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The national unemployment rate has been up lately, but there are several jobs open for Baptist pastors in the Roanoke area.

In fact, the Roanoke Valley Baptist Association is asked in its newsletter for prayers that eight congregations would find "permanent pastors."

But having eight openings at any one time is typical in the 75-church organization, said Robert Hetherington, executive director. "Pastors retire or move on. Among Southern Baptists, each church is autonomous, so it's up to them to find a replacement."

The churches are essentially competing with other Baptist churches in the ministerial labor pool. They sometimes check with Hetherington for candidates.

"I could have some resumes in my office of pastors who are open for a new position," he said.

Those resumes may be of limited and discreet distribution, because Southern Baptist pastors looking for greener grass aren't obligated to tell anyone at their current church, Hetherington said.

Salary levels are determined by the churches, because as independents they don't get funding for that through the Baptist hierarchy.

"A church search committee usually looks at about 25 resumes, sometimes more," Hetherington said. They usually invite the top candidate for a weekend visit to tour the church and community, meet congregational leaders and preach a tryout sermon.

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Donations to Acts 2 Ministries in downtown Roanoke have increased significantly since a May 13 article in The Roanoke Times mentioned that the nonprofit's youth outreach program was in financial distress.

Lee Pusha, executive director, said, "The response has been tremendous." The funds include about $40,000 raised at Acts 2's annual banquet, from which Pusha was expecting much less. Another $6,000 in additional donations has come in since the article was published.

That story said Acts 2's gifts had dwindled to about half the amount received in the first five months of 2007.

Acts 2 typically draws 60 to 80 middle and high school students from Roanoke's urban neighborhoods for activities that include games and nondenominational religion-based guidance.

The organization's major benefactor is First Baptist Church on nearby Third Street, which provides a 15,000-square-foot building it owns at 406 Luck Ave. Some funding also comes from Cave Spring Baptist Church and Church of the Holy Spirit in Southwest Roanoke County.

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The World Changers volunteers are about to make their annual appearance in low-income Roanoke neighborhoods: painting houses, replacing roofs and making other repairs and improvements.

This year there will be 331 junior high and high school students from around the nation visiting to participate in the charitable effort, accompanied by dozens more who live in the Roanoke area.

They'll be here from July 19-26, staying at Stonewall Jackson Middle School. Local youth may still volunteer to participate in the Roanoke effort; for more information call Julie Jarrell at (828) 455-1948.

In 2007 the volunteers worked on 30 Roanoke homes. The funding for their materials comes mostly from federal sources.

Dozens of Roanoke students are also volunteering to travel elsewhere as World Changers volunteers. Volunteers pay $260 each, on average, to participate in construction and other community service projects as far away as Alaska.

World Changers is an initiative of the Southern Baptist Convention's North American Mission Board.

You're encouraged to comment about religion-related issues on roanoke.com's blog version of this column, "Focus on Faith."