Bruce Sloan

Sloan pastor at Ridgeview

The Rev. Bruce Sloan has accepted the pastorate at Ridgeview Baptist Church, 6 N. Moore Road.

He has been a pastor in international churches for the last several years, including congregations in Tokyo, Lima, Peru, and most recently Lithuania. Between his work in Tokyo and Lima, he was interim pastor at Ridgeview Baptist.

Locally, Sloan was pastor at Ringgold First Baptist Church from 1982 to 2002.

He is a graduate of Samford University, Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, and the School of Theology of the University of the South, Sewanee, where he received his doctorate.

Sloan and his wife, Angela Sloan, a therapist in Catoosa County public schools, have three grown children.

Enrichment

Crosspointe Church, Walker Industrial Drive at Alabama Highway, Ringgold, Ga.; 7 p.m. tonight and 9 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m. Sunday; lecture series, "Epic -- The Greatest Story Ever Told," by Robert Smith, professor of divinity and Christian preaching at Beeson Divinity School; 706-935-2000 or mycrosspointechurch.org.

Halloween alternative

Covenant Life Worship Center, 7001 LaFayette Road, Chickamauga, Ga.; 7-10:30 a.m. Oct. 12-13 and Oct. 19-20; annual Hayride Through Hell allows participants to ponder the reality of their decisions; free but canned food donation requested; 706-375-5286.

Music

• Brockdell Church of God, 6351 New Harmony Road, Pikeville, Tenn.; 1 p.m. CDT today; gospel concert by Jim Ricketts and Crystle Elam; free; 421-4269; also, Gospel Singing Hall, 281 Fourth St., Dayton, Tenn., 6 p.m. today, and Stephensville Baptist Church, 2009 Village Camp Road, Englewood, Tenn., 6 p.m. Sunday.

• McMinn County High School, 2215 Congress Parkway; 6-8 p.m. Tuesday; MCHS Gospel Choir preview dinner fundraiser for after-school choir of students from McMinn Central, McMinn County, Meigs County high schools, some middle-, elementary- and homeschool students; $5, includes chili dog dinner and music, plus $2 and $5 tickets for door prizes; http://groups.google.com/group/mchschoir.

• St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 305 W. Seventh St.; 7 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; opening concert of 2013-14 Music at St. Paul's Artist Series features "Sacred Mysteries," choral works associated with Orthodox icons by Hildegard, Byrd, Tallis, Rachmaninov and others, sung by Cantare; "Icons in Transformation" art exhibit open before and after concert during reception; $10 adults, $5 students; 266-8195, stpaulschatt.org or facebook.com/iconsintransformationStPauls.

Women's events

White Oak Baptist Church, 310 Memorial Drive; 2-4 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 12; Woman's Missionary Union of the Hamilton County Baptist Association party for the 125th anniversary of the national Woman's Missionary Union for current and former members of WMU, Baptist pastors and Baptist church leaders; 706-820-0675.

Youth event

Free Hope Baptist Church, 4176 Highway 76, Chatsworth, Ga.; 8 a.m.-7 p.m. today and 10 a.m.-7 p.m. Monday through Oct. 31; sales of pumpkins, crafts and more to fund mission trips; 706-695-3717.