Spiritual Side: Gospel concert performance on Ash Wednesday

Gretchen and Reg Dunneman — On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Reg and Gretchen Dunneman will present a concert of gospel music at the Ash Wednesday Service, in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of DeLand.

By Margie Dykes
BEACON STAFF WRITER

posted Feb 7, 2010 - 4:44:14pm

Dunnemans to sing

On Wednesday, Feb. 17, Reg and Gretchen Dunneman will present a concert of gospel music at the Ash Wednesday Service, in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of DeLand.

The Dunnemans, from Binghamton, N.Y., sing their own special blend of gospel music, including Southern gospel, traditional, hymn, classical, country, bluegrass and contemporary Christian styles. Their full-time ministry presents more than 350 concerts a year all over the country.

The service will follow the WATCH Night dinner, which is at 5:30 p.m. in the Life Enrichment Center. The cost of dinner is $4 for adults and $3 for children under age 10, with no family paying more than $15. Reservations are required, and can be made by calling the church office at 386-734-5113. The public is welcome at all activities.

Series continues

Roberta Fish will speak on “Judgment, Heaven and Hell? What Does God Say?” Tuesday, Feb. 9, with the continuation of the “Edge of Time” seminar series at DeBary-Orange City Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Howard Fish will speak Tuesday, Feb. 16, on “Does It Matter Which Church I Belong To? Aren’t We All Going to the Same Place?”

Roberta Fish will again speak Tuesday, Feb. 23. Her title will be “What Is the Mark of the Beast Mentioned in Revelation?”

And, John Oddie will finish the series Tuesday, March 2, with the title “Will America Ever Rule the World? What Does the Bible Say?”

Lecture series

Stetson University is hosting the 2010 George H. Shriver Lectures on “Religion in American History” Tuesday, Feb. 9, and Wednesday, Feb. 10, on the Stetson campus.

Dr. James Turner, Cavanaugh Professor of Humanities and professor of history at the University of Notre Dame, will give three lectures that are free and open to the public.

“The Dog That Didn’t Bark: The Study of Religion in America to Circa 1820,” will be at 7 p.m. Tuesday, Feb. 9, in the Stetson Room of the university’s Carlton Union Building, 131 E. Minnesota Ave.

At noon Wednesday, Feb. 10, Turner will speak on “Comparing Religions in an Age of Confusion, Circa 1820-1900,” in Room 25 in the Instructional Media Center in the duPont-Ball Library at 134 E. Minnesota Ave. The room is reached from the courtyard on the north side of the library.

The series ends at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Feb. 10, with the talk “William James Redraws the Map,” in the Stetson Room.

Lending library

A Christian library, which is open to the public and lends Christian literature to its members, can be found at 130 Garfield Road in Deltona. Seekers Christian Library is a licensed, not-for-profit organization, with limited hours of operation.

Women of Faith meet 9:30-10:30 a.m. Fridays, and the Discovery Discipleship series meets 6-8 p.m. Thursdays. Also, a class to make Easter cards is forming.

For a current schedule or to make reservations, call President Christy Stout at 407-314-4511.

Italian festival

The Knights of Columbus invite the public to an Italian Festival 6-9 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, in the St. Brendan Catholic Church Social Hall in Ormond Beach.

A homemade dinner of salad, pasta, meatballs, sausage, bread, butter, dessert, tea, coffee and other beverages will be served 5-7 p.m., and dancing to the music of the Moonlighters will be 6-9 p.m.

The cost of the event is $15, with reservations required. No tickets will be sold at the door.

To get tickets, visit the religious-articles store or the parish or school offices or call Joe Quinn at 386-441-0518, or Vince Colonna at 386-441-4713.

Keeping the faith

“Keeping the Faith” is the subject of Pat Ray’s talk at First Unitarian Universalist Church of West Volusia in DeLand Feb. 7. The service begins at 10:30 a.m., and religious education for children of all ages is available.

Also, biblical scholar and friend of UU Bill Lazarus will speak 1:30-3 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, on the topic of “Sex and Religion.” He will again facilitate a discussion group the first Saturday of each month.

For more information, visit www.uudeland.org, or call 386-734-6499.

Choir to perform

The Trinity United Methodist Church Choir will perform Under God’s Sea in 3-D at the 8:30 a.m. and 11 a.m. services Feb. 7. A reception in the fellowship hall will follow the 8:30 a.m. performance.

The children performed the musical Jan. 6 as part of the Music Florida 2010 Conference for music directors from all over the country. Music Director Conya Hartman led the choir.

There is no cost to attend, and everyone is welcome.

Bel Canto Singers perform

First Presbyterian Church of DeLand will entertain not only a phantom Feb. 7, but a wizard and a toreador, as well. This Sunday, at 2:30 p.m., the Bel Canto Singers bring “Music From the Stage” to those who love grand-opera choruses as well as musical-theater classics. This concert, featuring a variety of soloists, will include favored selections from Carmen, Pagliacci, Prince Igor and Idomeneo, as well as medleys from The Wizard of Oz and The Phantom of the Opera and several other classic Broadway show tunes.

DeLand native Anne Sollien has agreed to be the featured soloist in “Habanera” from Carmen. She has not only been the lead in many musicals, she recently directed The Secret Garden. Her husband, Bob Sollien, co-director of The Secret Garden and vice president of Shoestring Theatre, will be singing a bass solo in this concert. Additional solos will be sung by Don Kruger, tenor; Tori Bunke, soprano; Wanda Ross, alto; Michael Shiles, bass; and Tree Hazard, soprano.

Cyndi Hansen, another DeLand native and former piano teacher in Stetson’s music department, will be a contributing soprano. Gretchen Marz, assistant director of the Bel Canto Singers, will be supporting the alto section.

For more information about the singers and their future concerts, visit www.BelCantoDaytona.org.

Reservations for performances are not necessary, though a donation of $10 at the door is requested.

Youth attend fellowship assembly

Representative youth from First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) of DeLand attended the Christian Youth Fellowship Assembly at the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) Camp and Conference Center in Silver Springs Jan. 29-31.

Those attending were Mercy and Cindy Hulslander, Paige Settle and Rosie Taylor, and Julia Taylor accompanied them as chaperone.

Barton College senior Peter Harper, son of the Rev. Terry Harper, a former minister of DeLand’s First Christian, was the keynote speaker for the assembly. Harper will be attending seminary in the fall.

There will be a Trash and Treasure Sale 7 a.m.-3 p.m. Friday and Saturday, Feb. 5 and 6, to cover youth-camp and conference scholarships. It will be on the grounds and in the fellowship hall of First Christian Church.

Concert series continues

The 2009-10 “Concerts at Emmaus” series at Emmaus Lutheran Church in Orange City continues at 4 p.m. Sunday, Feb. 14, with a concert by the Harmony Sound Waves of New Smyrna Beach.

The Harmony Sound Waves are a chapter of Harmony Inc., and are an organization recognized for barbershop-style singing that includes women of all ages. The Harmony Sound Waves have 23 members under the direction of Greg Patterson. They will perform a concert of love songs and treats for your Valentine’s Day enjoyment. The Emmaus Youth will sponsor a Valentine’s Day Bake Sale before and after the concert.

The concert is free and open to the public. A freewill offering will be received. For more information, call the church at 386-775-9676.

New center opens

The I.A.M. Metaphysical Centre will have its grand opening 2-6 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 6, at 140 E. Michigan Ave. in Lake Helen. There will be refreshments, healings and mini-readings.

The center will have classes on yoga, tarot, healing and spiritual energy.

Light services will be at 7 p.m. Sundays, light message services will be at 7 p.m. Thursdays, and spiritual healings will be 2-4:30 p.m. Mondays-Wednesdays and Fridays.

Guest speakers will include Swami Ji on Feb. 7, the Rev. Iona Osbourne on Feb. 14, and the Rev. Steve Adkins on Feb. 21, and full-moon meditation will be Feb. 28.

Guest message-bearers will include the Rev. Dr. James Thomas on Feb. 11, the Rev. Phoebe Bergen on Feb. 18, and the Rev. Torie on Feb. 25. Spiritual healings will also be available 30 minutes before all services.

For more information, call 386-228-0910.

Marc Adams to speak

Marc Adams, founder of HeartStrong, a social-justice organization providing hope and help to gay, lesbian, bisexual and transgender students who are persecuted in religious-educational institutions, will be the speaker at the 10:30 a.m. service Feb. 7, at Mosaic Unitarian Universalist in Orange City. His talk is titled “From Fundamentalism to Freedom,” and is grounded in the first principle of the Unitarian Universalist Association of Congregations, “respect for the inherent worth and dignity of every person.”

Adams is the author of nine books, including The Preacher’s Son and Do’s & Don‘ts of Dealing With the Religious Right. His new book is titled It’s Not About You: Understanding Coming Out & Self Acceptance.

At 3 p.m. Feb. 7, the topic of the Mosaic in the Afternoon service will be “White Privilege,” led by Lisa Stauffer.

For more information, call 386-228-3130 or visit www.mosaicuu.org.

Prayers in the park

On Sunday, Feb. 7, area members of the Bahá’í faith and concerned friends will gather in DeLand’s Earl Brown Park at 6:30 p.m. for a candlelight prayer vigil in support of seven Bahá’í leaders imprisoned in Iran, whose fate may be determined on that day.

The arrests on charges of espionage, collaborating with Israel, threatening Iran’s security, spreading propaganda against Islam, “sending secret documents outside the country,” and “corruption on earth” — crimes for which Iran can impose the death penalty — prompted an international outcry, as this case represents one of many human-rights offenses committed by Iran’s government.

The Bahá’í faith, which had its origins in 1844 in Iran (then Persia), is not recognized in Iran, though it is the country’s largest religious minority. Followers are routinely persecuted and deprived of their property and means of employment. Bahá’í students are frequently expelled or prevented from entering schools.

— We value your religious group’s news items. Please submit information one week before the publication date by fax at 386-734-4641 or by e-mail at margie@

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— margie@beacononlinenews,com

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