Plan to pray early in national observance
The National Day of Prayer will be observed Thursday in a service sponsored by the Afro-American Ministerial Alliance of Hawaii.Speakers and singers from eight Oahu Christian congregations will participate in the 7 a.m. event at Trinity Missionary Baptist Church, 3950 Paine Circle. The early hour was chosen to accommodate people before they go to work, said spokeswoman Carol Hoover.
Prayers for national, state and local government and church leaders will be presented in keeping with the theme "Righteousness Exalts a Nation" set by the national organization. The U.S. Congress established an annual day of prayer in 1952 and, in 1988, designated the first Thursday in May for the observance.
Canadian composer offers choral classes
Canadian composer and music instructor Brian Tate is presenting workshops for choral and church musicians and singers this week at First Unitarian Church of Honolulu, 2500 Pali Highway.Tate directs the Universal Gospel Choir in Vancouver, B.C., and the Sarah MacLachlan Music Outreach Youth Choir. He has composed music for television, theater and film productions. He will teach at the following sessions:
>> Today: Choirs and singers workshop, 2-5 p.m., 6:30-9 p.m. $25 per session.
>> Tomorrow: "Repercussion: Adventures in Rhythm," a workshop on using movement, gestures and drumming, 2-5 p.m. $30.
>> Monday, Tuesday: "Free Your Voice" workshop for singers, 6:30-9 p.m. $30 each.
Special rates are available for combined sessions and for Unitarian members. For registration information, call 254-4951.
Buddhist perspective on ecology is offered
A Buddhist perspective on ecology will be presented at a Tuesday lecture at Buddhist Study Center, 1436 University Ave.The 7 p.m. presentation of "Natural Wisdom: Meditations on Buddhist Ecology" is free and open to the public. It is an Earth Day observance sponsored by the Honpa Hongwanji Buddhist Study Center and Chaminade University Buddhist Studies Program.
University of Hawaii professor Leslie Sponsel and his wife, Poranee Natadecha-Sponsel, a Chaminade instructor, will discuss their research on the life of Buddha and Buddhist studies, with a focus on sacred forests and caves in Thailand.
Browse church sales in Kailua, Aina Haina
Spring is a season for church fairs, fetes and fund-raisers. Next Saturday there will be browsing for bargain hunters in Kailua and Aina Haina.>> Christ Church Uniting calls its annual effort "Hawaii's Largest Garage Sale." The midway open from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. on the grounds at 1300 Kailua Road will include an array of donated furniture, tools, appliances, clothing and booths offering plants and baked goods. The proceeds will benefit mission projects and the church air-conditioning fund.
>> The Holy Trinity School MayFest will begin with the annual May program at 9 a.m. A midway of rides and games will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Koko Head Elementary School, 189 Lunalilo Home Road. There will be a live auction of quilts made by each class and a silent auction of other items. Homemade foods and crafts will be sold.
Special services note compassion of Jesus
Some Catholic parishes will celebrate Jesus' compassion and forgiveness in special services tomorrow.Pope John Paul II established the second Sunday of Easter as Divine Mercy Sunday, based on the devotion and writings of Sister Faustina Kowalska, a Polish nun whom he declared a saint in April 2000. Paintings of the Divine Mercy image of Jesus with rays of light emanating from his heart, a vision Kowalska described seeing before her death in 1938, are displayed at events on this day.
>> Our Lady of Peace Cathedral on Fort Street Mall. Services will begin at 2:15 p.m. with group recitation of chaplet prayers. A procession will be followed by a 3 p.m. Mass with the Rev. John Berger presiding.
>> St. Patrick's Church, 1124 7th Ave. Mass will be said at 2 p.m., followed by recitation of Divine Word chaplet prayers. The afternoon program will begin at 1 p.m. with the showing of a video about the Divine Mercy devotion. The sacrament of reconciliation will be available after 1 p.m.
Town hall meeting promotes world peace
A town hall meeting, "At Peace with Peace," will bring individuals from several groups and communities to speak next Saturday on their perspective for creating world peace.The gathering, from 1:30-4 p.m. at Harris United Methodist Church, will be filmed and shown on a public-access television channel to educate and advocate for peace and social justice, according to organizers.
It is sponsored by the Endangered Species Project, University Peace Initiative, American Friends Service Committee Hawaii and the church, at 20 S. Vineyard Blvd.
RELIGION CALENDAR