By Gerri Marmer February 20 at 4:14 PM

Passages. A 14-week program for people struggling with separation or divorce starts Tuesday, 7 to 9 p.m., at Vienna Presbyterian Church, 124 Park St. NE, Vienna. Program is free; materials cost $20 (scholarships available). Register at Passages@ViennaPres.org, 703-938-9050 or http://www.viennapres.org.

Saturday, 10 a.m.: Open-house service and lunch. The service, with children singing, congregation members reading from the Torah and more, will highlight how people from Montgomery, Prince Georges, Howard and other counties come together to enjoy services. Oseh Shalom, 7515 Olive Branch Way, Laurel. Register at jsolomon@oseh-shalom.org or 301-498-7004.

Saturday, 10:30 a.m.: The Rev. Kenda Dean will be the guest preacher. At 10:30 a.m., Dean will discuss Almost Christian: What the Faith of Our Teenagers Is Telling the American Church. Refreshments and child care will be provided. At 11 a.m., Deans topic will come from Acts 2:7-12, Whatever It Takes. A free lunch workshop follows. Georgetown Presbyterian Church, 3115 P St. NW. Free. 202-338-1644. gtownpres.org/events/kenda_dean.

Saturday, 11 a.m.: Introduction to Buddhism and meditation. Learn meditation and the approaches found in Buddhism for training the mind. Vajrayogini Buddhist Center, 1787 Columbia Rd. NW. $12 per class; $6 per class for seniors, students and the unemployed. 202-986-2257. meditation-dc.org/introduction-to-buddhism-meditation.

Saturday, 12:30 p.m.: Carillon concert. Edward M. Nassor performs Mathias van den Gheyns Preludio No. 7 in G Major. Washington National Cathedral, Bishops Garden area, 3101 Wisconsin Ave. NW. Free. 202-537-6200 or http://www.nationalcathedral.org.

Saturday, 3:30 p.m.: Sixth Annual Blacks in Wax, in which African American history comes to life. Youths 10 and older are welcome to participate. The special guest is Dianne Braddock, sister of Carole Robertson, one of four girls killed in the 1963 bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Ala. More information at http://www.CHCSDA.org. Capitol Hill Seventh-day Adventist Church, 914 Massachusetts Ave. NE. Free. 202-543-1344.

Saturday, 5 p.m.: The Camerata Vocale Sine Nomine, an all-male ensemble singing in countertenor, tenor and bass voices, will perform. Church of the Epiphany, 1317 G St. NW. $20 to $30. Tickets: cameratavocalesinenomine.eventbrite.com. 703-683-6040.

Saturday, 7 p.m.: Benefit concert with Emmas Revolution. The activist guitar and vocal duo of Pat Humphries and Sandy O will play after an opening performance of reflective and humorous Americana-styled songs by Herb Tyson. Proceeds go to the Katie Tyson Fund for Youth and Young Adult Ministries, which supports scholarships and grants. Mount Vernon Unitarian Church, Meeting House, 1909 Windmill Lane, Alexandria. $35, preferred seating; $25; in advance, $20. Tickets: mvuc.org/concert-for-katie. Call Linda Jemison, 703-981-4847.

Saturday, 7:30 p.m.: Guest conductor Stephen Czarkowski will lead the Washington Sinfonietta in a performance of Beethovens Fidelio overture, Bruchs Violin Concerto No. 1 (with soloist Amy Beth Horman) and Haydns Symphony No. 104. Reception with refreshments will follow. The Falls Church Episcopal, 115 E. Fairfax St., Falls Church. 703-241-0003.

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Religion events from around the Washington area

For Knicks fans out there, Im not telling you anything you didnt already know, OK? Your season is over, having ended long before Carmelo Anthony told the team he was having surgery on his left knee.

That news finished Anthonys season, punctuating what has been a disaster of a season for a fan base thats as unforgiving as the Arctic freeze that paralyzed the Midwest the other day.

Whether Anthony finished the season on the court didnt matter, because the Knicks that Phil Jackson, the rookie NBA executive, had cobbled together were a wreck from the day he took over the franchise.

What did people expect?

To bank a season on a man with no experience is to risk it coming up bankrupt, which it has for the Knicks.

But Ive always wondered why Jackson gets his genius label. I wonder because hes led teams that would have been a success with him or without. Oh, I can see someone else not winning as many championships as Jackson did, but its hard to imagine any coach coming up with none as he looks down his bench and sees men like Michael Jordan, Scottie Pippen, Kobe Bryant and Shaquille ONeal at his disposal.

In sports, people like Jackson tend to bring an arrogance with them wherever they go. Their success often makes them think they are smarter than everyone else, and they refuse to see their own flaws. They think they can will things to happen even in the face of challenges too big for them to handle.

For Jackson, the great Zen Master, the Knicks were that challenge. I suspect he thought he could ride into Madison Square Garden, roll out the basketballs and turn the franchise into a title contender overnight. But men whove never built a thing in their lives are often clueless on how to do so.

Ive seen that in the brilliant Jordan. His failures at building an NBA contender rival his failures as a baseball player.

Perhaps I do Jackson an injustice to compare his mistakes in the front office to Jordans. Yet he came to the Knicks with the greatest of expectations and his successes at building the team have run the gamut from A to B.

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Commentary: Phil Jackson Isnt a Genius With Knicks Yet