Faith Community Church of Edgartown recently called the Rev. Jeffrey Winter to be the interim pastor.

Reverend Winter is a graduate of Susquehanna University, Selinsgrove, Pa., and Gordon-Conwell Seminary in South Hamilton. He received his doctor of ministry degree from McCormick Seminary in Chicago.

Reverend Winter is an ordained minister in the Presbyterian Church USA. In recent years, he has served as the co-pastor of the St. Paul’s International Church, Antalya, Turkey, and the interim pastor of the Langhorne Presbyterian Church in Philadelphia.

A walk down Vineyard Haven’s leaf-strewn Main street this week, with the rain-stained shingles of shopfronts announcing clearance sales and new opening hours, will tell you that summer is finally, officially, done with. For many on the Island Columbus Day marks the true seasonal watershed, bringing with it the final bulk batch of beachcomber tourists. Last Friday Steamship Authority ferries were filled to the gunwales with these last gaspers looking for sun, parties, an exchange of marriage vows or a bit of peace before the grind of fall begins in earnest.

Prostate Cancer

The next meeting of the Martha’s Vineyard Prostate Cancer Support Group will be on Wednesday, Oct. 17, at 10:30 a.m. at Martha’s Vineyard Community Services (across from the high school) in the middle building, in the downstairs board room.

Any and all are welcome. Bring family, friends and wives. A reference library is available. Visitors are always welcome. If you have questions, please call Emily Wetherall at 508-693-7900, extension 236.

Want to be part of a big peace rally but aren’t interested in traveling to Washington, D.C.? Then go to Boston on Oct. 27.

The Out of Iraq rally is being organized by United for Peace and Justice, and will coincide with rallies in Washington, New York city and many other U.S. cities.

Cape Codders for Peace and Justice is chartering two buses. Tickets are $20 and available first-come-first served. Buses will load at the Sagamore Bridge parking lot, depart at 8:30 a.m., and return at around 6 p.m.

Real Estate Testing Will

Come to the Vineyard

Dukes Academy, a real estate school on the Island, has obtained approval for the Vineyard as a licensed test center for the state’s real estate salesperson and broker licensing exam.

The test is scheduled for Saturday, Nov. 17. Eligible candidates should get in touch with Dukes Academy to make a reservation by calling 508-696-1900 or sending an e-mail to [email protected]. The school will answer questions and assist candidates to select from three given time slots.

Studying Abroad

Alyssa Fitzpatrick, daughter of Thomas R. and Lisa Fitzpatrick of Oak Bluffs, is spending the fall 2007 semester studying abroad in Turks and Caicos, British West Indies through a program run by Saint Michael’s College in Colchester, Vt.

Ms. Fitzpatrick, a graduate of Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School, is a senior biology major at Saint Michael’s.