Lecture seeks to foster faith careers

Ways that the 21st-century church community can foster religious life as a career choice will be explored in a lecture and workshop this month at Chaminade University.

Brother Paul Bednarczyk, executive director of the National Religious Vocation Conference, will be the speaker at the annual Mackey Marianist Lecture Series. A former teacher and vocation director for the eastern province of the Congregation of the Holy Cross, he is often invited to speak on vocations, most recently at a meeting of the U.S. Catholic Conference of Bishops.

He will speak on “;Building a Culture of Vocation”; at 4 p.m. Feb. 21 at Mystical Rose Oratory on the campus at 3140 Waialae Ave. The lecture is free and open to the public.

Bednarczyk will lead a workshop Feb. 20 on “;Contemporary Vocation Ministry: Challenging but Not Impossible”; at the Mystical Rose Oratory. The workshop, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., is designed for clergy, members of religious orders and others interested in supporting vocations to the religious life.

The cost is $15 in advance or $20 at the door. A boxed lunch will be included in the cost for people who register by Friday. For information, call 735-4801 or visit http://www.Marianisthawaii.org.

The Mackey Lectures are named for the late Rev. Robert Mackey, a founder and former president of the Honolulu Catholic university.

Methodist leader to speak in isles

The Rev. Adam Hamilton, a nationally known author and speaker on church leadership, will speak in Honolulu next week at the annual Britt Lectures at First United Methodist Church, 1020 S. Beretania St.

Hamilton is founding pastor of the 12,000-member United Methodist Church of the Resurrection in Leawood, Kan., which was listed as the most influential mainline Protestant church in America in a 2005 survey of American pastors. The national public television program “;Religion and Ethics Newsweekly”; listed Hamilton as one of “;10 People to Watch in America's Spiritual Landscape.”; He is the author of seven books, including “;Confronting the Controversies: A Christian Looks at the Tough Issues.”;

“;Leading Beyond the Walls”; is the theme of the Britt series, which is free and open to the public. The lectures will be:

» Friday, 7 p.m. “;Effective Church Leadership.”;

» Next Saturday, 7 p.m. “;Strategies for Reaching the Unchurched.”;

» Feb. 14, 7 p.m. “;The Future and Promise of Methodism.”;

Hamilton will also lead a Feb. 15 workshop for pastors on “;Strategies for Effective Preaching.”;

The annual lectures were endowed by the late Rev. Clarence Britt and his wife, Caroline, of Tulsa, Okla. For information, call the church at 522-9555.

Crossroads offers choir scholarships

The Church of the Crossroads is offering scholarships for singing lessons to students willing to sing in the choir of the church at 1212 University Ave.

Two $1,000 tuition awards are available for an alto and a bass or baritone vocalist. Soprano and tenor recipients were already selected.

Some musical sight-reading experience is required. Applicants must be available to sing at Sunday services and special events at the church.

Auditions will be held by appointment. For application information, call the church office, 949-2220, or e-mail .(JavaScript must be enabled to view this email address). Information is also available at http://www.churchofthecrossroadshawaii.org.

The church has awarded $90,000 to 90 music students since 1980.