Local reverend leading National Prayer Service

Harbor Christian Church in Newport Beach will have two reasons to celebrate Sunday.

The Rev. Sharon Watkins, the leader of the church’s denomination Christian Church (Disciples of Christ), was tabbed to lead the National Prayer Service at 7 a.m. Wednesday in the National Cathedral. The National Prayer Service caps off President-elect Barack Obama’s inauguration. Watkins is the general minister and president of the denomination and is the first woman asked to lead this traditional prayer service the day after Obama is sworn in.

Harbor Christian will celebrate this accomplishment at the church’s 10 a.m. Sunday service. Also Sunday, Harbor Christian will host a group of Turkish-Muslim worshipers from the Pacific Institute who will bring Noah’s Pudding, also called ashure, in an ecumenical get-together. Sharing ashure, which is a dessert that includes grains, nuts and fruits, is a ritual common in the Middle East that encourages fellowship among Muslims and Christians.

For more information, call the church at (949) 645-5781.

— Paul Anderson