Where in the world is Sam Wells? As of mid-week, the Duke Chapel dean was here in Durham. However, if you had asked last weekend, the answer would have been Tehran, Iran. The trusty rumor mill, however, had put out the word in some quarters that the well-traveled chapel dean was in Iraq. And Bull City folks started wondering if he were on a fact-finding mission for the White House or, perhaps, recruiting for Duke University, since applications are down this year.

But let the wondering and speculation cease. The Rev. Sam Wells was doing what academic-type preachers often do: giving a paper at the first Tehran International Conference on Religion and Drama.

"President Ahmadinejad's government, though less than warm in some of its foreign policy moves, is very supportive of the arts," Wells said in an e-mail. "Iran has an ancient [1,200-year-old] history of drama, notably narrating the establishment of the Shiite branch of Islam during the time of the Prophet Mohammed's grandson."

Wells was one of 20 scholars from around the world, including India, Egypt, South Africa and Canada, who gave papers. The conference was broadcast on Iranian Channel 4 and reported in Tehran daily newspapers.

In the same e-mail, Wells said that after his talk he was asked questions from the floor on the Iranian revolution, Iraq and the Palestinian situation.

"The hosts were wonderfully hospitable," he said.

Man recognized for having heart to serve

A corporate lawyer from Memphis, Tenn., has been named Volunteer of the Year by Habitat for Humanity of Durham.

Philip Azar, who moved to Durham in 2005 to take a hiatus from a career in corporate America, began doing pro bono work for Habitat in February 2006.

His accomplishments during the year include a large government grant application for Habitat, in which he completed a required training course associated with the grant application and recruited local attorneys to work pro bono (free) to research legal requirements. He also worked on Habitat's behalf, making sure the affiliate was in compliance with the City of Durham's housing and engineering requirements.

He also has updated the manual used by Habitat's board of directors and developed public bid packages for Habitat's newest project, Hope Crossing, a 33-home subdivision on Junction Road in east Durham. He procured legal counsel, prepared the contracts, reviewed the bids and helped award the project to a contractor.

"Durham Habitat is grateful to Mr. Azar for his selfless contribution," said Miguel Rubiera, executive director. "His tireless work has made the dream of decent, affordable housing more of a reality for Durham families."

Azar, 43, said he fell in love with the Triangle area while visiting his parents, who have lived in Chapel Hill for 15 years.

"When the opportunity came to move, I had reached the point with Fed Ex that I had accomplished what I set out to do," he said. "I had done some work with Habitat before and when I was introduced to Miguel [Rubiera], I found he had this project that needed somebody to work on it. I wanted to get involved in the community so I put together a team that included two lawyers, a person in finance at Habitat and an engineer."

Azar, who lives in Trinity Park, sees Durham as a city "with a great mix, a city with a high quality of life and a really bright future." He's also attracted by what he calls "a lot of activity in the city," not just government and corporate, but among nonprofits as well, he said.

Durham's Habitat has its office at Trinity United Methodist Church in space the church has made available free of charge for 17 years. The staff now includes 14 full-time employees.

Habitat has broken ground on 175 homes since 1985 and expects to break ground at Hope Crossing on Junction Road in April. Habitat, with 1,700 affiliates in the United States, works in 100 countries worldwide.

Hope Creek to show movies with meaning

Hope Creek Church, a contemporary congregation at 4723 Erwin Road that bills itself as "the only place where Cameron Crazies and Tar Heels don't hate each other," is holding its annual "Blockbuster Weekends" in January.

At each weekend service, the congregation will view clips from one of the major blockbuster movies from the past year to find underlying spiritual truths.

This year, the church is using the following movies: "16 Blocks" with Bruce Willis (Jan. 13-14); "Pursuit of Happyness" with Will Smith (Jan. 20-21); and "Cars," the animated movie (Jan. 27-28).

Weekend services are held at 6 p.m. on Saturdays and at 9 and 11 a.m. on Sundays. The Web site says that the 9 a.m. service is for "early risers" and the 11 a.m. is for "slackers and generally lazy people." It also specifies that the services are contemporary with "no snakes and no caged drummers," and that "free coffee and [bagels]" are always on the menu.

Fellowship hall wants to recharge America

The Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship will present a free public screening of "Kilowatt Ours: A Plan to Re-energize America," at 7 p.m. on Jan. 19 in the fellowship hall. A discussion of the documentary film will follow.

"Kilowatt Ours" exposes the dependence of the southeastern United States on coal-generated electricity and looks at energy conservation and renewable energy movements. The discussion will focus on what individual citizens can do to save energy costs and strengthen local economies.

The fellowship is at 4907 Garrett Road. All are welcome.

Author to preach at First Presbyterian

Tim Tyson, author of "Blood Done Sign My Name," will preach Sunday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church. Mary D. Williams, a noted gospel singer, will sing the song from which Tyson's book got its name.

Tyson's book has won numerous awards, including the Grawemeyer Award in Religion from the University of Louisville and Louisville Presbyterian Theological Seminary. The book tells the story of a racial murder in Oxford in 1970 and the uprising that followed.

"Tim Tyson encourages us to remember our past, so that we can find a more just future," said the Rev. Joe Harvard of First Presbyterian.

The public is invited.

College fashion takes spotlight in ministry

The college ministry at Russell Memorial CME Church, 703 S. Alston Ave., is sponsoring a fashion show and luncheon on Jan. 20 at 2 p.m. at the church. Admission is a donation of $10. Proceeds from the event will be used in the church's college ministry.