The annual Apple Butter Boil at Peace Covenant Church began last night about 8 o'clock when Dave Minnich lit the hardwood fire under a 65-gallon hand-made copper kettle that contained applesauce and a small amount of apple cider.

The big kettle was tended during the night by chief apple butter maker Minnich and 25 to 30 church volunteers, not hard to recruit because the boil is one of the most lively and fun-filled social events of the church year.

Minnich, a software engineer from Hillsborough, has directed the boil for the past several years and has turned this tradition in the Brethren Church into somewhat of a science. He knows just how much sugar and cinnamon to add to the applesauce and he oversees with precision the boiling process that takes 16 to 18 hours.

The tradition at making apple butter reflects the farming community connections from which the Brethren Church sprang, particularly in Virginia and Pennsylvania, where churches still hold apple butter boils in the fall when the apple harvest comes in.

"Initially, only the applesauce and a small amount of apple cider are added to the kettle," Minnich said. "This mixture is cooked through the night and allowed to reduce in moisture content. During the first several hours, more applesauce is added periodically when the level drops in the kettle, until all the applesauce is in. This can take three to four hours until all 70 gallons of applesauce has been added. The mixture is then cooked until the moisture content has reduced significantly. When the water content is 'right' the sugar is added and the developing apple butter is cooked for several more hours.

"As the apples cook, the natural sugars caramelize, creating a dark, reddish-brown color and an intense apple flavor," he said.

The 70 gallons of applesauce will yield about 50 gallons of apple butter.

The boiling contents of the kettle had to be stirred continuously through the night, continuing until about 2 p.m. today when the apple butter should be ready for cooling and canning in glass jars.

Stirring is done with an L-shaped wooden paddle with a blade about 3 feet long and a handle about 8 to 10 feet long, allowing the stirrer to stand back from the fire.

The church volunteers not only tend the fire and do the stirring, but are around when the apple butter is ready to be put into jars.

Canning is done in an assembly-line style with the apple butter dispensed from a custom, three-gallon stainless-steel funnel into jars that are sealed, cleaned, labeled and packed.

Peace Covenant has been making apple butter since 1997 when the congregation moved to its present location at 601 N.C. 54, a half-mile east of Fayetteville Road. The first year the church participated with a sister congregation in Roanoke, Va., to learn the process.

The event serves many purposes, Minnich said. Primarily it is a fellowship event, but cases of this premium apple butter are set aside to use as welcome gifts for visitors to the church throughout the year. Any remaining jars are sold as a fundraising project.

Folks who drive by and see the boil in progress are welcome to drop in to learn about the process and take a turn with the big paddle.

Jars will be available by chance this afternoon or by appointment after Sunday. The pint jar will sell for $5. Contact Dave Minnich at 349-0347 or visit applebutter@minnichnet.org.

"Apple butter is typically used on breads, biscuits and the like," Minnich said, "but can be used as a topping for pancakes, as an ingredient in cakes and other baked goods or as a condiment for ham or other meats."

Jewish center expansion

The Durham/Chapel Hill Jewish Community will break ground on the new $7 million Charlotte and Dick Levin Jewish Community Center on Sunday, Oct. 18, from 2 to 4 p.m. at 1935 W. Cornwallis Road in Durham.

The Levin JCC is the second phase of the $10 million development of the Cornwallis Road property, a joint project of the Durham-Chapel Hill Jewish Federation and the Lerner Jewish Community Day School.

Rep. David Price of the 4^th Congressional District will address the gathering. In addition, Dick Levin, for whom the building is named, will speak to thank the project's organizers.

Guests will be entertained by local Klezmer Band, Freylach Time! and "Sababa," a Jewish a cappella group of UNC students. All attending will have an opportunity to participate in a "living scrapbook" that will document the continuing transformation of the property and community.

The Levin JCC will serve the entire Durham-Chapel Hill community, regardless of religion. The completed center will include a community gymnasium, an outdoor pool, gallery space for exhibits as well as communal rooms for art, music after-school programs and a teen center.

There will also be dedicated space for seniors to gather for weekly programs and socializing. At the celebration on Oct. 18, visitors may view floor plans and artist renderings and learn more about what the new center will offer.

Theologian to preach

The Rev. Tom Long, author of a recently published book on the Christian funeral, will preach Sunday at 11 a.m. at First Presbyterian Church. He also will lead a discussion of the book "Accompany Them with Singing: The Christian Funeral" at 9:45 a.m. in Watts Hill Hall.

Long will participate in a discussion on Monday, Oct. 12, at 9 a.m. with Allen Verhey, professor of ethics at Duke Divinity School, and Mark Higgins, president of Hall-Wynne Funeral Service in Durham, who helped Long with research for the book. The discussion will be held in Watts Hill Hall at First Presbyterian, 305 E. Main St. in downtown.

All of these are public events and open to all interested persons.

The Monday discussion is jointly sponsored by the Duke Center for Care at the End of Life, the Regulator Bookshop and Hall-Wynne Funeral Service. Long's book will be available at Monday's event.

Long is Bandy Professor of Preaching at Candler School of Theology at Emory University and considered one of America's most respected preachers.

Pumpkin Patch Day

Saturday, Oct. 17, is Pumpkin Patch Day at St. Paul's Lutheran Church, 1200 W. Cornwallis Road. The pumpkin truck is scheduled to arrive at 4 p.m. bringing more than 400 pumpkins and gourds to the patch that will open the next day on the church grounds at the corner of Pickett and Cornwallis roads.

The patch will be open from Oct. 18-31, weekdays noon to 8 p.m., Saturdays 9 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. and Sundays noon to 8 p.m.

Special features in the patch this year will be a free slice of pumpkin pie on Sundays, Oct. 18 and 25 for anyone who stops by and a Halloween party for kids, who are invited to come in costume or not. The party from 1 to 3 p.m. will include a magic show at 1:30 p.m. and kids will receive a bag of goodies.

Proceeds from sales will go to the Interfaith Hospitality Network and youth missions.

Duke Chapel UMC bazaar

Duke's Chapel United Methodist, 807 Old Oxford Road, will host its annual Harvest Bazaar on Saturday, Oct. 17, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.

Featured items include crafts, jewelry, crocheted items, baked goods, jellies, jams and pickles. Proceeds will go to the work of the United Methodist Women's Missions.

Lay Day celebration is on tap at 10:30 a.m. Sunday, Oct. 11, at Emmanuel AME Church, 2018 Riddle Road.

Featured speaker is Sharon Coleman, an active member of the congregation. She is active in community organizations, working with the Raleigh and Durham Chamber of Commerce, the state and local NAACP, the General Baptist State Convention of N.C. and the National Alumni of Shaw University. She volunteers with the Durham Rescue Mission, CAARE and Durham Regional Hospital.

Rescue Mission challenge

The Stewards Fund of Raleigh has issued a $50,000 matching gift challenge to help make dollars go further at the Durham Rescue Mission.

The matching gift challenge is all or none and will only be awarded if the mission meets the challenge of getting $50,000 from new donors or donors who have not given since December 2008.

Gifts must be received between Oct. 1 and Jan. 11 in order to qualify.

Triangle residents can help meet the needs of less fortunate people during the holiday season by sending donations to the mission.

For more information, call 688-9641, ext. 5024. To give by credit card, call the above number or visit www.DurhmRescueMission.org/StewardsFund.

'Speaking without Tongues'

The "Speaking Without Tongues" exhibit, created by Hidden Voices in recognition of Domestic Violence Awareness Month, will hang in Duke Chapel throughout the month.

This exhibit features photographic self-portraits and constructed boxes created by the survivors of family and domestic abuse. The exhibit explores violence and survival in the actual lives of women from diverse ethnic backgrounds.

Also sponsored by Hidden Voices will be a reception and program on Tuesday, Oct. 20, from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the chapel. Victims and survivors will be honored with spoken word and music performances. There will also be a reading of 2009 victims' names by the N.C. Coalition Against Domestic Violence.

On Tuesday, Oct. 27, a stage performance will be presented at Reynolds Theatre in the Bryan Center. Admission is free. The ensemble of African-American, Arab, Euro-American, Latina and South Asian women are not actors, but have worked with Hidden Voices for more than two years. Discussion with the women will follow the show.

St. Titus gospel concert

The Mighty Gospel Inspirations will sing at St. Titus Episcopal, 400 Moline St., at both the 8 a.m. and 11 a.m. services on Sunday, Oct. 11.

The Mighty Gospel Inspirations were formed in Durham in August of 1988 as a gospel quartet. The group includes founding members, brothers Mike and Kenneth Sanders, who have been singing together for more than 40 years. Current members also include Ms. Rome Hemingway, administrator; Larry Perry; James Bailey and Robert Waldrop.

New to 'Wonderful Wednesday'

In conjunction with its Wonderful Wednesday suppers, Epworth United Methodist, 3002 Hope Valley Road, is providing a free presentation on mental and heart health Wednesday, Oct. 14, at 6:30 p.m.

As part of its ongoing "A Healthier You" series, this seminar is being sponsored by the UNC Wellness Center. Janet Baradell, clinical nurse specialist, will be the speaker.

Supper served at 5:30 p.m. will feature ziti, salad and dessert. Prices are $4 for adults, $2 for students and children. Children 4 and under eat free. Reservations for dinner and/or nursery care are needed by Monday, Oct. 12, at 5 p.m. Call the church office at 489-6557.

First Calvary turns 125

First Calvary Baptist Church will celebrate 125 years of serving the Durham community with a special service on Sunday, Oct. 25, at 9:45 a.m. at Hillside High School.

Pastor Joseph Ratliff of Brentwood Baptist Church in Houston will be the guest preacher. The guest Psalmist will be Sister Darlene Simmons from Richard Smallwood and Vision.

First Calvary, led by Pastor Fred Davis, is temporarily located at 2000 Chapel Hill Road while a new church campus is under construction in the heart of the West End community.