A reverse church offering, and more

Hello, and welcome to my blog where I share information about how faith based organizations interact with our communities.

Friday, November 20, 2009
A reverse church offering, and more

How's this for a switch: when the church collection plate comes around, you take money out instead of putting money in. That's not exactly the way it went earlier this month at Raleigh's Hope Community Church. But it's close.

During the first weekend of this month, each adult in the congregation received an envelope containing cash in amounts ranging from 10 to 100 dollars. They were then told to multiply that money, and do good with it. Executive Pastor Dave Patchin told me it's a way to make a bigger charitable impact on the community, and a memorable way to teach biblical lessons. "We thought, instead of asking them to give us money to teach them stewardship, why don't we give them money and make them responsible. Say to them: 'This is entrusted to you from the Master. What are you going to do with it?' "

Hope's leaders call it the "Mina Project," (pronounced MY-nuh), based on a parable Jesus taught in the 19th chapter of the gospel of Luke. In the parable, a wealthy man leaves his servants in charge of varying amounts of money before taking a long journey. The servants are directed to put those "minas" to work until the master returns. Hope Community Church gave out $60,000 for this year's Mina Project, with congregants instructed to be creative with it.

"We ask everybody to take about seven or eight weeks and see how they can multiply the money that we've given them," says Patchin. "Then, at the end of that time, all the money that it's been multiplied to, we're asking them to find a charity in Raleigh, a needy family, a neighbor that's out of work, someone who has a significant medical issue, wherever they see need we just say take the money that you've multiplied it to and do good."

This is the third year the church has tried it, and if it's anything like the first two years it will be a resounding success. Hope gave out $35,000 in 2007, which led to more than $160,000 worth of good deeds done. In 2008, $50,000 went out and was multiplied to $426,000. This year, the church is hoping for a $600,000 return on its $60,000 "investment."

Pastor Patchin says the project has been a faith-builder for his congregation, and for others. He told me about one man who just happened to be visiting the church on the Sunday the cash was given out.

"I don't think he would claim any faith, but he just happened to be visiting on the Sunday and he got 50 dollars. And he said, 'Well, I can multiply this.' And he wrote a check for $5,000 and made a donation to a charity and said, 'Hey, thanks for doing this. It spurred me to do more than I would have done otherwise.' We hear story after story like that of people who personally are impacted by it, but who also are doing good in the community."

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Duke Chapel will honor three Durham residents who've made the difficult transition out of homelessness. The ceremony this Sunday afternoon at 2:30 is co-sponsored by the non-profit organization Housing for New Hope, which helps homeless men and women get their lives back in order. The Durham honorees are William Hawkins, Jr., Brian McLendon, and Trico Newton, who will each give their testimonies.
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Speaking of Duke Chapel, it's time again there for the always popular Messiah Sing-Along. The free sing-along will take place Sunday night at 7, with music scores and lyrics from Handel's masterpiece available at the door.
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As you might imagine, there are all kinds of faith-based events in our area related to Thanksgiving. One of the more ambitious projects will take place at the Circus Family Restaurant in Raleigh. As in years past, Northside Community Church in Knightdale will join forces with the restaurant to serve 500 meals for the hungry. They'll begin serving and delivering meals at 11:30 a.m. on Thanksgiving Day.



Friday, November 13, 2009
Hollywood in Durham, free health screenings, and more

A bit of Hollywood comes to Durham tomorrow. TV and movie actor Boris Kodjoe ("Madea's Family Reunion," "Soul Food") will star in an original play being produced at Victorious Praise Fellowship. The doors open at 6:00 Saturday night for No More Drama! Choices. "It's all about the drama in relationships," says Melissa Fountain, who wrote the play based on a book of the same name by VPF's Pastor and First Lady, Wil and Grace Nichols. The play tackles relationships on the job, in marriages and families, "everywhere that you go that you would have some sort of issue going on," Fountain says.

She told me a producer saw the play when it debuted at the church earlier this year, and suggested more be done with it. He put them in touch with Boris Kodjoe's people. The church may decide to take Drama on the road.

Tickets to the performance tomorrow are free, but you need to register to get them. Fountain hopes seeing it will be a life-changing experience. "Our biggest goal right now is that we are hoping that we can change relationships. Especially marriages and family relationships. Everybody has drama. It's just how you deal with it."

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Three downtown Raleigh churches are looking to take care of your physical health as well as your spiritual health First Presbyterian, First Baptist (Wilmington Street), and Edenton Street United Methodist are co-sponsoring a health fair tomorrow from 8:30 to noon. It will take place at Edenton Street's Curtis Fellowship Center. Health technicians from LabCorp will offer flu shots along with free screenings and information on common health conditions like hypertension and diabetes. No appointments are necessary.
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Hundreds of Methodist teens and youth leaders will descend on Fayetteville's Crown Coliseum today through Sunday for the annual Pilgrimage conference. The focus will be on evangelism, faith sharing and discipleship.
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Congratulations to the leadership and parishioners at St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church in Durham. After some fits and starts, the southwest Durham church is finally in its new sanctuary. The golden-domed structure on Highway 751 has been in the planning stages for a decade and is quite impressive. Construction woes earlier in the year left the building a vacant shell for weeks. But that's all changed now. The 64-year-old congregation held its first services in the new church on November 1st.
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In light of last week's massacre at Ft. Hood, Texas, ABC News has an interesting report on the difficulties Muslim soldiers face in the US military. Check it out here.

Thursday, November 5th, 2009
Pastor couple faces deportation

These are uncertain times for Grace Bible Fellowship. The non-denominational Cary church faces the real possibilty of losing both its Associate Pastor and Church Administrator next spring, depending on what happens in court. Rev. Luis Volcan and his wife Sandra, natives of Venezuela, found out in January they were in America under false pretenses, and may be deported to their native country.

"I thought I was a strong man," says Luis, 46, "but when I heard I almost fell on the ground because it was real tough for me. After that, my wife and me began to cry, asking 'what's happening?'"

What happened was the Volcans were duped. Nine years ago while in the process of planting new churches in Venezuela, the Volcans were recruited by a man who presented himself as an immigration attorney who could fulfill their dream of legally getting them into the US. After paying him a hefty fee, the Volcans made it to this country and continued their church work. They say what they didn't realize was that their visas had been falsified. Not only that, the so-called attorney had filed false documents for hundreds of others over the years, and ended up pleading guilty in federal court. The Volcans learned the truth when an agent from Immigration and Customs Enforcement came to their door one cold morning last January to tell them they faced immediate deportment.

"That day was the most traumatic for us," Luis told me. "It was a nightmare."

Because of their clean record and church work in the Cary/Raleigh area, the deportation proceedings were put on hold. But another hearing is scheduled for March, and the outcome is far from certain. Luis says going back to live under the increasingly repressive government in Venezuela would be a crushing blow.

"We love freedom. We pray for America. We serve and have served. Even though we are not citizens of America, we have been serving our community since we have come into this country, praying and reaching out to people, preaching the gospel of Jesus Christ."

"We're hoping, we're believing, we're praying that they'll stay with us," says Grace Fellowship's Senior Pastor, Dr. Norman Peart. He says the Volcans have been an invaluable part of the church ministry, teaching English as a second language, delivering food to poor, and serving in many other ways. "It has put the congregation on notice. (The Volcans) are our adopted prayer focus. So we pray a lot for them, and we do not take for granted their presence."

Sandra Volcan, 41, says the couple is relying on their faith. "Even though we're in the midst of this situation, in the midst of this storm, we still believe that our plea will be heard."

I'll keep you informed if I get any updates on their situation.

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Catholic educators from across the state will gather in Raleigh on Monday and Tuesday (November 9th and 10th) to worship together and exchange ideas. It's a joint effort of the Diocese of Raleigh and the Diocese of Charlotte. The NC Catholic Schools Conference will take place at the Raleigh Convention Center.
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4,700 people came out to it last year, and similar crowd is expected next week in Charlotte at the 16th National Conference on Christian Apologetics. The term "apologetics" refers to a systematic defense of the Christian faith. In addition to the big-name conservative Christian speakers scheduled, the conference will feature an outspoken atheist: Christopher Hitchens, author of the best-selling God is Not Great. Hitchens is lined up to debate Catholic author Dinesh D'Souza.
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Did you catch this story on ABC's World News, about the church pastor in Phoenix charged with disturbing the peace? Did his church go too far? Check out the story here and see what you think.

Friday, October 30th, 2009
Community bike rides, movies, and more

Inspiring. Moving. Stunning. Beautiful. Those are some of the words Karen Shectman uses to describe the movies scheduled this year at the 11th annual Triangle Jewish Film Festival. "I think the choice of films is compelling," she says.

Shectman is the chairman of the festival, which gets underway with a reception on Thursday night, and showings Saturday night and Sunday. Eleven movies are scheduled, including one Shectman says is so touching "I've watched it three times now, and I know what's going to happen and I still cry! It's just a beautiful film."

All the works will be shown at the Galaxy Cinema in Cary, with discussions to follow. "It's one way for the Jewish community to get together," Shectman told me, "but it's also another way for us as a Jewish community to open ourselves to the larger community. These films have a very strong Jewish content, but the questions that they're asking and addressing in each of these movies have a very universal import."
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It's been a long time coming, but a groundbreaking will finally take place Saturday for the new Parish Activity Center at St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church in Raleigh. The building has been in the planning stages for several years, now. Father Bob Hussey tells me the Center will allow St. Raphael's to do some new things, and some old things better. "It serves both the parish as a whole and particularly our school. For the school, it's both a full-fledged athletic facility and a place that we can have all-school assemblies. It's really a multi-purpose building."

The groundbreaking festivities will start at noon Saturday, with free barbecue, live entertainment, and, oh yes, a costume contest. "Because it's Halloween, too, we're making it a big party for the kids," Fr. Hussey says, "so, just a big celebration!" Bishop Michael Burbidge will be on hand to help break ground for the facility, which should be ready for use next summer.
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There's big. And then there's HUGE. There's no other way to describe the choir that will be singing at Edenton Street United Methodist Church Sunday afternoon. That church's choir will join forces with choirs from two other downtown Raleigh institutions, First Baptist and First Presbyterian, for a performance featuring more that 200 singers. The free concert will be in conjunction with the North Carolina Master Chorale, under Director Alfred Sturgis.
"The Master Chorale was looking for a place to perform one of their concerts," says Edenton Street's Minister of Music, Dr. William Weisser, "and because of the organ here, they wanted to come and do a program. Al called and asked if our choir would participate. And then I suggested to Al that, why don't we invite First Baptist and First Presbyterian?"
The three churches have worked together before, but this will be their first time working with the Master Chorale. The organ Weisser referred to is Edenton Street's famous LeTourneau organ, one of the largest such instruments in the Southeast. Sunday's program begins at 3 pm, featuring works by Dvorak and Britten. "It's just going to be a fun afternoon for a lot of people, Weisser says. "Whoever comes will really enjoy it."
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Members and friends of Binkley Memorial Baptist Church will get to see the autumn colors up close and personal this weekend. The Chapel Hill church is organizing a seven mile bike ride along the American Tobacco Trail. They'll gather at 10:30 Saturday morning at Southpoint Crossing for the trip. The Trail is almost entirely wooded, and the colors should be spectacular.

Friday, October 23, 2009
Prayer warriors, a gospel homecoming, and more

Inez Owens of Goldsboro is on a mission. Her focus: the men and women of Seymour Johnson Air Force Base. "I would love to see every man and woman from Seymour Johnson be able to have one of these," she says.

What's she's referring to is a camouflage pattern bandana, inscribed with the words of Psalm 91. Sometimes known as the "Soldier's Psalm," it's long been a favorite of men and women in uniform. "They can carry the bandana with them on the battlefield or wherever they are when they're deployed," Owens says.

Owens is mobilizing Goldsboro-area church women to assist Operation Bandanas, the Fayetteville-based organization that's been delivering the scriptural cloths to military personnel for the last three years. Operation Bandanas' initial focus was on Ft. Bragg personnel, but Owens wants to see it expanded to cover airmen and women from Seymour Johnson.

"I feel like God's word and His armor are just as important as the armor on their bodies," she told me. "They're our neighbors. I just want them to know that we love them. Most importantly, God loves them." Each bandana costs 3 dollars. If you'd like to help, you can contact Inez Owens at oiowens@bellsouth.net , or Yvonne Deatherage at yvonne@getyvonne.com.
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The Southern Baptist Convention hasn't exactly been at the forefront when it comes to environmental issues, but might that be changing? A conference next weekend at the Baptist seminary in Wake Forest will put those issues front and center. The Creation Care Conference will take place October 30th and 31st at one of the conservative denomination's flagship institutions, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary.

Surprised?

"If they are, it may be our fault in that," says conference organizer Bruce Little. "In the past I'm not sure (Southern Baptists) have always been on the cutting edge of cultural issues."

Dr. Little directs the Bush Center for Faith and Culture at the seminary. He says conservative Baptist beliefs and concern for the environment are not incompatible. "There's nothing that's intrinsic to our conservative Baptist heritage that should prevent our doing this sort of thing," he says. "It's probably more of being not as prudent about addressing these issues in the past as we should have been."

The conference is open to the public but has an entry fee. Little says the environmental focus doesn't mean turning away from the traditional Southern Baptist emphasis on evangelism and missions. "We're trying to establish why Christians in general and Southern Baptists in particular ought to be concerned about this issue, not necessarily because there's a crisis, but because our theology requires it of us. We see this as the broader understanding of, as we would say, the gospel."
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Fayetteville State University's Homecoming celebration will have a gospel music flair. FSU's "United Voices of Praise" choir will put on a free performance Sunday at 4 pm in the Seabrook Auditorium. The concert is one of a number of events to mark Fayetteville State's homecoming.
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A unique new community outreach is starting up at a Durham church. They call it "Clothes for Souls." Pilgrim Baptist Church (2420 S. Roxboro Street) is offering a free suit for men or a free outfit for women who attend at least three services at the church in a three month period. The slightly used clothing will come from the congregation's donations. "We've been in the community a long time," says Pastor Dennis Davis, "and we feel like we're a benefit spiritually, but we see that people have other needs also. I see a lot of people walking up and down the street here on a pretty regular basis. I'm not sure if they're homeless, but this is a relatively poor area. I'm sure a lot of people can benefit from it." Davis says he'll be donating a couple of his own suits to the project.
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A lot of buzz this week about the Indianapolis woman who turned to prayer when faced with an armed robber. That may not so surprising. But what happened afterwards is. Store clerk Angela Montez told her amazing story to Good Morning America's Robin Roberts. You can check it out here.

Friday, October 16, 2009
Prison lessons, fireworks, and more

Can you really learn anything valuable in prison? Bill Dallas says what he learned in one of the nation's toughest prisons changed his life for the better. Dallas, a former real estate mogul in San Francisco, lost everything in a market crash in 1990. He hit rock bottom when he was sentenced to five years in a maximum security prison on embezzlement charges. His book, Lessons from San Quentin, details the miraculous turnaround he experienced there.

You can hear Bill Dallas' remarkable story next Thursday night (October 22nd) in Raleigh, as he speaks at the annual Author Dinner Fundraiser for Christian Library International. The Raleigh-based ministry, now in its 13th year, has made it its mission to send out Bibles and other religious materials to inmates. "We're in over a thousand prisons right now," says Executive Director Kathleen Skaar, "and in every state." She tells me the organization is on track to send out 50,000 items this year. "The beauty of the ministry is, we are 'green.' We use recycled books because Christians have so many books on their shelves. Especially in the United States. People have more than one Bible and they only use the one. And so when they donate it to us, then we can send it out into the prisons."

Why the focus on inmates?

"Men, women, and youth in detention centers have gotten to the point that they're willing to listen because they've made a lot of bad decisions, a lot of bad choices," Skaar says. "A lot of them are really, really angry. So they reach the point where they're open to, quote, 'spiritual things'. Hence, they're more apt to find Jesus and be willing to listen to the message of the gospel." CLI receives scores of letters from inmates who say their lives have been changed thanks to those packages in the mail. You can find out more about CLI and the Author Dinner Fundraiser at this link.
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A big celebration is planned for Sunday, as the Durham/Chapel Hill Jewish community breaks ground on the new $7 million Charlotte and Dick Levin Jewish Community Center. It's the second phase of a $10 million development on Cornwallis Road. The completed center will include a community gym, an outdoor pool, gallery space for exhibits, and much more. Officials say it will be open to the entire community, regardless of religion. The groundbreaking celebration will take place from 2:00 - 4:00 pm Sunday, with Congressman David Price the guest speaker. More about the new center at this link.
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Triangle Hindus will celebrate the Festival of Lights in Morrisville Sunday. The 2009 Diwali Fair will feature traditional Indian food, fireworks and storytelling, sponsored by the Hindu Society of North Carolina. It will take place at the Hindu Temple on Aviation Parkway.
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20 bands on three stages. That's what's being promised in Cary Saturday at what's billed as the first annual LifeFest NC. The Christian music festival will take place at the Koka Booth Amphitheatre, starting at midday and going until dark.
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If you see some folks at Riverside Baptist Church in Durham (4601 Guess Road) who look a little behind the times this Sunday, there's a good reason for it. The church is having "Old Fashioned Day." Several of the ladies there have been hard at work sewing old-timey dresses and shirts for Sunday's services. They'll even have an old-fashioned lunch afterwards. Riverside members will be curious to see what longtime pastor Jimmy Jones wears.
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Triangle Community Church in Apex has a unique way of introducing itself to the curious. You can pay them a visit via YouTube. And it takes just 38 seconds. Here's the clip.

Thursday, October 1, 2009
"Slapping God," furry blessings, and more

The title certainly grabs your attention: "Slappin' God in the Face." You may have seen the signs around Durham, advertising the upcoming production by the NC Central University Theatre Department. "We've got all kinds of people thinking we're doing some kind of blasphemy here," chuckles the play's author, Assistant Professor Stephanie Asabi Howard. "It's actually about the ministry of Jesus Christ, and it focuses on his betrayal by some of the same people he showed kindness to and maybe even healed. And at the end, they turned on him." Using the gospels as inspiration, Howard says she wrote Slappin' God in a just a few weeks. The production also features gospel songs that are in the public domain. "Of course, it is my own interpretation," Howard told me. "I've taken my artistic license. I hope nobody takes every detail to heart, because it's not authentic all the way through." She says the student-actors will be in period dress, but the high-spirited play will have an Afro-centric setting. Performances will run this weekend and next. Says Howard, "I hope the audience will leave being historically aware of the presence and the impact of Jesus Christ, no matter what religion or faith they may be of. And also, be elated about the story in itself."
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Speaking of NC Central, the University's Chancellor will move from the academic halls to the pulpit this Sunday. Dr. Charlie Nelms will be guest speaker at Reconciliation United Methodist Church in Durham, as the congregation celebrates NCCU Day.
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How do you forgive the unforgivable? Eva Mozes Kor has made it her life's mission. The Holocaust survivor and forgiveness advocate will be speaking in RTP and Chapel Hill Friday. Kor and her sister, Miriam, survived the infamous "twins experiments" of Nazi doctor Josef Mengele. Kor will speak a conference of clinical research professionals tomorrow morning in the RTP, and then give a public lecture on the UNC campus. Kor founded a Holocaust museum in Indiana and speaks extensively on religion and ethics. She's also the subject of a documentary titled, "Forgiving Dr. Mengele."
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Some special visitors are expected to celebrate Mass over the next couple of weeks at Sacred Heart Cathedral in Raleigh. On Friday at noon, Raleigh Police Chief Harry Dolan will be among those worshipping at a "Blue Mass" in recognition of First Responders. Police, fire and EMS personnel are welcome at the noon service. Then next Friday at noon (October 9th), Cardinal Edward Egan, Archbishop Emeritus of New York, will give the homily at the annual Red Mass. At that service, prayers and gratitude will be offered to those serving in the legal and judicial professions.
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The Bible encourages worshippers to "make a joyful noise unto the LORD." But neighbors say there's a bit too much of it going on at a certain Fayetteville Church. ABC11's Gilbert Baez reported on that this week.
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Think you've got a good record attending Sunday School? You have a way to go to catch up with Doris Jones of Fayetteville. Jones, according to the Fayetteville Observer, has racked up 70 years of Sunday School attendance -- uninterrupted!
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They say every dog has its day -- but it will actually be two days this weekend. Cats, too, for that matter. Friday night in Durham. St. Joseph's Episcopal Church will celebrate the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi with the Blessing of the Animals. All animals -- leashed or otherwise under control -- are welcome with their humans at the 6 pm service. Then on Sunday, Duke Chapel will have its annual Blessing of the Animals on the front lawn. That will take place from 3:00 - 4:00 pm.
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A new twist in the health care debate. As ABC News reported, some Americans are choosing low cost "faith-based" health insurance. But is it a realistic alternative? You decide.

Thursday, September 24th, 2009
TV adultery, Swine Flu fears, and more

Talk about Must See TV! Starting tonight, ABC's Nightline is taking on the Big Ten. As in, the Ten Commandments. The late-night news broadcast is taking an in-depth look at the Biblical commandments and how they apply to life in the 21st Century. Tonight's spirited discussion on adultery should spark lots of discussion around the water cooler. Details about the eye-opening series here.
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Concerns over the H1N1 Swine Flu virus have prompted temporary changes in the 54-county Raleigh Catholic Diocese. Bishop Michael Burbidge is asking that parishioners forgo the traditional practice of "passing the peace," during which worshippers shake hands with those around them. The Bishop is also directing priests to serve only the wafer during the Eucharist and not the common cup. The changes are to be in effect by October 4th. (PDF)Here's the Bishop's full statement.
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Jews worldwide will mark Yom Kippur beginning Sunday night. The name means "Day of Atonement," and it will be a day of fasting, reflection and repentance. Chabad of Cary has an excellent "nutshell" explanation of the holiday on its website. Many synagogues, like Sandhills Jewish Congregation in the Fayetteville area, will host break-the-fast meals when Yom Kippur ends Monday night.
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Already huge, Hope Community Church in Raleigh is getting even bigger. The church, which now averages more than 5,000 in attendance each weekend, will launch its new Holly Springs satellite location on Sunday. The services will take place at Holly Springs High School and feature live musicians and singers. There will also be a message from Senior Pastor Mike Lee from Hope's Raleigh campus and shown on a big screen. Hope plans to open another satellite location in December in the Northwest Cary/Morrisville area.
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A three decades-old tradition continues next week in Henderson, with an historic difference. Retired pastor and civil rights activist, the Rev. Walter Fauntroy, will become the first African-American to preach in First Presbyterian Church's Royster Lecture Series. The series began in 1975 and has featured nationally-known speakers and church leaders. Rev. Fauntroy, who represented Washington, DC in the US House for 20 years, is a former aide to Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. He'll speak at the church at both services Sunday, and again on Monday night.
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You can take a trip around the world in Clayton Saturday, just by visiting St. Ann Catholic Church. It's time again for St. Ann's annual International Food Festival. There'll be live entertainment, plus foods representing 14 countries. It runs from 11:30 am to 6:30 pm. Don't eat too much.
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Your Humble Blogger is hoping for good weather Saturday. I've been asked to emcee Community Day activities at Southside Church of Christ in Durham. Things kick off with a Walk-a-Thon on the American Tobacco Trail at 8 am. Proceeds benefit the Durham Food Bank.
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Remember Raleigh's "Extreme Makeover" mom? Long after the crew from the hit ABC show left town, Linda Riggins is still being blessed. As Barbara Gibbs reported for Eyewitness News, it's a story of faith  and a promise fulfilled.

Friday, September 17th, 2009
"Greener" churches, praying at the pole, and more

Celebrations of two religious holidays are overlapping at Duke University. The Duke Muslim Student Association hosts a campus-wide iftar, or "breaking of the fast" tonight, as the month-long Islamic holy month of Ramadan winds down. Ramadan began August 22nd. It's a month of daily fasting from dawn to sunset. Fasting during Ramadan is one of the pillars of Islam. Duke's iftar meal will take place in the Great Hall of the recently-opened Center for Muslim Life on Swift Avenue in Durham.

Not far away, Jewish students at Duke will be celebrating Rosh Hashanah with special services and meals at the Freeman Center. Rosh Hashanah begins as sunset and marks the Jewish New Year. Chabad of Durham/Chapel Hill is also hosting Rosh Hashanah meals and services for Duke students and faculty, as well as for the UNC community.

And, as it has for a number of years now, Wake Forest classical music station WCPE-FM will air special programming for Rosh Hashanah tonight, and again on Yom Kippur, September 27th.
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Look out, Raleigh -- get ready to be served! Edenton Street United Methodist Church is launching its first ever Great Day of Service on Saturday. After breakfast and a brief time of worship, some 400 members of the downtown church will get to work, assisting their neighbors in need. Some will be out in the field, others will remain in the church. In all, they'll be working on projects benefiting 25 non-profits and charitable organizations.
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Would your congregation like to cut its energy costs by up to 30% and become more earth-friendly at the same time? There's a new environmental stewardship tool on the web that can help, courtesy of the US Environmental Protection Agency. Check out the Energy Star for Congregations website.
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The Durham County Health Department is reaching out to congregations in a different way. Staffers are lending their expertise to faith communities that want to start their own health ministries. "We focus on chronic disease prevention," says program manager Willa Robinson Allen, "and with that, one of the target audiences we work with are faith-based organizations." The department's efforts with faith groups began four years ago. Since then, they've trained more than 150 participants and have done numerous workshops. Says Allen, "The goal is for the (church's) health ministry to function on its own -- not for us to come in and do the program for them, but we help them and we train them to do programs in their own churches." Best of all, it's a free service. For more info you can call Willa Allen at (919) 560-7771, or you can e-mail her.
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This Wednesday (September 23rd), Christian students in the Heart of Carolina and across the nation will gather at their school's flag pole to pray. The student-led "See You at the Pole" events are scheduled before the school day starts to avoid church-state separation issues. Some churches, like Fairview Baptist in Apex, are holding pre-event rallies to get students pumped. The annual SYATP is said to have begun at a Texas school in 1990, and then spread across the country. Here's the official promotional video for it.

Thursday, September 10, 2009
A terrorism town hall, ancient treasures, and more

On this 8th anniversary of the September 11th terrorist attacks, how serious is the continuing threat? Very serious, according to popular Christian author and commentator Joel C. Rosenberg, who will hold what he calls a "national town hall meeting" tonight that will be simulcast in hundreds of churches across the country. Several churches here in the Heart of Carolina have signed up to air the webcast, including Colonial Baptist Church in Cary, Calvary Chapel of Fayetteville, and Sunrise Baptist Church in Chapel Hill. The town hall will feature a documentary showing, and question & answer session. The event runs from 7 to 9 p.m.
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One of the world's pre-eminent scholars of the biblical Dead Sea Scrolls will give a free public lecture at the Friday Center in Chapel Hill Monday night (September 14th). Geza Vermes, Emeritus Professor of Jewish Studies at Oxford University, was one of the first scholars to examine the scrolls after their discovery. The scrolls were found by accident 1947, hidden in a series of caves on the shore of Israel's Dead Sea. They are considered among the greatest archaelogical finds in all of history. You may recall the Dead Sea Scrolls exhibit at the NC Museum of Natural Sciences last year. Dr. Vermes will talk about the scrolls' contribution to the study of ancient Judaism and early Christianity. More about the lecture here.
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Don't bother going to Raleigh's Pullen Memorial Baptist Church this Sunday. That is, don't bother going to the Pullen Church building. Once a year in September, the church takes its worship service outdoors to a local park "to commune with creation and each other." That will be the case again this Sunday, as Pullen congregants worship at A.J. Fletcher Park from 11 a.m. to noon, with a potluck picnic lunch to follow. Blankets and lawn chairs encouraged.
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Can you guess the Bishop of Raleigh's favorite football team? Here's a hint: they'll be playing in Charlotte Sunday, and they aren't called Panthers. Bishop Michael Burbidge will give the invocation at the game. I talked with him about that and other church-related matters this week, as he marks the 25th anniversary of his Priesthood Ordination. Here's the interview. Click here for John's interview with the Bishop
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The North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church is gearing up for a big conference next week on the "State of the Black Church." It'll take place in Fayetteville at Hay Street United Methodist Church next Friday and Saturday, September 18th and 19th.

Friday, September 4, 2009
"Coffee with God," a joyful noise, and a silver anniversary

Uplifting. Inspiring. Joyful. Spiritual. All words people have used to describe the African Children's Choir, which will be giving a farewell performance at King's Park International Church in Durham on Sunday. The choir consists of 26 children, 8 to 11 years old, from Uganda. Their individual stories are heartbreaking. "Most of the children in the choir have lost one or both of their parents because of AIDS and other poverty-related diseases," says choir manager David Turner. "All of them are coming from situations of extreme poverty."

In the past year the Choir has toured the US, hitting most of the 50 states, raising awareness about conditions in their home country. They've appeared alongside big-name artists such as Faith Hill and Keith Urban, and performed at the White House. The children head back to Uganda after Sunday's service at King's Park. Funds raised in their touring will support them through their college years.

"What we're all about is giving them the opportunity not just to tell the story of how awful the conditions are they've been living in," says Turner, "but also to show that there's so much more to them than that. That high level of need doesn't define who they are. It doesn't show how much ability they have. How much beauty and dignity there is in their culture. And how much hope they have." You can hear that hope in this YouTube clip, recorded at Duke University last year.
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You may have heard about the first African-American female rabbi. Now, you can hear her yourself. Rabbi Alysa Stanton will speak at Fayetteville State University Tuesday night (September 8th), at a free event open to the public. Rabbi Stanton, raised in a Pentecostal family, received her Rabbinic Ordination in June and began her service at Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville last month.
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First the column, now the book. Durham County Manager Mike Ruffin, who's been writing a newspaper column called Devotions for more than 13 years, is now out with his first book. Coffee with God is a compilation of some of Ruffin's favorite columns, culled from among 600 he's written over the years. "I write about very topical things that we confront in life," Ruffin told me. "The goal is to remind them that a relationship with Christ is still as important today as it ever was, and perhaps even more so given the complexity of life today. God's still in the business of providing hope." More details about the book here.
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Like bargains? How about 30,000 of them! That's how many items are expected to be for sale at the Twice is Nice Consignment Sale Saturday at Fayetteville's Northwood Temple. It's billed as the Fayetteville area's largest and longest-running children's consignment sale.
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Popular TV preacher Joel Osteen is expected to pack the house next Friday night at the Time Warner Cable Arena in Charlotte. Tickets are 15 bucks a piece, and there's a limit of nine per household.

Friday, August 28, 2009
Christmas in August, a Jewish "Sesame Street," and more

Is the Christmas season your favorite time of the year? If so, you might want to pay a visit to Haymount United Methodist Church in Fayetteville this Sunday. There will be Christmas decorations. Christmas Carols. Christmas-related scriptures. And a luncheon afterwards featuring favorite Christmas dishes. "We're gonna do all the schmaltz," chuckles Senior Pastor Woody Wells. Worshippers may also want to pull out those red and green sweaters. "We're encouraging persons -- in as much as they can stand it in August heat -- to wear Christmas clothing," says Rev. Wells. No, there's no calendar mix up. Haymount UMC is kicking off its Christmas to Remember project. The church's leaders want the congregation to start thinking about the true meaning of Christmas now and for the next several months, so that when December comes Haymount UMC will have a sizeable donation to give to a local charity.

"Keep a record of what they spend on themselves, their families and their friends, and then match it with a cash gift to missions," the pastor says. "If they can't match the full amount, we are encouraging them to do what they can." He says the idea comes from a Virginia church that's been doing a similar project for several years now.

Three local charities will give presentations at Haymount UMC Sunday and the congregation will then choose one of them to support. "The idea being to recognize and celebrate Christ's birth in an appropriate way, as he exhorted us that it's more blessed to give than to receive," Wells says. He hopes it becomes an annual tradition at Haymount.
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Southern Baptist Churches across the country are also thinking about Christmas this summer. Many of them have been taking up extra offerings this month to make up for a huge shortfall that occurred last December in an annual missions offering. The 2008 Lottie Moon Christmas Offering, named after an early missionary to China, fell 29 million dollars short of its goal when the bottom dropped out of the economy. The special "Christmas in August" collection is the brainchild of local Southern Baptist, Dr. Daniel Akin, president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest.
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Should religious services be allowed in common areas of public housing? That's the question being raised after a controversial decision by the High Point Housing Authority. You can read about it here.

What do you get when you mix some big-name stars, the Muppets, and Jewish culture? You get a new 12-part series aimed at Jewish-American preschoolers called "Shalom Sesame." Filming has just begun for the production, which is due out late next year.
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Two Kentucky churches -- one white, one black -- are bridging the racial gap by merging. Will it work? ABC News reported on the story this week.

Friday, August 21, 2009
A "biker church," a life-changing new school, and more

If you visit a certain church in Angier, be prepared to find more than the Bibles leather-bound. Freedom Biker Church celebrated its third anniversary earlier this summer. It's a church geared to  but not restricted to  motorcycle enthusiasts. "I'd been pastoring, me and my wife, for about 15 years in traditional Baptist churches," says lead pastor Mike Beasley, "and we'd been riding motorcycles for years and ministering to the bikers. Then the Lord just put it on our hearts to give them a place they could come and really have ownership in and feel like it was theirs. Not just another church of the corner with a steeple."

The church is located in what used to be the old Lane's Seafood and Steakhouse in the McGee's Crossroads area. Pastor Beasley says the church gets about 400 worshippers a Sunday. Similar "biker churches" have now sprung up in Fayetteville, Asheville, and Monroe. "Basically what we did, we started a model here," Beasley told me. "We work with the North Carolina Baptist State Convention and just partner with them and take this model all over. God's been doing some crazy stuff. We actually went to Canada a couple of weeks ago to talk to them about planting (a church)." You can check out their YouTube video here. Freedom Biker Church will hold a block party at Ray Price Harley-Davidson in Raleigh later this month, and will also be represented at the Capital City Bike Fest in September. Says Beasley, "The bike is a tool and it's an incredible way to talk to people. If you ride there's just an automatic relationship there."

________

And& they're off! Although delayed a month due to construction issues, Durham's new Union Independent School officially opened its doors Wednesday to 74 eager students. The tuition-free academy is getting its seed money from Union Baptist Church across the street, with hopes  and prayers  for more funding to come. As Tamara Gibbs reported for Eyewitness News, the school offers students in Durham's economically challenged North-East Central sector a "private school experience at a public school price."

________

It's not unusual for pastors to relocate from one city to another. But how about pastor who takes his congregation with him! That's what happened with a congregation from New Jersey that now likes calling North Carolina home. The Charlotte Observer reported the story this week.

Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz on her new book

Click here to watch the full 10 minute interview

Billy Graham calls her the best preacher in the family. But now his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, has turned her attention to her latest book. It comes from what the Raleigh evangelist has learned from studying and teaching about the Old Testament figure, Abraham.

"He's considered the patriarch of three world religions today that are on the front pages of our newspapers: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity," Lotz says. "But Abraham actually forsook his religion in order to pursue a relationship with God."

That relationship is what Lotz calls her "magnificent obsession," and hence, the title of the book: "The Magnificent Obsession."

"Abraham had a relationship with God that God described as a friendship. And so, 33 years ago teaching Bible Study Fellowship in downtown Raleigh, I made the decision that I would set that as my life's goal," she told me.

Lotz travels the world preaching and teaching, but her favorite place is here at home. She says sometimes it hasn't been easy.

"I think sometimes, especially in this part of the world, we go to church and we sometimes confuse our church experience with God. And so, if a church treats us badly -- as it's treated me from time to time -- then our tendency is not only to throw away the church but to throw away God," she says.

Her father is 90 years old, now, and ailing. He is no longer conducting massive crusades. But the big blow came with the death of his beloved wife, Ruth, two years ago, after six decades of marriage.

Says Lotz, "You know, my father, I just was with him this past week. And once again, he got that far away look in his eye and said, 'Anne, it's harder than I ever thought.'"

She says her father is alert, not depressed, and actually doing better than the last time she saw him. Most importantly, she says, he's confident in his hope he will see Ruth again in Heaven. Lotz is confident about that too, and other things:

"I believe that the answer to the problems this nation has are found in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ."

Lotz is the founder of AnGeL Ministries, which is based in Raleigh. "The Magnificent Obsession," her tenth book, is now on sale. Tuesday, August 18th, 2009
Billy Graham's daughter Anne Graham Lotz on her new book

Click here to watch the full 10 minute interview

Billy Graham calls her the best preacher in the family. But now his daughter, Anne Graham Lotz, has turned her attention to her latest book. It comes from what the Raleigh evangelist has learned from studying and teaching about the Old Testament figure, Abraham.

"He's considered the patriarch of three world religions today that are on the front pages of our newspapers: Islam, Judaism, and Christianity," Lotz says. "But Abraham actually forsook his religion in order to pursue a relationship with God."

That relationship is what Lotz calls her "magnificent obsession," and hence, the title of the book: "The Magnificent Obsession."

"Abraham had a relationship with God that God described as a friendship. And so, 33 years ago teaching Bible Study Fellowship in downtown Raleigh, I made the decision that I would set that as my life's goal," she told me.

Lotz travels the world preaching and teaching, but her favorite place is here at home. She says sometimes it hasn't been easy.

"I think sometimes, especially in this part of the world, we go to church and we sometimes confuse our church experience with God. And so, if a church treats us badly -- as it's treated me from time to time -- then our tendency is not only to throw away the church but to throw away God," she says.

Her father is 90 years old, now, and ailing. He is no longer conducting massive crusades. But the big blow came with the death of his beloved wife, Ruth, two years ago, after six decades of marriage.

Says Lotz, "You know, my father, I just was with him this past week. And once again, he got that far away look in his eye and said, 'Anne, it's harder than I ever thought.'"

She says her father is alert, not depressed, and actually doing better than the last time she saw him. Most importantly, she says, he's confident in his hope he will see Ruth again in Heaven. Lotz is confident about that too, and other things:

"I believe that the answer to the problems this nation has are found in a right relationship with God through Jesus Christ."

Lotz is the founder of AnGeL Ministries, which is based in Raleigh. "The Magnificent Obsession," her tenth book, is now on sale.

Friday, August 14th, 2009
Christian filmmaking, African visitors, and more

If you missed Thursday night's performance, folks in the Oxford area have three more chances to see a free performance of Godspell -- a rock/gospel music rendition of the Gospels of Matthew and Luke -- in the Granville Athletic Park Amphitheater. There'll be a show tonight, tomorrow night and Sunday night at 7:30. There's a rain date on Monday night. Feel free to bring a blanket or lawn chair to the open air facility. The show marks the launch of the new theater ministry of Oxford United Methodist Church.
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A Christian-based film school in Raleigh is auditioning for ten open student slots for the fall semester. The school is called burn, and the goal is to help students create a strong demo reel that they can use for access into future productions in film, video, or the internet. "Pretty much every type of media," says Jason "Molotov" Mitchell, the school founder. "Music, film, television. Whatever we can get our hands on. Whatever will serve the purpose, we will teach them." The school promises those students will leave not only with production skills, but with an "aggressive Christian worldview." Says Mitchell, "What we train people to do  because this is only a two-year part-time program  we train them specifically in how to make 1,000 dollars look like 10,000 dollars." The school is looking for high school and college-age students, and there is a tuition fee.
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You might call it "Judaism 101." Triangle Rabbis have begun taking registration for a 10-week Introduction to Judaism class set to begin in September. All the sessions will take place at Judea Reform Congregation in Durham. Several local rabbis will teach the courses, which will be open to synagogue members and non-members. There is a fee required.
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Big excitement this weekend at Fayetteville's Hay Street United Methodist Church. The African Children's Choir makes a return visit Sunday at 7:00 pm. There are actually five African Children's Choirs that tour the world, acting as singing ambassadors to raise awareness about impoverished African children. The choir appearing in Fayetteville Sunday will be made up of children from Uganda. If you plan to attend, be advised that space will be limited.
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Late next week the Islamic holy month of Ramadan begins, meaning 30 days of fasting from sunrise to sunset. That can be a particular challenge for Muslims in America, as this report details.
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Some anniversaries of note: first, St. Matthew Baptist Church in Raleigh celebrates its 138th anniversary this weekend. Now in a 2.5 million dollar facility on Louisburg Road, St. Matthew began as a little log church for former slaves six years after the end of the Civil War. The church will celebrate its anniversary with a fashion and talent show at 4:00 tomorrow afternoon, and a Homecoming service Sunday morning at 10.

And in Durham, the new school year starts Thursday (August 20th) at Immaculata Catholic School, and it should be an extra special year. Immaculata is celebrating its centennial anniversary. The school has a number of events planned to mark its 100th year, including a Centennial Mass on August 22nd followed by a Back to School Barbecue. As Immaculata begins its celebrating, Raleigh's Cathedral School and Cardinal Gibbons High School are both finishing up their centennial activities.

Friday, July 31, 2009
An end-of-the-world "View," and a history-making NC rabbi

Has a Jehovah's Witness knocked on your door in recent days? If not, don't be surprised if you receive a visit. Over the next few days some 20,000 Witnesses will be gathering in the Triangle for their annual district convention. Witnesses from Central and Eastern North Carolina are holding open meetings at the RBC Center for the next two weekends with the theme, "Keep on the Watch"

On the watch, that is, for the end of the world. Group members are convinced Biblical signs point to the soon end of the world and they want to get the word out, going door to door. The Raleigh meetings are part of a series Jehovah's Witnesseses are hosting across the country this summer. These "end of the world" gatherings even caught the attention of the women on ABC's "The View."

Two of the Triangle's megachurches are shaking things up in terms of times and locations. C3 Church has moved its Raleigh campus from the Regal North Hills movie theater to North Raleigh Christian Academy. C3's main campus is in Clayton, but church leaders decided a few months ago to expand to a sister location in the Capital city. Now, they're expanding again -- moving from the movie theater to NCRA's performing arts center, tripling the space for the Raleigh congregants.

And the times, they are a'changing at The Summit Church in Durham Starting August 15th, Summit will shift its Sunday night service at its Brier Creek location to 12:30 in the afternoon, and begin a new Saturday night service there. That will give Summit four weekend services in the fast-growing Brier Creek area-- not to mention the ones it holds at its Cole Mill Road and West Club Boulevard campuses. You almost need a scorecard to keep them straight! Pastor J.D. Greear blogs that the move to Saturday night will save the church money and extend Summit's outreach to "families and slacker students of all ages."

Tomorrow is the big day for Alysa Stanton. That's when the world's first African-American female rabbi begins leading Congregation Bayt Shalom in Greenville, North Carolina. Raised a Pentecostal Christian, Stanton was formally ordained a rabbi last month in Ohio. In a newsletter dispatch to her new synagogue congregants, Rabbi Stanton says, "I am awed and excited that my Creator chose me to fill such a role." Congregation Bayt Shalom includes members from Goldsboro, Rocky Mount, and Tarboro.

Friday, July 24th, 2009
Faith & firearms, an open house, and a “Lunar Communion”

Urban Ministries of Durham has come up with a unique way to raise money for the organization, and to raise awareness of Durham’s homeless population. This Thursday night (July 30th), a special showing of the movie “The Soloist” will take place at the Stadium 10 Cinemas at Northgate. Based on real events, the movie features Jamie Foxx as a homeless man who turns out to be a brilliant musician. Robert Downey Jr. plays the reporter who tries to help him. Tickets are $10 a piece, and all proceeds will go to Urban Ministries. Organizers hope attendees will look at the homeless in a new light after seeing the film. More information here.

Curious about Islam? The Islamic Center of Raleigh is hosting an Open House tomorrow afternoon at its location on Atwater Street. The event includes a tour of the mosque, information booths, and “delicacies from the Muslim World.” It’ll take place from 2:00 to 5:00 p.m.

A Garner congregation is trumpeting its newest “family.” It’s a family of bluebirds that are taking advantage of one of the birdhouses recently set up on the church’s grounds. First Presbyterian Church of Garner started a new program last year called FAITH – Fellowship Actions Impacting the Habitat. It’s a cooperative effort with the NC Wildlife Federation, and as you'll see in these pictures, both humans and non-humans are benefiting from it.

Do faith and firearms go hand in hand? They do at one Kentucky church, as ABC News reported this week. What do you think?

And as we reflect on the 40th anniversary of the Apollo moon landing this week, I found a fascinating story I’d never heard before in the Winston-Salem Journal about something that happened during that historic mission. You can check it out here.

Friday, July 17, 2009
Christian sex, a river revival, and back-to-school help

A Raleigh author's new book is sure to sure get tongues wagging in Christian circles. Valerie Fields' book is entitled Radical SEX for Christian Singles, and she calls it a "slap in the face of the status quo." Fields, a minister, businesswoman, and author, says she wrote Radical Sex because she felt there was a real need for it.

"In ministry," she says, "what I'm finding is so many young people in particular who would designate themselves as Christians seem disappointed and disenfranchised because somehow in their minds they're living beneath the promises of God. What's happened is a lot of people have decided that they can live how they want to and expect to be blessed as a result. And that's simply not going to happen."

Fields' solution: abstinence until marriage  and faithfulness in marriage.

"Really, it's not me saying 'you should do this, or you shouldn't do that,'" she told me. "It's me saying, 'Here's what the Bible says. And if you've never really understood it before, here's what it means in clear and no uncertain terms. Whether you choose to believe or follow, that is certainly your choice. But if you're going to call yourself a Christian, then at least understand what that means.'"

And where does that eye-catching title come from? Fields, a public relations specialist, says the "radical" in the title refers to the original meaning of the word. "It means taking something back to its origination, going back to the foundational beliefs about something," she says. Fields will hold a book signing tomorrow from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Sign of the Fish bookstore in Raleigh. The book is also available at Barnes & Noble and on Amazon.com.
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It's definitely not your father's crusade. North Carolina-based evangelist Franklin Graham, son of Billy Graham, launches a series of "high energy music tours" tomorrow featuring Christian rock and hip-hop bands. The Rock the River tour begins in Baton Rouge and will travel up the Mississippi River for three additional stops, ending in Minneapolis on August 16th. You can see some promotional videos here. Although the music will be different  don't expect to hear George Beverly Shea  there will be a message from Franklin Graham and an altar call, just as Graham's father did at his crusades for decades.
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People who know me know I love free stuff. If you do, too, you might want to head over to Raleigh's Upper Room Church of God in Christ this Wednesday night (July 22nd) for their annual Moms Supporting Moms Clothing Giveaway. It'll run from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. In addition to kids' clothing, this year they also expect to have items for adult men and women.
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The new school year will be here before you know it. And at West Durham Baptist Church, they want students to be ready. The church is hosting a Back to School Summer Enrichment Camp, July 20th through 31st. It's for students who have completed grades 1 through 10, and space is limited. You can call the church office at (919) 682-4453 for more information.
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Has your church or faith group sponsored a Vacation Bible School or other special summer youth activity this year? Do you have a photo from the event you'd like to share? If so, e-mail it to me so I can share it with others. Send the photo here, along with your church's name and town, the name of your summer program, and a brief description of what's going on in the photo. And please, just one picture!

Friday, July 10th, 2009
Help for the jobless, men's and women's conferences, and local celebrations

The local evangelical community is buzzing about two big conferences coming up this summer in central North Carolina - one for women, the other for men. The women's conference is called Deeper Still, and will feature popular Bible teachers Beth Moore, Priscilla Evans Shirer, and Kay Arthur. It'll take place at the Greensboro Coliseum in late July. The men's conference is called Men at the Cross, and is scheduled for late August at Raleigh's RBC Center. Grammy Award-winning singer Michael W. Smith is one of the featured artists. The two conferences are not connected to each other.
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The Catholic Diocese of Raleigh is preparing for its annual African Ancestry Unity Mass and Picnic. "It's not just (for) native born African-Americans," says Lauren Green, Director of the Diocese's Office of African Ancestry Ministry, "but especially in light of the number of new-arrival African immigrants and folks from the Caribbean." The event will take place Saturday, July 18th at the St. Alphonsus Center in Wilson. Mass will be celebrated at 11:00 a.m., immediately followed by the picnic. They'll provide the hot dogs, burgers, and diet drinks, but they ask that you bring a side dish. "It's just an opportunity for us to gather as a unified African ancestry community," says Green, who expects about 100 attendees.
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With jobless numbers still high, several local churches are reaching out to the unemployed and underemployed. Some churches have started ministries to help with resume writing, networking, and other job seeking tools. Here are a few I found in the Triangle:

Job Seekers at Colonial Baptist Church, Cary
St. Francis of Assisi Job Connections Ministry, Raleigh
Bay Leaf Baptist Church Job Seekers, Raleigh
Job Transition Support Group at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, Cary
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Today marks a milestone in the history of Western religion. The Protestant reformer John Calvin was born in France on this date in 1509. Who was John Calvin? Well, by one count, some 30,000 English-speaking Christian congregations around the world trace their roots to his theology, which came be known as Calvinism. A number of churches are marking Calvin's 500th birthday this weekend with special sermons and programs. And at John Calvin Presbyterian Church in Salisbury, NC, the namesake himself will appear Sunday -- portrayed by an actor  to worship and enjoy birthday cake with the congregation.

Friday, June 26th, 2009
Free meals, free jazz, and World Changers

For thousands of North Carolina school students, summer break isn't all fun and games. It's a time of empty stomachs. The Food Bank of Central & Eastern North Carolina estimates 250,000 children in the 34 counties it serves are in the Free and Reduced Price Lunch programs at their schools. So when school is out, meals are often missed. A Fayetteville church is attempting to help. "Our goal is to bring the community and church together," says Dr. Bennie Kelly, pastor of Miracle Temple Church at 1070 Winslow Street. Miracle Temple is providing free meals for school-age children this summer, through North Carolina's Summer Food Service Program. Breakfast is served from 6 :45 - 7:45 am, and lunch from 11:30 am - 1:30 pm, Monday through Friday. The program will run through the first week of August. Children attending must be accompanied by an adult. And for a fee, the church is also offering a more extensive summer program that includes tutoring, plus lessons in good behaviour and anger management. "We know that after school is out a lot of our children are home, their parents are working and the children are in the streets or by themselves," Kelly told me. "And children are not being fed properly. So, what we try to do is get them here, keep them from being in the street, and keep them from getting into trouble." For more information, you can call the church at (910) 483-1037.
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Raleigh's Upper Room Church of God in Christ is partnering with the Colorado-based Focus on the Family organization in a new initiative to strengthen families in their Christian faith. It's called Family Champion Training, and it will take place in August. Pastors and lay church leaders from throughout the southeastern US are expected to attend. To get people acquainted with the initiative, Upper Room will host an informational meeting this Wednesday (July 1st) from 8:30 a.m. to 10:00 a.m.
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How about some cool jazz on a hot summer afternoon? You can find it this Sunday at White Rock Baptist Church in Durham, which is hosting its second annual "Jazz on the Lawn" event. The free program will take place from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. They'll have food there, but you may want to bring your own blanket or lawn chair.
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Want to meet some really inspiring young people who are trying to make a difference? Then you need to meet the World Changers. They've been working in the Triangle this week, as you'll see in this report.

Friday, June 19th 2009
A father-daughter dance, and a 4th of July celebration

Tonight's a big night for Bruce Farmer and his 11-year-old daughter, Lauren. Farmer is the organizer of -- and will be a participant in -- Dance with my Father, a special event taking place tonight at the Treyburn Country Club. The formal dance offers a unique opportunity for father-daughter bonding. Similar events have taken place in Raleigh, but Farmer thought it was time for Durham to have one as well. Says Farmer, "I just wanted to do something to create a relationship, a bond with Lauren that could last forever and this is what God gave me."

The dance will have a decided Christian flavor. But Farmer, an associate minister at Durham's First Calvary Baptist Church, says it will be open to all. A special moment will come when each father presents his daughter with a rose, and says a prayer for her. "Some of the fathers who may come on Friday night may not have a religious belief or walk with Christ," he says, "so we're going to take a moment to say, 'if you're not comfortable with us praying, that's fine.' We're going to give them a heads up and say, 'fathers, for those who are Believers, we're going to take this opportunity to pray over our daughters and speak (words of encouragement) into their lives.' We believe in God, but we won't try to force our beliefs on any others."

Also coming to the dance tonight: several girls without fathers. To stand in the gap, men from local churches have volunteered to be surrogate fathers at the event, in cooperation with the girls' mothers.

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Made your plans for the 4th of July weekend yet? C3 Church in Clayton has. They're calling it a God and Country Weekend Celebration.

Miss North Carolina, Amanda Watson, will be on hand, as well as race cars driven by NASCAR's Dale Earnhardt, Jr., and Jeff Gordon. The church, which also has a location in North Raleigh, is promising other special guests and free giveaways.

Additionally, C3 will wrap up "Operation We Care" that weekend. The church has been collecting boxes packed with essential items to be sent to members of the North Carolina National Guard who are serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. "We anticipate giving out 2,000 boxes," says Rod Gray, minister for C3's Raleigh campus. "Anyone can pick up a box from our church office, too."

Friday, June 12th 2009
Hidden biblical treasures, a health fair, and a pastoral superstar

Do you have an old family Bible in the house? If so, it may provide some valuable information for state historians and archivists. In many families, births, marriages and deaths were carefully recorded in the front of the family Bible. That Bible became an heirloom, passed down through the generations. Now that information is proving increasingly valuable to North Carolina historians. The State Archives and the State Library of North Carolina have put together a new collection of such records, and they're looking for more. The archivists are particularly interested in family records kept prior to 1913, before North Carolina had a statewide vital records law. Ways to help can be found through this link.
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Many in the Triangle's growing Hindu population are expected to take advantage of a free health fair in Morrisville tomorrow (Saturday, June 13th). The event is being sponsored by three area Hindu temples. Experts will be on hand to discuss a variety of health topics, including high blood pressure, diabetes, and asthma. The health fair will take place from 9:00 am to 3:00 pm. The location can be found through this link.
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Wildly popular televangelist Joel Osteen is coming to North Carolina. Osteen, pastor of America's largest church (the 40,000 member Lakewood Church in Houston), will preach at Charlotte's Time Warner Arena on September 11th. The "Night of Hope" event is scheduled for September 11th. Tickets went on sale this week, and they aren't expected to be around long.
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Our Eyewitness News "Person of the Week" features are always touching and uplifting. You may have seen the profile my colleague, Barbara Gibbs, did recently on a young man at Duke Hospice in Hillsborough who was raising money for cancer research. What you may not know, however, is what happened next. That young man died the day after the story aired. "I found out about David Turner from a friend who insisted we meet and who felt sure David's story was worthy to be told on air," Barbara says. "When I looked into his mission and spoke with his mother I agreed. I was careful to tell the story in a way that would honor David, his family and his mission. David's mother Suzanne called me the day after the story ran and told me that David had seen the story and that they felt it was a beautiful tribute. I was beyond pleased. The next thing she said to me, was that they'd lost him that morning. To say I was moved, was an understatement. I was devastated for her loss but at the same time was positive I had been allowed to be a small part of a magnificent purpose." Here's the link to the story.


Friday, June 5th 2009
A Pastors Mega-Conference, Church Safety Concerns, and a Cowboy Congregation

The City of Medicine may look more like the City of Faith this weekend, as some 2,500 pastors and Christian leaders come to Durham for a major conference. "Advance: Resurgence of the Local Church" began yesterday (June 4th) at the Durham Performing Arts Center and will run through Saturday. The conference features several nationally known religious figures, such as Minneapolis pastor and author John Piper, and Daniel Akin, President of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest. Pastor J. D. Greear of Durham's fast-growing Summit Church is scheduled to speak today. "There is nowhere in the world with a higher percentage of Protestant churches than the South," he told me in an e-mail. "(but) most have unfortunately been overtaken by religion. Religion puts emphasis on rituals and external conformity. On the other hand, the Gospel is the experience of God's radical grace toward us, which overflows in generosity toward others. My charge is that pastors rediscover the centrality of the Gospel and make it central in their ministries."
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Other church leaders have safety on the minds. The shooting death of controversial Kansas abortion doctor George Tiller in his church last Sunday made national headlines, but was just the latest in a string of violence incidents in houses of worship. Raleigh's Living Word Family Church is taking registrations for a July conference on church security. A similar conference took place in Fayetteville earlier this week, as Gilbert Baez reported for Eyewitness news.
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A few weeks ago I told you about a new "cowboy church" starting up in Sampson County. I've since learned of another one that's been in operation for nearly two years in Wilson. Down East Cowboy Church, an offshoot of Bible Missionary Baptist Church, meets Tuesday nights at the livestock arena on the Wilson County Fairgrounds. Pastor David Barnes says folks like the casual, non-threatening atmosphere. "They come with their workclothes and whatever else. Some dress cowboy style, with their western jeans and hats. The amazing thing is, we have a number of people who attend other churches on Sunday morning but like the cowboy style so much they come out on Tuesday night just to be a part of it."
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This is the time of year many churches are preparing for the traditional Vacation Bible School for kids. But is your church doing VBS a little differently this year -- perhaps a little... quirkier? If so, send me an email at john.clark@abc11mail.com so I can share some ideas with our readers.

Friday, May 29th 2009
A history-making rabbi, a teenage invasion, and a garden of eatin'

North Carolina will be the focus of international attention in August, when the world's first African-American female rabbi will take her place at a synagogue in Greenville. Alysa Stanton will be ordained next month by the Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion in Cincinnati. The 45-year-old Stanton grew up in a Pentecostal family in Cleveland, and told ABC News she had no idea she would one day be such a pioneer. She'll become the rabbi of Congregation Bayt Shalom, a Greenville synagogue that also includes congregants from Rocky Mount, Tarboro, and Goldsboro. Watch this space for more on Rabbi Stanton.
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Some 300 teenagers from across the nation are preparing to descend on Durham next month -- but it won't be to hang out at the malls or movie theaters. They're with World Changers, a Christian service volunteer group that sponsors work projects at dozens of locations across America each summer. After special training, the students do home repairs and other handiwork free of charge for those in need. The World Changers will be Durham the week of June 21st.
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Happy 100th birthday to Immaculate Conception Catholic Church in Clinton. Bishop Michael Burbidge will celebrate the Centennial mass for the church this Sunday at noon (May 31st), at the Agri-Expo Center in Clinton. A candlelight mass of thanksgiving will take place that evening. Immaculate Conception, which prides itself on its rich diversity, is home to citizens from more than a dozen countries.
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Some local church members are getting back to nature  right in the heart of the city. Amber Rupinta reported the story for Eyewitness News.
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The Charlotte Observer turns its investigative eye to the religious cable network INSP, which is based in the Charlotte area. Here's what they found.
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How about chilling out with some smooth jazz and a movie? Raleigh's Wake Chapel Church is hosting "Friday Night Live" tonight (May 29th), featuring gospel jazz artist Kirk Keyes and his band, followed by a showing of the Ving Rhames movie "Saving God." The free event starts at 6 o'clock.
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Tired of those boring old church announcements? The announcements at Fayetteville's Manna Church have gone viral! Check out how they do their's online.

Friday, May 22nd 2009
Sack races and dancing for education.

Okay, I know Communities in Schools isn't a faith-based program, but allow me to mention it here for just a moment. Because this organization's major fundraiser is coming up next month. The North Carolina Education Ball will take place June 26th at Raleigh's RBC Center. Communities in Schools is a highly successful program aimed at keeping at-risk kids in school, and its volunteers do a phenomenal job. As many of you know if you've been watching our morning news, Your Humble Blogger has volunteered to be one of six amateur dancers who will be competing at the Ball that night. It's all in fun, but with a serious goal: raise as much money as possible for CIS. Here's where you come in: if you go to the Rock the Dance website, you can read about each of the dance participants and vote for your favorite in advance!! You can cast your vote -- or votes -- right now. Each vote will cost ten dollars, with the proceeds going to CIS. You can even buy tickets to the Ball if you like, and see the competition live. Vote early and often -- and thanks!
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Durham County Manager Mike Ruffin spends much of his time these days poring over the red ink in the county's budget books. But he's also spending time with another book. Ruffin this week launched a new noon-time Bible study at the downtown Durham YMCA, which will meet the third Wednesday of each month. Ruffin, who calls himself a "lay-pastor," was ordained but never trained as a church leader. "I have to study a lot more because I wasn't trained," he told me. "A lot of the training that pastors have that just comes to them naturally now, I obviously, in my Bible study, I want to be very careful about what I say and what I believe is being said. I want to be sure to have some authenticity to it." Ruffin also writes a weekly column on faith that appears in three newspapers, and on-line. "I've been doing that for 13 years. It's become a very popular website across the country."
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Three-legged races. Sack Races. Tug-of-war. Sounds like the ingredients for a good old-fashioned church outing. And that's exactly what will go on Saturday afternoon (May 23rd) at Southern Lee High School in Sanford. The Pentecostal Deliverance Fellowship network of churches is hosting a Community Field Day from noon to 6:00 p.m. at the school's football field. Fellowship Board member Beth Harris says it's a fundraiser for the Parker Autism Foundation. "You hear about a lot of families having to deal with this medical problem," she told me, "and we decided to reach out and do something to help these families."
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Is America becoming a secular nation -- or just less of a Christian nation? A major new survey turned up some surprising results, and I reported on it this week for ABC11 Eyewitness News.
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Ever wanted to sing for the church choir but didn't want to make a long commitment? Or perhaps you were concerned about that little thing called "the audition?" You can avoid both at Duke Chapel, which is once again forming its Summer Choir to sing at select services. You just show up the day of -- and you're in! Actually, it's a little more complicated than that, but not much. Click here for details.

Friday, May 15th, 2009
Helpers needing help, "green" churches, and a new field of dreams

You don't need to tell Linda Williams we're in a deep recession. She sees evidence of it every week. "It's almost doubled, the number of people that we're seeing," she says.

Williams is executive director of With Love From Jesus Ministries, which is housed in a old warehouse on Chapanoke Road in Southeast Raleigh.

The charity provides donated groceries, clothing, household items, and even furniture to those in need -- at no cost. The volunteer-run organization is nine years old, and Williams has been with it from the beginning. "We believe that the way you show the love of Christ is just to be practically involved and care about their needs," she told me after a busy Saturday morning coordinating the distribution of items to "shoppers."

She says up until about 8 months ago, the ministry was seeing about 500 to 800 families a week. The number now ranges between 800 and 1,200 families. Williams says the recession has even impacted the volunteers. "A lot of people that were volunteering have now gone to work because of the economy. We definitely need more volunteers," she says. You can find out more about the ministry, how to volunteer, or if you need their assistance, at their website.

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New help for congregations that are trying to think "green." The Interfaith Power & Light Initiative is looking to expand. The non-profit organization is helping congregations of all faiths encourage conservation, save on energy costs, and develop renewable power sources. Find out more here.

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Man up! That's the rallying cry behind a special event next weekend at Camp Kanata. The Christian group "Men Standing in the Gap" is sponsoring a free Men and Boys Outing on May 23rd. Open to all faiths, the goal of the day-long event is to link up boys with positive male role models. The YMCA of the Triangle is helping out with the activities. You can register for it on line by clicking here.

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In addition to hymns, members of an Orange County church may be singing "Take Me Out to the Ballgame." Lattisville Grove Missionary Baptist Church cuts the ribbon on its new ball field on Saturday, May 30. The diamond is named in honor of the late Clarence "Cat Hammer" McAdams, a former Negro Leagues baseball player who helped raise money for the field's construction. The Hurdle Mills church is hosting a softball tournament to break in the new diamond.

Help after the storm, immigration issues, and a “ducky” fundraiser
Friday, May 8th, 2009

The dust had hardly settled from Tuesday night’s severe weather outbreak when the North Carolina Baptist Men were on the scene in Wilson County. Volunteers with the group knew the drill: assist with finding scattered belongings, comfort the downcast, feed the hungry, and make repairs to damaged homes. “It’s what we feel like God has called us to do,” says Richard Brunson, the group’s Executive Director.

The missions-oriented group has gotten quite a reputation for its assistance after disasters – locally, nationally, even internationally. They offer short-term assistance, as well as long-term help. Says Brunson: “We’ve got feeding, we’ve got recovery, then we have things like shower units and laundry units – we have three trailers that are equipped with washers and dryers. We have water purification, we have chaplains, so there are different aspects.”

It’s not clear how long the Baptist Men will be in Wilson and Johnston Counties, but Brunson tells me they are ready, willing, and able to help. “We want them to know God cares about them and God has sent Christians to minister to them, and that’s what we’re trying to do,” he says.

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The North Carolina Council of Churches is tackling the thorny issue of immigration and the church in a statewide series of clergy breakfasts. The next one in the Triangle is scheduled for May 21st at Durham’s St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. There’s no cost but you’ll have to RSVP.

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A Sampson County business is working to fill a musical need in local churches. Devane Music Services is training up church musicians -- specifically, teaching them to play church music by ear. You can read the details in this story from the Sampson Independent.

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The Inter-Faith Food Shuttle is hoping little ducks will raise big bucks. The third annual Great American Tobacco Duck Race will take place May 16th on the banks of the Old Bull River (the man-made river at Durham’s American Tobacco Campus). Individuals and companies can “purchase” rubber ducks for a donation, and hundreds of them will be released simultaneously to float down the “river” toward the finish line. Prizes will be awarded for First, Second, and Last place. The Food Shuttle describes itself as “our area’s #1 provider of nutritious, fresh food to children, seniors, and working families.”

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Planning a trip to the Holy Land in the near future? A new trail is helping pilgrims see an old story in a new way. Simon McGregor-Wood reported on the Jesus Trail this week for ABC’S World News.

A real-life undercover adventure, a "jewel" of a temple, and a barbecue extravaganza
Friday, May 1, 2009

His life sounds like it could be a Hollywood movie: a corporate insider turns undercover FBI informant to blow the whistle on the largest price-fixing case in US history. In fact, www.markwhitacre Mark Whitacre's story has become a Hollywood movie. It stars Matt Damon, and is due out later this year. But you can experience the real thing in Durham this Thursday (March 7th), at the annual Durham Leadership Prayer Breakfast. Whitacre will be the guest speaker at the annual event, which is sponsored by the YMCA and the Christian businesspersons' group, CBMC. There is a cost for admission. And in the interest of full disclosure, Your Humble Blogger has been asked to be the Master of Ceremonies.

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That Durham event is one of many going on in the Heart of Carolina on Thursday, which marks the 58th Annual Observance of the National Day of Prayer. Here are just a few others:

--In downtown Raleigh, participants will gather on the west side of the Capitol grounds for a prayer event at noon. --In Fayetteville, a city-wide event will take place at noon in Festival Park. --In Nashville, public prayer will take place at noon on the Nash County Courthouse Steps --In Henderson, churches and pastors from across the community will gather at the Southern Vance High School stadium at 7:00 pm. You can check the link above for more local events.

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It's being called the "Jewel of the Carolinas." 10,000 Hindus from across the country and overseas are expected in Cary later this month for the grand opening of a spectacular new temple building off Cary Parkway. The ornate and elaborate Sri Venkateswara Temple building cost 3.5 million dollars to construct, and is one of only a few in the US built according to ancient Hindu practices prevalent in Southern India. Bhaskar Venepalli., chairman of the Temple's Board of Trustees, tells me there are high hopes for the nine acre campus. "We believe this will become the center of economic attraction for us, and a center of economic development for Cary," he says. The Hindu community is planning five days of festivities, May 24th through 28th, to mark the grand opening. Venepalli estimates there are as many as 25,000 Hindus in the Triangle. He and the other Temple leaders hope the traditional teachings and worship space available in the new building will provide a connection for Hindus who have left India to seek a new life here. "It's a very rapidly growing population," Venepalli says.

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How strong is the connection between religious/spiritual beliefs and better mental and physical health? One expert says the evidence is pretty convincing when it comes to North America. But in other parts of the world, not so much. Dr. Michael King of the University College London Medical School will speak on "Religious Belief and Practice: good for you in the United States, less good in Europe," on May 7th in Durham. It's a free lecture open to the public. sponsored by the Duke Center for Spirituality, Theology and Health.

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That aromatic smell wafting through downtown Apex can only mean one thing: it's time again for the Apex United Methodist Church Men's Group annual barbecue. Food preparation for today's event began Thursday evening, when 1,700 pounds of pig began to slow cook all night in anticipation of more than 2,500 patrons The barbecue is in its 17th year and is a major fundraiser for the Men's Group. Since its inception, it's brought in more than $127,000 for local and global humanitarian projects. But what about the big question: is it eastern NC style, or western? "They try to give a blend of North Carolina there," spokesman Bill Swartley says. "They actually do the barbecue with a light vinegar seasoning, then at the buffet line they offer eastern, western, and Lexington barbecue sauces. They have all the bases covered." I might have to sample all three. Just to be fair, you know.

A New Muslim center, church bargains, and a priestly pitchman
Friday, April 24, 2009

I told you a few weeks ago about the massive Convoy of Hope project coming to Raleigh. Now, the big weekend is here. On Saturday, April 25th, 800 to 1,000 church volunteers will come out to a field at the intersection of New Bern Avenue and South Swain. There, they'll provide free health screenings, haircuts, groceries, and more to area residents who stop by. The volunteers expect 5,000 to 8,000 of these "honored guests." Raleigh Pastor Sean Cordell, who serves as the event coordinator, tells me it's designed to meet physical and spiritual needs. "The goal of the Convoy of Hope is about being the hands and feet of Jesus, because he cares about the physical hurts and pains of our city," he says. "(But) our deepest concern is to address the spiritual needs of our city. Jesus laid down his life to rescue sinners, like me, from sin. Therefore the church -- we who trust in Christ as our only hope -- wants to lay down our lives in love for those who are broken and hurting in this city."

More than 40 local churches of different denominations have signed up for the Convoy, which is an achievement all by itself. A volunteer pre-event rally takes place tonight (April 24th) at Raleigh First Assembly of God.

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A Wilson church is joining with ABC11 Eyewitness News in getting the word out about severe weather awareness. Calvary Presbyterian Church is among several community organizations in the Wilson area receiving weather radios to distribute to those who cannot afford them. The radios sound an alarm in the event of severe weather. The distribution is a joint effort of ABC11, Midland Radio Manufacturing, and Walgreens. Other radios will be available at a deep discount at Walgreens stores. Calvary Presbyterian is known for its outreach in the Wilson area.

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The modern state of Israel was born on May 14th, 1948. And this Sunday (April 26th), the Triangle's Jewish community will celebrate Israel Independence Day with music, dance, food, games, and art at the RTP Hilton. Israeli singer Dganit Daddo will headline the event, and there's a charge for admission.

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Bishop Michael Burbidge thinks long-term marriages are worth special recognition. He reinstituted the Wedding Anniversary Mass for the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh in 2007, and will celebrate it again next month at Our Lady of Lourdes. The Diocese has begun accepting registrations for the event, which will honor couples who mark 25, 50, or more than 50 years of marriage in 2009. Family members are also invited.

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There is big excitement at a small church in Franklinton. Hawkins Chapel Missionary Baptist Church has begun a new mentoring program, pairing up adult male church members with boys in need of a male authority figure. Associate Minister Norris Wicker tells me the goal is to reach out to young African-American males and keep them in the church  and away from trouble. "In most church services you go into, there are fewer men than women," Wicker says. "At the same time we have an increasing number of young men in every church getting into trouble. So for that reason, we were concerned about what we could do." Each mentor-mentee pair will be required to do three projects together each quarter: a recreational activity, a church duty like ushering, and a "good deeds" activity like visiting the sick and shut-in. Right now, 16 boys have been paired with Hawkins Chapel men. Longtime Pastor W. S. Taylor says he hopes the idea will spread to other area churches.

A New Muslim center, church bargains, and a priestly pitchman
Friday, April 17th, 2009

The new "Muslim Life at Duke" facility is officially open for business. The center opened this month at 406 Swift Avenue in Durham. It will function as a gathering place and cultural center for Duke University's Muslim students, and also serve as an outreach to the community. Duke named Abdullah Antepli to be the school's first Muslim Chaplain last summer.
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Looking to save a little cash during these tough times? You might try heading out to Durham's White Rock Baptist Church on Saturday, April 18th. The church is sponsoring a Shoppers Bazaar that promises "bargains galore." Clothing, books, small appliances, jewelry and more will be on sale from 7 a.m. to 1 p.m. -- some new, some "gently used."
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On the same day, Raleigh's Baptist Grove Church will turn its attention to health. The church is sponsoring a health and wellness fair, with cholesterol and blood pressure screening, HIV/AIDS testing, and healthy cooking demonstrations. There will also be information on domestic violence and financial wellness. The free fair runs from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
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You've no doubt seen the commercial for the ShamWow, featuring a fast-talking pitchman hawking the benefits of a super-absorbent cloth. Now a new ad campaign features another "man of the cloth." It's a priest, who hopes to bring more of the faithful to Confession. The ad has tongues wagging in New York, as you'll see in this story from ABCNews.com:

Churches offer special programs for Easter
Tuesday, April 7th, 2009

Many churches have special programs for Easter, but one Raleigh church is really going all out this year. Elevation Baptist Church has rented out Meymandi Hall at the Progress Energy Center for a production of They Didn't Know, an Easter Musical. It's an original production, written and produced by Elevation member Harold Phillips. Church public relations coordinator Courtney Telfaire says they've had Easter musicals before, but this is the first time they've had one in a different place and incorporated it into a Sunday worship service. "Our production was a vision of Pastor (T. L.) Carmichael and he believed that one day God would take the production to the community," she says.

They Didn't Know was inspired by Luke 9:22 in the New Testament. The church's musicians and singers will perform the songs, which are from recording artists. The program starts at 10 a.m. on Easter Sunday, with the doors opening at 9:00. "We are very excited and continue to be amazed at how God is leading us and allowing us to reach others in the community," Telfaire says. "The God-given vision of Elevation Baptist Church is evangelism. This Easter Musical is another opportunity to spread the gospel and love of Jesus Christ."

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Getting up at the crack of dawn is nothing new for the military. So I expect Easter Sunrise service at Ft. Bragg will be well attended! This year's service will take place at 7:00 a.m. at the Tolson Youth Center on post. Chaplain Timothy Willoughby will preach on the Resurrection, with special music provided by the Chapel Next Praise Team and the Wood Memorial Male Chorus.

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Travelling for Easter break? If your plans include a flight -- and if you have some time to spare -- check out the RDU Airport Interfaith Chapel. There are actually two chapels now -- one in each terminal. The first opened in 2001. The chapels provide quiet places for prayer, meditation, or just calming your nerves before that big flight. They're open 24 hours a day. Chaplain Dennis Stiles ministers to passengers and airport staff of all faiths. "These have been the most rewarding, satisfying and best years of my life since opening the chapels at RDU," he says, "because I know I'm doing what God has called me to do and because it's making a real difference in the lives of others."

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Dozens of churches in the Heart of Carolina will play host to a live, interactive "town hall" meeting on April 23rd featuring money management expert Dave Ramsey. The Town Hall for Hope is a free event that will feature what Ramsey's website calls "straight talk about the economy, recession, foreclosures, and more," as well as questions from audience members at host sites across the country. Once known mainly in Christian circles, Ramsey has become a popular mainstream figure, known for his emphasis on debt-free living.

The oldest feast, a new movie and Easter events
Friday, April 3rd, 2009

Wednesday, April 8th, at sundown, will mark the beginning of Passover. It's one of the oldest -- some say the oldest -- continuously celebrated religious feasts on earth. Jews around the world will gather around the dinner table for the Seder (pronounced "SAY-der"), the ritual meal that commemorates the exodus of Jewish slaves from Egypt more than 3,000 years ago. The Seder is popular even among non-religious Jews. Why the enduring popularity?

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"Adults remember the Seders of their childhood as one of the most important of their formative religious experiences," says Rabbi John Friedman of Durham's Judea Reform Congregation. "Second, and related to that, is the fact that Passover's central ritual takes place at home rather than in the synagogue.... giving it a sense of intimacy and ownership that community centered holidays attain only with great effort. Third, the theme of a people escaping from oppression and slavery, Jews fleeing from Pharaoh, has found its way into our culture and seems to foreshadow the American experience with slavery and civil rights, giving the holiday special appeal to American Jews." Judea Reform will hold a public Seder on April 8th, Passover morning services on the 9th, and a service for the end of Passover on April 14th at 7:30 p.m.

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A new faith-based movie has hit the big screen with a North Carolina flavor. The One Lamb is the story of an amoral political consultant forced to come to grips with his life when he's diagnosed with cancer. Charlotte's University City United Methodist Church helped fund the movie, which is now in surprisingly wide release for a such a small budget film. The Charlotte Observer reports the way the film came together in the first place was almost&divine.

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Need a little inspiration? Here are two Eyewitness News stories you may have missed about some local folks who are really putting their faith into action.
Water Relief for Kenya
Person of the Week: Norma Miller


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And, here's one of the most unusual Easter-related events I've ever heard of. A Wilmington church will drop 30,000 eggs from a helicopter onto a football field Saturday, April 11th! Lifepoint Church is hosting the event for kids 12 and under, which will also feature inflatables, carnival games, and more. "We think it's going to be awesome," Executive Pastor Daryl Strickland tells me. "This is our first time with this event and we are really excited about it. We did similar events at our previous church back in Clayton." Kids will be dispatched to pick up the eggs according to their age groups. And, oh yes, the eggs will be plastic.

Faith on Facebook, recycling homes, green churches
Thursday, March 26th 2009

On the big screen at the "Regal North Hills Stadium 14" this weekend: Julia Roberts, Nicolas Cage, Tyler Perry& and Pastor Matt Fry? Yup. But not all together. On Sunday, March 29th, Pastor Fry's image will be projected onto a 40-foot screen at the North Hills cinema. It'll be a message recorded the night before at C3 Church Clayton. The event will mark the launch of C3 Church Raleigh, C3's newest campus. The church will have a full-blown children's ministry, Christian book store, Coffee shop, and more. "We've been working on this for over a year," says Raleigh Campus Minister Rod Gray. "We'll totally transform the theater into a worship center with a full-on light and sound system and audio-visuals just like you'd see at our church in Clayton." C3 features a contemporary worship experience, with full use of modern technology. "We have 600 people who follow us on Facebook and 200 on Twitter," Gray says.

Hundreds of families from the Raleigh area are already coming to the Clayton location, according to Pastor Fry, so the new campus just made sense. "The feedback we're getting from some of our attendees is that there really is nothing quite like C3 in Raleigh. Not to say that we're superior, but our approach to ministry is different."

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You know about recycling bottles, plastic, and newspapers. But a faith-based Raleigh organization does what it calls the ultimate in green. Builders of Hope recycles homes. The organization takes houses that would otherwise be demolished, renovates them completely, and makes them available to deserving families at an affordable cost. BOH renovates the homes on their original sites whenever possible to help preserve the neighborhood. But the group also moves houses to create entire new neighborhoods of recycled homes. And don't think recycled means second-rate. These are quality homes made with environmentally-friendly materials at affordable prices. You can check out some of the organization's handiwork at Barrington Village, off of Poole and Barwell Roads. The program is gaining national attention and was recently featured in The Wall Street Journal. And it gets better: Much of the construction is done through a work mentorship program that provides life-changing skills and training to the homeless and at-risk youth. As Program Manager Barry Kirby tells me: "We take homes that society wants to throw away, and lives that society wants to throw away, and we transform both at the same time."

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Meantime, a Raleigh church is thinking "green" as well. Pullen Memorial Baptist Church is celebrating its newly-opened "green" addition. The 9,800 square foot addition was built with recycled materials, has a rooftop garden, a rainwater capture system, geo-thermal heating and cooling, and other energy and water-efficient features. The church was honored this month as an "IPL Green Leader" by North Carolina Interfaith Power and Light, a program of the NC Council of Churches. Pullen Memorial is marking its 125th anniversary this year.

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Do you know a special needs teenager who could use nice getaway? How about a free cruise! Colonial Baptist Church in Cary is going to transform itself into a cruise ship  with all the amenities -- on Friday, May 1st. The church is taking registrations right now for "Spring Breakaway: Cruisin' the Blue Marble". There'll be food, live entertainment, and fun and games. "It will be an exciting event for those involved," says Aaron Miller, Colonial's youth pastor, "and it will be a way our church can expose our community to the saving grace of God  demonstrating the supremacy and love of Jesus Christ." The "cruise" is geared toward special needs kids ages 12 through 18, but all ages are welcome.

Jobs, education and groceries for free
Friday, March 20th 2009

April 25th is shaping up to be a big day in the Capital City. Thousands of people are expected to converge on a seven acre tract of land just north of downtown to receive health services, haircuts, job placement assistance, and groceries  all free of charge. It's called "Convoy of Hope," a massive Christian outreach involving dozens of churches, businesses, and community organizations in the Triangle. More than 600 volunteers have already signed up for the event. They'll meet and greet those who come out, assist them with their needs and share their faith with them. Mayor Charles Meeker has declared April 25th "Raleigh Convoy of Hope Day."

Did you know Duke coach Mike Krzyzewski carries his late mother's rosary every time his team has a game? But it's not a good luck charm, he says. "It's a way of having my mom with me." You can watch Coach K talking candidly about his Roman Catholic upbringing and faith on a new website just launched by Duke Divinity School's Leadership Initiative. The goal of "Faith and Leadership" is to allow Christian leaders to interact with and learn from each other. Find it here: www.faithandleadership.com

Muslim American teens face unique challenges these days. Now, the Islamic Association of Raleigh will tackle those challenges in a panel discussion March 27th, for Muslim youth and adults alike. The Association's Saad Hasan tells me, "The acceptance of Islamic identity and faith as a norm is probably the single most important challenge that we are faced with in terms of our youth." Additionally, the panelists will tackle issues of violence, drugs, and dealings with the opposite sex  challenges facing many American teens. Hasan says the Triangle is generally a "very accepting and united community" when it comes to Muslim teens, and that "&this acceptance has allowed them to maintain their own notions of identity and culture." The teen forum may become the first in a series.

Don't be shocked if a stranger does a random act of kindness for you tomorrow (March 21st). He or she may be a member of Newhope Church in Durham, a 7-year-old congregation that's experienced explosive growth. Newhope held its first services this past Sunday in its new 34,000 square foot facility on Fayetteville Road. As a way of celebrating its new home, the church is doing a series of outreaches this week, including "Conspiracy of Kindness Day" tomorrow. You may be pleasantly surprised.

Loans, food relief and helping kids in need
Friday, March 13th 2009

In these tight money times, even churches are having trouble getting loans. But now, help is on the way for North Carolina's largest denomination. The 1.2 million member Baptist State Convention is starting up a loan ministry for its member churches. "NC Baptist Financial Services" will soon begin accepting applications, with plans to close its first loan this spring.

"The idea to start a church loan program began prior to the current credit crisis," director Russell Jones told me in an e-mail. "We didn't see anyone providing the ministry and felt it should be offered."

The program will make loans available for churches to acquire property, build, or expand. Rates and terms will be competitive with traditional bank loans. Churches applying will have to provide the proper underwriting.

"Some may question the timing of the program based on the economic crisis," Jones says, "however, we feel that God is raising up this ministry at the right time to meet the needs of Baptist churches in North Carolina. A lot of exciting ministries have been born out of adversity."

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African-American churches are increasingly turning their attention to health issues, given the fact blacks are disproportionately represented when it comes to HIV/AIDS, diabetes, hypertension, and obesity. Now, several organizations in the Wilson area are coming together for a special program to address these health concerns. "Unity in the Community: Eliminating Health Disparities" will feature gospel music superstar and Durham native Shirley Caesar. Caesar, who pastors a Raleigh church, will speak and sing at the event. The program takes place March 26th, 7:30 p.m., at St. John AME Zion Church, 119 Pender Street East in Wilson.

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Hat's off to the staff and volunteers at Saint Ann Catholic School in Fayetteville, who have quietly been providing a wonderful service for 13 years now. The Saint Ann Neighborhood Youth Center is an outreach program that targets students from the surrounding low income and public housing area. Twice a week, children come in for after-school tutoring, homework help, snacks, and more  all at no charge. Linda Miller is the Center's Director, and she tells me even the Saint Ann's students get in on the volunteering. "Its' a learning experience for them," she says. "They have to earn so many hours of community service and this helps them fulfill that." The Youth Center is at the corner of Grove Street and N. Cool Spring, and there is a waiting list.

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Did you catch Troubleshooter Diane Wilson's story about Angel Food Ministries? It's a non-profit non-denominational organization providing food relief to a half-million families across the nation each month. Those families are saving big bucks on their groceries, and you can, too. Diane visited Triangle Church in Chapel Hill, and here's her story:Angel Food Ministries

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And finally, a new church has launched in the Sanford area that may put you in mind of The Old West! "Trailside Cowboy Church" offers worship services for horsemen (and women,) farmers, and anyone interested in what Pastor Bruce Parsons calls a "non-threatening atmosphere." They worship on Thursday nights in a barn, and, no, you don't have to be a cowboy or dress like one to attend. Says Pastor Bruce, "We jokingly say the only dress code is you have to wear something." Here's how to find it: http://www.cowboycn.org

Faith based scholarships, films and more
Friday, March 6th 2009

How does this sound: a top-tier private school education -- for free! Sounds too good to be true, but that's exactly what a church-affiliated school is promising residents of Northeast Central Durham beginning this summer. The concept of a new tuition-free private school in Durham's most economically challenged section is stirring up real excitement. For its inaugural year, Union Independent School will offer only grades K - 2 with hopes of expanding each year after that. Students will be chosen through a lottery system. An enrollment information session will take place Thursday, March 12th, 6 p.m., at Union Baptist Church on North Roxboro Street. More info about the school here: http://www.unionis.org/

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North Carolina's Jewish families have a rich but sometimes overlooked heritage in the Tar Heel State. Now a local group is hoping to change that. The Jewish Heritage Foundation of North Carolina has produced a fascinating documentary entitled "Down Home: Jewish Life in North Carolina," that's being shown at locations all over the state. The documentary was screened last month in Charlotte to rave reviews, and it's coming to the Triangle. Tickets for the April 22nd showing at Duke University's Bryan Center are on sale now, and the film will be shown at the Apex Arts Center in May. You can see a trailer for the documentary here: http://www.jhfnc.org/dh_video.html

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Meantime, a Jewish family from Lee County is making headlines by leaving the Tar Heel State. Matthew and Michelle Reed and their two young children are the first family to move to Dothan, Alabama, as part of a unique program offering thousands of dollars for Jewish families to relocate to the town. The Reeds left for Alabama a few weeks ago, shortly after Matthew finished his stint at Ft. Bragg. Here's the story: http://abcnews.go.com/US/wireStory?id=6970621

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Durham's Rose of Sharon Baptist Church (4109 Guess Road) will be hosting visitors from the Windy City. The popular Moody Bible Institute Men's Collegiate Choir is scheduled to perform there on Thursday, March 9th at 6:30 p.m. The 40-voice choir has toured the world, performing concerts featuring a variety of music styles. The Moody Bible Institute was founded in Chicago in 1886 by famed evangelist D. L. Moody.

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The man dubbed the "Dean of African-American Preaching" will be the opening speaker at a 4-day event focused on leadership, at the Shaw University Divinity School in Raleigh. The Rev. Dr. Gardner C. Taylor, a close friend and associate of the late Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., will lead off the preaching and lecturing at the school's Alexander/Pegues Ministers' Conference. The Conference is now in its 36th year and will run March 16th through 19th. A registration fee is required.

Faith based traditions, spiritual movies and employment based seminars
Friday, Feb. 27th 2009

According to the Pew Forum on Religion & Public Life, more than 83 percent of Americans identify with a religious tradition of some sort. Although I haven't seen any specific numbers for North Carolina, it's probably a safe assumption that number is even higher here in the Tar Heel state, which is widely referred to as being part of the "Bible Belt." The faith communities here are extremely active  and diverse! So I'm going to regularly use this space to highlight some of the religious-oriented events and happenings going on in our viewing area. Emphasis on some. There are hundreds and hundreds of such events taking place in the Heart of Carolina each week. I can't possibly include them all. Also, I'll have links to some faith-based stories from outside our area that you may find of interest. Stay tuned!

The Academy Awards are over, but the debate about movies goes on. Now, one website is weighing in on the top "spiritual" movies of 2008. Check out this segment from ABCNews.com and see if you agree or disagree with the picks:
http://abcnews.go.com/Video/playerIndex?id=6925472

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With unemployment rising, many people are starting to "think outside the box" when it comes to getting a paycheck. Along those lines, the Islamic Center of Raleigh's Education Committee is sponsoring a workshop Saturday, February 28th on "Starting Your Own Business." The presenter is Yasmeen Abdur-Rahman, a Lifestyle Entrepreneur Coach.
You can get details by contacting the Islamic Center at (919) 834-9572.

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You've heard of Bible versions with the words of Christ in red. Now comes a Bible edition with ecological passages in green. It's called The Green Bible, and it's billed as an "eco-friendly" version of the Scriptures. Ellen Davis, Professor of Bible and Practical Theology at Duke Divinity School, describes what makes this Bible edition so different:
http://www.duke.edu/today/archive/oncamera.php?id=22700

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Church music has entered the digital age. Southern Baptists introduced a new online digital music tool this month similar to Apple's iTunes. According to the press release, not only will you be able to download hundreds of songs, you'll also be able to create custom arrangements of songs and produce corresponding audio files and sheet music for you church. Details here:
http://www.lifeway.com/lwc/article_main_page/0%2C1703%2CA%25253D168809%252526M%25253D200735%2C00.html

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And speaking of music, a belated happy 100th birthday to George Beverly Shea! Billy Graham's friend and favorite singer reached the century mark earlier this month at his home in western North Carolina. The Asheville Citizen-Times has the story:
http://www.citizen-times.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=2009902030325

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