Churches Join Campaign for Child Inoculations

As part of a letter-writing campaign urging congressional support for the Universal Child Immunization Act of 1986, St. Mark Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach will be collecting an “Offering of Letters” at the 9:30 a.m. service Sunday.

The bill was introduced in both houses of Congress last December and, if passed, would allocate $50 million to the Child Survival Fund for universal immunization of children against six diseases.

The letter campaign is part of an international effort coordinated by Bread for the World, a Washington-based group that lobbies for aid to the world’s needy. According to spokeswoman Bobbi Dauderman, Bread for the World hopes to persuade more legislators to co-sponsor the bill.

St. Mark’s is located at 2100 Mar Vista Drive in Newport Beach. For more information, call the church at (714) 644-1341.

Letters will also be collected May 25 at Newport Harbor Lutheran Church, 798 Dover St., at the 8 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services. On June 1, letters will be received at Aldersgate Methodist Church, 1201 S. Irvine Blvd. in Tustin, at the 10 a.m. service, and at University United Methodist Church, 18422 Culver Drive, Irvine, at the 9:30 a.m. and 10:45 a.m. services.

Mothers and families will be the focus of a sermon given by the Rev. Edward Caldwell at the 9 and 10:30 a.m. services Sunday for Mother’s Day at Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave. in Laguna Beach. Mitzi Interlandi will direct the chancel choir, accompanied by organist Ellen Wright. Nursery care will be available for both services. For more information, call (714) 494-7555.

Mothers will also be the guests of honor Sunday at both the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services at Rancho Capistrano Community Church, 29251 Camino Capistrano in San Juan Capistrano. The Rev. Robert A. Schuller will give a Mother’s Day message at both services and flowers will be given to all mothers present.

Mozart’s Requiem Mass will be performed by the Irvine Valley College Chamber Singers and Symphonic Chorale tonight at 8 at Red Hill Lutheran Church, 13200 Red Hill Ave., Tustin. Janice Wyma will conduct the groups, which will feature guest soloists Patricia Punty, Adelaide Sinclair, Patrick Jolly and Jonathan Grant. The groups will also perform a Bach concerto and Mozart’s Ave Verum Corpus.

A donation of $7 for adults and $5 for senior citizens and students is requested. For more information, call (714) 559-3333.

A concert to benefit the needy in Brazil will be held at South Coast Community Church at 7:30 p.m. Friday. “Truth,” a gospel touring company, will perform at the church, 5120 Bonita Canyon Drive, Irvine. There is no admission charge, but a collection will be taken at the concert. All proceeds will go to the First Baptist Church of Niteroi, Brazil, to supply food and medical care to needy citizens. For more information, call (714) 854-7600.

“Bloom Where You Are Planted” is the theme of a daylong seminar for women sponsored by God’s Garden Ministry at the Marywood Retreat Center from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Friday. Sessions will be offered on topics that include “Is There Ordinary Life with Preteens and Teen-Agers?” and “Becoming a True Woman of God.” The cost for three sessions and lunch is $20. Without lunch, the cost is $15. The center is at 2811 E. Villa Real Drive, Orange. For reservations or information, write God’s Garden Ministry, P.O. Box 5401, Garden Grove, 92645, or call (714) 893-3535.

“A Hawk for Peace: One Man’s Odyssey” is the theme of St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church’s Adult Forum at 9:15 a.m. Sunday.

Thomas Tierney, who, along with his wife, donated $350,000 to UC Irvine to establish a Peace Institute and to endow a chair for peace research, will speak on their dream of world peace. The event will be held in the church’s parish center, 3233 Pacific View Drive, Corona del Mar. Admission is free and child care will be provided. For more information, call the church at (714) 644-0463.

Yom HaAtzmaut (Israel Independence Day) will be celebrated at Temple Beth El at a special 8 p.m. service Friday. Rabbi Allen Krause will speak on “The Jewish Love Affair With the Land of Israel” and the Temple Beth El choir will be led by Ruth Sandburg. The temple is located at 30121 Niguel Road in Laguna Niguel. For more information, call (714) 364-2332.

Works by Bach and Mendelssohn will be among those performed by organist Duane Hanks at the First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa, 420 West 19th St. at 7:30 p.m. today. A donation of $5 is requested to support the church’s missionary work in Africa. Refreshments will be served at a reception after the concert. For more information, call the church office at (714) 548-7727.

The Crystal Cathedral has opened a telephone counseling line for troubled teen-agers. Calls to (714) NEW GOAL (639-4625) will be answered by volunteer teen-agers trained to counsel their peers. The help line is open from 6 p.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday. There is no charge for the calls, and all calls are kept confidential.

The Diocese of Orange’s youth ministries department is sponsoring a Catholic Family Support Community to help families deal with drug and alcohol abuse among teen-agers. Assistance available includes weekly support group meetings for both parents and teen-agers, referral services, counseling and education. The support group meeting for parents will be held at 7:30 p.m. on Thursdays and the one for youths will be at the same time on Wednesdays. Both groups meet at the Holy Family Cathedral Youth Center, 566 S. Glassell St., Orange. For more information, call (714) 974-7120.