Salem Lutheran
Salem Lutheran Church will celebrate homecoming Sunday with a service of Holy Communion at 10:45 a.m., followed by a picnic lunch in the shelter.
The guest preacher will be the Rev. Clarence Sifford, who served as pastor at Salem for a decade before retiring in 2000. Known as a good storyteller, it was during his tenure that Salem celebrated its 150th anniversary. He worked with members to establish the History Room, where documents and artifacts related to Salem’s history are housed. Out of that yearlong observance, Salem’s history, “Out of the Ashes,” was published.
Sifford currently serves as interim pastor at Amity Lutheran Church. He and his wife, Faye, make their home in Salisbury.
Sunday is also the beginning of the new Sunday school year at Salem, with Rally Day activities beginning at 9:15 a.m. in the fellowship hall. Good attendance will be recognized, teachers will be introduced and children will be promoted into the appropriate class for their age group.
Two new classes are being offered this year. One is for post-high school age persons, including those of college age and beyond. This class will focus on issues faced by young adults, including the wise use of money, credit, and finances.
The other class is called “Come and See.” Led by Salem pastors Don Phillips and Doug Hefner, the class is designed for those seeking a new or closer relationship with God through the church. Every other month the class will review basic teachings of the church, with short-term studies on the Bible or specific issues in between.
For more information, call 704-636-0352 or visit www.salemelca.org.
United House of Prayer for All People
The congregation of the United House of Prayer for All People will be attending services in Greensboro this week through Sunday.
They are celebrating the 82nd annual Holy Convocation Service at 101 S. Dudley St. Bishopthe Honorable C.M. Bailey will be present tonight for the 8 p.m. service.
Sunday will be baptismal services across the street from the sanctuary at 11 a.m. The bishop will be present for the baptism. There will be a service at 5 p.m. also.
Apostle A.M. Oakley is the pastor of the local church at 501 Old Concord Road.
Rose of Sharon
Rose of Sharon Church of God,255 Camp Road, will be celebrating Pastor Charles L. Booker’s and First Lady Angela Booker’s second pastoral anniversary Sunday, beginning with Sunday school at 10 a. m.
The 11 a. m. speaker will be Evangelist Martha Coventon of New Shiloh Baptist Church in Charlotte, and the 3 p. m. speaker will be the Rev. Charles L. Booker Sr., pastor of New Shiloh Baptist.
Dinner will be served at 1:30 p. m.
For more information, call 704-637-8087.
Antioch Baptist
GRANITE QUARRY ó Antioch Missionary Baptist Church will have ordination service of Brother Franklin Downing Jr. Brother Jesse Stinson and Brother Tito White as deacons and installation service Sister Woodrina Downing and Sister Tara White as deaconess.
The service will start at 4 p.m. with the Rev. John N. Leazer Jr. of Macedonia Baptist Church, Concord. He will be accompanied by his choir and congregation.
Antioch is located at 602 S. Salisbury Ave. in Granite Quarry. The Rev. Rickey Johnson is pastor.
White Rock AME Zion
GRANITE QUARRY ó White Rock AME Zion Church will celebrate annual homecoming Sunday. The 11 a.m. speaker will be the Rev. William Gullick, pastor. Lunch will be served at 1:30 p.m..
The Rev. Dr. James Frencher, pastor of Trinity AME Zion Church, Greensboro, will be the 3 p.m. speaker. He will be accompanied by his choir and congregation.
Revival services will be held Monday through Thursday at 7:30 nightly. Evangelists are as follows: Monday through Wednesday: the Rev. Dr. Roderick Lewis Sr. of Parkwood Institutional CME Church, Charlotte; Thursday: the Rev. Patrick Tate of Mount Pleasant AME Zion Church in Statesville.
Sudan Rowan
Sudan Rowan, an ecumenical/interfaith Rowan County-based coalition that takes on manageable humanitarian projects in South Sudan, is meeting at 6:30 p.m., Thursday in the church library of St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 W. Innes Street.
John Madut, a survivor of Sudan’s 20-year civil war, will attend the meeting.
The meeting includes a strategy session by Sudan Rowan’s board of directors regarding a possible trip to South Sudan in the coming months.
For more information, contact sudanrowan@yahoo.com or call 704-798-6834.
Moms in Touch
Members of Moms In Touch prayer group will hold another prayer meeting for all Rowan County schools Monday from 7 to 8:30 p.m. at the chapel of St. John’s Lutheran Church, 200 W. Innes St., in Salisbury.
The group decided to organize the additional school system-wide pray gathering for people who work during the day and could not attend a similar gathering on the first day of school. Moms In Touch International is a nondenominational, worldwide organization of Christian women who meet once a week to pray for children and schools.
Local Moms In Touch leaders also are discussing have a similar prayer meeting at the beginning of each new school quarter.
Those interested in more information about Moms In Touch should contact:
– Zebecca Brown, area coordinator for Moms In Touch and the prayer group for the west Rowan schools, at mitsr@hotmail.com or 980-621-1949.
– Eva White, contact person for Moms In Touch for Salisbury and north Rowan schools, at mewhite60@hotmail.com or 704-212-2362.
– Carol Cauble, contact person for Moms in Touch for east Rowan schools, at grandmasintouch@aol.com or 704-279-0611.
– Jenny Starnes, contact person for Moms in Touch fort south Rowan schools, at jennystarnes@hotmail.com or 704-855-8301
On the Internet, Moms In Touch has a Web site at www.MomsInTouch.org.
Concordia Lutheran
CHINA GROVE ó Concordia Lutheran Church Men in Mission and the Southwest Rowan County chapter of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans are sponsoring a barbecue chicken dinner Sept. 13 beginning 11 a.m. at Concordia Lutheran Church in China Grove to raise funds for Concordia’s bus fund.
Dinners include chicken, slaw, beans, dessert and drink. Eat in or carry out will be available and the new church playground will be open.
Tickets may be purchased by calling the church at 704-857-2163.
Allen Temple
Allen Temple Presbyterian Church is celebrating its 123rd church anniversary Sunday at 3 p.m. Dinner will be served following the service.
The speaker will be the Rev. Arthur Heggins of St. Luke Baptist Church. Heggins is an active member of the Rowan County and China Grove communities.
Allen Temple is located at 313 E. Main St. in Cleveland.
For more information, call 704-278-4091.
Step into Africa
CHARLOTTE ó St. John’s Episcopal Church, 1623 Carmel Road, Charlotte, is hosting the “World Vision Experience: AIDS” exhibit which is slated to visit 80 cities during its national tour in 2007-08. The public is invited to go through the free multimedia, interactive exhibit. Well over 200,000 people are expected to visit the exhibit during the tour.
The exhibit is unique in that it allows Americans to step into the lives of actual children affected by HIV and AIDS in the hardest-hit region of the world: Sub-Saharan Africa, where about 25 million people are infected with HIV (2/3 of the world’s total).
Visitors walk through a replica of an African village and experience the effects of the pandemic in a real way as they listen to a personal audio track relating the story of a child.
The exhibit will be open to the public Sept. 12ń15.
For more information, go to www.saintjohns-charlotte.org or call 704-366-3034.
St. John’s rally day
On Sept. 14, St. John’s Lutheran Church will hold a Rally Day celebration in the fellowship hall to renew commitment to Christian education.
Children and adults are invited. There will be opportunities for adults to explore Sunday school classes and for children to meet their teachers and enjoy surprise entertainment. There will be treats and fellowship for all.
St. John’s Lutheran Church is handicap accessible and child care is available at all services.
For more information, call Pastor John Propst or Pastor Jennifer Ginn at 704-636-3431.
Memorial UMC
KANNAPOLIS ó On Sunday, Sept. 14, Memorial United Methodist Church, 1100 West C St., Kannapolis, will be hosting its homecoming celebration.
Former pastor, the Rev. Steve Haines, will be the speaker for the 10:30 a.m. homecoming worship service. At 11:30 a.m., immediately following the service, the church family will provide a covered-dish meal, featuring barbecued chicken prepared by the Methodist Men. Memorial Methodist Church was established in 1948, as the service men and women were returning home from World War II, and derived its name “Memorial” from all those who lost their lives in this conflict.The public is invited to the homecoming service and meal.
The Rev. Jim Brookshire is Memorial’s pastor.
Back Creek
MOUNT ULLA ó Back Creek Presbyterian Church (PCA) will celebrate its 203rd homecoming on Sunday, Sept. 14, at 11 a.m.
The guest preacher for the day will be the Rev. Dewey Murphy. He is originally from Belmont and is married to the former Nellie Branton. He has served churches in Abbeville, S.C., Denver, N.C., and Ellerbe, N.C. He has also served as the pulpit supply for many of the churches in the Central Carolina Presbytery.
Morning worship music will be offered by the adult, youth and children’s choirs. Following the service, there will be an old-fashioned “dinner on the grounds.” All interested people are invited to join in the worship and meal.
Back Creek Church is located at 2145 Back Creek Church Road, Mount Ulla.
Call 704-278-2798 for information.