The man dubbed "Disaster Pastor" at Westminster Presbyterian will be leaving his post Sunday the way he arrived more than 10 years ago. With flair.

The Rev. Paul Ransford will preach at the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services and will be honored by the congregation after worship with a catered barbecue in the church courtyard.

Retiring because of health issues, Ransford, 65, has had a distinguished career in both the Reformed Church in America and the Presbyterian Church USA. From 1982 until he came to Westminster in 1997, he was in charge of outdoor ministry for the Presbytery of New Hope, including Camp New Hope in Orange County.

Church members will long remember his command performance in a church musical "Exodus: Escape from Egypt County," a western version of the Moses story. Wearing a cowboy hat, boots and chaps, Ransford rode in on a trusty broomstick horse and gave a splendidly outrageous performance.

His Disaster Pastor moniker, however, was not earned because he shot up the place during his lively onstage appearance, but because he was the sparkplug that roused this large congregation to do disaster relief. First it was to flood victims in Edgecombe and Hyde counties here in N.C. after Hurricane Floyd in 1999. In 2005, they aided folks along the Gulf Coast after Hurricane Katrina.

The Rev. Haywood Holderness, the former senior pastor now retired, worked with Ransford most of his years at Westminster. He said his associate did two specific things that changed the life of the church.

"He developed the youth program and trained a room full of young adults to lead it so that when he was not there the program continued without a falter," Holderness said.

"The second thing was helping the congregation to involve itself in disaster relief. Nearly half the church was involved, working in teams going to Edgecombe County on Thursdays and Saturdays and during Katrina when he organized teams to go to the Gulf Coast."

Holderness said there was no "ought to go or should go" in the church's response.

"They felt God was calling them to do this," Holderness said.

"Paul's greatest gift may be that for organizing, inspiring and encouraging," he said.

"I smile when I think about Paul," said church member Julie Fishell, who is an actress, director and teacher in the Dramatic Arts Department at UNC-Chapel Hill.

"He made such a spectacle of himself riding that broomstick horse that we knew early on we would have to write a plot line for his appearance in all the shows from then on," she said.

During the show last summer Fishell was out of town for the final performance; she put a child performer in charge of hanging out backstage to give Ransford his cue to gallop onstage.

"Paul relied on her to give him his cue," Fishell said. "This says so much about him. He personifies humility and a sense of humor. It was so wonderful to know that a little child would lead him and that he would let that little child be in charge."

Ransford, recovering from a stroke, said this week that saying goodbye and being disabled at the same time are a bit overwhelming.

"But the attention from the saints has been marvelous, a celebration of ministry together," he said. "All of that has been very sustaining and I have an increasing sense of well being."

On Sunday, he and his broomstick horse will make their final appearance together on the Westminster stage when he does the children's sermon for both services. It will be a reprise of 10 years of summer musicals in the life of the church.

"We need someone else to ride the horse," he said. "I hope one of the children will feel called to do that. This is a good horse with many miles still to ride."

Workshop planned to help us help homeless

Emily Sanford, leader of the Open Table ministry for homeless people, will hold a workshop titled "Unsheltered Hospitality" on homelessness in Durham, focusing on ways that individuals and churches can get involved.

The workshop is set for Saturday, April 5, from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. at Rougemont United Methodist Church, on the corner of U.S. 501 North and Red Mountain Road in Rougemont.

Sanford said local congregations can play a vital role as Durham continues with its 10-year plan to end homelessness.

"This workshop will provide a theological framework for exploring homelessness, surprising facts about homelessness and information about how churches can get involved through outreach, prevention, advocacy, support and friendship," she said.

The program, which includes lunch, will feature a panel discussion of former and current homeless individuals and people who work with local ministries.

The workshop is Sanford's capstone project as a dual degree student at Duke Divinity School and the UNC School of Social Work. She will graduate in May.

There is no cost for the workshop or for lunch. To register, call Sanford at (919) 599-4181 or e-mail her at emily.sanford@duke.edu.

Atypical remix: gospel, country, comedy

The Malpass Brothers, an entertainment group that blends vintage gospel and country music with comedic banter, will give a free concert in the Family Life Center at Aldersgate United Methodist tonight (Saturday) at 7 p.m.

The group is composed of the grandsons and son-in-law of the Rev. Tom Holtsclaw, interim pastor, and Jan Holtsclaw of Roxboro. The group has shared the mike with Willie Nelson, Doc Watson, Marty Stuart, Don Helms, Ray Price, the Lewis Family and many others.

Christopher Malpass will croon the tunes of late, great singers such as Hank Williams Sr., Lefty Frizzell, Ernest Tubb and Johnny Cash. Taylor Malpass, just a teenager, provides novel musicianship for the group.

The brothers are joined by their father, Chris Malpass, who provides support on the upright bass.

Admission is free; an offering will be taken.

White Rock hosts financial seminar

Titus Women of White Rock Baptist Church, 3400 Fayetteville St., is inviting all women to a "No More Excuses" financial workshop at 9 a.m. on April 5 in the church fellowship hall.

More information is available by calling the Rev. Irene Perry at (919) 604-0905.

What dreams may come and what they mean

Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will host a public lecture and two workshops on Friday and Saturday, April 4-5, on dreams as a way to understand oneself.

The Rev. Jeremy Taylor, an innovator of group process in dream work and a Unitarian Universalist minister, will lead the sessions.

The April 4 lecture from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. is titled "Why Do We Dream?" On April 5 from 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., Taylor will conduct a beginner's workshop on "Working with Dreams." An intermediate workshop, "The Next Level" from 6:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m., will end the series. This session is for those who have previously taken a workshop with Taylor.

The package of one lecture and two workshops is $100. The lecture and the beginner's workshop are $65. The lecture only is $10, beginner's workshop $60 and intermediate workshop $40. These prices are contingent on registration made through April 1. Registrants after April 1 and walk-ins are welcome.

To register, call (919) 489-2575. Visit www.jeremytaylor.com for more information.