DURHAM -- Watts Street Baptist Church, 800 Watts St., Durham, will celebrate the 40th anniversary of its pipe organ with an organ recital by Andrew Kotylo at 7:30 p.m. Friday. Co-sponsored by Watts Street and the Durham-Chapel Hill Chapter of the American Guild of Organists, the recital is free and open to the public. A reception will follow.
Kotylo will perform works by Jongen, Schumann, Dupre, Sigfrid Karg-Elert, Roger-Ducasse, Vierne and Durham resident Edith Borroff. Borroff's "Wings of Love -- Sonata on American Hymn Tunes" was written for Kotylo's father, also an organist. Andrew Kotylo is assistant organist and choirmaster at the Trinity Church on the Green in New Haven, Conn. Originally from Binghamton, N.Y., he received his bachelor's and master's degrees from the Indiana University School of Music. For more information, call 688-1366.
Free breakfast at Braggtown Baptist
DURHAM -- Braggtown Baptist Church, 3218 Roxboro Road, Durham, will offer a free breakfast from 8 to 10 a.m. Saturday for the community. The hot and hearty meal is provided with no strings attached. For more information, call 220-1166.
Emmanuel AME holds fall revival
DURHAM -- Family and Friends Day will be at Emmanuel AME Church, 2018 Riddle Road, Durham, at 10:30 a.m. Sunday. The Fall Revival will be Monday through Oct. 2 at 7 each night. Evangelists for the week are Rev. Norman Umstead, Rev. Philip R. Cousin Jr., Rev. Thomas Nixon, Rev. Johnnie Bethea and Rev. Richard McMillan. For more information, call the church at 596-8891.
50 years of Cresset Baptist Church
DURHAM -- Cresset Baptist Church in Durham celebrated its 50th anniversary Sept. 20. It was founded on Nov. 29, 1959, when 145 people assembled to form a new church. They met in the chapel of Howerton-Bryan Funeral Home until 1963, when they bought property at 3024 Pickett Road and built their first church. In 1976, Cresset purchased 40 acres and built its current church at 3707 Garrett Road.
At the anniversary celebration, several former members and staff returned. The sermon was given by new pastor, the Rev. Jon Glass, who challenged the members to make the next 50 years as special as the first, in keeping with the motto of Cresset -- "An iron holder for an open fire" -- that they should be a light unto the world.
For more information about Cresset Baptist, visit www.cressetbaptist.org or call 489-2655.
Homecoming at Hillcrest Baptist
HILLSBOROUGH -- Hillcrest Baptist Church, 219 Gwen Road, Hillsborough, will hold its annual Homecoming during the 11 a.m. worship service on Sunday. The Oxendines from Lumberton will sing. Lunch will follow. The pastor is the Rev. James Farthing. The public is invited. For more information, call 732-8654.
Health care film discussion at UCCH
CHAPEL HILL -- United Church of Chapel Hill, 1321 Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard, Chapel Hill, will have a film, discussion and meal at 12:15 p.m. Sunday. The church's health care interest group will show "Sick Around the World," an hour-long PBS special that features journalist T.R. Reid talking to physicians and medical administrators in other democracies about how they organize health care. A light lunch of cheese or chicken arepas costs $7. In order to prepare for the amount of food to order, RSVP to Rollin Russell at rollinrussell@nc.rr.com or the church office at office@unitedchurch.org.
Wednesday suppers at Epworth UMC
DURHAM -- Epworth United Methodist Church, 3002 Hope Valley Road, Durham, is bringing back its Wednesday night suppers at 5:30 p.m. next week. Open to the community, the suppers are fundraisers hosted each week by different committees within the church. Meals vary from week to week. Wednesday's supper is chicken. There will also be kid-friendly fare. The cost is $4 for adults, $2 for students, and free for children 4 and under.
After the supper there will be classes for adults and activities for children and youth. The first class is "Christianity's Family Tree: What Other Christians Believe and Why," by Epworth pastor, the Rev. Hope Vickers. A second class titled, "A Healthier You," will reflect a topic of today's health issues that changes every week. Wednesday's health class topic is "Warning Signs of a Heart Attack: What Every Man and Woman Should Know," presented by Leslie Davis, a cardiology nurse. Classes are free and are held from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. RSVP attendance and childcare needs to the church office at 489-6557.
Four UCC churches celebrate exchange
DURHAM -- Four United Church of Christ congregations will celebrate their joint events at 4 p.m. Oct. 4 at Pilgrim United Church of Christ, 3011 Academy Road, Durham. For 22 years, Mount Calvary UCC, Zion Temple UCC and Pilgrim UCC have exchanged members, worshipped together, done common work in the community and enjoyed common singing and picnics. First Congregational UCC joined the exchange five years ago.
Everybody is invited to share in the celebration of the four-church exchange in a worship service that combines the choirs and instruments of all four congregations. The preacher will be the Rev. Kelvin Belle of First Congregational Church.
Send items for Belief Briefs to Dawn Baumgartner Vaughan at dvaughan@heraldsun.com.
