Birthday celebration concert: A concert honoring Gordon Tjernlund on his 85th birthday is set for Thursday at First Baptist Church, 125 N.W. 10th St. Those attending can greet Tjernlund at 6:30 p.m. The concert, at 7 p.m., will include selections performed by Dennis Bell; Felicia Balschweid; the Master’s Men, directed by Paul Jacobson; the O.K. Chorale; and the Gospel band Nervous Breakdown. Refreshments will be served afterward. Tjernlund was director of music at First Baptist for many years, and while there, organized the Christian Artist Concert Series and the Corvallis Choir Festival, which ran for 12 years, with various churches hosting multiple church choirs joining for annual concerts. He was director of the Town Choir, the Travelin’ Gospel Singers, the Sonshine Singers, the Master’s Men and the O.K. Chorale. Information: 745-5122 or vollheim@peak.org.

NEW YORK — Sayyid Syeed remembers an interfaith event several years ago when a Jewish leader went to embrace him, saw someone snapping a photo, then suddenly pulled back.