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

DATE: SATURDAY, March 11, 1995                   TAG: 9503150022
SECTION: RELIGION                    PAGE: B-9   EDITION: METRO 
SOURCE: 
DATELINE:                                 LENGTH: Medium

BRIEFS

Many Virginia Southern Baptist congregations are participating in a Seeds of Hope project to send vegetable seeds to the impoverished African country of Mozambique. This will be the third year that thousands of seed packets have been sent to European and African countries. In 1994 more than 90,000 packets went to Croatia, Angola and Mozambique. Persons wanting to donate may call 366-7631 for more information.

Understanding the Sudan

Crisis in the Sudan, a workshop to learn more about religious and social issues in the African country, will take place March 31-April 2 at Blacksburg Presbyterian Church, Eakin and Church streets. Several church and peace groups are jointly sponsoring the conference, which will feature as keynoters the Rev. William Lowery of Washington and Wal and Julia Duany. Lowery represents the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) in its Washington office. The Duanys are Sudanese nationalist educators. For registration information, all 552-2504.

Physician-clergy dialogue

``Strangers in Our Own Houses" will be the theme of a Physician-Clergy Dialogue breakfast meeting March 21 from 7 to 8 at the Lewis-Gale Psychiatric Center off Braeburn Drive in Salem. Dr. Gordon Burch and the Rev. David Wolfe will be the speakers. The meal is free and open to medical and religion professionals. Call the Rev. David Wolfe at 776-4000 by Friday for a reservation. The interfaith Roanoke Valley Ministers Conference and the Roanoke Academy of Medicine are joint sponsors.

Salem woman honored

Ethel W. Born, a Salem author and national leader in the United Methodist Church, has been honored with the Stanley S. Kresge Award. It was given for Born's work with United Methodist Women, the Board of Global Ministries and the Commission on Christian Unity and Interreligious Concerns where peace in the Middle East has been emphasized. Currently Born is working on an oral history of United Methodist women.

Lenten focus

African-American United Methodist churches in Southern California have been called on to make Lent a time of repentance for ignoring their fellow Christians who are dying of AIDS. At the Holman Church in Los Angeles, the ECKANKAR meeting

Members of ECKANKAR, Religion of the Light and Sound of God, will host a program of talks, interactive workshops and music on March 26, 1 to 4 p.m. at the Holiday Inn Tanglewood in Roanoke. Attendees will discuss dreams, out-of-body, near-death, soul travel and other spiritual experiences. Call 389-8043.