Judea Reform in Durham and Kehillah Synagogue in Chapel Hill are offering a program about the proposed amendment to the state constitution banning same sex unions in North Carolina.

Dr. Maxine Eichner, UNC law professor, and Barbara Fedders, a lawyer, will lead the presentation on the meaning of the proposed constitutional amendment and its potential effects on gay couples and non-married opposite-sex couples.

The event, free and open to the public, is set for Sunday, Feb. 5, from 10 to 11:30 a.m. at Kehillah Synagogue, 1200 Mason Farm Road, Chapel Hill.

On May 8, North Carolina voters will vote on the proposed constitutional amendment.

"Our Jewish tradition calls us to fight discrimination based on sexual orientation," said Rabbi Jennifer Feldman of Kehillah Synagogue. "That is why we are holding a special educational session on Judaism and the North Carolina proposed constitutional amendment to ban gay marriage. As committed Jews and concerned citizens of North Carolina, we must oppose this amendment."

"It is extremely important that North Carolina voters understand the broad effects that the amendment would have on families before they vote in May," said Eichner, the featured speaker. "The amendment could undermine a broad range of legal protections for committed but unmarried couples, including same-sex couples."

This program is intended to give community members the tools to speak with friends and family about the potential consequences of voter approval.

Fellowship installs

new lead minister

The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4907 Garrett Road in Durham, will install the Rev. Deborah Cayer as its fourth lead minister at 4 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 12, in the sanctuary.

Cayer was elected lead minister by an overwhelming majority vote of the congregation last June.

As part of Installation Weekend, a one-day conference titled "Transformations: Building a Multicultural Beloved Community," will convene at 8:30 a.m. on Saturday, Feb. 11, on the Eno River campus.

Cayer came to Eno River as assistant minister for spiritual development after serving a dozen years as minister of the historic Unitarian Church in Sharon, Mass. She is a graduate of Smith College and Harvard Divinity School. She is married to Christopher Cayer. The couple has two grown daughters.

The denomination's Multicultural Congregations Program Coordinator, the Rev. Alicia R. Forde, will lead the conference on Saturday. It is open to Unitarian Universalists throughout the five-state Southeast District.

Local and visiting clergy will assist in Cayer's installation service. The Rev. Jeanne Pupke, senior minister of First Unitarian Church in Richmond, Va., will preach at the afternoon ceremony. Forde will preach at the 9:30 and 11:15 a.m. services. A procession of area clergy is part of the formal installation.

Eno River Fellowship was founded in 1966 with 42 members. Today its 550 members constitute one of the Unitarian Universalist Association's 37 medium-sized congregations.

The Eno River Fellowship includes members from the Greater Triangle area.

Study series addresses theology, race

Mount Level Missionary Baptist, 316 Hebron Road, is offering a Wednesday night study series during February on "True to our God, True to our Native Land: Conversations on Theology and Race."

The schedule includes presentations by the Rev. Dr. J. Kameron Carter on Feb. 1 and 8; by the Rev. Dr. Willie Jennings on Feb. 15; and by the Rev. Dr. Rodney Sadler Jr. on Feb. 22.

A lecture and luncheon will be held on Feb. 25 with the Rev. Dr. William Barber as moderator. Barber is head of the North Carolina branch of the NAACP.

Interested persons are asked to contact the church at 477-3893 for details, including registration and event fees.

The Rev. Dr. William C. Turner Jr. is pastor at Mount Level.

Women's prayer event scheduled

Area clergy women are invited to prepare for Lent with Shelley Wiley, a Presbyterian minister and theologian and the author of "Pray the Beauty All Around."

The group will gather today from 7 to 9 p.m. and on Thursday from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. at 1609 Hollywood St. The cost is $25.

The event is sponsored by the Resource Center for Women & Ministry in the South, 1202 Watts St., 683-1236.

Service group installs new president

The Rev. Dr. Ginger Brasher-Cunningham, pastor of Pilgrim United Church of Christ, was installed as president of Durham Congregations in Action during the annual dinner meeting last week at St. Stephen's Episcopal.

Other officers are Hank Elchin of Holy Cross Catholic, LaNella Smith of New Creation United Methodist and Bob Newlin of Parkwood United Methodist.

In addition to these elections, the business meeting included the presentation of CROP Walk and Seed Money Grants.

A total of 10 hunger relief groups in the city received grants in different amounts from the 25 percent of CROP Walk monies that remain in Durham each year. The total distributed from the 2011 CROP Walk was $37,981.

Those receiving these grants include Changing a Generation Outreach, Food Bank of Central & Eastern NC, Genesis Home, Housing for New Hope, Interfaith Hospitality Network, Meals on Wheels, Mt. Calvary UCC Food Pantry, Society of St. Andrew, Threshold and Urban Ministries of Durham.

The 2012 CROP Walk will be held on April 1.

Seven local programs shared $6,000 in DCIA Seed Money grants. This is money from DCIA's general revenue and went to Achieving Health for a Lifetime, Circles of Support and Accountability, Durham Crisis Response Center, Durham Economic Resource Center, Durham Partnership for Children, John Avery Boys and Girls Club and Latino Educational Achievement Partnership.

Faith event focuses

on fathers

The Early Childhood Faith Initiative will present a lunch and learn, "Getting Fathers Involved with Young Children," from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb.7, at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 2620 Weaver St.

Jeff Quinn from Duke's Center for Child and Family Policy will discuss the importance of father involvement in early development and share suggestions on how fathers can get involved in children's lives.

A panel of ministers will make suggestions about how congregations can help fathers get involved as well as their own personal experiences as fathers.

Participants should bring lunch; drinks are provide. Registration can be made by contacting Winnie Morgan at winniewmorgan@juno.com or calling 732-1524.

This session is free and open to the public and sponsored by Durham's Partnership fore Children and End Poverty Durham.

Rescue Mission breaks ground on center

History was made in North East Central Durham last week when the Durham Rescue Mission hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for its new building, Center for Hope, to be located on the Men's Campus at the corner of East Main Street and Hwy. 55.

This will be the first time the 37-year-old ministry has built a new building from the ground up. After several years of fund raising, the mission reached its Phase 1 goal of $4.5 million in December.

The present kitchen used by the mission is smaller than the inside of a school bus and often in times of severe weather, men must sleep on the floor in the dining room to stay warm.

The new facility will provide a large kitchen and dining area as well as 88 beds for the emergency shelter and plenty of storage, classrooms and office space.

The mission, the oldest shelter in the city providing long-term shelter, counseling and vocational training, accommodates an average of 206 men, women and children each day.