The Faith Connection

Olympics, Faith... and Car Repossessions

 

It’s not just the Olympic spirit being talked about in London right now.  Pastor Howard Jackson of Grace Covenant Church in Rocky Mount is there, talking with the athletes about other spiritual matters.  Jackson tells the Rocky Mount Telegram the founder of "International Sports Chaplains" invited him to be one of the U.S. chaplains to minister to the participants and spectators at the Games.  Rev. Howard is attending the Olympics with a Preston Bremus, a church member and student at N.C. Wesleyan College.

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Speaking of the Olympics, Team USA Men’s Basketball Coach Mike Kryzyzewski isn’t just passionate about the hardwood.  Coach K is also passionate about his faith –- and plans for the new Catholic Cathedral Campus in Raleigh.  He recorded this video clip before he left for the Olympics.

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An estimated 20,000 Jehovah’s Witnesses will gather this weekend and next at Raleigh’s PNC Arena for a major convention.  The Safeguard Your Heart event is one of nearly 400 that have been taking place in cities across the US this year.  The two 3-day weekend conferences will feature Bible-based activities and speeches.

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Duke Chapel will welcome its new Dean on September 1^st, and it’s an historic choice.  The Reverend Dr. Luke Powery will become the first African-American to hold the post, when he succeeds the Rev. Dr. Sam Wells.  Dr. Powery comes to Duke from Princeton Theological Seminary.  More details about Powery’s extensive background here.

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Folks at the Durham Rescue Mission say they are humbled and grateful for a $450,000 donation.  It comes from a woman who felt led to help the ministry -– in memory of her son.  Anthony Wilson covered the story for Eyewitness News and here's his report.

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Muslims in the Triangle and around the world are marking their holiest month of the year, Ramadan.  As part of the commemoration, the Islamic Association of Raleigh is soliciting food donations from the community to distribute to the needy.  Collection bins are set up in the IAR lobby.  The food pantry there will be open every Saturday of Ramadan for food distribution.

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Everybody’s favorite re-po squad is back with a new season of reality TV.  The stars of “Lizard Lick Towing,” shot in and around Wendell, NC,  sat down with “The 700 Club” to talk about what many of their fans don’t get to see on their TV show:  their faith.  Here's the link.

“Ministry on Wheels” hits Fayetteville

 

If you’ve driven in the area around Fayetteville’s Cross Creek Mall recently, you’ve probably noticed William McLaurin’s truck.  It’s hard to miss.  The white pick-up has big placards with Bible verses on its sides, along with a seven-foot cross and American and POW flags in the flat bed. 

"Ministry on Wheels" in Fayetteville    photo courtesy McLaurin Family 

“Some of the people look at me, and I think some of them think I'm crazy,” he told me.  “They probably say, who's that nut out there?  But I have a sole purpose, and the purpose is pointing people to Christ.”   

McLaurin, you see, is a retired pastor.  After 29 years in the pulpit (in Sampson County’s St. James Church of Christ), McLaurin is now taking his message on the road.  His attention-grabbing truck is the lure.

“I'm not out to make money, I'm not selling anything,” he says.  “I love to stop and talk to people.  I carry my Bible, and I'm ready to talk and pray with people.”

At 69, he’s at an age when many people are taking it easy – or at least thinking about it.  But McLaurin says he was inspired upon hearing the story of Joni Eareckson Tada, a California-based evangelist and ministry leader who’s a quadriplegic.

“She’s ministering in a wheel chair!  She’s a soul winner in a wheelchair.  And she gets on flights, she flies to different parts of the world, different states.  She speaks at different assemblies.  I mean, she’s just busy!”

And so, William McLaurin decided to get busy.  He set up a “ministry on wheels,” started a Facebook page, and began driving around Fayetteville preaching the Gospel.  He says he has a special heart for the military community in the All-American City, having once been a soldier stationed at Ft. Bragg.  But he’ll talk to anyone who will stop and to talk to him.

“I don't bash the different religions but I do hold up Jesus Christ,” he says.  “It's the Bible, and that's what I'm gonna stand on.  I'm not gonna ridicule all the other folks but it's about showing people Christ.  Because he is the one that, as John 3:16 tells us, that died for everybody.”

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The president of Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest calls it "one of the most significant events in SBC history since the convention’s founding in 1845.”   Dr. Daniel Akin is referring to the election last week of New Orleans pastor Fred Luter to become president of the Southern Baptist Convention, the first African-American to hold the title in the conservative denomination.  More reaction from Akin and other North Carolina Baptist leaders in this article from the Biblical Recorder.

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A Johnston County teenager has gotten a precious gift, courtesy of his church.  Here's Eyewitness News reporter Steve Dorsey's story of how the Selma congregation is helping out 17-year-old Charlie Humphries.

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Lots of buzz in western North Carolina, after a mysterious (and apparently wealthy) donor came forward at the last minute to save a church from foreclosure.   Here's a link to the story.

Oldies but Goodies at Local Church

 

One of the area’s most colorful and entertaining church outreaches to the community is coming up again this Friday. The youth and adults of White Plains United Methodist Church in Cary will turn back the hands of time for their annual Oldies Drive-in. They’ll transform the church parking lot into a 1950s style drive-in restaurant -- something they've been doing for 17 years now.

"It's basically the American Grafitti or Happy Days-type of culture and music they they're trying to recreate," says Rob Phillips, the Director of Youth Ministries.

They’ll serve classic “diner” food (with curbside service at your car), and have live music from the 50s and 60s. You’ll also see vintage cars and plenty of poodle skirts and biker jackets. 

"People can actually eat at their car like a classic drive-in," Phllips says, "and then they can get out and walk around to see the entertainment and classic cars."

Even "Elvis" (impersonator Wayne Tindle) will make an appearance.

   Elvis impersonator Wayne Tindle entertains at the Oldies Drive-in     photos courtesy White Plains UMC
 

The event is from 5 to 9 p.m., at a cost of 3 bucks a carload. Pre-1970 vehicles will be allowed in for free! Proceeds will benefit the church's various ministries -- but the emphasis is on fun.

"We call it an outreach event, because we don't really make a lot of money on it," Phillips told me. "It takes easily a hundred volunteers to pull this off. It's an outreach because it brings in a lot of people from the community and it shows the church can be a fun place and a fellowship place."

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It’s been quite a week for Bishop Michael Burbidge of the Raleigh Catholic Diocese. The Bishop and other Catholic leaders from the region have been at the Vatican for what’s called an ad limina visit. The trip is required at regular intervals for every diocese in the world, so that a status report can be presented to the Pope. You can read more about Bishop Burbidge’s visit with Pope Benedict XVI – and see photos – at this link.

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Durham’s Sanctuary United Methodist Church is planning something extra special this Memorial Day. The church will present a long overdue honor to a World War II hero. PFC Joe “Reece” Lyndon Jr. landed at Omaha Beach in the D-Day invasion, fought across France, and ended up a wounded prisoner of war. Although he earned a number of awards for his service and valor, PFC Lyndon never received the Bronze Star that was awarded retroactively to all the recipients of the Combat Infantry Badge.

 

That will all change on May 28^th. Sanctuary UMC and the Combat Infantrymen’s Association will award the Bronze Star to Lyndon’s son, Joe Lyndon III of Durham. It will be part of a service to honor all those who’ve paid the ultimate price in service to their country. The program will run from 1 to 2 p.m.

 

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What matters to former UNC stand-out and future NBA’er Tyler Zeller more than basketball? His faith. Zeller gave an interview recently with his pastor, J.D. Greear of Durham’s Summit Church, before the congregation. Here's the link to the video clip.

 

Here Come the Men in Black!

 

Some of the Triangle's best singers are busy preparing for a concert tour of Durham.  Durham, England, that is.

 
Durham's "100 Men in Black"

The 100 Men in Black chorus will travel overseas in October for multiple performances in Durham, England. "We're all excited," says MIB founder and director Marlon West about the long-planned trip to Durham’s sister city.  “And now it's right around the corner." 

The Men in Black started in 2003 at Orange Grove Missionary Baptist Church, but has since become an independent group that includes men from multiple churches and the general community.  Despite the “100” number in the name, the actual size fluctuates and is now about 70.  The Men in Black are a multi-generational male chorus – featuring seniors and students, and fathers and sons.  "We're always reaching out to the youths, trying to build that component up," West says.

The group's itinerary in England will include performances at churches, castles, and concert halls.

"They'll hear a variety of music," West told me. "Even though we are a male chorus, I try to make sure that we try to give a diverse selection of music.  Anything from traditional gospel, traditional quartet, classical gospel music.  You'll get some a cappella, you'll get some anthems.  Even things like the national anthem and patriotic music.  We try to do a wide variety and different styles of music."

Right now, the MIB are holding a series of concerts in our area to raise money for the trip. The next local concerts will be September 16^th at Mt. Calvary United Church of Christ, and September 25^th at Grace Baptist Church.  On October 16^th, the MIB will hold their annual concert at Union Baptist.  And then, from October 21 – 29^th, it’s jolly old England.  West says the group hopes to raise another $10,000 before the trip.

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A Bible verse asks the question, “Who dares despise the day of small things?”  Certainly not Raleigh’s Gary Williams.  He has recently started his own internet radio station, playing gospel music and   Christian programming.  Right now, RBC1057.com is just a one-man operation, but Williams, who’s done behind-the-scenes and announcing work at stations since he was a teenager, isn’t by himself on the air.

“We have preaching and teaching programs,” he says.  “National pastors such as Bishop T.D. Jakes and Dr. Tony Evans, and local pastors as well.”  Williams says the station gets about 4-5,000 listeners on a daily basis, and since it’s on the ‘net, it can be heard world-wide.  And Williams has even bigger plans:  he’s working on an internet-only Christian/Family TV station.

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If you missed last week’s major news from the Catholic Diocese of  Raleigh, here are links to Shae Crisson’s Eyewitness News report on the big cathedral announcement, and to Bishop Michael Burbidge’s 10-minute news conference.

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Pump gas.  Clean windows.  Make people smile.  Those are the marching orders for volunteers from Living Word Family Church in Wake Forest for this Saturday (September 17^th).  They’ll be at the Cruizers gas station on Capital Boulevard from 12:30 to 3 p.m. to spread a little cheer.  And by the way, they’ll be offering .50 cents off per gallon of gas then, too!  Last spring when the church did this, they made a lot of folks very happy.

"Waking up" -- on September 11th

 

Anne Graham Lotz has spoken to large crowds many times.  But none as large as the crowd that could potentially hear her this September 11^th.  That night the audience for her Raleigh-based presentation could number into the tens of millions.

"We’ll go out into churches that have signed on (to simulcast),” she told me, “and it's going to be broadcast live on three radio networks -- that's 500 to 600 radio stations live that night that are taking the entire program.  Then, God TV is sending their satellite truck.  They actually will take the signal, then beam it to their headquarters in Jerusalem, and it will go out from Jerusalem to the whole world -- and they reach 200 million people.”

Lotz, the daughter of famed evangelist Billy Graham, calls the event A Wake-up Call for God’s People.  The popular Christian speaker and author chose the tenth anniversary of the September 11^th terrorist attacks on purpose.

“On September 11th, 2001, America was attacked and it was an evil thing.  Evil men planned it, plotted it, and carried it out.  But at the same time I think it's appropriate when something like that happens that God's people, who are called by God's name, would humble themselves, pray, seek His face, and turn from their own sin.  And then He will hear from heaven, forgive our sin, and heal our land.  That was God’s promise to Solomon years ago.”

That promise is found from the Old Testament book of Second Chronicles, and Lotz says it should also be considered in light of modern events.

“We had a national disaster,” she says of September 11th, “and for a week or two, people went back to church, they had their candles, they gathered together.  And for whatever reason, that just died out.  But I believe it was a very serious wake-up call.  In fact, at the time I remember thinking, if this doesn't wake us up, what will?  And I think it's difficult to find Christians to whom it's made any difference at all.  We just went back to the same thing.”

Lotz has teamed up with Christian author Joel Rosenberg for the September 11^th event, which will take place before a live audience in Raleigh.  Contemporary Christian artists Selah will also perform.  Hundreds of churches across the country have signed up as “host” sites to simulcast the program – more than 40 in North Carolina alone.  Wake-up Call will also be streamed live that night at AnneGrahamLotz.com, and be accessible on the website for 180 days afterwards.  

“Joel Rosenberg's message that night will be a prophetic one that will come from Matthew 24 and Luke 21,” Lotz says, “and mine will be the call to action as a result of that.  I feel like we're moving into very critical times, very strategic times, and God's people need to be really standing in the gap for everybody else.  We need to be interceding for others, we need to be sharing the gospel with others, and I believe that many of us are still asleep.”

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There are many other faith-based events going on locally to mark the September 11^th anniversary.  Too many for me to list.  Here’s just a sampling:

--A 7pm interfaith worship service will take place at First Presbyterian Church in downtown Durham.

--Duke University Muslim Chaplain Abdullah Antepli will be the keynote speaker at a Peace and Solidarity interfaith service sponsored by Habitat for Humanity of Wake County.  It starts at 9am.

--In Chapel Hill, University United Methodist Church will hold a service of “reflection and remembrance” on the church lawn at 8:30am. 

--Congressman Mike McIntyre (D-NC-7^th District) speaks at a 3pm service of remembrance at Fayetteville’s First Presbyterian Church.  Singers from Fayetteville State University will provide music.

--Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh hosts a 4pm interfaith memorial service.

--The Duke Chapel Choir, Duke Chorale, and the Choral Society of Durham will present Mozart’s Requiem from 4 to 6pm at Duke Chapel, to commemorate the events of 9/11.

--At 2pm, NC State University will remember the 9/11 victims as well as members of the Wolfpack family who have served in the military.

--Faith Free Will Baptist Church in Goldsboro has designated September 11^th We Will Never Forget Sunday, and will have a special service at 11am.

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Gospel music superstar Yolanda Adams will be spending some quality  
time in the Heart of Carolina this week.  First, she'll bring her nationally syndicated radio show to Sanford on Thursday morning (September 8th) to celebrate the re-opening of the tornado damaged Lowe's store.  The live broadcast will be from 6 - 10am, with guests stars including Pastor Shirley Caesar.  On Friday morning, she'll broadcast live from Shaw University's Boyd Chapel to help the school raise money for tornado repairs.  Then on Saturday she'll bring her Health & Lifestyle Tour to the NC State Fairgrounds from 11am to 5pm.  Details on all three events here.

Porn in the Church?

 

The title certainly grabs your attention:  “Porn Week at Church.”   And that’s exactly what will be discussed February 2^nd through 9^th at Whitley Church in Goldsboro and at Whitley’s satellite campus, The Bridge.

“We’re excited with what God’s gonna do,” says Bridge Pastor Jeremy White.  “We’ve had an overwhelming response already.  We have a couple billboards that are up in the Goldsboro area.  We have signs up, we've advertised in the newspapers – really trying to get the word out.”

And the word is certainly getting around in Wayne County – not all of it good.  “There has been some criticism,” White admits.  “But a lot of that criticism is coming from other Christians outside of our church.  Our people inside of our church have been overwhelmingly supportive of it.  We’re not afraid to talk about things that are really impacting people’s lives.”

The week-long teaching and sermon series will tackle such topics as “Pornography in Marriage,” and “Pornography and Teenagers.”  White says pornography is a 57 billion dollar business, raking in more revenue annually than Major League Baseball, the NFL, and the NBA combined. 

And, he says its influence reaches into the church:   “40 percent of Christian men admit that they struggle with pornography.   20 percent of Christian women say they struggle with this.  And 30 percent of pastors say they struggle with pornography.  It’s a huge problem.  We think that it’s outside the church but it’s in the walls of our churches.”

As to critics who say the topic isn’t appropriate for church, Pastor White is unapologetic.  “Unfortunately, a lot of churches, they don’t want to talk about these issues -- even if they’re relevant -- because they’re controversial.  The controversy happens, but as long as people’s lives are being restored and their marriages and families, that matters more than any controversy that we’re gonna get.”

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You can take a trip around the world this Friday (February 4^th) at St. Raphael the Archangel Catholic Church in Raleigh.  The parish’s annual Heritage Festival takes place from 6 to 10PM, as they take time to celebrate different cultures and diversity.

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Folks in the Smithfield-Selma area are mourning the loss of the Rev. Donald Coates, who died last week after a long battle with cancer.   Rev. Coates pastored Pine Level Free Will Baptist Church, but was also known for founding the 100-plus Young Disciples Singing Ministry.  Coates was 54 years old. 

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A new report projects the world’s population of Muslims will grow about 35% to 2.2 million over the next 20 years.  Here in the US, the number of Muslims is projected to increase from 2.6 million to 6.2 million over the same period of time.  More about the story here.

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The new supernatural thriller The Rite opened in theaters across the country Friday.  Now, a Northern California TV station has interviewed the real-life priest/exorcist whose life is portrayed in the Anthony Hopkins film.  Check out the report here.

 

Doing good, and doing well

 

Hanukkah has come and gone.  And now, hundreds of the Triangle’s Jewish residents are thinking about…Christmas?

“We know that Christmas is a very important day for our Christian neighbors,” says Shelly Katz of the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation, “so our intent is to fill in for work and to help make people's holiday just a little bit sweeter.”

Friday, December 24^th marks the Federation’s annual Mitzvah Day, a day set aside for doing good deeds (“mitzvahs”).  December 25^th is the usual Mitzvah Day, but since that falls on Saturday this year -- the Jewish Sabbath – it’s been moved up a day.  Mitzvah Day will begin with a community breakfast at the Lerner Jewish Community Day School, and then the volunteers will fan out.

“We have several hundred people signed up and they're mostly families,” Katz told me.  “They're all ages, from grandmas down to little kids.  What we do is form teams and reach out to local non-profits and see what the needs are and try to fulfill those needs.  We visit the Ronald McDonald House, Urban Ministries, Habitat for Humanity, and we work with these agencies.”

The volunteers will cook meals at local shelters, clean up parks and trails, and handle other tasks.  Not only will they be doing good works, but in many cases they’ll be providing a much-deserved break for paid employees who celebrate Christmas. 

Katz, the Federation’s Executive Director, says the joy comes not only from helping others, but from modeling the behavior for children.

“We teach our children from birth that they must do mitzvahs. That's helping people, helping family, helping the community.  That's the biggest influence we can have is by performing good deeds, mitzvahs, and then getting our children to see what we're doing and getting them involved.”

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Speaking of good deeds, the folks at Edenton Street United Methodist Church in Raleigh have 60,000 of them planned for tomorrow.  That’s how many meals they want to package in coordination with the organization Stop Hunger Now.  And they plan to do it in four hours!  The meals will be used in school feeding programs in places like Haiti and Liberia.  

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Leaders at Raleigh’s Hope Community Church gave out more than $64,000 to the church’s congregants back in September – but it wasn’t for them to keep.  Each adult worshipper received an envelope containing from $10 to $500 dollars.  They were then given the charge to “be creative and innovative as possible” to multiply that money over 12 weeks. 

Well, this weekend marks the deadline for Hope members to return the multiplied funds and share how they did it.  The money will go to pre-selected projects and agencies that help those in need.  Last year, the Hope congregation turned $60,000 into $450,000 in this way.  The year before that, they turned $50,000 into $400,000. 

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North Carolina health officials hope local faith communities will include something extra in their worship bulletins this holiday season:  valuable health advice.  The state Division of Public Health is making available 57 different documents that can be inserted in bulletins or given out at worship services.  The info sheets cover everything from high blood pressure and heart disease to healthy eating and exercise.  More information at this link. 

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Did you catch Amber Rupinta’s Eyewitness News story this week about a Christian group’s controversial claim that Jesus will return next May 21^st?   It was one of the most popular stories on ABC11.com this week.  Here's the link.

Three churches, one building

 

It’s not unusual these days to find a multi-site church:  one church with services in multiple locations.  But at 6904 Glenwood Avenue in Raleigh, you’ll find just the opposite:   one location with multiple churches.

“It's such a really neat way for us to hopefully show the community that the Church isn't always divided,” says Ed Palpant, pastor of one of those churches. 

 
                     Worshippers at Evergreen     photo courtesy Beth Naranjo

 

Evergreen Community Church moved into the location two years ago, but Palpant says they soon found the building wasn’t living up to its potential.

“It's been a great facility for us but we just have one service and we felt that it was underutilized and there are needs in the community.  So we let people know about the opportunity as well as we could.”

And the people responded.

“It started out with a Hispanic pastor who wanted to start a church,” says Palpant, “and we said that'd be fantastic, we only use it this one time (a week).  Take your choice.”

So, La Fuenta Iglesia Pentecostal (The Source Pentecostal Church) is now holding its services there Sunday afternoons and Thursday nights. 

But Pastor Palpant says that’s not all. 

“A friend of mine who’s been a pastor in town for a while and more recently took over a small struggling congregation contacted me and was trying to think of ways to help their congregation.  And I told him about the building and he went, 'Boy, that's sounds like a great idea.’”

So, as of this week, add River Oaks Community Church to the mix. 

If you’re keeping track, here’s the schedule:    the non-denominational Evergreen meets there Sunday mornings at 9:45, River Oaks -- which has Baptist roots -- at 11:00, and La Fuenta Pentecostal at 2:00.  To make matters even more interesting, Palpant says he’s in talks with a start-up African-American congregation about Saturday night services in the building.  He says the four churches may even get together for joint services from time to time.

“These are four totally different congregations, but people dedicated to benefiting the community and worshipping God in different ways and not allowing the little things between us to be significant,” he says. 

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 The Gospel according to Lucy?  Not quite, but some folks are getting inspiration from watching vintage TV shows like The Lucy Show.  A new group Bible study series is out, using The Lucy Show as a teaching tool.  It’s by the same company that’s produced similar lessons from The Andy Griffith Show, Gilligan’s Island, and The Beverly Hillbillies.

"It's been very popular with our churches,” says Laura Dallas, who directs the Media Center for the NC Conference of the United Methodist Church.  “People really enjoy them."  The Methodist Media Center will make copies available to the member churches that request them. 

Dallas says these unique Bible studies use TV episodes to illustrate certain principles.  "The way it’s set up, a group will watch an episode and then there are discussion questions that relate each episode to a specific theme.  So it might be pride or anger or forgiveness or something like that."

She says she hasn’t evaluated the resources to the point where she could recommend them to all Methodists, and her opinions are not an official church viewpoint.

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Sunday marks the final day to see an impressive exhibit at Durham’s Hayti Heritage Center called “Hearing the Gospel.”  The exhibit features works by artist Spencer Lawrence detailing the African-American church experience.  Lawrence, himself, will talk about his works at 3PM, and be part of a panel discussion entitled “Reflections on Creativity and Faith” from 3:30 to 5PM.  More details about the free event at this link.

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The annual North Raleigh Interfaith Thanksgiving service is set to take place on Tuesday, November 23^rd, at 7:30PM, this year at St. Philip Lutheran Church. 

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When it comes to religion, Raleigh and Durham have nothing on Greensboro.  According to the latest issue of Men’s Health magazine, Greensboro is the second most religious city in America.  Raleigh and Durham rank 13^th and 14^th on the list, respectively.  That’s even behind (gulp) 9^th place Charlotte.  The magazine editors used several criteria to make their rankings.  Find the complete list here.

Church networking, social networking

 

New help is coming for residents in the North Raleigh area who are hurting economically, emotionally, and spiritually.  Where is that help coming from?  It may just be...from you.

"All of us have gifts that we've been given," says Judy Hoffman.  "You need to find a gift you can share."

Hoffman is helping to lead the new effort, called Love INC -- or Love in the Name of Christ.  It's a national ministry with independent local branches.  A new North Raleigh branch is starting up, combining the talents and resources of several North Raleigh churches of various denominations, networking together.

"It's a relationship ministry to help people in various ways," Hoffman says, "particularly people who are in need of money, food, housing, clothing, furniture, all kinds of ways like that.  It's basically not just to help them with a short-term need but to assign them someone who will help mentor them, be friends, see them through the crisis they're in, and in that process share the gospel with them."

Here's how it will work:  the person or family in need would go to the Love INC office, which will be a type of clearinghouse for the churches in the network.  The client will fill out the paperwork and meet with a staffer who will help determine their specific needs.  That staffer will have a list of people from the participating churches who can help meet the need.  Then the work begins to match up the client with the appropriate volunteer(s).  

"What we find in the benevolence area," Hoffman told me, "is that people go from church to church to church asking for these things.  If they're asking for their light bill to be paid, we want to sit down with them and help counsel them in how to get their finances organized so they can pay for that light bill themselves the next month -- not go to yet another church in the area to ask for the bill to be paid."

She says right now about half a dozen evangelical churches in North Raleigh have signed up for Love INC, including Asbury United Methodist, First Assembly, and Providence Baptist.  Several others have expressed interest.  The ministry has received its incorporation papers and charity registration and will soon be looking office space and an executive director.  The goal is to kick things off the first of the year. 

Hoffman says it will be a low-overhead operation, with volunteers as its heart and soul.  "Some of the churches in this already have up to 75 percent of the people in their church body involved in the Love INC organization.  Whether it's driving someone to the doctor once a month, whether it's tutoring a child, whether it's babysitting for someone, we all have some time in the week or in the month that we could do something for somebody. This is a real effort to get the body of Christ out in the community, helping people in love."

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The Bishop has started Tweeting. 

The Most Reverend Michael Burbidge, Bishop of the Catholic Diocese of Raleigh, entered the digital world of social networking this week, sending out his first messages on Twitter.  The Diocese says Bishop Burbidge will use Twitter "to offer regular reflections, items of interest and updates."  Find out how you can receive Tweets from him at this link.

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Christmas shopping at a synagogue?  You can do it this Sunday at Raleigh's Beth Meyer, which will host a Holiday Fair from 10am to 4pm.  Vendors will offer toys, clothing, jewelry, personalized books, and more. 

Rabbi Eric Solomon tells his congregants in the synagogue's newsletter that "while the vast majority of vendors and participants will be Jewish, we have intentionally made the event open to the entire Raleigh community.  Therefore, we expect that a significant number of shoppers will be looking for gifts for their Christmas stockings.”

He writes, “Our country is one of the very few in the world where people of different religions can sit down with one another and honor each other‘s practices without conflict, denigration, or syncretism.”

Playing Devil's Advocate

 

Actor Max McLean has no sympathy for the devil.  But he admits the devil’s lieutenant he portrays on stage does have a certain charm about him. 

 “Theatrically for it to work, the audience has to like him at some level,” McLean says.

The award-winning actor portrays the demon Screwtape in a stage adaptation of the C. S. Lewis  novel, The Screwtape Letters.  The play comes to Raleigh Memorial Auditorium for two performances November 6^th after sold out shows in Chicago, Houston, and other cities.

 
McLean on stage as Screwtape 

 

“I was converted to Christianity in my twenties,” McLean told me in a phone interview from his New York home, “and after reading the New Testament somebody gave me a copy of The Screwtape Letters and I said, ‘Oh, I know this guy!’  So it was in my consciousness from very early on.”

The book, published in 1942, is written in the form of letters from Screwtape to Wormwood, a young and inexperienced tempter who’s trying to lead an unsuspecting human toward damnation. 

“I didn’t see it as theatrical literature,” McLean says of his first experience with the book.  “I saw it as a rather brilliant meditation on the banality of evil – how it works in our lives and how it just diminishes us.”

McLean says when playwright Jeff Fiske saw him in a one-man show in New Jersey, Fiske suggested he might make a good Screwtape.  “And I go, ‘Whoa, is this a compliment?’”  

Fiske and McLean won the rights to do the adaptation, and they were off.  The play’s been in performance at New York’s Westside Theatre since April, after undergoing several revisions.

“We have done three separate productions of it,” he told me.  “Each one learning, building on the previous one.  The one that we’re doing in New York is the one we’re bringing to Raleigh.” 

But was he concerned about making the demonic Screwtape a little too…likable?

“Yes.  And the approach that we take – and I think it’s the right one – is that he’s really good at his job.  We’re always, as humans, impressed by talent.  And how he goes about his work, his commitment to it -- he definitely wants to ruin your life and he has all the tricks of the trade.  One of the tricks of the trade is his charm.”

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One of Raleigh's oldest churches dedicates its newest structure this Sunday.  Rush Metropolitan AME Zion Church, 554 E. Cabarrus Street, holds a dedication service for its new sanctuary Sunday afternoon at 4, with a reception afterwards.  The church was first organized in 1822. 

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Before there was Twilight or True Blood there was Nosferatu, said by some to be the creepiest of all vampire movies.  The 1922 silent movie classic will be screened Halloween night at -- of all places -- Duke Chapel.  Internationally renowned British organist David Briggs will provide the music for the screening, playing the Chapel's newly restored Aeolian organ.  The program starts at 5 PM.  On a more traditional note, Duke Chapel celebrates All Hallows Eve later that night with the Choral Vespers Ensemble leading a candlelight worship service at 10:30.

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It's Homecoming season, and at North Carolina Central University in Durham that means lots of celebrating.  One of the most joyous events of NCCU's Homecoming is the annual concert of the school's Worship and Praise Choir, which is celebrating its 23rd anniversary this year.  The Sunday concert is free and open to the public, 4 PM at the B. N. Duke Auditorium.

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Hard times at the Crystal Cathedral.  As ABC's Nightline reported this week, "America's original mega-church" now faces a mountain of crippling debt.