Besides the bright-light decorations common in the...

Besides the bright-light decorations common in the Christmas season, two religious exhibits in the Los Angeles area remain as popular sights.

The 10th annual Madonna and Creche Art Festival in the cathedral-like sanctuary of Glendale First United Methodist Church will be open for four days starting Saturday of next week at 11 a.m.

The free exhibit of paintings, sculpture, ceramics, wood carvings and needlework on the Christmas theme has grown steadily in size and popularity, said organizer Joanne Cate.

Cate said the show, which had 235 items last year, is new every year and includes many works solicited from collectors, artists and galleries.

In Long Beach, the Portrait of the Prince of Peace pageant--more than a dozen tableaux vivant featuring church members and animals--will be held for the 14th year for five nights starting Wednesday.

The participating churches are St. Cornelius Roman Catholic, Truitt Memorial Baptist, St. Luke’s Lutheran, Long Beach Christian Reformed and University Baptist.

The pageant, which includes musical groups, is presented on church sites along Wardlow Road near Bellflower Boulevard, from 7:30 p.m. to 9:30 p.m. on each of the nights.

CONGREGATIONS

Shoppers who are thinking of giving a flock of chickens for Christmas can go to Westminster Presbyterian Church in Pasadena Sunday between 9:45 a.m. and 1 p.m. Not that chickens and other livestock offered as gifts are overruning the church grounds.

Westminster is one of about 80 churches in Southern California participating in the Alternative Christmas Markets this year.

Buyers receive cards to give to friends or relatives, telling them of gifts in their names of livestock, blankets, vaccines and other items, which are distributed by several well-known relief agencies.

Those who want to buy tangible gifts usually can buy handicrafts from Third World countries, according to Harriet Prichard of Sierra Madre, founder-director of the Alternative Christmas Markets.

DATES

Islam’s view of Jesus from the Koran and Muslim tradition will be explored at 7 p.m. Tuesday at the Islamic Center of Southern California in Los Angeles. The talk on “Jesus, Prophet of Islam,” by Maher Hathout, a Muslim leader active in interfaith circles, will be followed by a discussion with the audience. It will be videotaped for showing Sunday on the 5:30 p.m. program “Islam” on Channel 18.

MEDIA

Journalists, religionists and others will be discussing “Fairness in the News Media: Achievements and Challenges” in a one-day seminar Wednesday at Wilshire Boulevard Temple under the sponsorship of the American Jewish Committee’s Skirball Institute on American Values. The program, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m., includes keynote addresses by television newsman Joseph Benti and USC journalism Prof. Felix Gutierrez.