Upcoming service project day
On May 16, Northwest Community Church will host its second annual service project day, Impact09. Impact09 projects this year include Panther Creek High School, World Relief, Christian Life Home, Sunrise Assisted Living, Adopt-a-Highway, and a few others. The goal of each project is to build relationships with people in the Triangle area and serve the needs of our community.

The day will begin and end at Panther Creek High School. Everyone is welcome to join us. Projects begin at 9 a.m. and we will end the day with a family tailgating party at 5:30 p.m. at Panther Creek High School.

Northwest Community Church is a non-denominational church that meets on Sundays at 10 a.m. at Panther Creek High School, 6770 McCrimmon Parkway, Cary. Visit northwestlife.org for information.

Domestic violence prayer vigil
The St. Rita Ministry of St. Michael the Archangel Catholic Church will hold its annual Prayer Vigil for victims of domestic violence on Tuesday, May 19, at 7:30 p.m. in the Archangel Center, 1/10 mile west of the main church entrance, 804 High House Road, Cary.

Twenty-five percent of all homicides in North Carolina during 2008 were domestic violence related. Many more victims suffer quietly in their homes. The vigil provides a time of community prayer and meditation to support victims, their families and friends.

Participating in the service will be Patrick O’Neill and Mary Rider of the Catholic Workers’ House in Garner; Father Michael Spurr of St. Michael’s; Diana Dutton of Nancy’s Butterfly Fund, a memorial to Nancy Cooper; the Young Adult Choir of St. Michael Church and a vocal ensemble from St. Sharbel Mission.

There will be a candle lighting of remembrance. The public is invited to attend.

For information contact Billie Jo Herr, 412-2002, billiejo@trianglepilates.com.

St. Francis UMC awards scholarships
On Sunday, May 3, St. Francis UMC named 17 high school seniors Educational Scholarship recipients. The four top award recipients of $1,000 each were Chris Carroll and John Turner for the Holloway Endowment Scholarship, Colin Neal for the Kempin Music Scholarship and Evan Cumalander for the Greg Allen Memorial Scholarship.

Other award recipients who received $300 each included Austin Black, Abby Bogardus, Emily Booker, Amanda Brookie, Lauren Calloway, Travis Caulk, Drew Decke, Jamie Hawkins, Lydia Neal, Jamie Rudd, Justin Strug, Amanda Terrill and Kelsey Young. The recipients all met the selection criteria, which included church membership, excellent academic achievement, active involvement in church and community programs and participation in extracurricular activities at their respective high schools.

St. Francis UMC awards scholarships annually through the Holloway Educational Endowment Fund, established seven years ago in memory of St. Francis member Mary Holloway’s mother, Mamie Ammons, who was a strong believer in education and its use in the fulfillment of the life of a Christian.

New this year to the awards are the Kempin Music Scholarship, established by Barbara Kempin, for an applicant pursuing a music major, and the Greg Allen Memorial Scholarship, endowed by Tom and Karan Moore, in memory of James Gregory Allen, son of Jay and Jaynee Allen. Greg was a wise young Christian who lived life with extraordinary zest and with a passion for his fellow man and the environment, sharing his faith in a positive, outgoing, laughter?filled response to life.