MUSIC

Oklahoma religion briefs

Buddhist group to host ceremony

Buddha Mind Monastery will hold “The Ullambana Ceremony” from 9:30 a.m. to 12:50 p.m. Sunday at 5800 S Anderson Road.

Participants will pray for the well-being, peace and wisdom of their families and all other beings.

Activities are free and open to the public. For more information, go to http://www.ctbuddhamind.org.

Addiction awareness event is planned

The Family Support Ministry at St. John Missionary Baptist Church will host an educational event commemorating International Overdose Awareness Day.

The ministry will host an informational session at 7 p.m. Wednesday at St. John, 5700 N Kelley.

Veola Bray, the ministry's leader, said Attorney General Mike Hunter will speak at the event, as well as Kenneth Stoner, an Oklahoma County District Court judge who conducts "drug court." The group also will have speakers with first-hand knowledge of the devastation of using, misusing and abusing opioids. There also will be pharmaceutical representatives and other individuals who are concerned about the epidemic and its effects on the family, community, sentencing and treatment. Various behavioral and mental health organizations will be present with materials, Narcan kits and information.

Bray said the city of Oklahoma City has agreed to light the Skydance Bridge in purple on Aug. 31, to mark the awareness day. This is the fourth year that St. John has held an educational session regarding the opioid epidemic. Bray also said the church group also has partnered with the Oklahoma Conference of Churches to disseminate information about addiction on a broader scope.

The public is invited to attend Wednesday's session.

For more information, call Bray at 323-5126 or Ben Langs at 405-627-1774.

Concert

Contemporary Christian band Unspoken will perform in concert at 7:30 p.m. Sept. 16 at the Entertainment Plaza at the Oklahoma State Fair.

The band released its debut single "Who You Are" in 2012, which resulted in several appearances on the charts. Unspoken's latest compilation is "Reasons."

Admission to the concert is free with state fair admission.

For more information, go to https://okstatefair.com.