Two friends are launching a 12-week Worship & Wellness program for men and women, beginning Sept. 12 at Grove Park Chapel, 805 Sherron Road.

Jennifer Young, a licensed and registered dietician, will talk about the what, why and how of nutrition in a 30-minute segment of each session, followed by 45 minutes of structured exercise led by Sara Locklear, an aerobics instructor.

The women view the new venture as a way to help others achieve their goals for health and physical fitness, and as a way to "spread the good news given to us through Jesus Christ," Young said. "Worship & Wellness will explore the connection between your health and your faith in Jesus Christ," she said.

The exercise component will feature energizing aerobic exercises combined with stationary exercises to help tone specific muscle groups in the arms, legs and torso.

The mission, Young said, is to "glorify God through nourishment of body and spirit so that we may live the abundant life that God has given us."

The nutrition classes will seek to set participants on the pathway to living a healthier life. A supermarket tour to help participants make smart choices when shopping will be offered, and working out an eating plan -- not a diet -- will be the focus of the nutrition component.

Participants do not have to be members of Grove Park Chapel.

Sessions will be held on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 6:30 to 7:45 p.m. The cost is $40 per month for three months or $110 for the 12-week session. Child care is available for $1 per child, per class.

Interested persons can fill out a registration form by calling the chapel at 596-1152. Anyone with questions may leave a number and either Young or Locklear will return the call. Registration is also available online by visiting www.groveparkchapel.com. Look under announcements and download the registration form.

Regular St. Paul's worship starts Sunday

St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1200 W. Cornwallis Road, will end the summer service schedule and resume regular worship hours beginning on Sunday. Eventide Eucharist worship will continue every Saturday at 5:30 p.m. Sunday worship will be at 8:30 and 11 a.m. All three services celebrate Holy Communion each week.

Sunday church school will hold Rally Day, the official kickoff for the coming year, on Sept. 10 at 9:30 a.m. Regular Sunday school will begin on Sept. 17, 9:45 to 10:45 a.m., with classes for children, adolescents and adults.

Coming home for the 166th time

Duke's Chapel United Methodist Church, 807 Old Oxford Highway, will hold its 166th homecoming on Sept. 10. The Rev. Jeff Haugh, who was a member of the church while he was a student at Duke Divinity School, will be the guest speaker for the worship service at 11 a.m. A covered-dish luncheon will be served.

Pastoral anniversary at North East Baptist

North East Baptist Church, 3204 N.C. 55, will celebrate the 15th pastoral anniversary of Pastor Wesley Elam Sr., beginning Wednesday and continuing through Sunday.

A Family Fest will kick off the observance on Wednesday at 6:30 p.m. at the church. Gospel recording artists Luther Barnes and the Sunset Jubilaires will be featured at the Anniversary Banquet and Concert on Sept. 9 at 6 p.m. at Embassy Suites Hotel in Cary.

Pastor Elam's nephew, the Rev. James T. Elam Jr., pastor of Dunamis Christian Center in Hampton, Va., will be the banquet speaker.

Guest speakers for two services on Sept. 10 will be the Rev. Billy C. Nicholson, founder of Light Ministries, at 8 a.m. and the Rev. Derric Gregory, associate minister of First Calvary Baptist Church, at 10:45 a.m.

The public is invited to attend all events. Banquet tickets must be purchased in advance at $35 per person. Call the church office at 544-2142 for more information.

Yard sale goes into its second week

A yard sale that began last Saturday will continue today at Calvary United Methodist Church, at the intersection of Trinity Avenue and Elizabeth Street.

"We had hundreds of shoppers last week who purchased $1,500 worth of back-to-school and household things," said the Rev. Laurie Hays Coffman, pastor.

The sale is a joint venture between Calvary and Cristo Vive United Methodist, with proceeds going toward starting a new youth group and pre-school for Cristo Vive and funding world missions for Calvary, too.

Items for sale will include furniture, electronics, books, shoes, clothes for children and adults, kitchen items, picture frames, jewelry and more.

The sale begins this morning at 8 and continues until noon.

Duke teacher to teach lessons of Apostle Paul

The Rev. Mickey Efird, a professor at Duke Divinity School and a Bible teacher of note, will be teaching First Corinthians, the apostle Paul's letter to a struggling church, on all the Wednesdays in September at Epworth United Methodist, at the intersection of Hope Valley Road and University Drive. Class time is from 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. Tuition is $55.

St. Philip's names interim rector

The Vestry of St. Philip's Episcopal Church, 403 E. Main St., has called the Rev. Vicki L. Smith to serve as interim rector. Her first Sunday at St. Philip's will be Sept. 10.

She brings more than 20 years of parish ministry experience to St. Philip's. For the past seven years, she served as rector at St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Upper Arlington, Ohio. She led St. Mark's through a long-range planning process that clearly defined a vision for that parish. A successful capital campaign grew out of this vision and resulted in a recently completed $1.6 million building and renovation project.

Smith earned her master of divinity degree from the Berkeley Divinity School at Yale in 1984, and a doctor of ministry from McCormick Theological Seminary in Chicago in 2002. In 1984, she was ordained a deacon in the Diocese of Maine and a priest in Maine, as well.

Her husband, Kevin, recently joined Duke University as the Scholarly Communications Officer.