"It is unusual for Jews to have music and dancing at services on Shabbat, so we are unique," said Stephanie Stuchiner, administrator at the temple. "Melissa Segal, our executive director, led the charge to start this and we had three times as many folks turn out for services when a Shabbat Shira is scheduled."'

Segal explained the service: "It is a song-ful Shabbat Service, a monthly musical service that brings the Kehillah community together for a dynamic Shabbat morning celebration that features a song-filled service with guitar, dancing and a big dose of 'ruach' (spirit)."

"An offshoot of the Kehilah's popular Shabbat Shira Havdalah program, Shabbat Shira provides a gateway to spirituality through song," she said. "Additional service components include fewer 'aliyot,' contemporary readings, and a mix of modern and traditional melodies."

Upcoming dates are March 20, May 1 and May 22. The time is 9:45 to 11:45 a.m. followed by a communal Kiddush luncheon.

CWS national board meets in Durham

The national board of Church World Service is meeting this week at Duke Divinity School in Durham. This is the first time the board has met in North Carolina, according to the Rev. Jimmie Hawkins, pastor of Durham's Covenant Presbyterian Church.

Hawkins, a three-year member of the board, has served as board treasurer for the past two years.

Dr. Charles Nelms, chancellor of N.C. Central University, will speak tonight at 7:30 p.m. on his commitment to end world hunger. The service will be held at Covenant Presbyterian, 2620 E. Weaver St.

Other participants in the three-day CWS meeting are the Rev. George Reed of the N.C. Council of Churches; the Rev. Byron Wade, the vice moderator of the 218^th General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA; the Rev. Spencer Bradford, executive director of Durham Congregations in Action; Durham Mayor William Bell, who will deliver a proclamation from the City of Durham; Joe Moran, regional director for the Southeast for CWS and Mary St. John, director of CWS' Immigrant and Refugee Resettlement program.

Zen Center offers public talks

Two public talks are on tap at the Chapel Hill Zen Center on Sunday mornings, March 21 and March 28. Both are at 10:30 a.m. at the center, 5322 N.C. 86 and both are open to all interested persons.

Sojun Roshi, Mel Weitsman, will speak on Sunday, March 21, with meditation before his talk at 9 a.m. Sojun Roshi is Abbot of the Berkeley Zen Center in California. and he has also been Abbot of the San Francisco Zen Center where he led practice periods at Tassajara Zen Mountain Center. Sojun Roshi was ordained in 1969 by Shunryu Suzuki Roshi author of "Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind."

Bill Porter, also known as Red Pine, will speak on Chinese Zen on Sunday, March 28. He has studied and practiced Buddhism for many years in Taiwan and traveled extensively in China. He has translated Chinese poetry and sutras, including Han Shan's "Cold Mountain Poems," "Lao-Tzu's Taodeching," "The Diamond Sutra," "The Heart Sutra" and "The Platform Sutra." There will be a book signing and tea after the talk.

For more information, call 967-0861 or send email to pphelan@nc.rr.com.

Church to create earthquake relief kits

In light of the recent earthquakes in Haiti and Chile, Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church will join churches across America to create Gift of the Heart hygiene kits.

Presbyterian Disaster Assistance, an emergency and refugee program of the Presbyterian Church USA, is working with Church World Service to provide these needed essentials.

Kits are kept on hand to enable quick movement of the supplies in the wake of a national or international crisis. Current supplies have been depleted. The national group creates baby, cleaning and school supply kits as well.

Each hygiene kit contains a hand towel, washcloth, bar of soap, toothbrush, nail clipper, comb and six bandages.

The church will collect funds to purchase these items; it is estimated that $10 is needed for one kit. Kits will be assembled on Sunday, March 21, following morning worship at North Chatham School.

The goal is to create 100 hygiene kits. Anyone interested in making a donation or helping to assemble the kits, should contact Mary Pringle at outreach@citppc.org. Donations are tax-deductible and can be mailed directly to the church office at 212 E. Rosemary St., Suite 101, Chapel Hill 27514.

Checks should be made to Chapel in the Pines Presbyterian Church with hygiene kits in the memo line.

Any donations received after the kits have been assembled will be sent directly to the Presbyterian Disaster Assistance fund.

Chapel in the Pines meets every Sunday for worship at 10:30 a.m. in the multipurpose room at North Chatham School, 3380 Lystra Road. Child care is provided and Sunday school classes for adults, youth and children begin at 9:15 a.m.

Fundraiser to benefit African orphans

The ZOE Ministry will host a fund-raising event featuring author Kay Warren, wife of Pastor Rick Warren, on Friday, March 19, at 7:30 p.m. at Duke Chapel in Durham.

Proceeds from the event will benefit ZOE's orphan empowerment work in Africa. Tickets are $25.

ZOE is an organization empowering children who have been orphaned by the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Africa.

Through grants and training, child-led households in the Giving Hope program become self-sustaining and reintegrated into their communities.

During the event, women will speak about the ministry of Kay Warren. She and her husband are widely known for starting Saddleback Church. Kay Warren wrote her latest book "Dangerous Surrender" about her ministry on behalf of people suffering because of HIV/AIDS.

Also offered during the event is a free Mission Symposium led by the Rev. Shane Stanford at 3:30 p.m. in Goodson Chapel at Duke Divinity School.

More details available by visiting www.zoeministry.org.

Partners series will conclude this month

University Presbyterian Church, 209 E. Franklin St., will end its series of classes on "Partners at Work in the World" on the last three Sundays in March.

The Sunday classes meet in the Terrace Room at the church from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. All are welcome.

On March 14, church members who have visited partners in southern Africa will talk about their work to bring first-class health care to people in sub-Saharan Africa and the enormous challenges faced by children orphaned by HIV/AIDS as well as bringing education to children in the townships of South Africahe church members on the trip helped celebrate the opening of a new sanctuary for the Thotha Moli Lesotho Evangelica Church, built by the congregants with both local funds and funds from University Presbyterian.

On March 21, UNC sophomore Hannah Hoffman will speak about the Ministry of Hope, which works with children affected by HIV/AIDS in Malawi. And on Malawians and their U.S. partners have built facilities to feed, educate and house these children. She will talk about her work and share how this partnership has changed her life and the lives of those with whom she has worked.

On March 28, Dr. Marcia Mount Shoop, Theologian in Residence at the church, will lead a discussion reflecting on all the territory covered in the series.iscussion will center on how these partnerships, biblical mandates and theological concepts shape assumptions and actions about ministry in Chapel Hill and beyond.

Presentation to explore mental illness

Dr. Christine Jernigan will share the story of her own battle with mental illness, particularly within the church context, at Amity United Methodist on Sunday, March 14, at 11:15 a.m.

She will explain local initiatives to provide support and advocacy for the mentally ill including Faith Connections on Mental Illness, which was established to provide education, understanding and comfort to those suffering from mental illness, their families, individual congregations and the local community.

The community is invited. The church is located at 825 N. Estes Drive in Chapel Hill.