of fallen service members.
Three local philanthropists — Leonardo Farkas, Howard Kaye and Myrna Gordon Skurnick, all with ties to Boca Raton — will be honored.
Concert tickets are $20 to $60 (free for ages 2 and younger), available at www.5018concert.com.
For an invitation to the VIP reception, call 394-9770 or sign up at www.bocabeachchabad.org/gala5018.

Orthodox singer Avraham Fried’s
set list includes rock, pop, jazz,
cantorial-style pieces and Yiddish
folk songs. Photo provided

Shabbat in east Delray
for young professionals
Rabbi Shmuel Biston and Chabad of East Delray will host a special Young Jewish Professionals Shabbat Dinner to appeal to people in the 21-39 age bracket in downtown Delray Beach on Feb. 9.
Biston understands that new relationships begin with one positive experience.
“One great Jewish experience equals mission accomplished,” Biston said. “The youth nowadays are searching for something meaningful and they are realizing that Facebook and Instagram are not going to bring true happiness.
“We don’t want [young people] to feel intimidated to come to our programs and events, so to make it interesting, we make exclusive programs just for them amongst their peers in an environment where they will feel comfortable. The food is great and the drinks are unlimited.”
CYP Shabbat is 7-10 p.m. Feb. 9, at Old School Square, 51 N. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. Tickets: $25 in advance only at Eventbrite.com. For information, visit www.jewisheastdelray.com or call Biston at 954-857-3543.

Compassion experience
It’s hard for some Americans to imagine how poor some people are. Many of us have never been out of the country, and we’re too busy keeping the balls of our life in the air to stop and wonder about someone thousands of miles away.
Compassion International found a way to bring the experience of poverty to thousands of people across the country, using semi-trucks and iPods. The Compassion experience will stop in the parking lot at Spanish River Church, 2400 Yamato Road, Boca Raton, from Feb. 15 to 18. The experience is being held in conjunction with the annual Ride 4 Orphans. (See story, page H16.)
This self-guided tour does more than just show pictures and tell stories. Using iPod headsets, visitors walk through the 2,000 square feet of interactive space where they get glimpses of daily life from a child’s perspective. Guests walk through replicas of the marketplace, through the school and then to the home of the child living in poverty.
UNICEF and the World Bank Group estimated in 2013 that 385 million children were living in extreme poverty, defined as less than $1.90 per day. Other estimates say that number tops 1 billion.
Compassion International is known for its work finding sponsors for children in developing countries. Over the last 60 years, Compassion International has helped more than 1.8 million children in 25 of the world’s poorest countries. (Info: 888-503-4590 or www.compassion.com.)
This free exhibition is wheelchair- and stroller-accessible and appropriate for all ages (it has kid-friendly audio versions). Reservations are encouraged, especially for groups. Email changetour@compassion.com.

Community of Hope
hosts special-needs prom
At 500 churches in 50 states and 16 countries around the world, kids with special needs will get to go to the prom because of Tim Tebow.
The former Florida football star’s foundation sponsors Night to Shine. Locally, proms will take place at Community of Hope’s two campuses on Feb. 9.
Night to Shine is designed to be an “unforgettable prom night experience,” for people with special needs ages 14 and older. Every guest walks the red carpet to cheers and applause from family and friends.
Kids also get hair and makeup help, limousine rides, corsages and boutonnieres, a catered dinner and party favors. Entertainment is karaoke and dancing, and everyone gets to be crowned prom king or queen.
A special respite room is provided for parents and caretakers as their teens dance and sing the night away.
Tebow says Night to Shine is his “favorite night of the year.” His foundation committed more than $3.5 million in financial support to hundreds of churches needing assistance in hosting the event. In 2015, the first year, 44 churches hosted Night to Shine. Last year, 375 churches crowned 75,000 prom kings and queens. This year, the number has grown.
Volunteers are needed to help guests check in, assist with the food and entertainment, and take pictures and video. If you can help, visit www.communityofhope.church/shine.
Night to Shine is from 6-9 p.m. Feb. 9 at Community of Hope West Campus, 14055 Okeechobee Blvd., Loxahatchee Groves, and Community of Hope East Campus, at Good Shepherd Church, 2341 S Military Trail, West Palm Beach.
Admission is free, but reservations are required. Call 753-8883 or register at communityofhope.church/shine.

Ongoing programs
Beer, Conversation & God: Pub Theology meets at 7 p.m. Feb. 15 (and the third Thursday of each month) at Barrel of Monks, 1141 S. Rogers Circle, No. 5, Boca Raton, for conversation, fellowship and open discussion of mostly theological topics. The group also meets at 7 p.m. Feb. 6 (and the first Tuesday of each month) at the Biergarten, 309 Via De Palmas, No. 90, Boca Raton. For more information, contact Pastor Marcus Zillman at mzillman@fumcbocaraton.org; call 395-1244; or visit www.fumcbocaraton.org.
The Interfaith Café, a theological discussion, meets from 7 to 9 p.m. Feb. 15, at South County Civic Center, 16700 Jog Road, Delray Beach. Light refreshments are served. The meeting is free, but donations are appreciated. The Interfaith Café meets the third Thursday of the month, and volunteers are needed to assist with a variety of duties to keep this program going. For information or to volunteer, email Jane@Aurorasvoice.org.
Music at St. Paul’s hosts Roberta Rust performing with the Serafin Quartet at 3 p.m. Feb. 18, at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church, 188 S. Swinton Ave., Delray Beach. The program: Danzas de Panama, William Grant Still; String Quartet in E minor, Op. 44, No. 2, Felix Mendelssohn; Piano Quintet in A Major, Op. 81, Antonin Dvorak. Tickets are $20. Admission is free for age 18 and younger. For more information, call 278-6003 or visitwww.music.stpaulsdelray.org.

Contact Janis Fontaine at janisfontaine@outlook.com.

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