ROANOKE TIMES
Copyright (c) 1997, Roanoke Times
DATE: Thursday, April 24, 1997 TAG: 9704240081
SECTION: NEIGHBORS PAGE: N-9 EDITION: METRO
SOURCE: DIANE HOCKENBERRY
West Salem Student Ministries is hard at work in the Roanoke Valley. During spring break, 35 junior high and high school students from West Salem Baptist Church volunteered to repair five homes for the needy.
Lisa Flores, an eighth-grader at Glenvar Middle School, said her family postponed their beach trip so she could contribute to the service project. Instead of sunscreen and shades, the youth wore gloves and drank hot chocolate to combat the cold.
The students divided into four groups and worked two days. Picking up drills and paintbrushes, one group went to work scraping, painting and replacing rotted porch boards at a Northwest Roanoke home. Another set of teens built a gate and entry ramp for a home in Northeast. Two groups worked on homes in Old Southwest Roanoke; one climbed scaffolding and an 8-foot ladder to scrape and paint the side of one house, while the other painted and sealed a porch.
The most enjoyable aspect of the work was ``knowing that you helped someone else,'' said Crystal Fant, a junior at Salem High School. The students finished each day with an on-site group prayer.
Operation Fix-Up, an outreach program of the Roanoke Valley Association of Baptist Churches to repair homes of the needy, coordinated the project along with WSSM's youth pastor, Anthony Thomas. |SPECIAL EVENTS| A benefit luncheon for the Good News Parenting Classes at Presbyterian Community Center is scheduled at First Presbyterian Church, 2101 S. Jefferson St., on Saturday at noon in the fellowship hall. Students from the Ardell Stone School of Dancing will perform in a ``kickoff'' to celebrate National Dance Week. Tickets are available through the church office for $10.
A rummage sale sponsored by Reed Street Baptist Church, 30 Walnut Ave., Vinton, is scheduled Saturday from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. in the church parking lot.
The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, 2268 Hardy Road, Vinton, will hold an open house 7-9 p.m. Saturday for those who are interested in or have questions about the church.
A Church Growth Conference will convene at St. Matthew's Church of God, 1422 Abbott St. N.W., beginning Monday through May 3 at 10 a.m. and 7 p.m. daily. ``Victorious, Abundant Life'' is the theme of the services led by the Rev. Henery and Clara Smith of Decatur, Ga., and Dr. J.C. Hash of Winston-Salem, N.C.
Church Management and Tax Conference, a nonprofit educational organization, will conduct a tax seminar May 1 at the Roanoke Marriott, 2801 Hershberger Road N.W., from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Call (800) 345-9117 to enroll or for more information.
The National Day of Prayer will be observed in front of Salem City Hall, 114 N. Broad St., on May 1 from noon to 12:20 p.m. The service will include patriotic singing and prayers for the city, state and nation. Salem Mayor Sonny Tarpley will be among those giving prayers. In case of rain, Salem Baptist Church at 103 N. Broad St. will be the site.
Church Women United In Virginia is sponsoring May Fellowship Day on May 2 at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church, 707 E. Washington St., Vinton. ``CWU - Sowing Seeds in Prepared Soil'' is the theme of this year's service. Registration begins at 9:45 a.m., followed by a Bible study conducted by the Rev. Theresa Sawyers, a chaplain at the Roanoke City Jail. To register for lunch, contact Eileen Watson, 343-1127, by Monday. The cost is $4. Proceeds will benefit women and children in poverty in the Roanoke Valley.
The parish nurse model for ministry will be the topic Sunday at Thrasher Memorial United Methodist Church, 707 E. Washingon Ave., Vinton. The Rev. Kathleen Monge of Winchester, who has been a parish nurse since July 1994, will be the guest preacher at the 8:30 and 11 a.m. services. At 9:45 a.m., Monge will meet with nurses and EMTs. |REVIVAL SERVICES| Jerusalem Baptist Church, 1014 Norfolk Ave. S.W., will hold a spring youth revival tonight and Friday at 7 p.m. with the Rev. Jerry Staples from Price Hill, W.Va., as guest speaker.
Catawba Valley Baptist Church, 9822 Catawba Road, is holding revival services Sunday through Wednesday with the Rev. Eugene Burris as guest speaker. Services are Sunday at 11 a.m. and Monday through Wednesday at 7 p.m. |--| Diane Hockenberry compiles the Religion Briefs column weekly. Send information to her in care of Neighbors, P.O. Box 2491, Roanoke 24010, by noon Thursday. E-mail dianeh@roanoke.com or fax 981-3346.
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