Churches featuring centuries-old music

Musical performances in churches next week will feature centuries-old classics and a new composition by an island musician.

» Lutheran Church of Honolulu, 1730 Punahou St., 941-2566. The seventh concert in “;A Bach Pilgrimage”; series will feature the church choir, Bach Chamber Orchestra and soloists performing music composed by Bach in Leipzig in 1724, including “;Cantata 180”; and “;Cantata 66.”; Tickets are $20 general admission, $15 for seniors and $10 for full-time students.

» St. Andrew's Cathedral, Queen Emma Square, 524-2822. The Ascension Day Evensong at 5:30 p.m. Thursday will feature the cathedral choir in a premiere performance of canticles “;Magnificat”; and “;Nunc Dimitis”; composed by cathedral organ scholar Yuri McCoy. The performance is free.

Mormons are cleaning parks, beaches today

More than 4,000 members of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will be working at 47 parks and beaches on Oahu today in the annual “;Mormon Helping Hands”; program.

Most Oahu volunteers will collect trash and rake leaves, while some Maui volunteers will paint playground equipment. In all, about 6,500 people around the state are expected to join the effort.

The annual day of community service has become a tradition in Mormon congregations around the globe since it was launched in 1998 in South America, according to a news release.

Appeals court backs head scarf removal

SAN FRANCISCO » A federal appeals court says Orange County officials acted legally when they ordered a Muslim inmate in a courthouse holding cell to remove her head scarf.

The U.S. Court of Appeals said Monday that since Souhair Khatib was detained for only eight hours, the holding cell did not qualify as a penal institution covered by federal law that protects inmates' religious practices.

The 2-1 decision upholds a lower court ruling. Orange County officials said they ordered the head scarf removed due to a fear that it could be used as a weapon.

Khatib was briefly detained while awaiting a probation violation hearing related to a welfare fraud conviction. Chief Justice Alex Kozinski dissented.

Little League coach can lead team prayers

MEDFORD, Ore. » The board of a Little League has voted to keep a coach who led his team in prayer and remove a board member who pulled his daughter from the team.

Medford National Little League President Kathy Meyer said the board is “;100 percent”; behind coach Chris Palmer. “;He will remain the Indians' manager,”; Meyer said. “;It's now time we move on and just play ball.”;

Mike E. Miles had pulled his 10-year-old daughter from the Indians team, complaining that Palmer forced religion on the kids by leading them in prayer and quoting Bible verses.

“;All I wanted was for my daughter to sign up and play baseball this spring,”; said Miles, a former assistant coach for Palmer. “;Not to have religion or prayer shoved down her throat. There's a time and place for prayer—and baseball isn't it.”;

Palmer said no one was forced to join in the prayers, which were very brief.

“;This is not a religious tool. This was not to preach. This was to calm the team down, focus them and bring them together in unity.”;

Mormon website helps anyone look for a job

SALT LAKE CITY » The Mormon Church has a new website to help people find jobs.

The interactive site, ldsjobs.org, is free and open to anyone regardless of religious affiliation.

The site is designed to match the unemployed with jobs that fit their skills and experience. Openings range from senior executive positions to summer stints for students.

About 250,000 job listings from 9,000 employers currently are on the site. It also has information about schools, job training and financial aid. Currently posted in English, the listings also will be available later this year in Spanish and Portuguese.

The Utah-based Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has 13.8 million members worldwide.