ROANOKE TIMES 

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 29, 1993                   TAG: 9304290345
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: S-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY FRANCES STEBBINS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RELIGION BRIEFS

FIRST PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH has selected the Rev. Annette Vaughn Ragsdale as its associate pastor for Christian education and youth ministry. A 30-year veteran of Christian education ministry, Ragsdale comes from the Atlanta area where she has spent much of her career. Reared in Memphis, Tenn., she was educated at Belhaven College, the Presbyterian School of Christian Education and Columbia Theological Seminary.

She has been a Christian educator for churches in Florence, S.C., Decatur, Chamblee and Atlanta, Ga., and in Houston, Texas.

\ HIGHLAND PARK UNITED METHODIST CHURCH members will spend Saturday painting quarters at Trinity United Methodist that are used by the Community Outreach Project for inner city Roanoke children and youth.

Highland Park is one of several sharing in the ministry started by Trinity three years ago. First United Methodist members from Salem also participate in the ministry by supervising bus transportation of the children and volunteering in recreation leadership.

\ THE ST. GERARD GOSPEL CHORUS will sing Sunday at 6 p.m. at Jerusalem Baptist Church, 1014 Norfolk Ave. S.W. to benefit the Jerusalem building fund. The chorus comes from St. Gerard Catholic Church.

\ A PIANO RECITAL, part of the Con Spirito concert series, is scheduled May 15 at 7 p.m. at the Unitarian Universalist Church of Roanoke, 2015 Grandin Road S.W. Mary Ann Blasko, former music director at the church, will perform works by Beethoven, Mussorgsky and Debussy. A donation is requested.

\ VIRGINIA HEIGHTS BAPTIST CHURCH soon will begin a Sunday afternoon Bible study from 2 to 3 for Roanoke Valley residents of Vietnamese background. The new ministry is part of an effort by the Roanoke Valley Association of Southern Baptists to bring Southeast Asians into a Christian community.

\ "OF TIME AND ETERNITY," a choral poem with organ, brass and voice accompaniment, will be presented three times by the Chancel Choir at Cave Spring United Methodist Church, 4505 Hazel Drive S.W. The first performance will be Tuesday at 7:30 p.m., and the others will be May 9 at 8:45 and 11 a.m. All are free.

\ YOUTH WILL LEAD WORSHIP Sunday at 11 a.m. at Oak Grove Church of the Brethren, 2138 McVitty Road S.W. Hymn singing will precede the service.

\ PHILIP AND D'ANN PORTER have been commissioned as missionaries to Thailand by the Southern Baptist Foreign Mission Board.

Philip Porter, son of Vaughn and Peggy Porter of Roanoke, entered the ministry from First Baptist Church on Third Street Southwest and previously served as a missionary journeyman to Thailand.

After graduating from the University of Virginia and Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary, the couple started a congregation in Wisconsin as home missionaries. They will train in Richmond before leaving for the Far East this fall.

\ THE REV. DR. R. WOODS KENT, who became executive director of Disciples of Christ ministries in Virginia in December, will preach Sunday at 11 a.m. at Bethany Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Reared in the Saltville area, Kent came to the regional minister position from the international headquarters of the church in Indianapolis, Ind.

Kent will speak on "Child of Law - Child of Grace" in observance of Christian Family Week. The church is at 3115 Fleming Ave. N.W.

\ THE HERALDS, an internationally traveled male quartet and accompanist from Newbury Park, Calif., will perform Monday at 7 p.m. at Roanoke Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 1701 Memorial Ave. S.W. The program is free although an offering will be taken. A portion of each concert is devoted to children.

The Heralds appear often on Adventist TV shows and have won numerous national Christian music awards. Call 345-9438 for more information.

\ ST. JOHN'S EPISCOPAL CHURCH has chosen Carlotta "Lottie" Bell Cochran as its second assistant rector.

She will graduate from Virginia Theological Seminary at Alexandria in May. Cochran, 35, was a high school teacher in Newport News before enrolling in seminary. Her undergraduate study was taken at Miami University in Ohio. At St. John's, she will be responsible for education and youth work and serve with the Rev. Thomas O'Dell, rector, and the Rev. David "Kirk" Brown, the other assistant.

In a reorganization of staff at the downtown Roanoke church, the Rev. Dr. John Sylvester-Johnson, outreach minister, leaves in June. Sandra Anderson, the former education director, left in March.

Deadline for religion briefs for Neighbors is Thursday. Material must be delivered to Neighbors Religion Briefs, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010, by noon in order to run in the following Thursday edition. 


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