In a letter of resignation to the congregation in early December, Acuff wrote, "Over the past several months the Elder Board has been involved in conversations about the vision and direction of the church. Our church has experienced many transitions over the last eight years and we are still seeking to know what we should most be about. What vision, identity and approach to ministry should most characterize us. It has become clear to me that it is time to conclude my leadership in this process."

Acuff and his family will continue to live in Chapel Hill. The Elder Board has provided the pastor a sabbatical that began on Dec. 15 and will continue until July 1.

During the next three months, preaching will be rotated among three pastors on the staff: Randy Russell, Scott Vermillion and David Ward, said Cyndi Whisnant, communications director.

She said the church is looking to become more involved in justice issues, such as hunger, homelessness, education and prison ministry. Also, it hopes to set up "Life Groups," small groups in which members of a large congregation can make connections with each other, a particular challenge in large churches.

The atmosphere at the church right now, she said, a sense of loss and confusion.

A celebration of Mark Acuff's ministry is planned for Saturday, Jan. 24. It will be a time for food and fellowship and for sharing appreciation for his ministry, Whisnant said.

The Chapel Hill Bible Church dates back to 1970, when a group of about 20 people, many of them UNC students and faculty, met for the first time in a building on the UNC campus. The young church soon outgrew the space and built a church located just off the campus. Growth continued, and in 2001 the congregation developed and moved into the large modern facility at 260 Erwin Road, midway between Chapel Hill and Durham, reflecting the demographics of those attending.

More than 40 different nationalities are members of the congregation and the average attendance on Sunday stands at about 1,500.

Rabbi to preach at MLK anniversary service

Rabbi John Friedman of Judea Reform Congregation on Cornwallis Road in Durham will preach for the Martin Luther King Jr. anniversary worship service at Durham's Watts Street Baptist Church on Sunday, Jan. 18. The church is located at 800 Watts St. in the Trinity Park neighborhood.

Following a long tradition, Watts Street will invite elected city officials to attend the service and a luncheon afterward. During lunch, Rabbi Friedman will lead a discussion of his sermon and about ways Durham can continue the legacy of Dr. King.

Rabbi Friedman is an engaging preacher and teacher and has long been active in efforts for racial reconciliation in the Durham community. He follows in the tradition of Rabbi Abraham Joshua Heschel, who marched with Dr. King in the civil rights struggles of the 1960s.

Tyson to address MLK service

Professor Tim Tyson, whose book "Blood Done Sign My Name" recounts a racial murder committed in his hometown of Oxford in 1970, will speak on Sunday, Jan. 11, for the Annual Martin Luther King Memorial Worship Service at The Community Church, 106 Purefoy Road. Services are at 9:15 and 11:15 a.m.

Tyson is senior scholar at the Duke Center for Documentary Studies and visiting professor of American Christianity and Southern Culture at Duke DivinitySchool. He has also held an appointment in the Department of American Studies at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. He was also chosen as John Hope Franklin Senior Fellow at the National Humanities Center.

He will be accompanied by vocalist Mary D. Williams, a native of Raleigh who has been working closely with Tyson. Her voice is reminiscent of Mahalia Jackson and her powerful African American spirituals, including the one for which Tyson's book was named, ring with the triumph of the Freedom movement.

The event was planned by the church's Charles M. Jones Peace and Justice Committee.

Retreat to explore Buddhism and recovery

Jeffrey Schneider will lead a three-day retreat at the Chapel Hill Zen Center on Buddhism and recovery in which participants will explore the Twelve Steps in the context of Buddhist teaching and practice.

The retreat is set for Sunday through Tuesday, Jan. 11-13, at 7:30 p.m. at the center, at 5322 N.C. 86.

Each evening will include a short period of meditation followed by a talk and discussion. Everyone, including those new to practice and/or recovery, is welcome. There is no charge, but donations are welcome.

Schneider has been practicing at the San Francisco Zen Center since 1978. He began the Meditation and Recovery Group at Zen Center in 2000 and has led retreats in a variety of places since then.

Most recently, he began a year-long recovery intensive, Sangha in Recovery, at the San Francisco Zen Center, which offers regular small groups, classes, retreats and workshops. He is a member of the California Association for Alcohol/Drug Educators. Call 967-0861 for more information or e-mail pphelan@nc.rr.com.

Program addresses Anglican spirituality

An adult education program on Anglican Spirituality will be offered at The Chapel of the Cross, an Episcopal parish at 304 E. Franklin St., beginning on Jan. 20 and continuing on Tuesdays for five sessions. It is open to all interested adults.

"Anglican spirituality is sometimes described as Benedictine with a Celtic twist," said the Rev. John Keith, a priest associate at Chapel of the Cross, who will teach the sessions. Historically, England's church institutions were established by the Roman Catholic Church through the work of the Benedictines. But the country was largely converted to Christianity from the north by Celtic missionaries.

The class will be a historical survey beginning with a look at the pagan, pre-Christian Celtic world. Subsequent sessions will deal with the organization of the church and society and the role of women with attention to "soul friends," then evangelism and education followed by art and literature and finally the transition to Benedictine spirituality. ("Soul friends" was a component of Celtic Christianity having to do with the nurturing of relationships.)

The series will begin on Jan. 20 and continue on Jan. 27 and Feb. 3, 10 and 17. Call the church at 929-2193 for further details.

Duke Lay Academy to teach programs

Duke Divinity School Lay Academy of Religion will offer two evening programs this winter at Amity United Methodist Church in Chapel Hill.

Dr. Mickey Efird will teach "The Deuteronomic History" Jan. 8, 15, 22, 29. Sessions are 7 to 9 p.m. and the fee is $55.

Dr. Laceye Warner will teach "Resurrecting the Word: Reclaiming a Lived Language of Evangelism" Feb. 5, 12, 19. Sessions will 7 to 9 p.m. Fee is $45.

For program details and to register, call 660-3400 or go to www.divinity.duke.edu/learningforlife/programs/layacademy.

Weekly series to focus on race

United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., has announced "Light Up Your Winter," a series of Wednesday evening meals and programs of sacred conversations on race, beginning tonight.

A simple meal will be served between 5:45 and 6:30 p.m. followed by the program from 6:30 through 7:30 p.m.

Tonight's speaker is Howard Lee, former mayor of Chapel Hill, former state senator and currently chairman of the N.C. State Board of Education. He is the author of "The Courage to Lead: One Man's Journey in Public Service," published in 2008. When Lee was elected mayor of Chapel Hill on May 6, 1969, he became the first African American to lead a predominantly white town in the American South.

James A. Joseph, former U.S. ambassador to South Africa and currently professor of the Practice of Public Policy Studies at Duke University, will speak on Jan. 14, the Wednesday before the inauguration of Barak Obama. Joseph's reflection on Obama's election is titled "A Mandela Moment in the United States."

Joseph served as ambassador to South Africa from 1996-1999. Much of his work now is with emerging leaders in southern Africa through his joint appointment at Duke and the University of Cape Town. He is a graduate of Yale Divinity School and a United Church of Christ minister.

Dr. Kerry L. Haynie, associate professor of political science at Duke University, will speak on Jan. 21.

At Duke, he is co-director of the Center for the Study of Race, Ethnicity and Gender in the Social Sciences and teaches courses in American politics and the specialized areas of African American politics, legislative processes, state-level politics and the American federal system.

Series explores Christian identity

"Biblical Prophecy or Propaganda? Making Sense of Biblical Authority in Christianity Today" is the subject of a lecture at University Presbyterian on Monday, Jan. 12, at 7:30 p.m.

The Rev. Marcia Mount Shoop, theologian-in-residence, will deliver the lecture, first in a series of four on various aspects of contemporary Christian identity. Each of her lectures will encompass both the contemporary context and the theological traditions of Christianity. This first lecture will give careful attention to new paradigms for standing on the Word of God.

Future lectures in the series are set for Feb. 23, "The Wisdom of Emptiness and the Fullness of God: A Christian Conversation with Buddhist Philosophy"; April 20, "A Theology of Violence: Monotheism, Trauma and the Church"; and May 11, "Let the Bones Dance: Revitalizing Christian Life."

All are welcome to these free, community events that will be held in the Vance Barron Hall at the church, at 209 E. Franklin St.

Please let us know what's going on in your church or faith group, so we can share your news with our readers. E-mail news and announcements to Flo Johnston at fjohnston3@nc.rr.com.

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