Sorry, Pastor Malloy, that I didn't get to see you in costume as a king in the Christmas play at your church. Or modeling one of your 12 pulpit robes in all the colors of the liturgical year. Nobody told me that your four-year ministry in the Bull City was outside the box.

I would like to have written about one of those Sundays when you treated your congregation at Lakewood United Methodist on Chapel Hill Road to a little taste of "black preaching," putting some real zest into what happens at 11 a.m. on Sunday. And what about the bit parts you played in "Divine Secrets of the Ya-Ya Sisterhood" and the TV series "Dawson's Creek"? Wish I'd known.

And somebody told me you were a super shopper, going to thrift stores where you snatched up all the bargains in a few minutes and then gave it all away. What a story.

The Rev. James Malloy, 50, whose new assignment is a three-church charge near Sanford, was too busy this week packing up and getting moved (Tuesday was Methodist moving day) to talk with a tardy reporter who learned too late that this gentleman was a mover and shaker in the Tuscaloosa-Lakewood Neighborhood, as well as a leader of a multiracial congregation.

The new pastor, the Rev. Gail Meyers, 52, will be the fourth black pastor to serve this congregation.

The new minister, who is coming from Longview United Methodist in Raleigh, will preach her first sermon in Durham on Sunday.

"I'm excited about serving a diverse congregation," she said.

Meyers, a recent graduate of Duke Divinity School, is married to Albert Meyers, who is dean of continuing education at Johnston Community College. They have three children.

Taking down the tent

The Durham for Jesus Tent Ministry at 1003 E. Main St. will end its summer run tonight at 7 p.m. Special events for adolescents began Friday and are continuing today. Youth gathered Friday morning, and, after receiving training, went from door to door witnessing for Jesus Christ, said Pastor Vernell Alston of Wings of Eagles Church.

The youth will participate under the tent tonight in leading praise, worship and preaching.

"The tent has been a place of refuge to many that have found their way to it this summer," Alston said.

About 25 have made professions of faith in Jesus, Alston said, and others have come to rededicate their lives to God.

Learning from life lost

In observance of the 100th birthday of Dietrich Bonhoeffer over this summer, First Presbyterian Church will discuss several of his books and view a documentary of his life.

Bonhoeffer was a pastor and theologian in the German church who was executed for his opposition to the Nazi regime. His life and teachings continue to be used in churches and seminaries around the world.

The session begins Sunday, with a discussion of his book "The Cost of Discipleship." Kay-Robert Volkwijn, a pastor and a native of South Africa, will lead the session. Volkwijn has served the Presbyterian Church USA in many capacities.

"The work of Dietrich Bonhoeffer was very influential on me in my preparation for ministry and the church in South Africa during the struggle against Apartheid," Volkwijn said.

The discussion will take place at 9:45 a.m. in Watts-Hill Hall at the church, 305 E. Main St. The public is invited.

In a city with a Summit, hope is always in good supply

Putting some brawn behind its slogan "Making it hard to go to hell in Durham," The Summit Church is partnering with a long list of city organizations and ministries this week for an event called Focus on Hope.

The purpose is to engage the community where it is and at points of need to demonstrate acts of the love of Christ in practical ways.

The outreach begins on Wednesday and ends next Saturday with a block party from 3 to 5 p.m. on the grounds of Eastway Elementary School, corner of Alston Avenue and Liberty Street.

Free music, games and food will be served to children of all ages, and games will include a 30-foot mobile rock climbing wall, an inflatable obstacle course and face painting. Music will be provided by Que Pasa Radio, The Light 103.9FM radio and The Summit Church.

Three days of community projects will involve such organizations and ministries as Habitat for Humanity, John Avery Boys and Girls Club, Agape Corner, Pregnancy Support Services, Child Evangelism Fellowship, S.E.E.D.S. (South Eastern Efforts Developing Sustainable Spaces), and the city's Department of Parks and Recreation.

On the final day, a mobile clinic offering free dental checkups, beginning at 8 a.m., will be parked at S.E.E.D.S. on Gilbert Street.

Pastor J.D. Greear said the initial goal was to get 80 percent of Summit members involved face-to-face with the community.

"We realize that we are not simply here to grow a great church, but to love and bless our city," he said. "The city should be better for our having been here. Our main job is teaching the Bible, but the community needs to know that we love it body and soul."

Everybody on stage at worship Sunday at Riverside High School, where the church is meeting until it builds a new facility, will be wearing a T-shirt that says: "I Love Durham."