ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1996, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, December 26, 1996 TAG: 9612260086
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-3 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: FRANCES STEBBINS
NEW YEAR'S EVE EVENTS
First Church of God, 5008 Hildebrand Road N.W., will sponsor a fellowship time for youth and young adults beginning at 10 p.m. Tuesday.
St. Elizabeth's Episcopal Church, 2339 Grandin Road S.W., plans a music and fellowship time starting Tuesday at 9 p.m. It will be followed by a New Year's Eucharist at 11 p.m. Communion also will be administered on New Year's Day at 11 a.m.
A First Night spaghetti supper is planned Tuesday from 5 to 8 p.m. at St. John's Episcopal Church, Elm Avenue and South Jefferson Street in downtown Roanoke. The meal costs $5 for adults and $2 for children, and will benefit a proposed community life center. Call 343-9341.
Gospel music, performed by The Virginians and New Grace, is scheduled Tuesday night at 9 in a New Year's concert at First Church of God, 2021 Hardy Road in Vinton. The evening will end with a candlelight service at midnight.
EPIPHANY EVENTS
In churches that follow a liturgical year, Jan. 6 commemorates the visit of the three wise kings to the infant Jesus. This date marks the end of Christmas and the beginning of Epiphany when the light of God's word was made known to the world.
A 12th Night Community Concert is scheduled Jan. 5 at 7:30 p.m. at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Fincastle. Top Brass, a Roanoke group with musicians from several churches, will perform traditional tunes for the last day of the Christmas season. The $4 tickets, which include a reception in the fellowship hall, are available by calling 473-2370 or 992-1959.
St. John's Episcopal Church plans four Friday "services of light" from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. on Jan. 10, 17 and 31 and Feb. 7. Worship will include music, meditation time and prayers.
Holy Trinity Greek Orthodox Church, 30 Huntington Blvd. N.W., will begin the celebration of Epiphany on Jan. 5 at 9:15 a.m. Greek Orthodox Christians emphasize the baptism of Christ at this time. During Epiphany, which lasts until early February, the parish priest visits each home with a gift of holy water.
At Trinity United Methodist Church, 305 Mountain Ave. S.W., an Epiphany service, sponsored by the new Spanish-speaking congregation, is planned on Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. The service will unite the English and Spanish-speaking worshipers.
PEOPLE
The Rev. William L. Greene will leave the staff of Melrose Baptist Church on Jan. 15. Greene has served the congregation for seven years as its minister of youth and education. He and his wife Lila will move to Florence, S.C., where he will join a family business and become a part-time pastor.
The Rev. Mark William Radecke, who is leaving Christ Lutheran Church after 18 years for a college chaplaincy position in Pennsylvania, will be honored Jan. 10 from 6:30 to 9 p.m. at the church. Reservations for the special presentation are needed by Jan. 2. Call 345-0863.
MUSICAL EVENTS
Darrell Shires, a Richmond Christian musician, will be featured at Praise Cafe Friday. The cafe, a smoke-free, alcohol-free youth lounge at the Sheraton Inn, opens at 6:30 p.m. The admission charge is either the $9 buffet meal or a cover of $4. Call 774-9798 for more information.
At Locust Grove United Methodist Church, 3415 Locust Grove Lane, Salem, Madeline MacNeil, singer and player of hammered and mountain dulcimers, will perform on Sunday at 11 a.m. MacNeil, whose home is in Winchester, has won awards for her folk singing over the past 20 years and has played throughout the nation. The concert is free.
SPECIAL EVENTS
A new meeting place, the chapel of Lotz Funeral Home on Franklin Road Southwest, has been established for St. Nicholas the Giver of Gifts Church. A weekly service is held Sundays at 10 a.m. The congregation is affiliated with the Friends Catholic Diocese of Christ the Good Shepherd. It formerly shared space with a Vinton parish.
Disciples of Christ congregations in the Roanoke Valley will sponsor a Lay Studies course, "Building a Biblical Faith" for 10 weeks beginning Jan. 21. It will be taught by the Rev. George Edwards, pastor, at Fort Lewis Christian Church, 2931 W. Main St. in Salem. The class is open to those of other faiths. Call 380-4636 to register.
Send material to Neighbors, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010-2491 by noon Thursday. Please include a daytime telephone number.
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