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

DATE: THURSDAY, March 3, 1994                   TAG: 9403030205
SECTION: NEIGHBORS                    PAGE: W-3   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: BY FRANCES STEBBINS
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

RELIGION BRIEFS

THE LAY SCHOOL OF THEOLOGY, an ecumenical series of Sunday night classes during Lent, will open Sunday at Christ Lutheran Church, at Grandin at Brandon roads. The classes, which have a $10 enrollment fee, are held from 7 to 8:30 through March 27.

The lay school is an annual project of Lutheran Cooperative Ministries, and Roanoke College faculty members will teach the classes: Robert Benne, "The Lutheran Sexuality Statement"; Gerald McDermott, "True and False Spirituality"; and Bobbye Au, "The Saved, the Damned and the Misbegotten."

A nursery will be staffed. Call 375-2342 for more information.

\ ROANOKE VALLEY SOUTHERN BAPTISTS, who sent many packages of garden seeds to Croatia last season, are expanding the ministry this year. In cooperation with other Virginia Baptists and following the thanks of church leaders in the war-torn Balkan country, they also will send seeds to areas in the African countries of Angola and Mozambique. Seeds are needed by April 15. Call 366-7631 for more information.

\ AWAKENING, a series of pre-Easter spiritual renewal services, will be held March 20-23. The services, sponsored by Roanoke Valley Churches of the Brethren, will be held at Central Church in downtown Roanoke nightly at 7:15. The Rev. Leland Wilson, developer of a new church in Dover, Del., will preach.

\ A DISASTER WAGON, a van equipped to feed victims of floods, storms, fires and other emergencies, is being put into service by the Virginia Men's Department of Southern Baptists. Volunteers who will use the wagon will be trained April 25-26 when the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association meets at Melrose Church.

\ CHURCH WOMEN UNITED will sponsor its 107th World Day of Prayer service Friday at Northminster Presbyterian Church, 3911 Greenland Ave. N.W. The service will start at 10 and has been organized by Christian women of Palestine.

\ WOMEN'S AGLOW evening group has chosen the Winn-Co. Building, 1224 Peters Creek Road N.W. as its new meeting place. The next gathering, at which Catherine Gray will speak, will be Tuesday at 7. Aglow is for women of charismatic Christian preference.

\ CHRIST EPISCOPAL and ST. PAUL'S EPISCOPAL CHURCHES have adopted a Lenten project that includes sending kits containing a towel, soap and salt to refugees from civil war in the Sudan.

\ WESTMINSTER CHOIR COLLEGE'S chapel choir will sing Wednesday at 7 p.m. at Salem Baptist Church, 103 N. Broad St., Salem. First United Methodist Church of Salem is co-sponsor of the concert by the 70-voice college choir from Princeton, N.J.

Deadline for religion briefs for Neighbors is Thursday.

by CNB