In the mid-1960s when my family moved to Roxboro, I thought it was fun (and funny) to drive by a tobacco patch on Ridge Road right in the middle of town. The patch's nearest neighbors were the high school, the hospital, a bunch of doctors' offices and some of the nicest homes in the area.

So how did a tobacco patch, which, by the way, is not there anymore, get stuck in the middle of town? Well, the patch didn't move. The town did. And the grower wasn't about to give up this fertile field just because it happened to be in the way of what some folks thought was "progress."

A trend afoot among churches right now may result in such patches of growing things -- most certainly not tobacco but surely corn and potatoes, turnips and zucchini -- right in the middle of the city. This trend has nothing to do with so-called progress or lack thereof, but with a renewed interest in growing food for one's own consumption and rediscovering what it feels like to see a young plant flourish right under what used to be a concrete sidewalk.

Expect to see a vegetable garden coming along next spring at the corner of Dillard and Main streets in downtown. It's back to the soil for the Episcopalians at St. Philip's, who have imagined a community garden as a ministry -- a place to build community with downtown neighbors.

The church vestry has given the go-ahead to use this portion of church property, and current plans include looking for grant funding this fall and planting a spring garden next February.

This Main Street garden won't be the first for a Durham church, however. That distinction belongs to Calvary United Methodist on West Trinity Avenue, where two resident gardeners, Larry Kroutil and Arthur Herring, have been tending a small patch on Elizabeth Street behind the church for the past two years.

The garden bounty has been shared with the Calvary congregation and their neighbors along Elizabeth Street. Veggies from the garden have been served at church suppers. The veggies, along with bunches of greens and herbs, also turn up Sunday mornings on the communion rail with a bulletin note inviting worshippers to help themselves.

The plan at St. Philip's is to grow food for community members as well as for the kitchen at Durham Urban Ministries. Church members plan to garden sustainably (i.e. organically), loving the earth while letting it produce.

Church members Elizabeth Newman and Bob Kellogg, garden managers, are now recruiting volunteers to build a shed and fence, and help plant a fall cover crop.

Three revival services scheduled for St. Paul

The Rev. Mickey Efird will preach Sunday at 7:30 p.m. for the first of three revival services at St. Paul United Methodist, 2700 N. Roxboro Road.

Efird, who lives in Durham, is a retired professor from Duke Divinity School and a popular Bible teacher. He also has served as interim minister at a number of Presbyterian churches in this area.

Special music on Sunday night will be provided by the combined choirs of St. Paul and Duke's Chapel United Methodist. A fellowship meal will be served at 6:30 p.m.

The Rev. Jerry Mitchell is the speaker for the 7:30 p.m. Monday service. He is the pastor of Garris Chapel United Methodist in Duplin County, a church in the Goldsboro District of the United Methodist Church.

On Tuesday, the Rev. Everett France, a retired minister who served the St. Paul congregation in the early '90s, is the speaker. Music will be provided by a quartet composed of Judy Brady, Jane Carden, Shelia Couch and Lolly Holmes. Couch is a member of St. Paul, and the other three women are members of Duke's Chapel.

Humanitarians helping or harming the poor?

Fiona Terry will deliver the Kenan Distinguished Lecture in Ethics on Thursday at 6:15 p.m. in the commons area of the Terry Sanford Institute of Public Policy at Duke University. The lecture is free and open to the public.

"Doing Good and Doing Harm: The Paradox of Humanitarian Action" is the topic she will discuss, drawing on both her book, "Condemned to Repeat?," and her recent work in Myanmar and the Sudan.

One of the co-sponsors of the lecture is Duke Chapel.

The lecture will be followed by a public reception in the lobby. Paid parking is available in the Bryan Center lot.

Rescue Mission starts campaign to restock

The Durham Rescue Mission has launched a month-long campaign called "Fight Hunger in the Triangle." Public service announcements in media outlets, mass e-mails and ads on 20 DATA buses will be used to bring awareness to hunger in Durham.

During this month, members of both the city council and the board of county commissioners will serve a meal at the mission, according to a press release.

The campaign is seeking donations to help the mission restock its food pantry, which has been depleted over the summer. Recently, the mission gave 1,500 bags of groceries to needy families during its annual back-to-school party.

Sponsors for the campaign include Curtis Media, SunTrust Bank and Verizon.

Donations can be made by calling the mission at 582-FOOD or online at the mission's secure Web site, www.durhamrescuemission.org.

Big Apple Presbyter to preach in Bull City

The Rev. Arabella Meadows-Rogers, a former pastor at First Presbyterian Church, 305 E. Main St., will preach at 11 a.m. on Sunday.

She is the Executive Presbyter of the Presbytery of New York City and a graduate of Duke University and Union Theological Seminary in New York. From 1985-1992, she served as associate pastor at First Presbyterian.

On Sunday, the congregation will dedicate a gallery of pictures of pastors who have served or who are serving the congregation.

There will be a reception following the service.

'Colores' concert features Latino talent

A concert by the Northgate-Emanuel Hispanic Music Academy will be held at First Presbyterian Church on Tuesday.

"Colores" is the title of the concert that will celebrate the talents of Durham's Hispanic and Latino youth. It will feature contemporary Christian music in Spanish and in English.

The concert will begin at 6.45 p.m. in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church. A dinner prepared by Iglesia Hispana Emanuel will begin at 6 p.m. in Watts-Hill Hall.

A donation of $10 is suggested to support the Northgate-Emmanuel Music Academy. To make reservations for dinner, call (919) 682-5511.