Church Notes 2.13.09

EDINBURG - The Rio Grande Valley Mennonite Churches invite you to their 9th annual Mennonite Relief Sale. The one-day auction and sale will be held tomorrow from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at the Rio Grande Bible Institute, 4300 S. Business Highway 281 (S. Closner Blvd.). The sale will include, but is not limited to, homemade quilts, furniture, and international fair-trade crafts from Ten Thousand Villages. There will also be children's activities available. You'll also find plenty of food, including breakfast tacos, fajita plates, tamales, empanadas, elote, and baked goods. Proceeds from the Rio Grande Valley Mennonite Relief Sale benefit Mennonite Central Committee (MCC); a service, relief, development and peace agency of Mennonite and Brethren in Christ churches in North America. Currently, MCC has more than a thousand workers and provides assistance for community development, HIV/AIDS, education, disaster relief and peace-building in 66 countries around the world.

MCALLEN - "Soul" is the topic for this Sunday's 10:30 a.m. service at McAllen's Christian Science Church and Sunday School. The Golden Text is from Psalms, "...let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us:" In Christian Science, Soul is a synonym for God when the word is capitalized. Our 7:30 p.m. Wednesday evenings meetings include testimonies of Christian Science healings and remarks by the congregation. Meetings are held in the Church Sunday School/Reading Room Annex, 911 N. Main St. Reading Room hours are Tuesday 5 to 8 p.m. and Thursday 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. First Friday Art Walk 6:30 to 8 p.m. All are welcome. For more information please call (956) 686-4241 during Reading Room hours.

MCALLEN - First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) will be presenting a lecture series on the Hebrew Scriptures (The Old Testament). The fascinating, yet little understood, world that produced the Old Testament will be explored in a program offered at First Christian Church. In weekly sessions, on Sunday mornings at 9:45 a.m., a 30 minute video will be followed by a discussion of that week's topic. The lecturer is internationally respected Professor Amy Jill Levine of Vanderbuilt University. Professor Levine has taught, lectured and been published around the world and has prepared video courses for The Teaching Company. The public is invited. For more information, call Ed Barrett at (360) 907-1354.

MCALLEN - Calvary Baptist Church, 1600 Harvey Dr., is offering an Arabic language and culture class. Registration will run until Feb. 15. Today 1.7 billion people speak the Arabic language. For more information, call Pastor Elijah Awadalla at (956) 928-3200 ext. 305.

MCALLEN - St. Paul Lutheran Church and School presents A Pipe Organ Epiphany Concert this Sunday at 4 p.m. in the Sanctuary. Mr. Tim Shewmaker, Director of Parish Music, will feature music based on Song of Solomon, an usual and quirky wedding processional as well as exciting and virtuosic pieces for the Epiphany season. Epiphany means "to reveal" and the season of Epiphany is our time to focus on who Christ is. Whether you are a long time pipe organ fan or have never experienced organ music, we invite you to come enjoy the Pipe Organ Epiphany at St. Paul. The concert is free and everyone is welcome. We are located at 300 W. Pecan Blvd. and you can reach us at (956) 682-2345.

MCALLEN - Grace Bible Baptist Church is hosting the celebration of 50 Years in Gospel Ministry of Missionary Earl Barnett all day this Sunday. This special event will include a variety of presentations to Earl and Joan Barnett, who have spent the majority of their lives serving God in Alaska. Missionary Barnett will preach during the 10:30 a.m. worship service and then following a meal in the Fellowship Hall, there will be a PowerPoint presentation of 50 years in ministry. Everyone is invited to join in the all-day celebration this Sunday beginning at 10:30 a.m. Grace Bible Baptist Church is located at 520 N. Broadway (two blocks South of Hackberry Ave. at the corner of 13th St. (Broadway) and Fir. For more information, contact Pastor Albright at (956) 682-LORD.

MCALLEN - The First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), located at 10th and Nyssa, will present its popular Christian Coffee House on Feb. 28. The featured performer is Terry G. Hall, who is called "Southern Gospel's Bass Soloist and One Man Quartet". He has been singing Gospel music since the 1970's and in the spring of 2000 has dedicated his life to traveling nationwide to bring a music ministry to churches, RV resorts, retirement communities, nursing homes, festivals, fairs, prisons, flea markets, street corners or anywhere the Lord leads him to bring the gospel to those who might not otherwise hear it. For more information, call the church office between the hours of 9 a.m. and 1 p.m. weekdays at (956) 687-8519.

PHARR - Pax Christi Rio Grande Valley invites you on a special Lenten journey called The City of God - Reflections for Lent 2009, written by conscientious objector, Joshua Casteel. We live in a world divided by religion, race, ideologies, borders and walls of all types. Over and over, God calls us to be the human community. Through Casteel's daily reflections and the lessons of Scripture, we remember once again how to build and live in God's City. What would it mean for our lives, our communities, and our world to truly become co-creators of the City of God? The first meeting of our journey will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Mar. 4 in the chapel of St. Ann, Mother of Mary Catholic Church, 710 E. Lucas and continue to meet each Wednesday during Lent. For more information, contact Mark or Michelle Peña at (956) 380-3731 or email at mpena113@rgv.rr.com.

SAN BENITO - First United Methodist Church, located at 400 N. Sam Houston Blvd., will be hosting a Complimentary Spaghetti Dinner tomorrow at 5 p.m. for all spouses of deployed military. Childcare will be provided and please RSVP by Feb. 9 to (956) 399-2187.

SAN JUAN - Celebrating Darwin Dialogue between Ruth and Bill Gnagey this Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Hidalgo County at 1401 S. Nebraska Ave. Two hundred years ago, Darwin was born and this is the 150th year since the publication of Origin of the Species. The ethical and religious battles continue to be waged! Traditionally it is said the human beings are made in the "Image of God". We often turn that around and speak of God being made in the "Image of Human Beings". But, we must then ask, since human beings are so diverse, what language would God speak, what gender would God be, and what color would God be? Worship services begin at 10:30 a.m. with child care and religious education for children. The Adult Forum discussion group begins at 9:30 a.m.

WESLACO - First Presbyterian Church, located at 7th and Iowa, is having a garage sale on Feb. 21 from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. For more information, contact Kay Gibson at (956) 447-0878.