Handbell Choir

Amid the hustle and bustle of holiday shopping, several area churches are sponsoring free Christmas concerts this weekend to help residents enjoy the real meaning of the season - the celebration of Jesus Christ's birth. New Hope Lutheran in Columbia, Holy Trinity Lutheran in Laurel, Jennings Chapel United Methodist in Woodbine and Lisbon United Methodist all will feature Christmas carols, liturgical dancers and instrumentalists Sunday. "We will have traditional music like `Deck the Halls,' ` O' Come Ye Emmanuel' and contemporary music like `Breath of Heaven' and `Born to Die,' " said Sharon Punte, music director at New Hope Lutheran.

THE MUSIC never stops at Montpelier Mansion.Today and tomorrow, docents from the Friends of Montpelier will conduct candlelight tours of the Colonial-era house.Outfitted in holiday finery by area garden clubs, the mansion glows as it must have 200 years ago, when the period between Christmas and New Year's Day was the highlight of the social season.Come enjoy a tour, music by area performers -- a handbell choir from the Parkdale School played there Wednesday -- and light refreshments.For those romantically inclined, this is a good opportunity to evaluate the Georgian-style house as a possible site for a wedding -- it often is available for rent.

"Unexplored and Unexpected" are key words for members of our local Explorer post who attended Philmont Scout Ranch's Rayado Trek in Cimarron, N.M.The young women and men who participated had to be 15 years old, a registered Explorer, Venture or Varsity Scout, have mastered basic, no-trace camping and backpacking, be in excellent physical condition and be recommended for the camp by an adult Scouter.Several Columbians who are members of Explorer Search & Rescue Post 616 met these requirements and experienced Rayado.

JOE WHEELER had to look no further than one of his family's favorite hangouts, the Eldersburg library, for a project to earn the rank of Eagle Scout.Casual conversations with employees at the library inspired Joe to consider recarpeting the 10,000-square-foot building as his Eagle Scout project. In recent years, the Eldersburg branch has been unsuccessful in getting county money for the badly needed project.After doing some leg work, the South Carroll sophomore presented a proposal to the Board of County Commissioners and library officials last week.

Walter Reckord Haile, a retired Baltimore County Circuit Court judge and active member of Towson United Methodist Church, died in his sleep Thursday at Pickersgill Retirement Community. He was 91. Judge Haile was born at home on Chesapeake Avenue in Towson, the son of a lawyer who was a founder of the Baltimore County Bar Association. He was raised in Cockeysville and graduated in 1931 from Towson High School. He attended the Johns Hopkins University for two years before earning his law degree in 1935 from the University of Maryland, and began practicing law with his father in 1936.

When Music Ministries Director Carolyn "Carrie" Grams started working at Ellicott City's Glen Mar United Methodist Church in 1989, one of the first things she started planning was the Choirfest. "I learned about the concert series in a conference," says Grams. "Dick and Sandy Nelson of the music ministry at St. John's United Methodist in Columbia joined with us the first year," said Grams. "I was interested in providing an opportunity for singers in small churches to sing with a large choir.

Fourteen Linthicum Elementary School students joined nearly 100 others in the 1.5-mile "Kids Cross Country Race" at Goucher College.They are: Danny Anacker, Justin Brown, Mari Butera, Sandy Hardin, Kevin Hodges, Carrie Leach, Heather Mullin, Jamison Peeling, Dan Propert, Aimee Scardina, John Scardina, Matt Slicher, Keith Watkins and Kevin Watkins.Two Linthicum students were recognized: fourth-grader Danny Anacker, who won a fifth-place trophy and sixth-grader Kevin Hodges, who took home a sixth-place medal.

With the second of two men responsible for the traffic death of Charles W. Miller incarcerated, Miller's relatives felt happy, sad and relieved as they walked from the Anne Arundel County Courthouse. William L. Isenberg, 37, of Glen Burnie, who did not show up in court last month for the imposition of a six-year sentence after his appeals failed, was caught and ordered to prison Friday morning, as Miller's relatives watched. "It's over. It's done. Now, it's time to heal," said Emily Gamrod of Pasadena.

Sunrise service Sunday at church in ChaseEbenezer United Methodist Church, Ebenezer and Earls roads in Chase, will hold an Easter sunrise service at 6: 30 a.m. Sunday in the Hammerman area of Gunpowder Falls State Park. Information: 410-335-2172.TTCMinisters to deliver sermons on 'last words'Oak St. AME Church, 123 W. 24th St., will hold a Seven Last Words service at noon today. Seven ministers will deliver sermons on the last words uttered by Jesus while on the cross.Refreshments will be available after the service.

Abiding Savior Lutheran Church, a small church in Hickory Ridge, turned 30 this month, and like any other veteran, it's changing with the times.For years, the congregation was predominantly white. But during the last decade, blacks and immigrants from India, the Middle East and Liberia have joined the church."The face of our church is changing," said the Rev. Albert Ely, pastor of the 180-member church since January 1976. "I think we need to be open to a more multicultural community."To cope with that change, the church at Owen Brown Road and Cedar Lane will conduct a multicultural discussion this month, focusing on how the races can overcome fears and concerns about their differences.