Religion Notes

Large gift.

A local school has reason to celebrate. Five million reasons, in fact.

Akiba Hebrew Academy, a Jewish day school in Merion, announced that it received a $5 million gift from the Barrack Foundation, headed by the lawyer and philanthropist Leonard Barrack and his wife, Lynne. The gift will be in memory of Barrack's brother, Jack, and the school is to be renamed the Jack M. Barrack Hebrew Academy.

The gift is the largest in the school's history, and 90 percent will be used to establish a merit- and need-based scholarship program. The rest will go toward faculty enhancement programs.

Leonard Barrack is an alumnus of Akiba, which is celebrating its 60th anniversary.

Wheels and meals. The Unitarian Universalist Church at Washington Crossing, 268 Washington Crossing-Pennington Rd., Titusville, N.J., will collect used and repairable bicycles in its parking lot from 9 a.m. to noon today.

The collection is part of the Pedals for Progress campaign to bring bicycles to the needy in developing countries in Latin America, Africa and the Pacific. The bikes provide working people with transportation to work, to the market and to doctors' visits, among other places. Although it costs an average of $28 to collect, process, ship, repair and distribute each bicycle, those who donate bikes are being asked for a $10 donation to cover shipping. For information, go to www.p4p.org or www.uucwc.org.

On Wednesday, the church will hold a forum on sustaining local, sustainable agriculture with four local farmers from Lambertville, Hopewell Township, Wrightstown and Lower Makefield. The free forum, from 7 to 9 p.m., will discuss how a local, sustainable system is better for consumers and the planet. For information, call 609-737-7149.

Stations of the Cross. Cardinal Justin Rigali of the Archdiocese of Philadelphia will lead a candlelight procession at 7:30 p.m. Friday and devotions of the Way of the Cross at St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, 100 E. Wynnewood Rd., Wynnewood.

The archdiocese is inviting all Christians to take part in the Good Friday observance. Participants may park at St. Joseph's University and take shuttles to the seminary. For information, call 215-965-8280 or go to www.archdiocese-phl.org.

"Third gender." The Unitarian Universalist Church of Delaware County will sponsor a forum tomorrow from 7 to 9 p.m. on the American Indian concept of "third gender" - people who have both feminine and masculine qualities and act as a conduit between the physical and spiritual worlds.

The free forum will be led by Michele Angello, a professor of human sexuality at Widener University and board member of Philadelphia Renaissance, which works with people with transgender issues. For information, call 267-241-0844 or go to www.uucdc.org.

- Phaedra Trethan