A new priest with an open-door policy has been assigned to St. Barbara Greek Orthodox Church, the church with the new building on N.C. 751 whose Byzantine architecture with the golden dome and tall cross make driving into the city from the southwest a spectacular pleasure.

This is a church with a presence. And a member of the Parish Council says Father James Berends, the new priest, is a priest with a presence who has already made his mark as an innovative church leader.

Father James might be considered a Renaissance man of sorts since his background includes everything from working in the ticket office for the Dallas Mavericks to earning two divinity degrees, one from Dallas Theological Seminary and the other from the Orthodox Seminary at Holy Cross.

Did I forget to say that he is a convert from the Baptist Church (his father was a Baptist preacher) and played basketball at Wheaton College?

Father James, 53, arrived at the church in mid-August, appointed by the bishop to serve this parish. He is married and he and his wife, Anne, have two daughters, Caitlin, 12, and Melanie, 10.

Johnny Mariakakis, a member of the St. Barbara Parish Council, said that Father James brought a box of 500 business cards to the first meeting of the council and told the members to grab a bunch, put them in their glove compartments, in their purses, at their places of business and at their homes, but to get them out there.

"He plans to serve the flock," Mariakakis said, "but he is reaching out and wants people to know what Orthodoxy is all about."

The church is holding an Open House on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Father James will lead guided tours of the sanctuary offered at 11 a.m., 2 and 4 p.m. No reservations necessary. Just show up.

"Those cards are my own style, my own way," said Father James, who was not ordained to the priesthood until 2004. Why so long to find his calling? "I was fighting it," he said. He has also been a teacher and made a stop along his career route in the Episcopal Church.

"This position is about people, helping people find salvation. I love books and I could hide myself there, but that is not what [the priesthood is about]. I give my best understanding of what Scripture means when it talks about incarnation and try to make it acceptable to people."

'Our Neighbors'

Pilgrim United Church of Christ will host a Wednesday evening dinner and discussion series titled "Who Are Our Neighbors? Seeking a Faithful Response to Immigrants and Immigration," beginning on Sept. 22 and continuing each Wednesday through Oct. 13.

The free dinner will begin at 5:45 p.m. and the series will include an overview of immigration, first-hand stories of immigrants, legal perspectives and reform issues. Presenters will include Chris Liu-Beers of the N.C. Council of Churches; Kaci Bishop of the Immigration/Human Rights Policy Clinic at UNC Law School; Chief Jose Lopez of the Durham Police Department; Hanna Gill of the Institute for the Study of the Americas; Rep. Paul Luebke of the N.C. General Assembly; and the Rev. Rosanna Panizo-Valladares of the United Methodist Church's Hispanic Ministries for the Durham and Burlington districts of the UM Church.

In addition to the dinners, the church will have a display of photographs by the Pulitzer-Prize-winning photographer Jose Galvez, who spent a lifetime documenting Latino communities across the U.S.

The church is located at 3011 Academy Road.

Organ mini-concerts

Lunchtime organ mini-concerts at St. Philip's Episcopal at 403 E. Main St. in downtown have already begun and will continue on Thursday, Sept. 23, when Tom Bloom, organist at Watts Street Baptist, will play the 30-minute concert from 12:10 to 12:40 p.m.

Participants may bring lunch to eat in the church during the concert. A few sandwiches will also be available for purchase.

The schedule includes Karl Zinsmeister, music director at White Memorial Presbyterian in Raleigh, on Oct. 7; and Van Quinn, organist and choirmaster at Chapel of the Cross in Chapel Hill, on Oct. 21.

Performers during November and December will be announced.

Chapel anniversary

The Congregation at Duke Chapel has announced special activities to mark the 25th anniversary of its founding. It was organized during the time United Methodist Bishop Will Willimon was dean of the chapel.

A congregation of about 350 people from all faith traditions who make Duke Chapel their primary place of worship, it works both independently and cooperatively with Duke Chapel and has its own pastor, the Rev. Bruce Puckett.

Members will spend a half day of community service on Saturday, Sept. 25. And on Sunday, Sept. 26, the 11 a.m. chapel service will feature a newly commissioned anthem by David Arcus, as well as special recognition of the Congregation's first pastor, the Rev. Margaret Via, and original members from 1985.

At 5 p.m. on this Sunday, the congregation will celebrate with a service of worship, reflection, baptism and prayer with a potluck supper to follow. After supper a DVD will be shown of the Rev. Nancy Ferree-Clark, former pastor, interviewing Bishop Willimon this past spring about the founding of the Congregation.

The congregation's 25th Anniversary Congregation Cookbook will be unveiled and a time capsule will be filled and stowed away somewhere in the chapel.

Day of Prayer

In 2001, the United Nations declared Tuesday, Sept. 21, as International Day of Prayer for Peace. Faith communities around the world will be praying for peace and wrestling with issues that surround that goal on this special day.

St. Philip's Episcopal in downtown has issued a public invitation for the public to join the with the church for Holy Eucharist at noon on this day. The church is located at 403 E. Main St.

Russia impressions

Seeking to understand changes in Russia since the end of the Soviet Union, several members of First Presbyterian Church traveled to Russia last May. This group will share impressions of their trip at a fellowship dinner on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 6 p.m. in Watts-Hill Hall at the church.

This recent journey marked the 19th trip that Carlisle Harvard has made to Russia leading groups of Christians. She retired in 2007 as director of the International House at Duke University. The group includes Betsey Beach, Karen Crumbliss, Ruth and Russell Roberson and Joe Harvard, who is pastor of First Presbyterian.

The public is invited to attend. Supper will be served at 6 p.m. and the program will begin at 6:30 p.m. The church is located at 305 E. Main St.

Pregnancy and motherhood

Exploring pregnancy and motherhood as an embodied spiritual experience is the topic of an all-day session on Saturday, Sept. 25, from 9 a.m. to noon and from 1 to 4 p.m. at the Resource Center for Women & Ministry in the South, 1202 Watts St.

The leader is Marcia Mount Shoop, author and theologian in residence at University Presbyterian Church in Chapel Hill.

The cost for one session is $50 and for all day is $75.

Contact RCWMS at 683-1236 or rewmsnc@aol.com to register.

Open mic night

An Open Mic Night is on tap for local worship team members, church musicians and singers on Saturday, Sept. 25, at the Reality Center, 916 Lamond Ave.

Active, retired or aspiring are all invited to the fun event that begins at 7 p.m. Don DeJong, worship leader at Cornerstone Bible Church on Guess Road and Wade Baynum, worship leader at Emmaus Way on Lamond Avenue are the organizing force behind this evening of enjoyment and interaction for church musicians.

Some suggestions from the organizers include the following:

Solo or very small scale performances, vocal mic, d-box and piano available.

Music, comedy, story drama, but keep it to five minutes.

Encourage all members of the team to perform.

Sit and talk to folks you don't know. Learn from their experience.

Brainstorm about ways this group can have an impact on the community outside their individual churches.

Discover ways the group can help each other.

Bring snacks to share.

Empowerment gatherings

Back by popular demand, the Empowerment Workshop series at Trinity United Methodist in downtown is launching a series of three monthly gatherings beginning this week.

The titles are "The Injured Heart" on Thursday, Sept. 23; "Craving Change," on Thursday, Oct. 28; and "Listen to Your Life: Know Your Story, Shape Your Future" on Thursday, Nov. 18. All will begin at 11:45 a.m. and include a box lunch with a bottle of water.

The lunch and workshops are free, but registration is required by e-mail to church@trinitydurham.org by Tuesday before each workshop, or by calling the church at 683-1386 and leaving your name and your choice of turkey, ham or vegetarian lunch.

Inter-faith prayer

Durham Congregations In Action (Durham's 40-year-old interfaith network) is sponsoring an interfaith prayer service on Tuesday, Sept. 21, at 7 p.m. at Sanctuary United Methodist Church, 2317 Chapel Hill Road.

The service will include Christian, Jewish, Muslim, B'hai and Unitarian represented in the prayers, songs and readings shared. This will be an occasion to repudiate book-burning and prejudice here in our society in the U.S., as well as solidarity with oppressed minority faith-communities around the world.

This gathering on the International Day of Prayer for Peace (Sept. 21) is to share hopes, prayers and affirmations for the well-being and safety of all faith-communities, especially faith-communities of minority status.