The last chance to hear the Rev. Peter Gomes preach during his five-month sojourn in the Bull City will be Sunday at Watts Street Baptist Church.

Gomes, an American Baptist minister and a professor at Harvard University, is widely regarded as one of the nation's most distinguished preachers. He has spread his talents around during the past semester while teaching at both Duke University and UNC-Chapel Hill. Since arriving in January, he has preached at Duke Chapel, Judea Reform Congregation, Covenant Presbyterian and First Presbyterian in Durham, and at University United Methodist and University Presbyterian in Chapel Hill.

He has also conducted about a half-dozen book signings for his latest book, "The Scandalous Gospel of Jesus: What's So Good About the Good News?" said Jan Randolph, his executive assistant.

In the book, Gomes considers the established Christian community's reluctance to embrace a socially relevant theology.

Profiled by Robert Boynton in The New Yorker magazine and interviewed by Morley Safer on "60 Minutes," Gomes was included in a 1999 issue of "Talk" magazine as part of its feature article, "The Best Talkers in America: Fifty Big Mouths We Hope Will Never Shut Up."

Some folks in the Palm Sunday congregation at Duke Chapel, where Gomes is invited to preach every year, might have been wondering about that very thing. On that particular Sunday, Gomes, whose home pulpit is at Harvard's Memorial Church, preached for 42 minutes, an experience unfamiliar to Duke Chapel worshippers who are accustomed to getting their Sunday fix in 15 to 20 minutes.

Gomes' sermon at Watts Street is titled "From Anxiety to Serenity" and will be based on Matthew 6:24-34. The public is invited.

YO: Durham's inaugural class set to graduate

Graduation for the first class of students in YO: Durham's Year of Opportunity is set for June 1 at 4 p.m. in the auditorium of the N.C. Mutual Building downtown. The speaker is Brian Dawson, a radio DJ on K97.5.

Twenty-three students who began the program last summer in a six-week Career Academy are graduating. During the school year they worked for area businesses that provided internships and were mentored by YO: Durham volunteers. Three of the graduates are also graduating from high school. Two others have already completed high school and are at Durham Tech. The other YO: Durham alums will continue in area high schools and will be mentored by volunteers, said program director Susan Blackmon.

Recruiting for the second class of 30 students is under way, and applications will be accepted through Tuesday.

"A large number of African-American students have applied, but we are looking for diversity and would welcome applications from white, Latino and Asian students as well," Blackmon said.

The summer academy begins on June 16.

YO: Durham is designed to help disconnected youth develop basic life and work skills. The four parts of the year-long program are the summer Career Academy, internships, mentoring and service learning projects.

Blackmon said the accomplishments of students in the program are striking. She said all participants have been enrolled during the past year in either secondary or post-secondary education and that all public high schools in Durham -- along with several alternative schools and Durham Tech -- are represented.

Funding for the program comes from Durham Congregations in Action, as well as from individual congregations, corporate and individual sponsors and public and private grants.

Homeless ministry head bids city farewell

Emily Sanford, coordinator of Open Table Ministry to homeless people on U.S. 15-501, has graduated with a dual degree from Duke Divinity and UNC-Chapel Hill and is leaving Durham. She said her goodbyes last Wednesday during the weekly lunch that's served on the service road near New Hope Commons.

Sanford has been appointed as an associate pastor at Galloway United Methodist in Jackson, Miss. She is the last member of a small group of divinity school students who about four years ago decided to get to know homeless folks who lived in the woods near the U.S. 15-501 bridge over Interstate 40.

Their efforts evolved into weekly lunch and worship services. As their work to reach out to this group of people gained attention, members and their pastors from the Rougemont Charge, Duke's Chapel and Resurrection United Methodist, began to volunteer. They provided food, transportation and support to what became a small congregation.

This small outdoor congregation of 12 to 20 regulars is what Carolyn Schuldt, who will be Sanford's successor, has inherited. Schuldt, also in a dual degree program at Duke and UNC, will have part-time duties with Open Table Ministry and with Rougemont United Methodist, where she will serve as the minister of missions.

She became interested in the Open Table Ministry in an ethics class at Duke Divinity, where Sanford spoke about her work in this unusual endeavor.

Rescue Mission honors Ernie Mills for service

The Durham Rescue Mission this month is marking its founder's 40th year of service to the hungry and homeless in North Carolina.

The Rev. Ernie Mills and his wife, Gail, organized the Durham Rescue Mission in 1973, but before coming to Durham he worked at the Winston-Salem Rescue Mission for five years.

Events of note along the Durham mission's timeline include:

* First facility to house 12 homeless and addicted men.

* 1978: Acquired the old Fuller Memorial Presbyterian Church building.

* 1993: Opened facility for homeless mothers and children.

* 1997: Opened facility for homeless families.

* 1998: Opened facility for homeless women without children.

* 2005: Moved women, children and family ministries into the renovated Good Samaritan Inn.

* 2006: Began offering free vision clinic to take care of vision needs of residents by Dr. Thomas Tucker.

* 2007: Began offering free dental clinic by Dr. Jim Eaker to care for residents.

* This fall, the mission plans to open a medical clinic.

The mission provides food, shelter and counsel to an average of 150 men, women and children daily. A faith-based, nonprofit ministry, the mission is funded by donations from individuals, churches, businesses, civic groups, organizations and foundations.