The Rev. Brett Webb-Mitchell will read from his new book, "Beyond Accessibility: Toward Full Inclusion of People with Disabilities in Faith Communities," Sunday at 2 p.m. at McIntyre's Books in Fearrington Village.

The premise of the book is that a church might have built an accessibility ramp and perhaps refitted its restrooms to accommodate wheelchairs, but what should happen after these improvements are made?

Webb-Mitchell, who has written several other books on people with disabilities, offers a theological and practical approach for congregations with clear, targeted strategies for full inclusion of all members, recognizing and using the gifts that each member brings to the congregation's life.

Anniversary, donations

Pastor Rodney Green will mark the 10^th anniversary of Changing a Generation Ministry at 4 p.m. Sunday with a special service hosted by North East Baptist Church, 3204 N.C. 55.

Green, who works in East Durham supplying food to hungry people and helping needy children with school supplies and haircuts, said this week that 2010 has been one of the hardest years financially for his decade-long ministry.

Funds are low at this time, he said, so buying backpacks and all the items to fill them will not be possible without help from donors - those who have helped him in the past and new ones who see the value of his work.

Donations may be sent to Changing a Generation Ministry, P.O. Box 1061, Durham NC 27702; by calling Green at 519-6678.

Moravian groundbreaking

Groundbreaking for an education wing at Christ the King Moravian Church's building at 4405 Hope Valley Road was held July 25 after the regular worship service.

The 6,000-square-foot wing will include classrooms as well as a multipurpose room. Construction will begin the last week in August and is scheduled for completion in six months, said Margaret Nifong. She and Dan Taylor are co-chairs of the building committee.

This is Phase II of the church's three-part building program. The original building was dedicated in 1994 and includes the present sanctuary, which will be replaced when Phase III is implemented.

The church now offers two services on Sundays to handle the growing congregation, Nifong said.

Since the present building is linear, the architects, Design Development in Raleigh, suggested the addition on the north side of the building be joined to the present building with a vestibule. A brick wall with a cross will be the focal point from the exterior.

The builder is Polycon of Raleigh, the same builder that did Newhope Community Church just down N.C. 751 from Christ the King.

Nifong said that attendance at Christ the King, the only Moravian Church in Durham County, is expected to increase because of the building program. Studies show that church construction usually attracts newcomers to a church, she said.

A capital campaign began about two years ago. The cost of the new addition is $1.2 million.

A clergy couple, Frank and Leslie Venable, are co-pastors. They came to Durham in 1989 to organize the area's first Moravian congregation.

'Black Theodicy'

A Black Theodicy Forum at UNC-Chapel Hill's Institute of African American Research is set for Friday and Saturday, Aug. 6-7. This is a scholar-community dialogue that is free to the public.

Faith-based coping mechanisms that Christianity and Islam have put forth in response to 400 years of African-American suffering is one of the topics to be explored.

"In the forum, panels of scholars and community members will discuss how enslavement, Jim Crow racism, segregation and institutionalized discrimination have impacted current inequalities and disparities faced by African-Americans," said Dr. Fatimah L.C. Jackson, institute director and anthropology professor.

The scholars will then look at aspects of Christianity and Islam designed to understand and wipe out that suffering. Those two religions were chosen for study because faith has long been a cornerstone in African-American history, and because most African-Americans of faith belong to one of these two large organized religions.

"The forum represents an opportunity to gauge the positive responses offered by Christianity and Islam as possible ways to address the persistence of social affliction in African-American communities," Jackson said. "We hope that the forum will provide a chance for African-Americans to find effective and sustainable ways of coping with years of devaluation and disenfranchisement."

Advance registration is required. Seating capacity is 200. For more information and to register, visit, or e-mail or call 843-1897.

Appointed at UNC

Jonathan Boyarin, who joined UNC-Chapel Hill's Carolina Center for Jewish Studies in 2007 as a professor of Modern Jewish Thought, has been appointed associate director for the center.

He will work with Jonathan Hess, center director, on long-range planning for the center, curriculum development, fundraising and public outreach.

Boyarin has been active on behalf of the center since coming to Carolina. He created and teaches a new core course, Introduction to Jewish Studies, has led and participated in seminars and events for the general public and serves as faculty adviser to graduate students in Jewish Studies.

Pioneer heritage

The Durham-Chapel Hill congregations of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints celebrated their pioneer heritage on July 24. This date was held church-wide to recognize the sacrifice early members made when they were forced to migrate to the Great Salt Lake region in the mid-19^th century.

The congregations assembled for activities at the LDS Institute of Religion building near the UNC-Chapel Hill campus, 400 Country Club Road in Chapel Hill.

Living and dying

Tina L. Staley will lead a discussion and book signing at the Regulator Bookshop, 720 Ninth St., on Thursday, from 7 to 9 p.m. Her book is "Living Fully Dying Well."

Staley is director of Pathfinders at Duke University Comprehensive Cancer Center and is the co-founder of the Pathfinders Program in Aspen, Colo.

"My inspiration for this book arose from my work with Hospice, cancer patients and the death of one of my best friends," she said. "I wanted to bring people together and actually create a dialogue around dying and look at death from different cultures and philosophies."

Convening

Jehovah's Witnesses will hold a District Convention Friday through Sunday, and repeat the same program Friday, Aug. 6, through Sunday, Aug. 8, at the RBC Center in Raleigh.

Events begin at 9:20 a.m. both weekends on the theme "Remain Close to Jehovah." The theme is based on several passages of Scripture, including Joshua 23:8, Psalm 73:28, and Proverbs 3:32. The key text is James 4:8.

Jehovah's Witnesses believe that a strong relationship with God is vital for spiritual well-being and personal happiness. Strengthening one's spirituality will be the focus of the program. Admission to the convention is free and no collections will be taken.

All 127 Witness congregations from the Triangle east to coastal Carolina will support the activity of distributing invitations to the convention. More than 20,000 are expected for the two programs.

There are four congregations in this area. Two meet at the Kingdom Hall at100 White Oak Drive in Chapel Hill and two at127 Estes Drive Extension in Carrboro. The four congregations have about 800 members.

Further information is available from the News Service Office at 270-1912.

Memoirs discussed

Walter M. Brown, professor emeritus of education at N.C. Central University, will lead a discussion on his memoirs titled "I Walked the Sloping Hills" at Durham's First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St., on Sunday, Aug. 1, at 9:45 a.m. This is the eighth in the Summer Book Discussion Series sponsored by the church.

In his book, Brown writes about his experiences in overcoming barriers of racial segregation in education, economic opportunity, class distinction and institutionalized religion in the American South.

A native of Durham, he was the first recipient of a Ph.D. from a historically black college or university in the U.S. He also served in the U.S. Army and his life experiences were shaped by work as a laborer, waiter, postal clerk and census enumerator.

The public is invited to attend. Copies of the book will be available. The discussion will take place in Watts-Hill Hall at the church located at 305 E. Main St.