FAITH BRIEFS

Assistance

* Ebenezer Missionary Baptist Church, 1614 Bailey Ave., will have a clothing giveaway on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. For information, call the church at 622-6436.

Fundraisers

* Sylvia Hatchett Newman, a once convicted murderer who changed her life after getting out of prison and becoming a Christian, will speak at the Thankful Community Development Corp. fundraising prayer breakfast today at 9 a.m. at Thankful House of Renewal, 980 N. Orchard Knob Ave. The suggested donation is $10. Proceeds will benefit Thankful House of Renewal, an extension of Thankful Baptist Church that offers housing and mentors to women who have been released from prison. For reservations or information, call 698-5587.

* Apison United Methodist Church will host "Loaves and Fishes," a music, food and fellowship fundraiser for the congregation's missions work, on Sunday from 4 to 6 p.m. at Apison Elementary School, 10433 East Brainerd Road. Music will be provided by the Track XII praise and worship band with vocalist Kirstin Ridge Parker. Those who want to make donations but cannot attend may mail them to the church at 4404 Bill Jones Road, Apison, Tenn. 37302. For information, call the church at 236-4442.

Gift collection

* Five area locations have been tabbed as collection sites between Monday and Monday, Nov. 23, for churches, businesses and individuals who have prepared shoe boxes of gifts for Operation Christmas Child. The ministry has delivered more than 69 million gift-filled shoe boxes for needy children in some 130 countries since 1993. The collection locations and hours: Life Care Center of Red Bank, 1020 Runyan Drive, 8 a.m.-5 p.m. Monday-Friday and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. Saturday-Sunday; Life Care Center of Chattanooga, 455 N. Highland Park Ave., 8 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday, 9 a.m.-6 p.m. Saturday and 9 a.m.-2 p.m. Sunday; Hickory Valley Retirement Center, 6705 Ballard Drive, 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Sunday and 8 a.m.-noon Monday; Life Care Center of Missionary Ridge, 708 Dwight Ave., 8 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Friday, 10 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday and noon-4 p.m. Sunday-Monday; Life Care Center of Collegedale, 9210 Apison Pike, noon-5 p.m. Monday-Friday; and 1-5 p.m. Saturday-Sunday. For information, call 615-309-6013 or visit www.samaritanspurse.org.

Grief support

* Bottom Line Counseling Ministry will host a "Surviving the Holidays" GriefShare support meeting on Tuesday from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. and on Tuesday, Dec. 15, at the same time, at 63 Pin Oak Drive in Rock Spring, Ga. A regular GriefShare recovery/support group will begin weekly on Jan. 5, 2010. For information or to preregister, call the counseling office at 706-764-1951.

Lecture

* Ridgedale Baptist Church, 1831 Hickory Valley Road, will host "An Evening With Donald Miller" as part of a 65-city bus tour and book launch with the author of the same name on Saturday, Nov. 21 at 7 p.m. He will be joined on the tour by actor-comedian Susan Isaacs, author of "Angry Conversations with God: A Snarky but Authentic Spiritual Memoir." Tickets are $15 and are available by calling Ridgedale Baptist at 499-0994 or visiting the Web site at www.ridgedalebaptist.org. For information on the author, visit http://amillionmiles.com/ or http://www.facebook.com/donaldmillerfan.

Music

* Grits, gospel music's top-selling hip hop artist of all time, will perform at Mosaic Church, 412 Market St., today at 7:30 p.m. The five-time Dove Award winning and two-time Grammy nominated group will play at the church's weekly G.A.N.G. (Gathering A New Generation) Ministry worship/outreach service for inner city youth. The service also will feature Mosaic's break dancing team and other young local rap artists. The church's art gallery will showcase a variety of paintings by young inner-city art students. The suggested donation is $10 or a new toy for the church's inner-city children's Christmas outreach. For information, e-mail pastor Tim Reid at thefathom8@msn.com.

* Heritage Quartet will present a concert at Hixson United Methodist Church, 5301 Old Hixson Pike, on Sunday at 5:15 p.m. For information, call 309-5469 or 313-1096.

* The Redeemed quartet will be featured in a gospel singing on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Boynton Baptist Church, 4093 Boynton Road, in Ringgold, Ga. For information, call the Redeemed office at 645-5592 or visit www.redeemedministry.com.

* Vicki Yohe, a frequent guest on TBN cable's "Praise the Lord" program, will minister in worship and song at Metropolitan Tabernacle, 2101 W. Shepherd Road, on Thursday at 7 p.m. For information, call 894-3377 or www.metrotab.net.

* The Chattanooga Mass Choir will observe its 24th annual Pre-Thanksgiving Concert on Saturday, Nov. 21, at 5 p.m., at Galilee Baptist Church, 2000 Jackson St. Among the guests are the New Zion Women Choir, Anointed Voices, New Zion Praise Dancers, Johnnie Higginbotham and New Hope Mass Choir. A freewill offering will benefit the choir's help fund. For information or to make a donation, call 698-2130 or 622-2100.

* Hawkinsville Missionary Baptist Church, 7463 Pinewood Drive, will host Praise Break 2009 on Sunday, Nov. 22, at 4 p.m. The guests will include 2010 Stellar Award nominee Kim Ruff, the Resurrected Praise Team, Spiritual Highlights, Radical Praise of Olivet Baptist Church, Peculiar Praise, the Spiritual Crusaders, Anointed Sisters of Judah, Corey Prather and HiPraize, Anthony Taylor & Praise, Marcellus Barnes & VOT, and Eric Terry & Worship. The groups also will sing as a united choir. Doors will open at 3 p.m. For information, call 892-1924 or visit www.hawkinsvillechurch.org.

Retreat

* Benedictine Sisters Retreat Center, 916 Convent Road in Cullman, Ala., will host a day of reflection on women doctors of the church on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 9:15 a.m. CST to 4 p.m. The cost of the event, titled "Catherine, Teresa and Therese: A Day of Reflection with Women Doctors of the Church," is $30. Lunch is included. Preregistration is required. To register or for information, call (256) 734-8302 or e-mail retreats@shmon.org.

Thanksgiving activity

* The mission/evangelism department of United Tabernacle Church of God in Christ, 2418 Dodson Ave., will host a free Thanksgiving dinner on Saturday, Nov. 21, from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. In addition to the dinner, there also will be entertainment and food baskets. For information, call event coordinator Peggy Givens at 624-1037.