The Biblical accounts say that early in the morning it was Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" who came to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. And it was Mary Magdalene who first proclaimed, "He is not here. He has been raised."

We female Christians like to remind the world that it was Mary -- not Peter or James or John --who first proclaimed the risen Christ. Some say this could not be classified as preaching, but it sounds a bit like it to me. This gives rise to a question that still plagues some Christian communities: Should women be allowed to preach -- in the church, from the pulpit -- or is such serious stuff the prerogative of men only?

Many churches settled this question long ago, while others still hold up the bar when it comes to women in the pulpit. On this Easter Sunday, a few congregations in Durham will have the privilege of hearing the risen Christ proclaimed by a woman -- a woman who, like her male counterparts, has answered a call to this ministry and has spent just as much time preparing for her calling as have her brothers.

Sunrise and other early services Sunday morning include the following:

CHRIST THE KING MORAVIAN: You don't have to travel to Winston-Salem to find a Moravian sunrise service. Christ the King, 4404 Hope Valley Road, will hold an outdoor service at 7 a.m. Music will be provided by church members who play brass instruments, including Pastor Frank Venable on the trombone.

A special guest this year will be Pastor Dupsy Omotosho and his congregation from Jesus City Church in Durham, where many members are from Nigeria. Omotosho will be one of the liturgists. After the service, all are invited to fellowship inside the church with a breakfast of sugar cake, coffee and juice.

SARAH P. DUKE GARDENS: The annual service in the gardens on the Duke campus begins at 6:30 a.m. with music by members of the Duke Chapel Choir. The Rev. Craig Kocher, associate chapel dean, will speak.

CALVARY UNITED METHODIST: An outdoor service begins at 7:17 a.m. outside the church, on the corner of Trinity Avenue and Elizabeth Street. Participants are asked to bring flowers to adorn the cross. After the service, all are invited to a resurrection breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall.

CHRISTUS VICTOR LUTHERAN CHURCH: The service at 1615 N.C. 54 will begin at 6 a.m., to be followed by a potluck breakfast at 7:15 a.m.

EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST: Worshipers at the church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, will take part in a service of light at 7 a.m. It begins outside and continues inside the church as the Paschal candle is lit and the altar restored after having been stripped on Maundy Thursday.

Duke Divinity School sets Laity Weekend

Duke Divinity School's Laity Weekend is coming up April 25-26. This is an opportunity for laity of all communions to cultivate their faith through focused study with a member of the Divinity School faculty.

This year, Dr. Warren Smith will give the keynote address on "Forgiving our Enemies: The Test of True Faith." On Saturday, eight classes will be offered for focused study of spiritual formation, theology, Christian tradition, history and scripture.

For more information, visit www.divinity-duke.edu/laityweekend or call the Office of Continuing Education at 660-3448.

Meals on Wheels gets city officials involved

Meals on Wheels of Durham announced this week that it will hold Mayors for Meals Day on Monday as part of its March for Meals Campaign.

Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden will participate to show her support for seniors in the community. The event will highlight the valuable help provided by volunteers.

"Some of our volunteers pack meals from the kitchen, others deliver the meals and still others help with administrative work in the office," said Chris Headen, executive director.

The office is at 406 Rigsbee Ave., Suite 101.

"We hope to raise awareness of senior hunger in our community," he said. March for Meals is a national campaign in which Meals on Wheels of Durham is a participant.

Established in 1975, Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to Durham County residents who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. Since its inception, the program has served more than 1.5 million meals through the help and support of its staff, volunteers, donors and sponsors.

The program now has more than 300 volunteers who deliver 80,000 meals annually.

"The economic impact on the community from the gas that volunteers buy is about $250,000 a year," Headen said.

Anyone interested in becoming a Meals on Wheels volunteer can call Shirley Winston, volunteer coordinator, at 667-9426.

Meaningful messages stitched into quilts

Beginning March 30, Duke Chapel will host a textile art exhibit titled "Hope for Our World" by local artist Hollis Chatelain. Ten large, colorful and intricately detailed quilts will be hung from the triforium. They will examine themes of social justice.

On April 5, the public is invited to join the chapel in an "Art for Activism Day." It will begin at 1 p.m. with a conversation between Dean Sam Wells and the artist. It will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibit led by Chatelain.

The exhibit will be on display until April 14.

Holy Cross calls for reconciling Catholics

Holy Cross Catholic Church, 2438 S. Alston Ave., has issued an invitation to Catholics who have not attended Mass or received the Sacraments in a while to join Landings, a ministry of reconciliation that welcomes returning Catholics back into the church. Elizabeth Parker chairs the ministry at Holy Cross. Contact: Landings@holycrossdurham.org.

Easter Sunday will see many Christians across the city celebrating the empty tomb, the resurrection of Jesus.

The Biblical accounts say that early in the morning it was Mary Magdalene and "the other Mary" who came to the tomb, found the stone rolled away and the tomb empty. And it was Mary Magdalene who first proclaimed, "He is not here. He has been raised."

We female Christians like to remind the world that it was Mary -- not Peter or James or John --who first proclaimed the risen Christ. Some say this could not be classified as preaching, but it sounds a bit like it to me. This gives rise to a question that still plagues some Christian communities: Should women be allowed to preach -- in the church, from the pulpit -- or is such serious stuff the prerogative of men only?

Many churches settled this question long ago, while others still hold up the bar when it comes to women in the pulpit. On this Easter Sunday, a few congregations in Durham will have the privilege of hearing the risen Christ proclaimed by a woman -- a woman who, like her male counterparts, has answered a call to this ministry and has spent just as much time preparing for her calling as have her brothers.

Sunrise and other early services Sunday morning include the following:

CHRIST THE KING MORAVIAN: You don't have to travel to Winston-Salem to find a Moravian sunrise service. Christ the King, 4404 Hope Valley Road, will hold an outdoor service at 7 a.m. Music will be provided by church members who play brass instruments, including Pastor Frank Venable on the trombone.

A special guest this year will be Pastor Dupsy Omotosho and his congregation from Jesus City Church in Durham, where many members are from Nigeria. Omotosho will be one of the liturgists. After the service, all are invited to fellowship inside the church with a breakfast of sugar cake, coffee and juice.

SARAH P. DUKE GARDENS: The annual service in the gardens on the Duke campus begins at 6:30 a.m. with music by members of the Duke Chapel Choir. The Rev. Craig Kocher, associate chapel dean, will speak.

CALVARY UNITED METHODIST: An outdoor service begins at 7:17 a.m. outside the church, on the corner of Trinity Avenue and Elizabeth Street. Participants are asked to bring flowers to adorn the cross. After the service, all are invited to a resurrection breakfast at 8:30 a.m. in the fellowship hall.

CHRISTUS VICTOR LUTHERAN CHURCH: The service at 1615 N.C. 54 will begin at 6 a.m., to be followed by a potluck breakfast at 7:15 a.m.

EPWORTH UNITED METHODIST: Worshipers at the church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, will take part in a service of light at 7 a.m. It begins outside and continues inside the church as the Paschal candle is lit and the altar restored after having been stripped on Maundy Thursday.

Duke Divinity School sets Laity Weekend

Duke Divinity School's Laity Weekend is coming up April 25-26. This is an opportunity for laity of all communions to cultivate their faith through focused study with a member of the Divinity School faculty.

This year, Dr. Warren Smith will give the keynote address on "Forgiving our Enemies: The Test of True Faith." On Saturday, eight classes will be offered for focused study of spiritual formation, theology, Christian tradition, history and scripture.

For more information, visit www.divinity-duke.edu/laityweekend or call the Office of Continuing Education at 660-3448.

Meals on Wheels gets city officials involved

Meals on Wheels of Durham announced this week that it will hold Mayors for Meals Day on Monday as part of its March for Meals Campaign.

Mayor Pro-Tem Cora Cole-McFadden will participate to show her support for seniors in the community. The event will highlight the valuable help provided by volunteers.

"Some of our volunteers pack meals from the kitchen, others deliver the meals and still others help with administrative work in the office," said Chris Headen, executive director.

The office is at 406 Rigsbee Ave., Suite 101.

"We hope to raise awareness of senior hunger in our community," he said. March for Meals is a national campaign in which Meals on Wheels of Durham is a participant.

Established in 1975, Meals on Wheels delivers hot, nutritious meals to Durham County residents who are unable to provide or prepare meals for themselves. Since its inception, the program has served more than 1.5 million meals through the help and support of its staff, volunteers, donors and sponsors.

The program now has more than 300 volunteers who deliver 80,000 meals annually.

"The economic impact on the community from the gas that volunteers buy is about $250,000 a year," Headen said.

Anyone interested in becoming a Meals on Wheels volunteer can call Shirley Winston, volunteer coordinator, at 667-9426.

Meaningful messages stitched into quilts

Beginning March 30, Duke Chapel will host a textile art exhibit titled "Hope for Our World" by local artist Hollis Chatelain. Ten large, colorful and intricately detailed quilts will be hung from the triforium. They will examine themes of social justice.

On April 5, the public is invited to join the chapel in an "Art for Activism Day." It will begin at 1 p.m. with a conversation between Dean Sam Wells and the artist. It will be followed by a guided tour of the exhibit led by Chatelain.

The exhibit will be on display until April 14.

Holy Cross calls for reconciling Catholics

Holy Cross Catholic Church, 2438 S. Alston Ave., has issued an invitation to Catholics who have not attended Mass or received the Sacraments in a while to join Landings, a ministry of reconciliation that welcomes returning Catholics back into the church. Elizabeth Parker chairs the ministry at Holy Cross. Contact: Landings@holycrossdurham.org.