
                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, July 13, 1995                   TAG: 9507140103
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RELIGION BRIEFS

ROANOKE'S NEW HAITIAN BAPTIST CHURCH, believed to be the first of its kind in Virginia, now has an ordained pastor, the Rev. Castin Mesadieu, approved by the Roanoke Valley Association of Southern Baptists. The group meets at Ridgewood Baptist Church at 703 Hemlock Road N.W. Call 344-9547 for more information. The new congregation is being assisted by Ridgewood Baptist.

JOANI TABOR, Christian recording artist, will perform July 23 at the 11 a.m. service at Rosalind Hills Baptist Church, 2711 Laburnum Ave. S.W. The Roanoke singer has made several recordings of contemporary gospel music.

JERUSALEM BAPTIST CHURCH, 1014 Norfolk Ave. S.W., has scheduled a concert by the choir of Loudon Avenue Christian Church (Disciples of Christ.) The program will take place Sunday at 5 p.m. The director is Fletcher Nichols.

COLONIAL AVENUE BAPTIST CHURCH has sent a team of 23 adults and youth to Warsaw, N.C. on a mission work project. The group is leading a vacation Bible school, renovating a women's shelter and providing evening recreation for migrant workers.The week-long project will end Saturday

THE WEST END CLOTHING CLOSET, a mission project of West End United Methodist Church, is closed until Aug. 28. Over the past 10 months it assisted more than 900 people, including several Bosnian families, with clothing and household goods.

WINIFRED S.B. CUSHING, has retired as music director of Highland Park United Methodist Church and has been succeeded by Roanoker Jerry Stover.

WESTHAMPTON CHRISTIAN CHURCH, a Disciples of Christ congregation at 2515 Grandin Road S.W., has scheduled a program by youth of Beargrass Christian Church, a touring group. The program will begin with a potluck dinner at 6 followed by the concert, "Hitops," at 7. The program is free.

THE REV. WILLIAM RAMEY has begun his ministry at Raleigh Court United Methodist Church succeeding the Rev. Gregory Adkins, who has been transferred to Alexandria. Ramey, 58, has come from a five-year pastorate at Chester United Methodist Church south of Richmond. A native of Winchester, he was educated at Lebanon Valley College and the United Theological Seminary in Dayton, Ohio. About 25 years ago he was pastor of Highland Park United Methodist in Roanoke when that was an Evangelical United Brethren congregation. Ramey, who has a daughter, Rita, living in Pittsburgh, also has served parishes in Harrisonburg, Richmond and Winchester.

AT GREENE MEMORIAL UNITED METHODIST CHURCH the new pastor is the Rev. Robert Lewis Watts. Reared in Alexandria, Watts, 59, has previously served Calvary United Methodist of Salem and Highland Park Church in Roanoke. He also has been at congregations in Remington, Altavista, Lynchburg, Norfolk and most recently at Washington Street Church in Alexandria. Educated at the University of Virginia and Drew Theological Seminary, Watts is married to Jean Watts, a registered nurse. The family includes an adult son, Ben, who lives in Arlington. The Rev. Jerry Campbell, at Greene Memorial for seven years, has moved to Norfolk.

VACATION BIBLE SCHOOL is in progress through Friday at Mountain Pass Baptist Church on Virginia 311 in the Mason Cove community. Classes for all ages are from 7 to 9 p.m. Call 384-6791 for more information.

THE REV. AL THORNE, who began his ministry at Huntington Court United Methodist Church in Roanoke about 15 years ago, is the new associate pastor at First United Methodist in downtown Salem. Since then he has served parishes in Prices Fork, Montpelier, Chesterfield County, Fieldale and Newport, the latter for the past two years. The new associate, who is 44, is married to Cathy Thorne, a doctoral candidate in marriage and family therapy at Virginia Tech. The family includes Bryan, 13, and Michelle,10.

SCOTT TAYLOR, associate minister of Salem Church of Christ for more than five years, will leave the staff this fall to begin the organization of a new congregation in the Poughkeepsie area of New York. He will work with the Empire State Evangelizing Association. Taylor and his wife, Valeria, have four children being home-schooled by their mother.

Send information to Frances Stebbins, Neighbors Religion, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke, Va. 24010-2491 by noon Thursday and include a number where you can be reached during the day.

Want to know what's going on in the religion community? Get on the Internet and find this listing of Religion Briefs as well as other Neighbors columns in the News section of InfiNet. Call (800) 849-7214 to subscribe.

by CNB