Grape Arbor, an outreach effort by St. Paul AME Church to disadvantaged youth, will host an open house on Sunday from 1:30 to 3:30 p.m. at the new Youth Enhancement Center at 1717 Legion Road, Suite G-101, Chapel Hill.

Father-daughter dance scheduled

University Baptist Church, 100 S. Columbia St., will host the annual Community-Wide Father-Daughter Valentine's Dance on Feb. 9 at 6:30 p.m.

Light hors d'oeuvres and desserts will be served.

Tickets are $20 per father and all ages are welcome. For information or to purchase tickets call University Baptist Church at 942-2157.

Series on Buddhism begins in February

A series called "Introduction to Buddhism" will be presented Wednesdays from 7:30 to 9 p.m. from Feb. 6 through March 5 at Piedmont KTC Tibetan Buddhist Meditation Center, 35 Perkins Drive off Weaver Dairy Road.

Everyone is welcome.

Call 933-2138 or see www.piedmontktc.org. 933-2138.

Services, events at United Church

Sunday worship services at the United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., are held at 8:45 and 11 a.m.

On Sunday, the Rev. Jill Edens will preach. The United Voices of Praise gospel choir will sing at the 8:45 a.m. service. Music from the Taize community in France will be featured at the 11 a.m. service.

Iglesia Unida, the Spanish language worship service, will be conducted at 11 a.m. in the new assembly hall in the west wing of the building.

Church School will be Sunday at 10 a.m. Evening worship reflecting the musical diversity of the congregation will be held Sunday at 5 p.m. in the new assembly hall. This week's service will be in the ecumenical tradition of the Taize community of France.

The Monday noon book group is reading Stephen Finlan's book, "Problems with Atonement." Copies of the book are available at the church for $12.

The retired men's group will cook pancakes at the Shrove Tuesday celebration Tuesday at 5:45 p.m. The Ambassadors will play New Orleans-style jazz and other tunes.

The Rev. Richard Edens will preach at the Ash Wednesday service at 7 p.m. The Chancel Choir will sing.

Sermon Shaping meetings are held every Wednesday at 7 a.m. in the library. One of the pastors leads a look at the lectionary texts for the next Sunday.

For information call 942-3540 or see www.unitedchurch.org.

Quilt exhibit at Community Church

An exhibit called "Layer Upon Layer: Art Quilts" by Scott Murkin, a nationally acclaimed quilt artist, teacher and judge from Asheboro, is on display at the Community Church of Chapel Hill Unitarian Universalist through Feb. 27.

The church is at 106 Purefoy Road.

For information, call 942-2050.

Services, events at Unity Center

The Unity Center of Peace has welcomed its new minister, the Rev. Bruce Milne.

Sunday services are from 11 a.m. to noon. The Adult Forum precedes the service each Sunday from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m.

Jewelsong will lead a workshop called "Jewels of the Goddess" on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. A donation of $10 to $50 is suggested.

Unity's annual meeting will be held Feb. 3 at 1 p.m.

Mark Malachi and Barbs Burman will lead a workshop called

"Fulfilling Your Heart's Desire: Three Techniques for Discerning Divine Guidance," on Feb. 24 from 1 to 4 p.m. A $50 donation is suggested.

Malachi facilitates Jewish Erev Shabbat services on the last Friday of each month. The service begins at 7:30 p.m. and includes chanting, Hebrew prayers and music.

A healing circle meets weekly on Mondays from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m.

The Course in Miracles continues on Wednesdays at 7 p.m. and on Sundays at 7:30 p.m.

Call 968-1854 or see www.unitychapelhill.org.

Chatham church has new pastor

Jeff Lawrence has taken a position as lead pastor for the Chatham Community Church.

The new church was begun more than a year ago by members of the Chapel Hill Bible Church who felt that there was a strong need for an independent, non-denominational church in the fast-growing area of Chatham County. The congregation meets at Perry Harrison Elementary in Pittsboro.

Randy Russell, a pastor of the Chapel Hill Bible Church, has divided his time between the two churches, leading the Chatham congregation since it began meeting in February 2007. This month Lawrence will take over as lead pastor at the Chatham church.

Lawrence attended Baylor University in Waco, Texas, and received a master's degree in theology at Dallas Theological Seminary. In 2000, he began work on his doctorate in theology at Dallas Theological Seminary while working part-time as a minister at Northwest Bible Church. Lawrence has served overseas multiple times, primarily training pastors in India and Ukraine.

He and his wife, Nan, have been married for more than 13 years and are parents of three boys -- Mike, 5; Luke, 5; and Jake, 2.

For information call 309-5472 or see www.chathamchurch.org.

Bereavement group meets on Mondays

UNC Hospitals' Bereavement Support Services is offering a Community Grief Recovery Group, which will be meet at the United Church of Chapel Hill on Mondays from 6:30 to 8 p.m. through March 10.

The group is free and open to anyone grieving a death regardless of faith background.

The group will focus on sharing and moving toward healing in a safe and supportive setting. Some people join a support group to help them through their initial grieving process while others join years after their loved one's death. This social support facilitates healthy grieving and often reduces feelings of isolation and loneliness.

For information or to enroll, contact Heidi Gessner, UNC bereavement coordinator, at 966-0716 or hgessner@unch.unc.edu.

Meditation workshop offered at Zen Center

Taitaku Pat Phelan will offer a Zen meditation workshop on Feb. 9 from 9:30 a.m. to noon at the Chapel Hill Zen Center, 5322 N.C. 86.

In Zen meditation, practitioners focus on the inter-relationship of body, breath and mind through presence in immediate experience. Instruction will include awareness of the breath and how to practice with the mind, with individual attention given to finding a sitting position that works for each person. The workshop is for beginners and anyone who wants to review Zen meditation. Suggested donation is $20, $10 for students. To register, call 967-0861.

Services held at Advent Lutheran

Sunday services including Holy Communion will begin at 10:25 a.m. at Advent Lutheran Church, 230 Erwin Road.

Classes for all ages begin at 9 a.m.

The Ash Wednesday service will be held Feb. 6 at 7 p.m.

Lenten devotions every Wednesday from Feb. 13 to March 19 at 7 p.m. Choir practice follows.

Call 968-7690.

Lecture series at Stone Center

The Carolina Center for Jewish Studies at UNC will present a series of free public lectures in the theater of the Sonja Haynes Stone Center for Black Culture and History at 150 South Road. All programs begin at 7:30 p.m.

On Monday, Eric Goldstein, director of the graduate program in Jewish studies and associate professor at Emory University, will present "Jewish Merchants and Former Slaves: The Economic Relationship in the Post-Civil War South."

On March 3, Joshua Jacobson, professor of music and director of choral activities at Northeastern University, will present "Jewish Music and All That Jazz." Jacobson will examine the impact of American life on Jewish composers and the impact of Jews on American music.

On April 14, Richard Elliott Friedman, Ann and Jay Davis professor of Jewish studies at the University of Georgia, will present "A Brief History of 3,200 Years." Freidman will discuss why understanding present-day Israel involves exploring its history dating back to biblical times

The lectures are co-sponsored by other campus units including the Carolina Center for the Study of the Middle East and Muslim Civilizations, the Center for the Study of the American South and the departments of music and religion.

For information, call 962-1509 or visit www.unc.edu/ccjs.

Services, events at Chapel of the Cross

Services at Chapel of the Cross Episcopal Church, 304 E. Franklin St., on Sunday will include Holy Eucharist at 7:30, 9 and 11:15 a.m. and 5:15 p.m.

A service of Holy Eucharist will be held at Carolina Meadows Retirement Community at 10 a.m.; this service is open to all and not limited to residents of Carolina Meadows. A service of Sung Compline will be at 9:30 p.m. in the church.

A brief service of evening prayers will be in the chapel Friday at 5:15 p.m.

On Feb. 6, Ash Wednesday, services of Holy Eucharist with Penitential Order and Imposition of Ashes will be at 7:30 and 10 a.m. and 12:15, 5:15 and 8 p.m. A similar service will be held at Carol Woods Retirement Community at 4 p.m. The rite of Reconciliation of a Penitent will be available at the church at 9 and 11 a.m. and 4 p.m.

The annual parish meeting will be Sunday at 10 a.m.

The weekly Tuesday morning Bible study will meet Tuesday at 8:30 a.m. in the parish library. This self-led study welcomes newcomers.

An adult inquirers' class for those wishing to join the Episcopal Church or learn more about it will meet on most Mondays from 7:30 to 9 p.m.

Lenten programs for adults include a four-part series on Mondays called "Christological Highs and Lows: A Theological Exploration of the Christology in the Gospel of John," beginning on Feb. 11; a six-week Christian yoga class beginning Feb. 11; and lectio divina prayer groups using passages unique to John's gospel. Registration forms are available in the parish dining room and the office.

The Parish's Shrove Tuesday Pancake Dinner will begin Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the parish dining room.

A social hour begins at 12:20 p.m. each Sunday, following the conclusion of the 11:15 a.m. service.

Episcopal Campus Ministry will meet on Tuesday at 5:30 p.m. in the campus center for dinner, fellowship, and worship. All members of the university community are invited. For information about Episcopal Campus Ministry, contact the Rev. Tammy Lee, associate for university ministry, at tlee@thechapelofthecross.org or see the ECM Web site at www.unc.edu/ecm.

Church participates in women's inititave

Lystra Baptist Church will participate in the Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching on Sunday.

The Martha Stearns Marshall Day of Preaching is an initiative of Baptist Women in Ministry to promote women preachers in Baptist churches.

Maria Swearingen, a first-year divinity student at Duke University, will be the preacher on Sunday at Lystra Baptist Church. Swearingen, a graduate of Baylor University, will be at the 11 a.m. service.

Lystra Baptist Church is at 686 Lystra Road, off U.S. 15-501 in Chatham County.

For information, call 933-6812.