By Karen Vance
Enquirer contributor

HYDE PARK - One of the country's leading scholars on Jesus will give a series of workshops at Knox Presbyterian Church in Hyde Park next weekend.

Marcus Borg, a professor of religion and culture at Oregon State University and author of 12 books on Jesus, the Bible and other religious topics, will speak at the church, 3400 Michigan Ave., Friday night, Saturday and Sunday (May 21-23).

"He's really one of the preeminent Jesus scholars in the world, and his talks will be of interest to anyone interested in the topics raised by The Passion and other recent works," said Cynthia Crane, a member of Knox's adult education committee.

"He's a scholar, but he has a lot of mainstream appeal."

Borg wrote Meeting Jesus Again for the First Time, a best-seller, and has appeared on numerous national television and radio programs. Friday night, he'll talk on "Seeing Jesus Again Before and After Easter," and Saturday, he'll speak on "What Ails Us?" with talks on personal and political transformation.

The weekend of workshops requires pre-registration.

They start at 7:30 p.m. Friday, 9 a.m. Saturday and 9:15 a.m. Sunday. The workshops are a continuation of the 1,100-member church's commitment to adult education.

The church has regular adult classes at 9 and 11 a.m. Sundays to address current issues, Biblical and theological topics and family life.

"I think we bring in such a wide variety of interesting topics, it's continued to be popular," Crane said of the classes, which draw between 20 and 50 people per class.

For information on the talks, a schedule and registration, visit www.knox.org or call 321-2573.

BRINGING MARY'S MESSAGE: In November 1998, Danny Dell of Mount Lookout traveled to Medjugorje, a small town in what was then Yugoslavia, because he'd heard of millions of pilgrims seeking Mary the Mother of God.

What he saw there changed his life, and now the 74-year-old founder of Mary Messengers is seeking to change the lives of others.

"I'm not a visionary. Mary doesn't come down and have a chat with Danny. But I get undeniable feelings that I should spread her message of love for the rest of my life," he said.

And that's what he's been doing for 16 years, talking to groups as large as 700, and adults as old at 102 at schools, nursing homes, churches and prayer groups. In all, he and other members of the Mary Messengers have spoken nearly 250 times to more than 6,000 people total.

He talks about his five trips to Medjugorje, and the way he's seen Mary work in the lives of pilgrims there and of Mary's love.

"You're here this morning because Jesus and Mary want you to be a good example of what it means to be a good person and a good Christian," Dell told a group of school children at St. Julie Billiart Catholic School in Hamilton recently.

"Pray from your heart to be the best person you can be."

For information or to arrange a talk from Mary Messengers, call Dell at 871-6555.

QUARTET TO PERFORM: The Integrity Quartet, a Gospel group led by Clayton Inman, will perform a concert at 7 tonight at St. Mark's United Methodist Church, 4601 Fairfield Ave., Fairfield.

The concert is free and open to the public. For information, call the church at 844-1818.

CONCERT POSTPONED: The "Unity of Praise" concert, featuring Smokie Norful, originally scheduled for tonight at Tri-County Assembly of God, has been postponed to June or July. Purchased tickets can be returned or held for the new date.

The concert was featured in last week's Faith Matters column.

For information about the postponement, call 851-4026.

To submit religion news, e-mail kvance@fuse.net or send a fax to 755-4150.