Pines church office moves to roomier operations base

The 200-member congregation raised $90,000 in 10 weeks to put a down payment on the property and refurbish it. The office should be up and running by Friday, said the Rev. Steve Nerger, pastor at Pines Baptist.

The site is slightly larger than the church's old office, which was a 2,000-square-foot rented space inside a shopping center at 9877 Pines Blvd. in Pembroke Pines.

The recently acquired building, at 120 NW Douglas Rd., is really a 2,400-square-foot home that has been zoned as commercial property, Nerger said.

Parishioners plan to enlarge the structure by another 1,000 square feet this summer, he said.

``We're actually getting more room for less money,'' he said. ``And in the future, we intend to use the property as an asset toward possibly constructing our own worship facility.''

Until then, the church will continue holding services at 10:30 a.m. Sundays at Pines Middle School, 200 NW Douglas Rd.

Call 435-8484 for more information. Office hours are 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Deacon to be ordained

Roberto Garza, a deacon at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Pembroke Pines, will be ordained as a priest Saturday.

The ordination will take place at 10 a.m. at St. Mary's Cathedral, 7525 NW Second Ave. in Miami. Five other deacons will also take part in the ceremony.

Garza, 28, has been working with parishioners at St. Maximilian Kolbe for the past year.

As a new priest, Garza will be assigned to St. Mary Star of the Sea Church in Key Biscayne. He will begin serving the parish on June 11.
Dance performance

Ann Peterson, who runs a dance ministry in the Bahamas, will perform during worship services on Friday and Sunday at World Harvest Ministries, 10777 Pembroke Rd. in Pembroke Pines.

Service times are 7:30 p.m. Friday and 11 a.m. Sunday.

Call 431-4561 for more information. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Tuesday and Thursday and 9 a.m. to noon Wednesday and Friday.

Jewish singles meeting

A gathering for Jewish singles will take place at 7 p.m. May 19 inside Aish HaTorah's South Florida headquarters, 1055 NE Miami Gardens Dr. in North Miami Beach.

The meeting is open to men and women age 30 to 49. The topic, to be discussed at a round-table talk format, will be intermarriage.

Admission is $10 per person. Wine, cheese and desserts will be served.

Call 945-2155 for more information. Office hours are 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday through Friday.
Las Vegas Night

Feel lucky? St. Maurice Catholic Church in unincorporated Broward, near Hollywood, will host a Las Vegas Night at 7 p.m. Saturday at the Design Center of the Americas, 1855 Griffin Rd. in Dania.

Tickets are $12.50 per person. Admission includes one drink and complimentary chips. Proceeds will benefit Kids In Distress.

Call 961-7777 for more information. Office hours are 11 a.m. to 5 p.m. Monday; 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. Tuesday through Thursday; and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Friday.
Trip to Caribbean

Seniors can see the eastern Caribbean islands from a Jewish perspective aboard a special eight-day cruise.

The trip, which will take place June 2-9, is being sponsored by the Jewish Community Foundation of the Jewish Federation of South Broward and the Foundation of Jewish Philanthropies of the Jewish Federation of Greater Fort Lauderdale.

Participants will visit Jewish sites of interest in Nassau, San Juan and St. John. There also will be a tour of a 200-year-old synagogue in St. Thomas.

While on the ship, seniors will be treated to a Shabbat service and dinner. In addition, they will have the opportunity to learn about their Jewish past from scholars in residence.

Fares for the cruise start at $515 per person, double occupancy. Port tax is extra.

Call Jerry Cohen at the Jewish Federation of South Broward at 921-8810 between 8:30 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Thursday.