Harvard, who has been at First Presbyterian for 26 years, is known for his love of urban church ministry, "the church in the city" as he calls it. He is recognized by the Presbyterian Church USA as one of its strong leaders in this area and served as chairman of the denomination's Urban Ministry Committee for 10 years.

Harvard likes to point out that First Presbyterian is a downtown church by choice. When urban flight was en vogue and some congregations cut and ran for the suburbs, First Presbyterian voted to stay at the corner of Main and Roxboro and to minister to people in the city.

"I feel very honored and appreciate being asked to preach at the chapel," he said this week. "I see this as a sign of the chapel reaching out to the community in a new way. A positive sign."

But this won't be his first Duke Chapel engagement. Harvard preached there "between Bob Young and Will Willimon," he said. Young and Willimon are former deans of the chapel.

Harvard's sermon is titled "Jesus Was No Angel," and the text is from Hebrews 1-2.

The Rev. Craig Kocher, assistant dean, said the chapel has a rich tradition of inviting outstanding preachers to its pulpit.

"Many of them come from outside the local area, though we frequently invite local clergy who serve within the university," he said. "... The Rev. Joe Harvard is one of Durham's senior church leaders and has a long tradition of working for good across religious, economic and racial lines in our community."

Bethesda Church to hold County Fair

Bethesda Baptist Church and Bethesda Christian Academy are holding their annual County Fair today from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the church grounds at 1914 S. Miami Blvd.

All rides, games and food are free. These will include a climbing wall, super giant slide, bungee run, magic playland for toddlers, speed pitch, obstacle course and basketball. Cotton candy, snow cones, popcorn, nachos, roasted corn and hot dogs will be on the menu. All are welcome.

Free concert series at Sacred Grounds

The concert series at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse, 2700 N. Roxboro Road, will present Danny Smith with special guest Joe Vaughan in a program of contemporary Christian music tonight from 8 o'clock to closing.

There is no cover charge and all drinks and desserts are by donation. The event is child-friendly, with a game room separate from the stage area.

Sacred Grounds is a ministry of St. Paul United Methodist Church.

Religious professor to discuss acclaimed book

Erskine Clarke will discuss his prize-winning book "Dwelling Place: A Plantation Epic" Thursday at 7 p.m. at First Presbyterian Church. A dinner at 6 p.m. will precede the discussion.

Clarke won the Bancroft Prize for the best book on American history in 2005. His book is a history of family living, both black and white, in the pre-Civil War South.

Clarke is professor of American Religious History at Columbia Theological Seminary. He is an ordained Presbyterian minister, and his earlier book is titled "Wrestlin' Jacob, A Portrait of Religion in the Old South."

Copies of his book will be available at the event, which is co-sponsored by the Regulator Bookshop. The public is invited. First Presbyterian is located at 305 E. Main St. in downtown.

Duke's Chapel UMC to hold Fall Bazaar

Duke's Chapel United Methodist, 805 Old Oxford Highway, will hold its annual Fall Bazaar today from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the church.

As in past years, the church will sell baked goods, jams, jellies, pickles, handmade crafts and holiday gift items. Call the church office at 220-1056 for more information.

Contests and crafts for McMannen event

Also scheduled today is the Fall Festival on the church grounds at McMannen United Methodist, 4102 Neal Road in West Durham.

The festival, from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m., will feature freshly baked goods, crafts, bluegrass music, a yard sale, silent auction, youth entertainment, roasted peanut sale and a baby sitting contest.

Takeout orders of "McMannen's famous Brunswick stew" will be available for $7 a quart, according to Dale Coats, a church member. Sit-down meals in the fellowship hall will feature stew, barbecue, chicken and dumplings, slaw, hushpuppies and homemade desserts, served from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. Tickets are $8 for adults and $5 for children under 12.

Four choirs to make one angelic sound

The combined choirs of four Walltown neighborhood churches will present "Bridges of Song," a concert of sacred music at 4 p.m. Sunday at Watts Street Baptist, 800 Watts St.

The concert is designed to celebrate the different musical cultures of the individual congregations and to promote racial reconciliation. Participating churches include St. John's Baptist, Northside Baptist, Blacknall Memorial and Watts Street.

Frank Williams, retired director of choral activities at N.C. Central University, is the director.

The concert is the result of a Choral Music Festival that began Friday with a day-long workshop led by Williams. The festival is sponsored by Triangle United Way and the music endowment of Watts Street Baptist.

Williams, who now works with Richmond, Va., Public Schools as an instruction specialist for fine arts and coordinator of the Arts and Humanities Center, is also the minister of music at Moore Street Baptist Church in Richmond.

Evangelistic ministry presents concert

Cheryse McLeod, mezzo-soprano, and Rhiannon Gibbons, soprano, will be accompanied on the piano by Laura Moore during a concert Sunday at 4 p.m. at St. Stephen's Episcopal Church, 82 Kimberly Drive.

This is an evangelistic program of the church that is focused on providing great music for both the congregation and the community.

In addition to the visual beauty of the church setting, St. Stephen's has various keyboard instruments -- Flentrop organ, Dowd harpsichord and Yamaha grand piano -- making its sanctuary a good place for a concert series.

Because of generous gifts from sponsors, the church is able to offer the series at little or no cost to music lovers in the Durham and Triangle area.

For more information, call R. Benjamin Hutchens, director of music, at 493-5451.

Worship, eat and ask the reverend

The North Carolina Religious Coalition for Marriage Equality will present a day with the Rev. James Forbes next Saturday at Pullen Memorial Baptist Church in Raleigh.

Worship will begin at 10:30 a.m., followed by lunch at noon and a question-and-answer session with Forbes at 1 p.m.

Registration is $20 and can be done online or by calling the Rev. Jack McKinney at the church, (919) 828-0897.

The church is located at 1801 Hillsborough St. in Raleigh.

New Sunday services for Christian Assembly

Christian Assembly Church, 5516 Roxboro Road, has outgrown one service and has begun two new Sunday morning services. They are at 9 and 11 a.m; a nursery is provided for both services. There is also a children's ministry at 11 a.m.

For more information, call the church office at 471-0220.

Myriad events mark church's 25th year

Northside Christian Church, 3901 Cole Mill Road, is marking its 25th year with services and special events that began last night at the church.

Today, adults and children will have the opportunity to play games and visit with friends. Games will start at 2 p.m. At 3:30 p.m. a church group will present special music, and congregational singing will follow at 4 p.m. A pig picking is on tap for 5 p.m. Charles Aldridch, a former minister at the church, will speak at 6 p.m.

A Timothy Hour is set for Sunday from 9:45 to 10:45 a.m. This is a time when former members who are now ministers will share their stories. Worship is at 11 a.m., during which Jim Joiner from Georgia will preach. The service will include recognition of charter members, four of whom still attend the church, and groups and individuals will present special music.

The church was organized in 1964 as Friendly City Church of Christ. Later, it bought a house on Landon Street. Maurice Hylton was the first full-time minister.

After outgrowing the house, the congregation again met at the YMCA for a time, all the while searching for property. The church purchased land at the corner of Hardee Street and Cheek Road and a new building was completed in the spring of 1971. Later, the church decided to sell the building and relocate to another part of the city. At this time, the congregation met at the Mt. Sylvan Ruritan Club building on Roxboro Road, and the name was changed to Northside Christian Church to reflect the new location.

In August of 1981, the church's present building and land were bought and the congregation moved to Cole Mill Road. Larry East is the minister and has served the congregation since February 2001.