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HAWAII
Annual church luau to serve 2,000 meals

Members of Kaumakapili Church are already working on the annual luau, which is rated one of the top Hawaiian food feasts on the island.

About 2,000 meals will be served on July 16 at the Palama church at 766 N. King St. The 5:30 p.m. luau will feature Hawaiian entertainment, but most people opt to pick up takeout boxes, available from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Tickets, $15 for the takeout meals and $30 for the sit-down dinner, can be reserved by calling the church office at 845-0908.

He Launa Pu Kakou, "together in fellowship," is the theme of the event, in its 34th year. Most of the 300-plus congregation members participate in the intensive volunteer effort to prepare the annual feast.

Workshop to teach fine art of being host

The fine art of hospitality will be taught in a "Ushers and Greeters Workshop" sponsored by Hawaiian Islands Ministries.

The July 16 seminar from 8:30 a.m. to noon at First Presbyterian Church of Honolulu, 1822 Keeaumoku St., is open to hospitality ministers, pastors and anyone involved in hosting gatherings. The importance of customer service, the art of choosing words and training in dealing with disturbances will be covered by the Rev. Dan Chun.

The cost is $20 if pre-registering by July 8 or $25 at the door. Information is available at 988-9777 or www.himonline.org.

NATION
Graduation no longer to be held in church

LANDOVER, Md. » Three Montgomery County high schools say they will no longer use churches for graduation ceremonies, after parents complained the locations were inappropriate because of the display of Christian symbols.

Montgomery Blair, Richard Montgomery and Sherwood high schools have held their graduations at the 10,000-seat Jericho City of Praise church in Landover because it offered plenty of parking and space for a large audience.

But some parents objected and contacted Americans United for Separation of Church and State, which notified the school system.

"I'm certainly not against convenience, and I'm certainly not against parents having the opportunity to bring a number of family members to the graduation ceremony," said John Lippincott, father of a Richard Montgomery High student. "But I don't see that as a compelling reason to overlook the fact that there is something fundamentally inappropriate about holding a public school graduation under a sign that clearly reads 'Jesus Is the Lord!'"

Montgomery Blair Principal Phillip Gainous acknowledges the presence of religious symbols but said it was not overwhelming. Montgomery Blair began using the church in 2002 because a county horse show arena could not accommodate the graduation ceremony.

WORLD
Mexican police to get spiritual training

The police force in the violent border city of Ciudad Juarez will receive spiritual training in an effort to discourage corruption and remind them that a higher power is watching their actions, officials said.

In the "spiritual sensitivity" training, the officers will meditate, pray and hear talks by an evangelical pastor, said Ramon Valdez, a spokesman with Ciudad Juarez police.

"We're doing this to avoid corruption, by reminding them that there is a God watching them," Valdez said last week.

The police force in Ciudad Juarez, a city of 1.3 million across from El Paso, Texas, is widely seen as corrupt and inept.

A group of 13 officers chosen at random have already gone through the training, which will be offered to all 1,800 officers, he said.

The officers will work on their spirituality for two hours a day during 13 weeks, then move on to "character training," where they will be reminded of good values and principles they might have lost, Valdez said.

"We are hoping they realize a police officer doesn't have to always be an oppressor and that they can become better human beings and also better police officers," he said.