The Open House and Ice Cream Social at St. Paul's Lutheran, 1200 W. Cornwallis Road, on Sunday, Aug. 23, from 2 to 5 p.m. will offer an opportunity for friends and neighbors to tour the church's recent renovation and new construction.

A part of that is a new stained-glass window located behind the pulpit area in the church sanctuary. The Trinitarian window that is called "From the Heart of Christ" was installed by Lynchburg Glass Co. and depicts three Biblical characters. Jesus in the center from whose heart flows all the symbols that surround Mary Magdalene on the left side and St. Paul on the right.

Pastor Diane Archer, minister of youth and children, says the window is a constant source of inspiration, always speaking anew to the viewer. All the major Christian symbols are there, including the Tree of Life, grapes, wheat and fish.

St. Paul's began the renovation in May 2007 and was slowed by weather and by unexpected "bad dirt" that was unearthed, and by water under a portion of the building that had to be dealt with. The ambitious $3 million project nearly doubled the size of the church with remodeling taking place in virtually every part of the former building.

In addition to the beautiful stained glass inside, a glass sculpture will be placed in the Creation Garden area just outside the sanctuary. Another piece of sculpture was created by a North Carolina sculptor and is on the exterior wall along the Pickett Road side of the church.

Open House activities include free ice cream and self-serve sundae toppings all afternoon. The Scrap Exchange will be on site from 2 to 4 p.m. to assist anyone in creating art from recycled products, and a Moon Walk Bouncer will be available for children in the playground. A pipe organ demonstration will be offered at 3:30 p.m. and a handbell demonstration at 4:15 p.m.

All are welcome.

Learn about being a Christian Home Educator

Christian Home Educators of Greater Durham (CHEAGD) will hold its annual new members meeting on Thursday, Aug. 27, at 6:20 p.m. at Grace Baptist Church, 1004 Mangum St.

Any prospective home schoolers, new home schoolers or potential members of the group are welcome. The group will discuss the benefits of membership, North Carolina legal requirements for home schools and have an opportunity to talk with active home schoolers.

Interested persons are asked to RSVP to rroberts33@nc.rr.com by Wednesday, Aug. 26.

Judea Reform invites prospective members

New members or prospective members of Judea Reform Congregation are invited to participate in New & Prospective Member weekend activities that will begin with a potluck dinner on Friday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. and be followed by Shabbat services at 8 p.m.

On Saturday, Sept. 5, at 5 p.m. there will be a Shabbat Hamishpacha picnic at the temple. This event is perfect for young members ages 3 through kindergarten with special treats for all those with upcoming birthdays.

Persons interested in either of these two events are asked to RSVP to ebouchard@judeareform.org.

Judea Reform is located at 1933 W. Cornwallis Road. The phone number is 489-7062.

One World Market giving away coffee plants

One World Market, Durham's only free trade store located at 822 Ninth St., will be giving away free coffee plants with any purchase of $10 or more on Saturday and Sunday, Aug. 22-23.

Coffee plants make beautiful and unusual house plants, according to Laura Wendell, store manager. These plants can live outdoors during summer and are easy to care for. They have shiny, crinkly leaves with small white blossoms and bright red berries. Eventually, they will produce coffee beans.

One World Market opens at 10 a.m. today and features hundreds of items that sell for $10 or less.

Outreach event to feature jazz band

The 5^th Annual Community Outreach Dinner is on tap Friday, Sept. 11, from 6 to 8:30 p.m. at the W.D. Hill Community Center, 1308 Fayetteville St.

In 2005, New Visions of Africa sponsored the first Community Dinner during Ramadan to commemorate a day of fasting. The meal was free and citizens from all walks of life attended. Since that time the vision has grown and now in its fifth year is sponsored by Believers United for Progress, a community organization that believes the event is more than a meal.

The keynote speaker will be the Rev. Joe Harvard, pastor of First Presbyterian Church, and the guest speaker will be Imam A. Munir Mohammed. The N.C. Central Jazz Band will provide entertainment. There will be tables with information about community events and services available to all citizens.

For more information, call 687-7070 or e-mail humanityone@believersunitedfor progress.org.

DCIA to conduct study with Bible, Koran

Durham Congregations in Action, a nondenominational and interracial network of 58 congregations serving together, has announced an Interfaith Scripture Study for the four Thursdays in October.

The study will be on the Genesis character Joseph as he is portrayed in Old Testament and the Koran. The dates are Oct. 8, 15, 22 and 29 with each session beginning at 7 p.m. at Epworth United Methodist Church, corner of University Drive and Hope Valley Road.

Registration is required by Oct. 1 by calling DCIA at 688-2036 or visiting DCIA@DCIA.org.. There is no fee for these classes, which will be led by Christians, Jews and Muslims. These leaders are now being recruited and will be announced.

Reverend honored for community work

The Rev. Peebles Lindsay-Lucas, who directed the Families First initiative in Durham for 11 years and whose position was eliminated because of loss of funding, was honored for her ministry at the meeting of Durham Congregations in Action this week at St. Paul's Lutheran Church.

She began her work at a time when many families were coming off welfare and were expected to find work to support themselves and their families. Lindsay-Lucas' challenge was to link these families with congregations that would in turn help them find work and provide housing in some cases.

The first thing that happened when the new ministry began was to link up with Social Services in the county so the two working together could be more effective and complement each other in offering services.

Dan Hudgins, the former director of Durham Social Services, noted in his words of commendation about Lindsay-Lucas that this private-public collaboration was actually the first such arrangement in North Carolina, a "first" that Charlotte has tried to claim.

Not only Durham Congregations in Action but a total of 56 individual churches participated in the Families First Program. Also more than 20 organizations and individuals participated.

A former president of DCIA, she is a graduate of North Carolina Central University and Duke Divinity School. She is an ordained minister, serving as co-pastor with her husband at First Chronicles Community Church. She continues to be involved in the life of the community, serving with the incredible energy and enthusiasm that can only be described as a special gift from God.

YO: Durham graduates complete academy

Dr. Susan Blackmon, director of the YO: Durham program, presented the recent graduates of the Summer Career Academy to members of Durham Congregations in Action.

These teens spent six weeks preparing themselves for the workplace. They learned basic life and professional skills such as resume writing, interviewing, workplace etiquette, financial literacy, healthy behavior, substance abuse and gang awareness.

The summer academy is the first of four components of the program, which also includes academic year paid internships, personal mentoring and service-learning projects.

YO: Durham, a program of DCIA, is supported by sponsorship from individuals, congregations and corporate foundations, including BlueCross and BlueShield of North Carolina, N.C. Mutual and the United Way.

A report from the DCIA treasurer Bob Newlin shows a $10,000 deficit in funding for the program. This additional support is now being sought from congregations, businesses or individuals who see the life-changing possibilities of this program that reaches teens who might otherwise never find a life goal and never imagine the road to reach that goal.

YO:Durham and the director's office are located at 504 W. Chapel Hill St. The phone number is 688-2036.

Duke business school teams with Habitat

This week Habitat for Humanity of Durham began construction on a new home in Southwest Central Durham. Built in partnership with Yashshanna Scott, the home is sponsored by Duke University's Fuqua School of Business. The home at 1011 Carroll St., is the fourth student-sponsored home the Fuqua School has built with Habitat.

About 200 first-year MBA students will participate in the start of construction as part of a Community Projects Day for their Leadership, Ethics and Organizations class.

New homeowner Scott is thrilled to have her home sponsored by the school of business. Scott, a graduate of UNC, was the first in her family to attend college. She works as a resident assistant at the Brookdale Senior Living Center.