FYI

Live gospel music will be presented Friday and Saturday, beginning at 5 p.m., at The Refuge Christian Coffee House, 3725 Eighth St. For more information, call (601) 693-7310 or (601) 938-1355.

SUNDAY

COLLINSVILLE — Little Zion Church will celebrate Black History Month with a series of programs each Sunday. Themes and program times are: Sunday, 11 a.m. — “Thanksgiving,” the Rev. Sam Tisdale of DeKalb, sheriff of Kemper County, speaker; Feb. 19, 11 a.m. — “Praise,” Judge Drake Dixon of Macon, speaker; and Feb. 26, 2 p.m. — “Olden Days and Praise,” Corrections Commissioner Christopher Epps of Jackson.

QUITMAN — The congregation of Pearlie Grove Baptist Church will celebrate the second anniversary of its pastor, the Rev. David Viverette, at 2:30 p.m. Guest speaker will be the Rev. John Griggs. For more information, call (601) 776-2498.

LISMAN, Ala. — A Family and Friends Day program will be held at 2 p.m. at Little Hope Baptist Church, 3534 Little Hope Road. Guest speaker will be the Rev. Lavelle Anderson, pastor of John the Baptist Church, Halsell, Ala.

Sunlight Baptist Church’s Circle No. 2 will present its annual Pre-Valentine Tea at 3 p.m. Carrie Adams of Greater Calvary Baptist Church will be guest speaker. “Reaching Lost Souls Through Love” is the theme.

HEIDELBERG — Greater Beaver Meadow Missionary Baptist Church of Heidelberg’s annual Musician’s Appreciation Program will begin at 3 p.m.

Parish mission/revival will begin and continue through Wednesday at St. Patrick and St. Joseph Catholic churches. The Rev. Robert Weiss, a Passionist priest from Detroit, will lead the mission. Topics will include: “What is God Like?” “Love, Family and Shared Sacrifice,” “Sin and the Formation of Conscience” and “Prayer.” Evening sessions will be held at St. Patrick at 5:30 p.m. Sunday and at 6:30 p.m. Monday through Wednesday. Child care will be available. Morning sessions will be held at 11 a.m. Monday through Wednesday at St. Joseph. Morning sessions will include Mass and Homily.

FRIDAY

The three-day conference “Women of God Taking Their God-Given Roles for Such a Time as This” will be held at Global Harvest Worship Center, 1719 17th St. On Friday at 7 p.m., the Rev. Pam Evans of Living Word Ministry will be guest speaker. A banquet is scheduled Saturday at 6 p.m. and will feature the Rev. Beatrice Gowdy of On-Mission Ministry in Jackson. Sunday’s services will begin at 10:45 a.m. with the Rev. Benjamin Jackson, pastor of St. Barnabas United Methodist Church, Philadelphia, Pa., as guest speaker. For more information, call (601) 485-3289 or (601) 595-0191.

COMING UP

LAKE — Karen Peck and New River will be in concert Feb. 18 at 7 p.m. at Hazel Baptist Church (located 3 1/4 miles north of Lake on Highway 489). For more information, call the church office at (601) 775-3044 or Marion Felton at (601) 683-2053.

The East Lauderdale Covenant Churches fifth annual Black History Program on Feb. 19 at 6 p.m. at the Meridian District Office, 6210 Highway 39 North. The theme is “Black History, Our History Through the Arts.”

Mission Meridian’s First Unity Luncheon will be held Feb. 23, from 11:45 a.m.-1 p.m. at Northpark Church, 7770 Highway 39 North. Veldore Young, assistant district attorney of Lauderdale County, will be guest speaker. “Unity in the Community” is the theme. Sponsors are Mission Meridian, the city of Meridian and the East Mississippi Business Development Corp. For more information, call (601) 938-1505.

PHILADELPHIA — The annual spiritual renewal conference Women of the Vine will be held Feb. 25 at the Neshoba County Coliseum. Guest speaker will be speaker and author Sharon Jaynes of Proverbs 31 Ministries. Jaynes recently released the book Becoming a Woman Who Listens to God. Also scheduled to speak is the Rev. Cynthia Ashford Cross, who serves as pastor of St. Elizabeth United Methodist Church in Meridian and St. Mark United Methodist Church on Suqualena Road.

Tickets for Women of the Vine 2006 are $20, advance; $25, on the day of the event. Box lunches are available for $5 for participants purchasing advanced tickets. Groups of 10 or more that preregister together will receive a complimentary box lunch for each member of their group.

For more information about the Spiritual Renewal Conference or for ticket purchases call (601) 656-2306 or (662) 320-2441, send an e-mail request to womenofthevine@yahoo.com. Tickets are also available at The Victorian Lady in Philadelphia.

LAUDERDALE — St. Paul Primitive Baptist Church will present its annual Black History Program on Feb. 26 in conjunction with the 11:15 morning worship service. The program will include a skit reflecting the days of the Black History Era. The day has been designated “Dress from the Past.” The church is located at 10849 Old Highway 45 North.

PACHUTA — Mt. Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church will present a Black History Program on Feb. 26 at 1 p.m. The program is sponsored by the church’s youth department. Area youth drill and praise teams, and choirs are encouraged to participate. Dinner will be served after the program.

LAUDERDALE — An appreciation service for The Meridian Gospel Travelers will be held March 4-5 at Mt. Carmel Baptist Church. Service times are 7:30 p.m. on March 4 and 3 p.m. on March 5. Area groups, choirs and ministers are encouraged to participate. For more information, call Alice Mosley at (601) 482-5138

An interdenominational/interracial healing service is scheduled March 12 at 3 p.m. at Church of the Way, 7387 State Blvd. Extended. The service is sponsored by Healing Now Ministries, a ministry of Liberty Church. The ministry is under the leadership of Dr. James C. Graham, a retired physician who is an ordained minister with the church.

For more information or to make an appointment for personal ministry and prayer, call Graham at (601) 659-4436, home, or (601) 616-2218, cell. Or call the church office at (601) 693-2816.

PACHUTA — Mount Pleasant Missionary Baptist Church’s spring revival is scheduled March 13-15. Services will begin each evening at 7:30 and guest evangelist will be the Rev. Alford Parnell of Waynesboro. The church’s youth will be in charge of services Area drill or praise teams and choirs are encouraged to participate.

Editor’s note: Items for Religion Briefs should be submitted, typed or printed, to The Meridian Star by noon the Monday before publication. Please do not call in announcements. To mail, send to P.O. Box 1591, Meridian, MS 39302. Fax to (601) 485-1275. You also can send e-mail to ibrown@themeridianstar.com. Photos may also accompany information when space allows. For more information, call (601) 693-1551, ext. 3224.