ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Saturday, February 17, 1996 TAG: 9602190009
SECTION: CURRENT PAGE: NRV-8 EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY
COLUMN: In Religion
SOURCE: KENNETH SINGLETARY
SERVICES
* Christiansburg's Holy Spirit Catholic Church will celebrate Mass at 5 p.m. today at Our Saviour Lutheran Church on Cambria Street. The readings will be Leviticus 19: 1-2, 17-18; 1 Corinthians 3: 16-23; Matthew 5: 38-48; and 1 John 2: 5. 382-8028.
* Blacksburg's St. Mary's Catholic Church on Harding Avenue will celebrate Mass today at 5 p.m. and at 8:45 and 11:15 a.m. Sunday. The readings will be Lv. 19: 1-2, 17-18; Ps. 103: 1-4, 8, 10, 12-13; 1 Cor. 3: 16-23 and Mt. 5: 38-48.
* First Baptist Church in Pearisburg will have a Women's Fellowship Breakfast today at 9 a.m. to celebrate Black History Month with professor Adriane Robinson. 921-2787.
* Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren on Heather Drive in Blacksburg's Hethwood Community will host Dale Brown Sunday at 10 and 11 a.m. Brown is a well-known writer in Anabaptist and Pletist circles. A retired professor, Brown has served the Church of the Brethren as moderator of its annual conference and member of its general board. 951-8937.
* The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley on Gladewood Drive will conduct Dances of Universal Peace today from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Participants will dance the sacred phrases of the world's religions. Paula Markham, 961-3974.
* "Ebony, Jade and Ivory: Reaching Out to All Peoples" will be Rudi Gelsey's topic Sunday at 10:30 a.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of the New River Valley on Gladewood Drive in Blacksburg. Arlene Herndon will lead a discussion on "Art Education with an Agenda" during a roundtable at 9 a.m. 552-2717.
* Merrimac Pentecostal Holiness Church will host the Rev. Glennard Quesenberry at a revival Sunday through Wednesday, with the Sunday service at 11 a.m. and services during the week at 7 p.m. 552-5070.
* The Metaphysical Chapel on the corner of Church and Lee Streets in Blacksburg will host Nancy Mignone at 7 p.m. Sunday. 951-4848. On Feb. 24 at from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. the church will conduct a workshop on "Sacred Techniques - Celtic Mysteries" with Chris Faulconer. 953-5041.
* Vicker Pentecostal Holiness Church in Christiansburg will have a revival Sunday through Wednesday, at 7 p.m. Sunday and 7:30 p.m. during the week. New pastor Dan Puritt will speak.
* Radford Pentecostal Holiness Church on Second Street will have a revival Feb. 25 through 28, at 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday, and at 7 p.m. during the week. Guest speaker will be Doug Eccles from Detroit.
* Northside Presbyterian Church on Progress Street in Blacksburg will conduct a five-week series on "Discovering Everyday Spirituality" with host Thomas Moore, beginning Feb. 29 and continuing through March 28. Each series starts at 6 p.m. with supper and continues at 7 p.m. with the program. 552-4327.
* Our Saviour Lutheran Church on Cambria Street in Christiansburg conducts an informal evening worship Wednesdays at 7 p.m. The 45-minute service is for people who work on weekends, community newcomers, and people looking for a mid-week worship opportunity. 382-2223.
* The Unitarian Universalist Fellowship on Gladewood Drive in Blacksburg will have a "Meditation East and West" session every Tuesday from 5:30 to 6:30 p.m. The meditation consists of silence, conscious breathing, attunement to the elements, cleansing energy, and chanting. Rev. Rudi Gelsey, 953-5546.
LENTEN AND EASTER SERVICES
* Christiansburg's Holy Spirit Catholic Church will begin its Lenten season with a special Ash Wednesday vigil service Tuesday at 7 p.m. The readings will be Joel 2: 12-18; 2 Corinthians 5: 20- 6: 2; Matthew 6: 1-6, 16-18; and Psalm 95: 7,8. 382-8028.
* Good Shepherd Church of the Brethren on Heather Drive in Blacksburg will have a Lenten Study Series on conflict resolution on Thursdays through March, with no meeting Feb. 29. The sessions will be at 6:30 p.m. 951-8937.
* St. Michael Lutheran Church on Merrimac Road will celebrate its Lenter season with a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper at 7 p.m.; an Ash Wednesday service with Holy Communion at 7 p.m.; a five-week Wednesday evening service at 6 p.m., beginning Feb. 28.; a Maundy Thursday service with Holy Communion at 7 p.m.; a Good Friday Service on Shadows at 7 p.m.; and Easter Sunday Sunrise Service April 7 at 8 a.m. 552-0879.
* Central United Methodist Church on Wadsworth Street in Radford will celebrate Ash Wednesday Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. with special choir music. 639-3529.
* Luther Memorial Lutheran Church on Prices Fork Road in Blacksburg will have a Shrove Tuesday pancake supper Tuesday at 6 p.m. A love offering will be taken to benefit the church's Hunger Appeal. On Ash Wednesday, services will be held at noon and 7 p.m. 951-1000.
* Blacksburg's St. Mary's Catholic Church on Harding Avenue will celebrate Mass on Ash Wednesday Feb. 21 at noon and at 5:30 p.m.
* St. Peter's Church on West First Street in Christiansburg will offer three services on Ash Wednesday at 7 and 10:30 a.m. and at 7:30 p.m. The services will include the Penetential Office, the Holy Eucharist, and the Imposition of Ashes. The church also will offer a five-week series of programs on the Epistle to the Hebrews on Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m., beginning Feb. 28.
* Christiansburg Presbyterian Church will begin its Lenten-Easter season with Ash Wednesday Communion services Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. The week afterward, the church will begin a five-week Lentern Bible Study series based on 1 Corinthians led by interim pastor O. Leighton Culler. 382-2802.
* Newman Community, the Catholic Campus Ministry at Virginia Tech, will celebrate Ash Wednesday Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. in Burruss Auditorium. Faculty, staff, students and local residents are welcome. 951-0032.
* Members of Trinity Lutheran and Christ Episcopal Churches in Pulaski will join for an Ash Wednesday service on Feb. 21 at 7 p.m. It will be held at the Episcopal church at 144 N. Washington Ave. Imposition of ashes and Holy Communion will be included.
* Christiansburg and Radford area churches will sponsor pre-Easter services on Fridays at noon, beginning Feb. 23. The services will include soup and sandwiches, and songs, prayer, and a message, ending at 1 p.m. The schedule and themes are: Feb. 23, at St. Paul United Methodist Church, "Living Water"; March 1, St. Peter Anglican Catholic Church, "Bread of Life"; March 8, Pentecostal Holiness Church on Phlegar Street, "Light of the World"; March 15, New River Valley Juvenile Detention Home, "Good Shepherd"; March 22, Park United Methodist Church, "Life"; March 29, Asbury United Methodist Church on Stuart and Chapel Streets, "True Vine." Sponsored by the Christiansburg Ministerial Association, 382-2223.
* The Churches of the Brethren in Floyd will have Lenten services during each Sunday during Lent, beginning Feb. 25 at 7:30 p.m. The schedule is Feb. 25 at Stonewall Church; March 3 at Parkway Church; March 10 at Copper Hill Church; March 17 at Pleasant Valley Church; March 24 at Burks Fork Church; March 31 Beaver Creek Church will hold a Palm Sunday celebration; April 5 White Rock Church will host a Good Friday celebration. 789-7892.
* Five Blacksburg congregations will unite for Lenten evening services Feb. 28 through March 27. Theme this year will be "Major Saints of Our Traditions." Ash Wednesday worship on Feb. 21 will be held separately in each church. The Wednesday night joint programs will begin at 6 with supper and end by 7:30. Child care will be provided at each.
The scheduled of times, places and themes: Feb. 28, Blacksburg Presbyterian, "Saints and the Social Order;" March 6, Blacksburg United Methodist, "Saints and Music;" March 13, Luther Memorial Lutheran Church, " Saints and Daily Living;" March 20, St. Mary's Catholic Church, "Sainthood and Spirituality;" and March 27, Christ Episcopal Church, " Saints and Liturgy." The suppers and programs are free.
* Ash Wednesday services are scheduled for Feb. 21 at 5 p.m. at the Heth Center Ballroom on the Radford University Campus, and at 7 p.m. at St. Jude Church on Tyler Road. 639-5341.
* March 1 is the 109th anniversary of the World Day of Prayer. Local celebrations will occur at Luther Memorial Lutheran Church on the corner of Prices Fork and Tom's Creek Roads in Blacksburg at 10 a.m. and at Pulaski's First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) on North Jefferson Avenue at 11 a.m. Women around the world will participate in observances, including the program, "God Calls Us to Respond," written by Christian women in Haiti. Area men and women are invited. 552-6529 or 951-0550.
JOYFUL NOISES
* The Kevin Spencer Family, a gospel music group which has made several recordings, will perform Feb. 25 at 11 a.m. at Fairlawn Church of God on Peppers Ferry Road. An offering will be taken. Following the concert youth of the church will serve lunch for $5 for adults and $3 for children 5 through 10. Call 639-1511 for more information.
* A gospel concert, "Thinking of Spring," is scheduled Feb. 24 at 7:30 p.m. at Floyd County High School auditorium. it will feature Rivers Edge of Virginia, The Joyful Noise and the Hylton Family. An offering will be taken.
* Straight Street will sponsor a musical performance by Jerry Williams and Harvest Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Abundant Life Fellowship on Old Pike Road in Pilot. A love offering will be taken. 382-4443.
SPECIAL EVENTS
* David Moore, a marriage and family therapist and former pastor, will lead a series of Biblically based classes on "Marriage and Adolescent Parenting" on Sundays in February. The free classes will meet at 9:45 a.m. at Blacksburg Christian Church on Watson Avenue Sunday and Feb. 25. Sunday School classes for children will be available. 552-4619.
* The Bodybuilders youth group of Belmont Christian Church on Dominion Drive in Christiansburg will sponsor a soup and sandwich supper today from 5 to 8 p.m. Donations will be accepted, to send the group to the Southern Christian Youth Convention in July. 382-8521.
* Grace Assembly of God on Redwood Drive in Christiansburg will have a covered-dish dinner today at 6 p.m., followed by singing with Streams in the Desert at 7 p.m. Bob Goldstein, 381-0055.
* St. Paul United Methodist Church will show a movie called "Come the Morning," featuring well-known actors Travis Knight, D. David Morin, Susan Howard, J.D. Hall, John Schneider and Andi Chapman. The film explores homelessness and God's message. The premier will be Sunday at 7 p.m. A love offering will be taken.
* The men of Grace Episcopal Church on Fourth Street in Radford will hold their annual Pancake Supper Tuesday from 5 to 7 p.m., to begin Lent season. Proceeds will go to the Bishop's Fund for the Relief of Hunger. Tickets are $3 for adults and $2 for children. 639-3494 or 639-0859.
* At First Baptist Church of Radford a six-week theological education study for lay people will begin March 3 at 5:30 p.m. "When God Speaks" will continue for six sessions. Registration deadline is Sunday. Part of the "Experiencing God" course for Southern Baptists, the pre-Easter series will be led by Kent Taylor. Call the church for more information.
* The Black History Committee from First Missionary Baptist Church in New River will present a play called "Voices from the Past and Present" Feb. 24 at 6 p.m. Margaret Hairston, 639-6947.
* Radford Church of God in Christ is sponsoring victorious living seminars on Tuesday nights through Feb. 27. The topics, in order, will be: effective prayer, getting out of debt, and starting a small business. 639-5948.
* Straight Street will sponsor skating at Dominion Skating Rink in Christiansburg Feb. 29, March 7 and April 4, from 6 to 8 p.m. 381-1006.
* Radford Church of God in Christ on Russell Avenue is conducting academic enrichment tutoring programs on Monday and Thursdays from 7 to 9 p.m., open to grades 1 through 12. Computer skills will be taught from 6th through 9th graders on Mondays from 8 to 9 p.m. 639-5948.
* Straight Street is hosting open gym nights every Saturday night in February and March from 6 to 10 p.m. at Auburn High School in Riner. Admission is $1, and food and drinks will be available.
* A half-hour Bible study especially for lunch-hour workers has begun at First United Methodist Church in Pulaski. The Rev. Norman Wilhoit, pastor, will lead the group in Kirchner Chapel. The study will be from 12:10 to 12:50 p.m. It will continue through May 22.
* At Trinity Lutheran Church in Pulaski a study of the book of Revelation has begun and will continue through February. Sessions begin at 7 p.m. and are taught by the Rev. Terrie Sternberg, pastor. The class is open to the community. Call 980-3624 for more information.
* Christian Community Outreach in Radford has a food outreach on the fourth Thursday of each month at 7 p.m. at the Oil, Chemical and Atomic Workers Union Hall in Fairlawn. Food boxes will be available on a first-come, first-served basis to people who meet USDA income criteria. 639-5686.
PEOPLE
* Remy Nelson, a Haitian student sponsored by Trinity Lutheran Church in Pulaski at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, will spend the next year as an intern pastor at Reformation Lutheran Church in Philadelphia. Lutheran seminarians attend classes for their first, second and fourth years of graduate study with the third taken in practical parish work.
* The Rev. David G. Coffey, Jr. will be installed as pastor of First Presbyterian Church of Pulaski on March 3. Coffey, ordained in 1967, began his work late last year having come from a five-year pastorate at First Presbyterian Church in York, S.C. The installation will take place at 7 p.m.at the church. Preaching will be the Rev. Dwight Christenbury of First Presbyterian in Martinsville. Pulaski congregation is part of the Presbytery of Blue Ridge of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.)
A native of Pinehurst, N.C., Coffey was educated at Mars Hill College, Duke University and Union Theological Seminary in Richmond. Before going to York, he served congregations in Martinsburg, W.Va., the Petersburg area, Cherryville, N.C. and Rockledge, Fla.
* Karen Forney, administrative assistant at Blacksburg Baptist Church, has resigned to devote more time to family concerns.
In Religion is a regular Saturday feature of the New River Current. Please send news of your church or religious organization, along with photos, to Kenneth Singletary, New River Current, Roanoke Times, P.O. Box 540, Christiansburg 24073. Fax: 381-1656. E-mail: Currentbev.net. Clear, sharp photographs accompanying news items are welcome. Items must be received by noon Wednesday for use in that week's column.
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