Durham native and author Eli Evans, whose book about growing up Jewish in the Bull City is a must-read for anyone interested in the city's history, will be in town Sunday for a program called "Coming Home: Stories about Growing Up Jewish in Durham, starring Mayor Mutt, Miz Evans and Jennie's Almost All-Girl Band."

Evans, a graduate of Durham High School and the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, is the son of E.J. "Mutt" Evans. The elder Evans was Durham's first Jewish mayor, serving six terms from 1951 to 1963.

"The Provincials: A Personal History of Jews in the South" was published in 1973 and has been in print for 33 years. The book combines autobiography and history, as Eli draws on interviews he conducted during 7,000 miles of travel across the South. He updated the book in 1997, and the University of North Carolina Press published a new edition in 2005.

During a career in New York City, where he served as president of the Charles H. Revson Foundation, Evans has maintained close ties to the South and Durham.

Durham resident Mary Duke Biddle Trent Semans, a former mayor pro tem of the city, will introduce Evans at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the North Carolina Mutual Insurance Company building, 411 W. Chapel Hill St.

The program, which is free and open to the public, is co-sponsored by Durham County Library's North Carolina Collection and by Scientific Properties, a Durham-based real estate development firm.

All-female group to perform in free concert

Ensemble Vermillian will perform French Baroque chamber music at 4 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of Watts Street Baptist Church, 800 Watts St. The concert is free and open to the public.

This all-female ensemble is known for exciting performances, said Larry Speakman, director of music at the church.

The four musicians will perform on authentic and period-reproduction instruments. Their program will feature works by de la Guerre, a child prodigy in the court of French King Louis XIV who went on to publish music; Rebel, also a child star of his time; Couperin, who was famous during his lifetime for his harpsichord compositions; and Marais, a viola da gamba player who was portrayed in the 1991 movie "Tous les Matins du Monde."

A not-so-scary, but fun 'Holyween'

"Holyween" is on tap today from 4:30 to 7 p.m. at Hope Valley Baptist Church, 6900 Garrett Road.

The event, designed for all ages, will feature a pizza dinner at which donations will go to missions. There will also be game booths, cake walks, bingo with prizes and refreshments.

The festivities will end when children take part in Trunk or Treat, an activity in which car trunks in the parking lot are decorated and stocked with the usual Halloween goodies and children are invited to make the rounds.

Eno River Unitarian Church unites choirs

Eno River Unitarian Universalist Fellowship, 4907 Garrett Road, will host its annual Choirfest at 7 p.m. today in the sanctuary.

A combined chorus of 130 voices will sing movements from Carl Orff's "Carmina Burana" under the direction of Kevin Badanes, director of music. A four-hand piano accompaniment with percussion led by Duke University percussion professor John Hanks will support the Orff selections.

Individual choirs from Unitarian Universalist congregations in Chapel Hill, Morehead City, Raleigh, Wilmington and Durham will perform pieces led by their own directors.

The Choirfest program is free, but donations are welcome.

Confirmations highlight Reformation Sunday

St. Paul's Lutheran at 1200 W. Cornwallis Road will mark Reformation Sunday during its worship service at 10 a.m. on Sunday.

During the service, nine youths will be confirmed, and a celebratory brunch will be served afterward.

The church's 5:30 p.m. service today will be held as usual.

Cartoon classic movie at Sacred Grounds

Tonight is Movie Night at Sacred Grounds Coffeehouse. The movie to be shown at 6 p.m. is "The Lion King."

Families are welcome. Free popcorn and drinks will be served.

The coffeehouse is an outreach ministry of St. Paul United Methodist Church, 2700 N. Roxboro Road.

Peace Presbyterian sends Bibles to Baghdad

Peace Presbyterian Church is again cranking up its Bibles to Baghdad project and is sending copies of the scriptures to Kevin Rumsey, a member of the congregation who is a chaplain's assistant in Iraq. He is assigned to a Marine wing support group that is part of the Marine Air Wing.

In a recent e-mail, Rumsey said he is on his second tour of duty and has worked with five Navy chaplains.

"Most of my time is spent visiting Marines on a secured Marine air base. The Marines provide the external security for the base. So the chaplain and I travel, visiting Marines all hours of the day as we care for their personal and religious needs," he wrote.

Rumsey said he has spent 30 days in the city of Ramadi where he worked for two Navy chaplains and has been on 24 convoys through the city, providing Catholic Mass for the Marines.

Peace Church, which meets at the Lions Club building on Hillandale Road, recently raised $300 for the Bible project during a bake sale at the Kroger grocery store on Roxboro Road.

"We have ordered 20 leather-bound, special award Marine Bibles with the money," said the Rev. James Banks at the church. "We also have 100 other Bibles we will be sending as well. This will make a total of well over 1,600 Bibles that the church has sent to Marines in Iraq."

The Bibles will be shipped this week, Banks said.