Worshippers from all over the New River Valley are expected to come together for a service Sunday at Virginia Tech's Cassell Coliseum.

The event will take the place of regular Sunday services at its sponsoring churches: Blacksburg Baptist, Blacksburg Presbyterian, Luther Memorial and Blacksburg United Methodist. The service is also made possible by a grant from the Calvin Institute of Christian Worship in Grand Rapids, Mich., and funds from the Lilly Endowment Inc., an Indianapolis-based philanthropic foundation.

The event is designed for the community to come together to heal following the events of April 16, but the effort to plan it began before the shootings. The four churches received the Calvin Institute grant for "worship renewal" in 2006 and have worked on multiple projects to bring their congregations together. After the tragedy, the purpose for the next project was clear -- helping the community grieve and heal.

Project director Samantha Quesenberry of Luther Memorial said the event is a chance for people throughout the community to come together, not just congregations of the four churches. She's hopeful the service will attract 3,000 to 5,000 people.

Quesenberry said organizers had tried unsuccessfully before the shootings to get the Rev. Tony Campolo, a noted preacher and author from Philadelphia, to speak at an interdenominational service. After the shootings, he found an opening in his schedule and contacted the group. He is receiving an honorarium for his appearance.

The fact that Campolo is speaking on All Saints Sunday, a day to remember people who died in the past year, is fitting, Quesenberry said.

Campolo, an ordained Baptist minister and prolific speaker and writer, was chosen because of his ability to relate to young people and his focus on serving others, Quesenberry said. He founded the Evangelical Association for the Promotion of Education, an organization that develops schools and social programs in various Third World countries and North American cities. He will speak Sunday on "Becoming a People of Hope." The event's theme is listed on the Blacksburg Ecumenical Worship Service Web site as "celebrating, healing, serving."

"He has a really strong statement that young people should have a mission and purpose to their lives," Quesenberry said.

Campolo, associate pastor of Mount Carmel Baptist Church in West Philadelphia, has been a celebrated and controversial figure in the Christian community for a number of years. His relatively liberal religious and social opinions have led some to label him as a leader of the "Evangelical Left." He was the subject of a heresy hearing in 1985 for opinions expressed in his book "A Reasonable Faith."

Campolo has also appeared in mainstream media on programs such as CNN's "Larry King Live" and Comedy Central's "The Colbert Report" and has co-hosted a television series. He teaches at his alma mater, Eastern University.