Christiana Lutheran Church will celebrate homecoming this Sunday. The Rev. Johnny Cozart of St. Mark’s Lutheran Church in Mooresville will be the preacher.
Cozart is a 1965 graduate of East Rowan High School. He graduated from Lenoir Rhyne College in Hickory in 1970 and from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in 1974 with a master of divinity degree.
He has served the following Lutheran congregations: St. Luke’s, Bear Poplar, from 1974-1980; Cross of Christ, Concord, from 1980-1985; and St. Mark’s, Mooresville, from 1985-present.
In 1970, he married Belinda Bernhardt. They have three children, all married, and they also have five grandchildren. Cozart is a son of St. Peter’s Lutheran Church, Salisbury.
The homecoming festivities at Christiana will begin at 9:25 a.m. with Sunday school. The homecoming teacher will be Coleman Emerson, executive director of Habitat for Humanity of Rowan County.
Worship begins at 10:30 a.m., led by the Rev. Carl Haynes. The Chancel Choir and the men’s chorus will sing.
Following worship, the congregation will gather in the fellowship hall for a covered dish luncheon. Seating outside the fellowship hall will be available as well, weather permitting.
The Rev. Carl M. Haynes is pastor of Christiana and Becky Morris is the organist and music director.
Christiana is located 5 miles east of Interstate 85 on U.S. 52 near East Rowan High School.
Community Baptist
Community Baptist Church will hold a concert by the Dosses at 6 p.m. Sunday.
The Dosses are a Southern gospel music trio from Denton. The group has professionally performed since April 1996. Their hit songs include “He Couldn’t Cross the Bloodline.”
The group features lead singer Dianne Latham on keyboard. She also writes most of the songs and manages the office for the Dosses.
Neal Latham, Diane’s husband, sings baritone and is emcee for the group. He has pastored two churches and owns the Classic Family Restaurant in Denton. Jessica Marie Stanley of Jacksonville, Fla., has sung alto for the Dosses since March 2001.
The church is located at 18 Carolina St. The Rev. Christopher O’Guin is pastor.
For more information call 704-636-0984.
Spencer First Baptist
SPENCER ó First Baptist Church in Spencer will be holding revival Sunday through Tuesday.
The speaker will be the Rev. Robert Heard. The revival will begin at the 11 a.m. worship service Sunday followed by evening services at 7 p.m. Sunday, Monday and Tuesday.
Heard is originally from Meriden, Conn., and received his education at Baylor University, Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary. He held pastorates in two Virginia churches before coming to Rowan County, where he has served Milford Hills Baptist Church, Oakdale Baptist Church in Spencer, and most recently, Stallings Memorial Baptist Church.
He and his wife, Ann, have two children.
First Baptist is located at 215 Fifth St. in Spencer.
For more information, call 704-636-5081 or visit www.firstbaptistofspencer.com.Shiloh Methodist
GRANITE QUARRY ó Shiloh United Methodist Church, 234 S. Main St. in Granite Quarry, will celebrate its homecoming Sunday,
Sunday school will be at 9:45 a.m., worship service at 11 a.m. and a homecoming lunch will be held after the service in the fellowship hall.
The homecoming preacher is Junior Gaither, who grew up in the congregation and is now the pastor of Lyerly Evangelical Church.
Shiloh UMC dates back to 1880. The current pastor, Jonathan Marlowe, is in his seventh year of service at Shiloh.
Senior Sunday
CHINA GROVE ó Concordia Lutheran Church will honor its senior citizens Sunday. Members 70 years or older and couples married 50 or more years will be honored at the 11 a.m. worship service with a dinner afterward in the Family Life Center.
Concordia has 102 members age 70 or older and 28 couples married 50 years or more. Special music, “Never Grow Old,” will be presented at the worship service by the Men’s Chorus, directed by Helen Campbell. Pianist is Frankie Freeze.
The Rev. Darrell Norris will be guest preacher. Norris is a native of East Spencer. He is a 1972 graduate of North Rowan High School.
In 1976, he received a bachelor of arts degree from Catawba College. He graduated from Lutheran Theological Southern Seminary in Columbia, S.C., in 1980. He was ordained by the N.C. Synod of the Lutheran Church in America that same year.
He served as pastor of Bethel, Lincolnton; Mount Zion, Richfield; and Union, Salisbury.
He married Kathy Liles of China Grove in 1981. They have two sons, John and Paul.
Norris has been chaplain at the Lutheran Home at Trinity Oaks and Trinity Oaks Retirement Center since 2005. He earned a certificate in gerontology from Mars Hill College through the AHEC program at Rowan Regional Medical Center.
Concordia Lutheran Church is located at 185 Concordia Lutheran Church Road, near Atwell Fire Department, just off N.C. 152 between China Grove and Mooresville. The Rev. Kenneth W. Reed Jr. is pastor. The Rev. Dr. Larry W. Bost is visitation pastor.
Shady Grove men
The men of Shady Grove Baptist Church are starting a choir named Young Messengers for Christ.
They are inviting other groups to sing in a program today at 6 p.m. and Sunday at 3 p.m. Refreshments will be served today.
Groups scheduled to sing so far are Young Messengers for Christ, the Men Over 60, SWYS Singers of Shady Grove and Shady Grove Gospel Choir.
The speaker on Sunday will be Pastor Boyd of Pleasant Grove Baptist Church. Praise and worship starts at 2:30 p.m.
For more information, call 704-278-9369.
Church picnic at park
KANNAPOLIS ó First Presbyterian Church in Kannapolis will hold its annual church picnic at Kannapolis’ Village Park, Shelters A and B Sunday.
Activities will begin at 4 p.m. with old-fashioned games such as tug-of-war, sack races, horseshoes, bocci and corn hole. An inflatable play area will be available for small children.
Supper will feature grilled hotdogs and hamburgers and all the fixings. Donations will be accepted to help cover the expenses. Dessert will follow the annual bake-off, which is open to men and women and will include adult and youth divisions.
After supper, the Southern gospel trio, One Faith, will provide ministry in music. One Faith is based in Mooresville and is made up of Megan Riddle, Justin Hall and Dean Orbison.
The church welcomes guests to join the fun at the picnic. For more information, visit www.FirstPresb.org or call 704-938-4623.
Grace Lutheran
Homecoming will be observed at Grace Lutheran Church Sunday beginning with Sunday school at 9:30 a.m., followed by the worship service at 10:30 a.m.
The Rev. T.C. Plexico will serve as the guest preacher. A picnic lunch will follow the service.
Plexico is the husband of Mary Kathryn Wilhelm Plexico, a former member of Grace.
Special music for the service will be provided by the choirs, directed by Lynn Lippard, director of music, and Patsy Parnell, director of the children’s and youth choirs, with Teresa Yost, accompanist. Karen Lucas is the organist.
The Rev. Dr. David P. Nelson is the interim pastor of Grace Church, located at 3020 Grace Church Road.
Hall’s Chapel
Hall’s Chapel Primitive Baptist Church will celebrate its 63rd homecoming Sunday at 3 p.m.
The Rev. Thomas Lee, pastor of Southern City AME Zion Church in East Spencer, will be in charge of the service, along with his choir and congregation. Dinner will be served at 1:30 p.m.
The Elder Timothy Lyons of Exodus Primitive Baptist Church in Pilot Mountain will be the evangelist Monday through Wednesday each evening at 7:30. Area churches are invited.
Elder Richard L. Johnson is pastor of Hall’s Chapel Primitive Baptist Church.
Dunbar reunion
EAST SPENCER ó Members of the Dunbar High School Class of 1958 will observe their 50th reunion at Southern City Tabernacle AME Zion Church during the 11 a.m. service on Sunday.
The Rev. Barbara J. Barbour, a member of the class, will bring the message for this occasion.
Barbour is a native of Salisbury (Five Row). She earned a bachelor of arts degree from West Virginia University, Morganton, W. Va., and a master of arts in Theological Studies from Houston School of Theology, High Point.
She was ordained an itinerant elder in 1983 in the AME Church. Barbour is the founder of Adams Inspirations AME Church in Clinton, Md.
She has pastored in several churches and is currently the pastor at White Cross AME Church in Efland. Affectionately known as “Pastor B,” Barbour was elected herstoriographer of AME/W.I.M. at the 2004 general conference and she serves as the secretary of the Western North Carolina Conference.
The public is welcome to attend. Southern City is located at 940 S. Long St. in East Spencer.
The Rev. Thomas D. Lee is the pastor.
Oak Grove Baptist
CHINA GROVE ó Oak Grove Baptist Church will be celebrating the anniversary service for the Rev. and Mrs. James I. Smith at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday, and Sunday, Sept. 28 at 11 a.m. and 3 p.m.
Dinner will be served at 1:30 p.m.
Speakers will be: Wednesday ó the Rev. Leamon Brown, pastor of First Calvary Baptist Church in Salisbury; Thursday ó the Rev. Anthony Freeman, pastor of Sandy Ridge AME Zion Church, Landis; Friday ó the Rev. Thomas Wyatt, pastor of Dorsett Chapel Church, Spencer.
Speakers for the Sunday services will be Minister Stanford Isom on Sunday morning and the Rev. Duncan Spears for the afternoon service.
The public is welcome.
United Baptist Church
KANNAPOLIS ó The members of United Missionary Baptist Church of Kannapolis and the Rev. John E. Jones, pastor, invite the public to their homecoming and revival services.
The Rev. Dairl I. Scott Jr. of Union Chapel AME Zion Church in Lexington will be the speaker for the homecoming service 3 p.m. Sunday. Dinner will be served at 1:30 p.m.
The Rev. Tracy Caldwell of New Piney Grove Baptist Church in Kannapolis will be the evangelist for the week of revival services being held Monday through Friday, starting at 7:30 p.m. each evening.
For more information, call 704-932-7316.
New bishop
CHARLOTTE ó United Methodists across the Western North Carolina Conference will greet their new bishop and celebrate the assignment of Bishop Larry M. Goodpaster at a Service of Welcome, Sunday at 3 p.m. at Providence United Methodist Church, 2810 Providence Road, Charlotte.
The Western North Carolina Conference, an area that includes the part of the state from Greensboro to Albemarle westward, includes 293,772 members in 1,124 churches. The conference headquarters is located in Charlotte.
An offering will be received to honor Bishop Goodpaster and his wife, Deborah, to fund storm relief efforts by the United Methodist Committee on Relief. Working in more than 80 countries, UMCOR is the humanitarian aid agency of the United Methodist Church, whose mission is to alleviate human suffering for all people. One of the unique characteristics of UMCOR is that 100 percent of each gift goes directly to the project. None is used for overhead or administration.
On Sept. 1, Goodpaster began his tenure as bishop in the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church. A bishop is a clergy person elected to give general oversight to spiritual and worldly interests of the church, carrying out administrative functions, presiding at annual conferences and performing other duties. A bishop is normally assigned for a term of four years and may be reassigned to an area for a second four-year term.
Elected in 2000, Bishop Goodpaster served as bishop for the past eight years in the Alabama-West Florida Conference, a geographic area that includes the Florida panhandle and southern Alabama. Prior to his election as bishop, he served as a pastor and district superintendent in the Mississippi Conference, which covers the entire state of Mississippi
In April, Goodpaster was elected to a two-year term, beginning in 2010, as president of the Council of Bishops of the United Methodist Church. His duties as president of the council, which includes all United Methodist bishops from throughout the world, are in addition to those as bishop in the Western North Carolina Conference. Goodpaster is also the bishop for Southeast Asia Mission comprised of Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Thailand.
Goodpaster, 60, earned a bachelor of arts degree from Millsaps College, Jackson, Miss., and master of divinity and doctor of ministry degrees from Candler School of Theology, Atlanta, Ga. He received honorary degrees from Birmingham-Southern College, Birmingham, Ala., and Huntingdon College, Montgomery, Ala. He is married to the former Deborah Cox and have two daughters and two grandchildren.
Bishop Goodpaster succeeds Bishop J. Lawrence McCleskey who retired Aug. 31 after serving as bishop of the Western North Carolina Conference for the past four years.
Saint Luke Baptist Church
The St. Luke Baptist Church pastor and members invite the public to join them in celebrating its annual missionary program, Sunday beginning at 4 p.m. The church is located 410 Hawkinstown Road.
The speaker is the Rev. Linda Perkins McRae of Little Salem Christian Church, Disciples of Christ in Reidsville. McRae co-labors in the ministry alongside her husband, Pastor Ronald Lee McRae, as the co-pastor of Little Salem Christian Church. She serves as a pastor, teacher, intercessor, counselor and women’s ministry leader.
McRae completed a bachelor of science degree in business administration at Winston-Salem State University. In May 2003, she completed a master of divinity at Wake Forest Divinity School. She was one of the first African-Americans to complete this degree at the institution.
She completed a second-year chaplain residency at Wake Forest University Baptist Medical Center August 2005. In June 2005, she became a Provisional Board Certified Chaplain through the Association of Professional Chaplains.
McRae completed a master’s degree in social work at N.C. AT&T and UNC-Greensboro May 2007.
She is a staff chaplain at the Veterans Administration Medical Center in Salisbury, where she provides pastoral care and counseling to veterans, staff and the community. The McRaes have six children.
The Rev. Arthur Heggins is the pastor of St. Luke. Light refreshments will be served immediately following the program.
For more information, call 704-637-3425.
Dorsett Chapel
SPENCER ó Dorsett Chapel United Church of Christ will be hosting gospel singers today at 4 p.m.
Expected singers include the Chamber Family, the D C Spirituals, the Anointed Vessels, Antioch Male Choir, Borden Quarters Spiritual Choir, Echoes for Christ, the McGee Family, White Rock AME Zion Male Choir and many more.
The Rev. Thomas Wyatt Jr. is pastor.
Rockwell Methodist
ROCKWELL ó Rockwell United Methodist Church, 430 East Main St., will observe homecoming on Sunday during morning worship at 10:30 a.m.
The Rev. DeForest Hillyer, former pastor, will be guest speaker. Hillyer served as pastor for the church 1989-1995.
Dr. John Blalock is the present pastor.
The public is invited to attend. A covered-dish luncheon and fellowship will follow the service. Sunday school begins at 9:30 a.m.
Marable Memorial
KANNAPOLIS ó Marable Memorial AME Zion Church is celebrating its centennial with a series of events, including a classic car show and fish fry with yard sale today, 7-5 p.m., “Everybody’s Birthday” 4 p.m. on Sept. 28, a choir concert at 4 p.m. on Oct. 5, the Centennial Banquet Oct. 11 and the Centennial Worship service 11 a.m., Oct. 12, followed by a revival Oct. 13-16, 7 p.m.
Today’s event is from 7 a.m.-5 p.m.. The Sept. 28 celebration will be at 4 p.m.
The church is located at 400 Huron St.
For more information, call 704-932-6211 or e-mail marablememorial@windstream.net.
Shady Grove revival
Shady Grove Baptist Church will be holding its fall revival Sept. 28-Oct. 1.
Pastor John Leazer of Macedonia Baptist Church will be the Sunday afternoon speaker with the service starting at 3 p.m.
On Monday through Wednesday, Dr. James L.E. Hunt from New Birth Worship Center, East Bend, will be the evangelist for three nights of service, with services starting at 7 p.m. nightly.
For more information call 704-633-8215.
Health Fair
Thirteen local churches will sponsor a citywide health fair at Salisbury High School from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Oct. 11.
Representatives will be on hand from Harriston Funeral Home, Gentiva, Maxim, Crescent Medical Health, Pregnancy Support Center, Rowan Ministry, Rape and Family Crisis Center, Lyerly Counseling and more.
For more information, contact Theresa Phelps at 704- 633-5057 or Felicia Goodes at 704-793-3260.
Gethsemane Baptist
There will be homecoming and revival services at Gethsemane Missionary Baptist Church, 719 S. Caldwell St., beginning Sunday at 10:45 a.m.
The Rev. Marvin T. Clowney of First Baptist Church in Clinton will serve as Sunday morning speaker and evangelist. Music will be provided by the GMBC Mass Choir.
Services will be held Sept. 22-24 at 7:30 p.m. nightly. The Rev. Dr. C. L. Phelps is presiding pastor and the Rev. J. L. Stowe is pastor emeritus at Gethsemane.
For more information, call 704-633-5057.