Jesus Cares Ministry kickoff

The Jesus Cares Ministry Bible Study Kickoff picnic is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday, Sept. 7, at Christ Evangelical Lutheran Church in Marshall at 208 W. Marshall St. There will be food, fellowship, games and puzzles. Bring a side dish or salad to pass. Pastor will be grilling hotdogs.

Bible study will meet the first and third Thursdays of September through May at 6:30 p.m. (Please note: Sept. 7 we begin with the picnic at 5:30 p.m.) You will get to participate in a Bible lesson with prayer, related music and craft or activity.

Muslim call to prayer can now be broadcast publicly in New York City without a permit

NEW YORK (AP) — The Muslim call to prayer will ring out more freely in New York City under guidelines announced Tuesday by Mayor Eric Adams, which he said should foster a spirit of inclusivity.

Under the new rules, Adams said, mosques will not need a special permit to publicly broadcast the Islamic call to prayer, or adhan, on Fridays and at sundown during the holy month of Ramadan. Friday is the traditional Islamic holy day, and Muslims break their fast at sunset during Ramadan.

The police department’s community affairs bureau will work with mosques to communicate the new guidelines and ensure that devices used to broadcast the adhan are set to appropriate decibel levels, Adams said. Houses of worship can broadcast up to 10 decibels over the ambient sound level, the mayor’s office said.

“For too long, there has been a feeling that our communities were not allowed to amplify their calls to prayer,” Adams said. “Today, we are cutting red tape and saying clearly that mosques and houses of worship are free to amplify their call to prayer on Fridays and during Ramadan without a permit necessary.”