First Calvary Baptist Church, 400 S. Long St., will celebrate its 148th homecoming Sunday, with pastor Leamon E. Brown delivering the sermon at the 11 a.m. worship service. Minister of music Winnell Short and the combined choirs will provide the music.
The Rev. Dr. Martha Starks of Word of Life Worship Center will be the speaker at the 3 p.m. homecoming service.
Dr. Starks has served as senior pastor of Word of Life for 33 years and is well known in the Salisbury-Rowan area. Her radio broadcast “Victory is the Word” can be heard on WOGR 93.3 out of Charlotte or worldwide online at www.wordnet.org.
There are two accounts of the church’s early beginnings. In an early church history by Mrs. Ada P. Craver, First Calvary Baptist Church, formerly Dixonville Baptist Church, was organized in 1866 under a “brush arbor” with the Reverends Harry Cowan and Zuck Haughton serving as joint pastors.
The second account states that the Rowan Baptist Association was organized in 1866 in an abandoned confederate hospital at Salisbury.
Both accounts agree that the first church lot was located on the present site and that a white man by the name of Dixon gave an acre of land for the development of Colored Freedmen forever, according to records in the Rowan County Deed Book. The congregation named the first church Dixonville Baptist Church in honor of Mr. Dixon.
The Rev. Leamon E. Brown, currrent pastor of First Calvary, has served the church since 1978 when he became the assistant pastor. Following service as interim pastor from 1980-1984, Rev. Brown was installed as pastor on July 1, 1984.
China Grove — Youth Sunday at Mount Zion UCC begins with breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the new building.
During the Sunday school hour, youth who participated in the recent work camp mission trip to Albany, NY, will share their experiences.
During the 10 a.m. service, youth will lead and participate in worship, which will include a video history of their trip. Youth participants will be Sarah Safrit, Graham Purcell, Aspen Mushala, Karrigan Mushala, Natalie Whicker, Grayson Whicker, Jonathan Martin and Evans Leinbach.
Adult participants in the service are Scarlette Pless, Maria Corriher, Charissa Duncan and Dale Martin. Also, Miss Ally Cress will be singing a solo.
Mount Zion UCC is located at 1415 S. Main St. Visit mtzionchinagrove.com or call 704-857-1169. The Rev. Mark L. Burns is pastor.
SPENCER — Yadkin United Church, 203 NC Finishing Lane, is holding a Christmas in July worship service on Sunday at 11 a.m.
Supply Minister Joe Barbee will lead the service which will feature Christmas carols and Christmas scripures and a liturgy oriented toward the Christmas season.
A time of fellowship with Chrismtas cookies will be held afterward.
Gary Hauze, former supply pastor and associate member, will be the pianist for the service.
Yadkin United Church is located off old Routes 29/70/150 where the former NC Finishing Plant was, just before the Yadkin River, on the Rowan County side.
Fairview Heights Baptist Church will celebrate homecoming Sunday through Friday this week.
Sunday’s guest speaker will be the Rev. William Cowan of New Bethel Baptist of Mocksville, at 3 p.m.
Monday through Friday the Rev. John Leazer of Macedonia Baptist Church of Concord will be the guest speaker, at 7 p.m. nightly.
The Rev. Clarence Marlin is the host pastor.
Kannapolis — The Rev. Phil Goble Jr. of Mount Airy will preach at the 11 a.m. service on Sunday, as well as on Aug. 3 and 17, at Blackwelder Park Baptist Church. Rev. Goble is a candidate for the senior pastor position.
Hall‘s Temple, located on N. Long St., will host a musical program on this evening at 6:30 p.m. In and out of town groups will perform and special guests from Columbia, S.C. will be there.
Area and local groups are invited to participate.
Spencer — The Bread of Life Quartet from Monroe will lead the service and present a concert of Southern gospel music during the full worship hour at Oakdale Baptist Church, 200 Charles St., on Sunday at 11 a.m.
In fifteen years they have presented more than 125 concerts. Call 704-633-9412 for more information.
St. Peter’s Lutheran Church will celebrate with a service of installation for the Rev. Sean Barrett on Sunday during the 10:30 am. service. Call the church office at 704-279-5054 for details.
The Cabinet of the Western North Carolina Conference of the United Methodist Church has appointed the Rev. Aldana W. Allen as pastor of Providence United Methodist Church, 6450 Bringle Ferry Road.
Pastor Allen was born in Natchez, Miss., and holds a bachelor’s degree in political science with a minor in business from the University of Tennessee at Knoxville, as well as a Master Of Divinity degree from the Interdenominational Theological Center (ITC) in Atlanta, Ga. His wife, the Rev. Sonya McAuley-Allen is a Presbyterian minister in Charlotte.
Providence UMC holds two Sunday morning services, First Light at 8:30 a.m. and the traditional service at 10:20 a.m. For more information, call 704-633-5326.
Halls Chapel Primitive Baptist Church, 611 E. Monroe St., will hold a pastors aide stewardship program on at 4 p.m. Guest speaker will be the Rev. Reggie McConneaughy, pastor of God’s Tabernacle For Believers.
Host pastor is Elder Richard Johnson.
Love Christian Center will hold its annual summer revival July 29 through 31 at 7:30 p.m. The guest speaker will be Apostle Derek Kelly, pastor of New Faith Full Gospel Fellowship Center in Lexington. There will be singing, dancing and a Rhema word from the Lord.
LCC is located at 102 N. Long St., where Bishop W. Ronald and Mother Lotis Hash are senior pastors.
Remnant in Christ Outreach Worship Center, 627 Newsome Road, presents a pre-anniversary service for Apostle Miriam Keller. Pastor Vincent Tillman of Life Giving Church of God in Concord, will be the speaker. The service is at 7 p.m. on Friday, Aug. 1.
Statesville — The Institute of Southern Jewish Life (ISJL) welcomes its fourth director of rabbinic services, Rabbi Jeremy Simons.
Rabbi Simons holds a bachelor of arts degree in political science and philosophy from Ohio State University.
Rabbi Simons is visiting Congregation Emanuel on Friday and Saturday, Aug. 1 and 2. The schedule is as follows:
8 p.m Friday: Shabbat evening service with Torah Reading
11 a.m. Saturday: Lox and Learn brunch Torah study (Parshat D’varim)
6:30 p.m. Saturday: Covered-dish dinner followed by Havdallah and adult education program (Topic: Changing Definitions of Jewish Identity in the 20th Century)
Congregation Emanuel is located at 206 N. Kelly St.