Friend Day

A Family and Friends Day Sunday at Mack’s Chapel AME Church, 1574 Daniel McLeod Road, Red Springs. Church school is at 9:45 a.m. and worship is at 11.

Dinner will be served after the morning worship service.

There will be an afternoon service at 3. The Rev. Clarence Page, and the choir and congregation from Panthersford Presbyterian Church, Red Springs, will be special guests.

Easter

Generation of the Church will present “The Seven Last Words of Jesus” on April 12 at 7 p.m. The church is at 103 Grace St., Lumberton.

Pentecostal Faith of God Church, 2650 McPhail Road, Lumberton, will present The Easter Story on April 22 at 7:30 p.m.

For information, call the Rev. Russell Kinlaw Sr., (910) 738-2136 or (910) 734-0054.

Supper will be served in the church’s fellowship hall after the service.

Everyone is invited.

The Stations of the Cross services are being held every Wednesday at 5:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church, 1202 N. Chestnut St., Lumberton, and will continue every Wednesday during the season of Lent.

The services, led by Dr. Stan Knick, director of the Native American Resource Center at UNCP, commemorate the last hours before the crucifixion of Christ, with accompanying Scripture and prayers.

The Holy Eucharist and Healing with Father Roger Kappel as celebrant will follow each service. Visitors are welcome.

Lenten Souper Sundays continue at Trinity on Sunday at 5:30 p.m. Judy Losh, the featured church chef, will be preparing french onion soup and cream of broccoli in a bread bowl. A video from Rob Bell’s NOOMA video series will be shown, and discussion will follow the video presentation. Everyone is welcome. For information, call (910) 739-3714.

The Elrod-Purvis-Rowland area pastors and churches announce their ecumenical community Passion/Holy Week services April 17-22. The services will begin at 7 each evening.

The schedule is:

n April 18, Beauty Spot United Methodist Church, Purvis. Minister Larry Robinson will be the preacher. Beauty Spot’s pastor is Jimmy Cummings.

n April 19, Christian Fellowship Church, Rowland. Minister Libby Malloy-Kisseih will be the preacher. Christian Fellowship’s pastor is Isabelle Alford.

n April 20, New Hope United Methodist Church, Rowland. Minister Sarah Lewis will be the preacher. Larry Robinson is New Hope’s pastor.

n April 21, St. Matthew African Methodist Episcopal Church, Elrod. Minister Jimmy Cummings will be the preacher. Libby Malloy-Kisseih is the church’s pastor.

n April 22, Providence African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church, Purvis. Minister Isabelle Alford will be the preacher. Sarah Lewis is the pastor.

Each host church will be in charge of devotions and other arrangements.

Reedy Branch Baptist Church will present its Easter play on April 23 at 6 p.m. Everyone is invited.

Oakton Baptist Church will have an Easter Son-rise service at 7 a.m., followed by a resurrection celebration breakfast. A joint family Sunday school will be at 9 a.m., followed by the presentation of the Easter cantata, “The Way, The Truth, and The Life,” at 10 a.m.

The church is at 203 Oakton Church Road. Everyone is invited.

Youth

Antioch Baptist Church, Proctorville, will host its Youth Gospel Extravaganza at 4 p.m. Sunday.

There will be performances by youth vocalists, drama teams, musicians and praise dance ministries.

Everyone is invited to share in this joyful occasion. Dr. Lawrence M. Dowdy is the pastor.

“Praise Fest 2011: Generation on the Rise” will be April 23 at 7 p.m. at Harvest Church of the Assemblies of God.

This service will focus on the youth, but the message is relevant for everyone.

The program will feature: the Praise Fest 2011 Band, Harvest Church Praise Choir, Creation Ministries, Mt. Olive Pentecostal Church Praise Team, Kenny and Suzette Oxendine, Forgiven, and the 19-year-old speaker, the Rev. Julius Simmons.

Harvest Church is at 986 Raynham Farms Road, Rowland.

Revivals

Evangelist Jimmy Jones will be the speaker in revival services Sunday through Friday at West Lumberton Holiness Church, 1027 Odum Road, Lumberton.

The Sunday night service will begin at 6:30 and weeknight services will begin at 7:30.

Revival services at East Lumberton Baptist Church will be Sunday at 11 a.m. and 7 p.m., and April 11-13 at 7 p.m.

The Rev. James Smith, pastor of East Dillon Baptist Church in Dillon, S.C., will be the speaker.

The Youth and Children’s Vocal Ensemble will present the musical, “You Have Save Me,” during the opening service on April 10.

The East Dillon Choir will be featured on Monday evening. The music ministry of East Lumberton will provide special music in all other services.

Everyone is invited. A nursery will be provided for pre-schoolers.

East Lumberton Baptist is at 201 Whiteville Ave. For information, call (910) 739-3358.

Revival services will be held at New Point Baptist Church. The services will be Sunday evening at 6:30 and Monday through Friday evenings at 7:30.

The Revs. Roy Clark and Lindbergh will be the speakers.

Smyrna Baptist Church will have revival services Sunday at 6 p.m. and Monday through Friday evening at 7:30. Everyone is invited to six great nights with six great guest speakers.

The church is on N.C. 211, Lumberton. The Rev. Carl Pevia is the pastor.

Lisbon Baptist Church will have its Fourth Annual Old-Fashioned Tent Revival April 14-16 at 7 p.m. and April 17 at 11 a.m.

The LeFevre Quartet will be in concert April 14. Jason Williams will preach.

On April 15, The Pfeifers will be in concert, and John Pfeifer will preach. The Freemans will be in concert on April 16. Mike Cummings will be the preacher. On April 17, Crystal River will sing, and Wade McLamb will be the preacher.

The church is at 4588 Lisbon Road, Clarkton. For information, call (910) 645-4196, or visit the church’s website, www.lisbonbaptistchurchnc.com

Shiloh Missionary Baptist Church will have revival services Wednesday through Friday at 7 p.m. The Rev. Phillip Marks, pastor of Pleasant Grove Missionary Baptist Church in St. Pauls, will be the speaker.

Revival services will be April 14-15 at Full Gospel Tabernacle of Life Church. Services will begin at 7 p.m. The church is at 1918 E. 5th St., Lumberton. Apostle Tyrel McNeil and Evangelist Valerie McNeil will be the speakers.

The Rev. Erol Tinling is Full Gospel’s pastor.

Revival services at Branch Street United Methodist Church will be April 16-17.

Adrian Hammonds will be the speaker in the April 16 Youth Night service at 6.

The Rev. Leonard Fairley, Rockingham District Superintendent, will preach April 17 in the 11 a.m. service. Special music will be presented by The Branchmen.

At 6 pm. on April 17, the Rev. Dufrene Cummings will be the speaker. The Locklears and Wendy will present the special music.

The church is on Case Street in Lumberton.

Star of Bethlehem Missionary Baptist Church, 907 Martin Luther King Jr. Drive, Fairmont, will have revival services Tuesday through Thursday.

Star of Bethlehem’s Praise Team will open the services at 7:15 p.m., and the services will start at 7:30. The Rev. Thurman Everette of Bryant Swamp Baptist Church, Bladenboro, will be the guest evangelist.

Pentecostal United Holy Church on Gavintown Road, Lumberton, will have revival services April 13-17 at 7 p.m.

Elder Al-Kereen Whichard will speak on Wednesday, Elder Lloyd Butler will be the speaker on Thursday, and on Friday, Elder Kenneth Gray will speak.

Everyone is invited.

Butters Baptist Church will have revival services April 17-20 at 7 p.m.

The Rev. Warren Hill will be the speaker. There will be special music each evening.

Benefit

Elrod Baptist Church will host a Haiti Earthquake Relief and Medical Benefit singing on July 31 at 6 p.m. The Lumber River Quartet will be the special guests.

The church is at 536 McRae Road, Rowland.

Special events

Smyrna Baptist Church, N.C. 211, Lumberton, is having a Drama Fest today. The pre-show begins at 5:30 p.m. and the program will start at 6.

The program will feature Smyrna’s Anointed Hands Rock of Ages, House of Mercy, Morning Star Mission Church of Mt. Sinai, Thompson Chapel and The Rock Church of God.

For information, call Terri Oxendine, (910) 734-3464.

St. James AME Zion Church, Red Springs, is hosting “The Next Great Baker” contest on Sunday. This is an opportunity for bakers to showcase their skills in a cake and/or cupcake bake-off.

People’s choice ballots are $10 each. Contact any member of the church’s trustee committee for information. The church’s number is (910) 843-3089.

St. James is at 116 W. Brown Avenue.

The Presbyterian Women of First Presbyterian Church, Fairmont, will have their annual Springfest on April 16. The event will be from 9 a.m. until 1:30 p.m. in the church’s fellowship hall on the corner of Church and Davis streets.

Chicken salad plates will be on sale, and may be eaten at the church or taken out. Also on sale will be baked goods, casseroles, ham and sausage biscuits, sandwiches, drinks, crafts, plants and flower arrangements.

Proceeds will go to local, national and world mission projects.

Music

The Glorymen will be in concert April 17 at 6 p.m. at Zion Hill Baptist Church on N.C. 41, between Lumberton and Elizabethtown.

The Rev. Leroy Burke is Zion Hill’s pastor.

The Lumber River Quartet will be in concert Sunday at 6 p.m. at Bloomingdale Baptist Church. Everyone is invited.

Harvest Church of the Assemblies of God will have a gospel singing April 17. The Hunt Family will be the featured singers. The church is at 986 Raynham Farms Road, Rowland.

The Down East Boys will be in concert April 29 at Butters Baptist Church. Everyone is invited to come and hear a night of good gospel music.

The church is at 1877 Berry-Lewis Road, Bladenboro, just of N.C. 211 Business.

Plate sales

Mt. Pleasant AME Church, Rowland, will have a plate sale beginning at noon on April 16. Chicken, fish and barbecue plates at $6 each. Sandwiches are $3 each, and drinks are 50 cents.

Mt. Pleasant is at 921 Echo Road.

For information, call (910) 422-3280 or (910) 322-5273.

Outreach

Beauty Spot United Methodist Church’s Outreach Ministries, in partnership with Southeastern Regional Medical Center, will host the Southeastern Mobile Medical Unit April 27, May 5 and June 22. The medical unit’s service will be available from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m.

The mobile medical unit will be on the Beauty Spot church campus at 273 Beauty Spot Church Road, just off N.C. 210, in the Purvis community of Rowland.

The unit is equipped to address all medical needs and will serve all people who come for medical service.

The Outreach Ministries group meets every Wednesday afternoon from 1 until 2:15, and everyone is invited to come and grow in discipleship as the group learns ways to reach out to the community with the love of Christ.

For information on the medical unit services, or the Wednesday weekly ministries meeting, call Lutherine McQuaige, the church lay leader.

The Rev. Jimmy F. Cummings is the pastor, and he may be called at (910) 272-0743.

Special services

The Rev. Leon Walker of Suffolk, Va., will be the guest speaker April 17 at Christian Fellowship Ministries of Rowland. The service will start at 11 a.m.

Christian Fellowship is at 304 Canal St., Rowland.

Anniversaries

Mt. Olive Pentecostal Holiness Church, Pembroke, will celebrate its 100th anniversary on Sunday.

According to Pastor Steve Jacobs, Bishop James Leggett will be the speaker in the service. Leggett, a former pastor at Mt. Olive, served as presiding bishop of the International Pentecostal Holiness Church, and is the current president of Holmes Bible College in Greenville, S.C.

There will be a video slide presentation, and a time of recognition of members and former pastors.

Everyone will enjoy a catered dinner on the grounds after the worship service.

Mt. Olive is at 610 Normal Street.

The Ushers Ministry at Christian Fellowship Ministries of Rowland will celebrate a “combined anniversary” Sunday at 4 p.m. Guests will be ushers from area churches. Minister Emilee Bethea McKellar of Rose Hill Missionary Baptist Church, Rowland, will be the guest speaker.

New Beginning Church of Lumberton will observe its 11th anniversary Sunday.

Pastor Howard Davis will be the speaker in the 11 a.m. service. Pastor Tommie Nesbitt will speak in a service at 4 p.m.

New Beginning is at 950 Linkhaw Road.

The Thompson Chapel Missionary Baptist Church family will celebrate the 15th anniversary of their pastor, the Rev. James H. Abraham, April 20-22 at 7 p.m. and April 24 at 11 a.m.

Appreciation

An appreciation service for the Rev. Richard Smith, pastor of Mack’s Chapel AME Church, will be April 24 at 3. Dr. Rev. Judy V. Johnson and congregation from McCormick Chapel AME Church Lumberton,NC. will be the guest for this service. Everyone is welcome.