Macedonia BaptistMacedonia Missionary Baptist Church, 2865 Enon Church Road, will honor the birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King Jan. 21-23, beginning at 7 p.m. each evening.
On Wednesday night, the speaker will be the Rev. Gena Long, co-pastor of the Potter’s House of Salisbury. On Thursday night the speaker will be the Rev. Evelyn Miller, associate minister of Macedonia Missionary Baptist Church.
Friday night, the speaker is the Rev. Tommy Walker, associate minister of Citadel of Faith Christian Fellowship Church, Thomasville.
Fairview Heights
Fairview Heights Baptist Church is celebrating the seventh pastoral anniversary for the Rev. Clarence E. Marlin this Sunday.
Speaker for the 11 a.m. service will be the Rev. Jerry Miller, associate minister of Mount Zion Baptist Church of Salisbury.
The 3 p.m. speaker will be the Rev. Paul Jones Sr., pastor of New Zion Baptist Church.
St. Paul’s Episcopal
On Jan. 18, two new Vestry members will be installed during the 11 a.m. Holy Eucharist service at St. Paul’s Episcopal Church at 930 S. Main St. in Salisbury.
The Rev. Nelson Hodgkins returns as the guest priest to conduct the Eucharistic service. The public is welcome, and invited to join members after the service for a time of fellowship and refreshments.
Zion BaptistThe 32nd annual Reverend Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian Awards Service and Birthday Celebration will be held 3 p.m. Sunday at the Mount Zion Missionary Baptist Church, 1920 Shirley Ave. The Rev. Dr. Nilous M. Avery II is host pastor.
The speaker will be the Rev. Dr. Gregory K. Moss Sr. He currently serves as president of General Baptist State Convention of N.C. Inc., pastor of the Saint Paul Missionary Baptist Church, Charlotte and second vice-president of the Lott Carey Foreign Mission Convention. Special music will be rendered by the St. Paul Youth Ensemble.
Other participants will be the Mount Zion GGEO Creative Expressions Ministry, the J.C. Price American Legion Post 107, the Buffalo Soldiers/Rowan County Chapter, and the 2009 King Celebration Youth Essay Contest winners.
Recipients of the 2009 MLK Jr. Humanitarian Awards will be announced, and winners of the Samuel R. Johnson Jr. Memorial Scholarship from area high schools will be presented. The scholarship is named after the late Dr. Samuel R. Johnson Jr. who served as pastor of Mount Zion from 1974 until his death in 1991. Johnson founded the King celebration activities, including the Humanitarian Awards service and the prayer breakfast sponsored by the Salisbury-Rowan Human Relations Council, of which Johnson was a founding member.
Moss has served as pastor of Charlotte’s St. Paul Missionary Baptist Church since 1998, which has more than 5,000 members and 60 extensive ministries.
A native of Statesville, Moss earned an associate of arts degree from Mitchell Community College in Statesville, a bachelor of arts degree in Sociology from the University of North Carolina at Charlotte in 1978, a master of divinity degree from Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary in Wake Forest in 1983, and a doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Theological Seminary, Chicago, in 1992. He also received an honorary doctor of divinity degree in 2007 from Hood Theological Seminary, Salisbury, where he formerly served as an adjunct professor.
He has held pastorates in Concord, (The First Baptist Church) and in Reidsville, (Zion Baptist Church). Moss currently chairs the Strategy Team for HELP (which stands for Helping Empower Local People), an arm of a national grassroots organization established for the purpose of organizing for social justice.
He is married to the former Jacqueline Moss, and they have four children.
Blood drive
LANDIS ó First United Methodist Church, 209 E. Mill St. is holding a community blood drive noon-3 p.m. this Sunday in the fellowship hall.
Free T-shirts will be given to all donors, sponsored by Community Blood Center of the Carolinas.
Church Women UnitedThe annual meeting of the Salisbury-Rowan Unit of Church Women United in NC will be held 3-4:30 p.m. Sunday, Jan. 25, in the fellowship hall of First Presbyterian Church on West Fisher Street.The Rev. Annalee Allen will speak on the topic of “All of Us.”
Board and church representatives will be installed, the 2009 budget will be presented, awards, reports and fellowship will be shared with refreshments.
All interested people are invited and welcome.
St. Mark’s Lutheran
The Rev. Brian Benton will be installed as pastor of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church 4 p.m. Sunday, with the Rev. Joseph Tallent, pastor of Mount Moriah Lutheran Church and dean of the West Rowan Conference presiding.
Benton was born in Rowan County and grew up in Enochville and China Grove. He graduated from South Rowan High School, where he was a member of the marching band.
He is a graduate of the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, where he majored in history and religious studies and was a member of the marching band. He attended the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia.
He served Holy Trinity Lutheran Church in Niles, Mich., before accepting the call at St. Mark’s Salisbury.
He is married to Michelle and they have a son, Ian.
Wesley Chapel
Everyone is invited to a pancake dinner and puppet show at Wesley Chapel United Methodist Church Sunday, Jan. 25.
As part of the church’s worship outreach, the church is hosting the highly acclaimed Canton Baptist Church traveling puppet show. The patriotic-themed “black light” puppet show starts at 7 p.m.
Before the show, the community is welcome to dinner of pancakes, sausage, fruit, orange juice, coffee and milk.
Donations will be accepted for dinner and the show which will be used to support Canton Baptist Church puppet ministry and Wesley Chapel mission work.
Dinner will be served from 5 to 6:30 p.m. The hour-long puppet show starts at 7 p.m. Wesley Chapel Methodist Church is off Highway 49 in Richfield.
For more information, call 704-249-5022.
Lyerly Evangelical
ROCKWELL ó A free money-management course will be offered at Lyerly Evangelical Church, 1320 Crescent Road, beginning Feb. 3 and continuing for six Tuesdays at 7 p.m.
The course is based on the Good $ense curriculum which was developed by Willow Creek Church in South Barrington, Ill., almost 16 years ago as a way to help people with their financial struggles. Today more 3,600 people attend Good $ense workshops annually.
The course benefits those who are one paycheck away from financial disaster as well as those who are in good financial shape but wish to use their resources in a God-honoring way. The only cost for the course is $5 for the workbook. Linda Merrell is the trained instructor.
To register or get more information, call the church office, 704-279-5152 before Jan. 31.