Saturday

“Crusader Challenge” 5K Run/Walk, Fun Run and Barbecue. Registration is from 7 to 9 a.m. with the fun run at 8 a.m. and the 5K at 10 a.m. at Holy Cross Catholic School, 436 Broadway, South Portland. All fees and donations will benefit the school. Registration is $20 per person and kids under 12 can participate for free with a $5 donation encouraged. Register online at www.running4free.com.

Holy Grounds Coffee House, 6:30 p.m., with Ak’iwacu Band, drummers of Burundi, and John Edwards and Annie Mvula of BeyondBlue. Doors open at 6:15 and dinner will be served. Free with donations gladly accepted. Church of the Holy Spirit, 1047 Congress St., Portland. For more information, call 874-9779.

Sunday

The Middle East situation and its impact on new immigrants in Maine, 10 a.m., with Reza Jalali, guest preacher, the coordinator of Multicultural Student Affairs at the University of Southern Maine in Portland. A forum will follow the service. State Street Church, 159 State St., Portland. The public is invited. For more information, call 774-6396.

Supporting the freedom to marry, 2 to 4 p.m., panel discussion with several participants about how clergy and people of faith support the gay marriage initiative. A dialogue with the audience will follow and the program is free and open to the public. Christ Church, 6 Dane St., Kennebunk.

Rejoicing Spirits, 4 p.m., special worship service for persons with cognitive or developmental disabilities, followed by fellowship and supper. Held at Trinity Lutheran Church, 612 Main St., Westbrook. Wheelchair accessibility and ASL interpreter provided.

Monday

Online auction, to benefit the rebuilding of the Unitarian-Universalist Church of Brunswick, starts today and continues through Nov. 2. View items at http://biddingforgood.com/uucb. The church was irreparably damaged by fire on June 6, 2011 and new construction will begin soon.

Tuesday

An Evening with the Rt. Rev. Gene Robinson, 7 p.m., the first openly gay bishop in the Episcopal Church will be hosted by St. Luke’s Cathedral, Integrity Maine and the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination. Also speakering are the Rt. Rev. Stephen Lane, bishop of Maine, Dr. Marvin Ellison of RCAD, and Sarah Dowling of Integrity and Mainers United. The program, which also features a book signing at 6:30 p.m., will be held at Cathedral Church of St. Luke, 143 State St., Portland.

“Trekking St. Paul from Jerusalem to Rome,” 7 to 8 p.m., multimedia presentation by Dr. Steven Bridge that traces the footsteps of St. Paul. Part of the Saint Joseph’s College Centennial Faculty Lecture Series and held in the Viola George auditorium in Alfond Hall at the Standish campus. The event is free and open to the public.

Wednesday

“Icons in the Orthodox Church: Images of the Divine Life,” 7 p.m., lecture by the Rev. Constantine Sarantidis. The talk is sponsored by the Hellenic Society of Maine and will be held at Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Parish House and Church, 133 Pleasant St., Portland. Free and open to the public. For further information, contact Mary Snell, president of the Hellenic Society of Maine, at 892-9831.

Thursday

“A Rabbi, a Pastor and a Minister: talk about the freedom to marry for all Mainers,” 7 to 9 p.m., Foreside Community Church, 340 Foreside Road, Falmouth. Sponsored by the Religious Coalition Against Discrimination and the church, Free and open to the public.

Thursday and Friday

“Not Here: A Call to Action Against Human Trafficking,” conference on human trafficking with speaker Theresa Flores, who will share her personal story of sexual trafficking, slavery and survival. Other speakers include Ken Morris of the Frederick Douglass Family Foundation; Ron Soodalter, author and historian; Anita Kanaiya of Oasis India and Arwyn Jackson, from Amirah Boston. There is also a session for law enforcement personnel. The first day of the conference will be held at East Auburn Baptist Church, Auburn, and the second day is at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. A fee will be charged. Lunch and conference materials will be provided. To register, visit www.not-here.me or call the Auburn Police Department at 333-6650.

Friday

Connected Catholics of Maine, 5:45 p.m., dining out at the chicken pie supper at First Congregational Church, 3 Gray Road, North Yarmouth. Contact Grace at 878-6459 for details.

Other

“Defending Marriage in the Public Square,” a series of statewide meetings held by the Roman Catholic Diocese of Portland. All events are open to the public and will include a talk and a question and answer panel discussion. Bishop Richard Malone’s pastoral letter on marriage can be found at http://beautyofmarriage.org. The sessions are based on his letter.

The schedule is:

5:30 p.m. Saturday at St. Maximilian Kolbe, 150 Black Point Road, Scarborough;

5 p.m. Sunday at St. Martha, 34 Portland Road, Kennebunk;

5:30 p.m. Oct. 27 at Knights of Columbus Hall at 109 Spring St., Gardiner;

Noon Oct. 28 at St. Philip, 2365 Turner Road, Auburn

5 p.m. Oct. 28 at St. Christopher, 4 Barrell Lane, York.

Fair Trade chocolate bars are being sold to the public from 11 a.m. to 12:15 weekdays during October by the Cheverus Haiti Solidarity Club at the Cheverus High School atrium, 267 Ocean Ave., Portland. Sales support Jesuit Refugee Service work in Syria.

Amy Prosser has been appointed as the new music director at West Scarborough United Methodist Church. She is a 1997 graduate of Susquehanna University in Pennsylvania, with a bachelor’s degree with honors in religion and English. She also earned a bachelor’s degree in music from the University of Vermont. She has also served as the organist at North Parish Church in Sanford.