The Episcopal Church of the Advocate celebrates Holy Eucharist each Sunday at 5 p.m. at the Chapel Hill Kehillah, 1200 Mason Farm Road. All are welcome for a fellowship hour with refreshments following the service.

Matthew Wright will lead an adult forum on "Theology and Spirituality of Islam" following worship on Aug. 17.

Each Wednesday at 10 a.m. the church office at 403 Weaver Street hosts playtime and Bible study. At noon there is a celebration of Holy Eucharist.

In mid-August, a second series of English as a Second Language will be conducted on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The classes are for anyone in the community who wants to improve English skills. Childcare is provided. Volunteers are also needed to assist with registration and childcare.

Discussion of "Juxtaposing the Sacred and the Sacrilegious: St Mark's Gospel and Mark Twain's The Mysterious Stranger" will be held today and Aug. 6 at 7:30 p.m. on the Weaver Street Deck.

For information about this and other programs of the Advocate visit www.ouradvocate.org.

New Salem offers recovery classes

New Salem Church, 5030 Old Graham Road, Pittsboro, offers Celebrate Recovery classes each Sunday at 7 p.m. Anyone struggling with addictions or compulsive behaviors that make life unmanageable is invited. Light refreshments are available at 6:30 p.m.

Celebrate Recovery offers a time of praise and prayer and holds small group sessions that give participants a safe place to share, to care for others and to be cared for, and a possible turning point.

On Aug. 10, Alex McFarland, president of Southern Evangelical Seminary and the Veritas Graduate School of Apologetics will share his message at New Salem Church during the homecoming service at 11 a.m. A speaker, writer and advocate for Christian apologetics, he was named one of the "Forty Leaders Under The Age of Forty" in North Carolina by the Jaycees. He is the author of "Stand: Core Truths You Must Know for an Unshakable Faith," "The Ten Most Common Objections to Christianity (and how to answer them effectively)," and "Stand Strong... In College (preparing for the ways that college will challenge your faith)."

Following the service on Aug. 10 the church will hold Fellowship Lunch and an afternoon of fun and fellowship.

For information, call 542-4790 or e-mail newsalem.church@yahoo.com.

Straley Series to continue Sunday

The 2008 Straley Series continues Sunday at The Community Church of Chapel Hill, Unitarian Universalist, 106 Purefoy Road.

The Straley Series is an annual series of social justice programs named for longtime community activists and church founders Joe and Lucy Straley.

On Sunday the series will present "The South in Black and White." Members will discuss local author and historian Tim Tyson's course, "The South in Black and White: Southern History, Culture, and Politics in the 20th Century."

The Straley Series will conclude on Aug. 10 with a presentation by church youth about their experiences going to Nicaragua with Witness for Peace, a grassroots organization whose mission is "to support peace, justice and sustainable economies in the Americas by changing U.S. policies and corporate practices which contribute to poverty and oppression in Latin America and the Caribbean."

The Straley Series is open to the general public.

Each session begins at noon with a light lunch, speakers, questions and answers, and wraps up by 1:30 pm. Childcare will be provided, and donations to help cover lunch costs are invited. To register for childcare or for more information about the series, contact Lucy Lewis at llewis2001@earthlink.net or 929-5983, or Peggy Misch at msmisch@gmail.com or 942-5735.

Events, services at United Church

Sunday worship services at the United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., are at 8:45 and 11 a.m. The Tuba Quartet will play at both services.

Living Waters for All God's Children Vacation Bible School will be held Sunday at 10 a.m. This is the final session in a four-Sunday series of events for children ages 3-11.

The Summer Adult Series presents "Integrating Your Spiritual and Work Lives," a session about discerning God's call in one's choice of vocation.

Iglesia Unida, Spanish language worship, meets Sundays at 11 a.m. in the new Assembly Hall in the west wing of the building.

The church softball team will play Holy Family at 3:10 p.m. at Field 1.

Sermon Shaping meetings are held on Wednesdays at 7 a.m. in the library. One of the pastors leads a small group in looking at the lectionary texts for the next Sunday.

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

Services, events at Binkley Baptist

Binkley Baptist Church, 1712 Willow Drive, holds summer worship each Sunday at 10 a.m. through August 31.

Jay Dunbar will teach sessions of QiGong on Sunday and Aug. 10. All are welcome. The sessions will begin at 9:20 a.m. and end at 9:50 so that everyone has time to move to the sanctuary for worship.

Binkley will hold its annual yard sale on Aug. 16 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Amity UMC offers Vacation Bible School

Amity United Methodist Church, 825 Estes Drive, will hold Vacation Bible School Aug. 11-14 for for children ages 5-11.

Sessions will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. All community children are invited, and youth and adult volunteers from the community are also welcome. Dinner will be provided. Pre-registation is encouraged but not required.

The Rev. Tuck Taylor Bounds leads worship at Amity on Sundays at 11 a.m.

Sunday school for all ages is at 9:45 a.m.

Children are studying the "Way of the Child" curriculum. Adult Bible Study is discussing "Images of Christ."

Bible study also is offered on Thursdays from 9:30 to 11 a.m. in a private home. The current class is "Changes that Heal: How to Understand Your Past to Ensure a Healthier Future." Call for directions.

Call 967-7546 or see amityumc.org.

Buddhist center offers meditation

The Kosala Buddhist Center in Carrboro offers Buddhist teachings, discussion and meditation with resident teacher Gen Tilopa every Wednesday from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

Cost is $10. First class is free for newcomers.

Kosala Center is at 711 West Rosemary Street in Carrboro, above the Carrburritos restaurant. For information call 967-1861 or see www.meditationinchapelhill.org.

Advent Lutheran holds worship services

Advent Lutheran Church, 230 Erwin Road in Chapel Hill, is on its summer schedule. Worship service will be at 10 a.m.

All are welcome. For information, call 968-7690 or see www.adventlutheranch.org.

Services, events at Chapel of the Cross

Chapel of the Cross, 304 E. Franklin St., will hold services of Holy Eucharist Sunday at 8 and 10 a.m. and 5:15 p.m. Children's chapel, a service for children aged 2-5, is held during the 10 a.m. service. A service of Holy Eucharist will be held at 10 a.m. at Carolina Meadows retirement community.

Brief services of Evening Prayer will be held in the chapel Monday and Tuesday at 5:15 p.m. A service of Holy Eucharist will be held in the chapel on Aug. 6 using the 1928 Book of Common Prayer.

The Centering Prayer Group meets on Wednesdays at 5 p.m. in the parish house.

The Children and Family Ministry Committee needs new members. Please contact Christian formation director Gretchen Jordan at gjordan@thechapelofthecross.org.

Dinner on the Grounds will be held Aug. 17 following the 10 a.m. service. Participants are asked to bring a dish to share.

The Chapel of the Cross will offer a three-day training program for people interested in the Godly Play storytelling method. This program is scheduled for Sept. 11-13. Contact Boykin Bell at bbell@thechapelofthecross.org for information or to register.

The Young Adults Group, a joint ministry with Holy Trinity Lutheran Church, meets most Fridays at the Carolina Inn for Bluegrass on the Lawn. Contact John Derrick at jderrick@alumni.unc.edu.

There are several openings in the senior choir. The parish also is seeking a director for the Cantus Choir, the introductory choir for 1st- and 2nd-graders. For information contact organist and choirmaster Wylie S. Quinn at vquinn@thechapelofthecross.org.

For information on church services and events, call 929-2193 or see www.thechapelofthecross.org.