St. Edward’s to Conduct Lenten Mini-Retreat

St. Edward’s Church in Dana Point will hold a two-day Lenten mini-retreat on Thursday and Friday that will be led by Father Benedict Groeschel.

Groeschel is the author of several books and articles and is a popular speaker. He also is the director of the Office for Spiritual Development of the Archdiocese of New York and a professor at Iona College and St. Joseph’s Seminary in New York.

His topics will be “Stumbling Blocks/Stepping Stones” and “Listening at Prayer.”

The mini-retreat will be held at the church, 33926 Calle La Primavera, Dana Point. There is no charge for attendance. Information: (714) 496-6011.

A “Celebration of Life” open house will take place Sunday at Heritage Pointe, a Jewish retirement community in Mission Viejo.

Music, dancing, food, entertainment and tours (from 3 to 5 p.m.) will all be a part of the facility’s dedication celebration. In addition, an art exhibition will be held, and the winner of a national mezuza design competition will be announced.

Admission to the open house is free. Heritage Pointe is at 27356 Bellogente, Mission Viejo, off Interstate 5’s Crown Valley Parkway exit. Information: (714) 364-9685.

Father Dave Tobin will conduct a three-session Christian Renewal Mission at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish in Irvine.

The mission will be held at 7:30 Sunday, Monday and Tuesday evenings. Tobin plans to discuss a variety of topics, including the fundamentals of the Catholic faith; the scope and meaning of changes in church life since the Second Vatican Council; and problems faced by Catholics living out of their faith in today’s world.

Catholics and non-Catholics alike are invited to the mission at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Parish, 9 Hillgate, Irvine. Information: (714) 854-1000.

“The Transfiguration” will be the topic of Dr. Jerry Tankersley’s sermon Sunday at Laguna Presbyterian Church.

Visitors are welcome to attend services, which will begin at 9 and 10:30 a.m. at the church, 415 Forest Ave., Laguna Beach. Fellowship will follow each service, and child care is available. Information (714) 494-7555.

“The Refreshment Committee,” a professional Christian musical theater dance company, will perform “Hot Under the Collar” on Sunday at 7 p.m. at Trinity United Presbyterian Church.

The company has toured the country extensively from its home base of St. Paul, Minn.

There is a suggested donation of $4 for adults; $2 for children. The church is at 13922 Prospect Ave. (corner of 17th Street and Prospect Avenue) in Santa Ana. Information: (714) 544-7850.

Jo Caines, director of community relations for KOCE-TV Channel 50, will discuss “Recent Events Affecting Afro-Americans” as guest speaker Sunday at the Unitarian Church of Orange County.

The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. at 1120 W. Santa Ana St., Anaheim. Child care is available. Information: (714) 758-1050.

Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church will hold a special service Sunday at 4 p.m.to dedicate the new church sanctuary.

A dinner in the Fellowship Hall will follow the service.

Shepherd of Peace Lutheran Church is at 18182 Culver Drive in Irvine. Information: (714) 786-3326.

Singer Shula Kalir will perform during a presentation of “A Night of Jewish Music” at the Jewish Community Forum on Sunday at 7 p.m.

She has sung with Hershel Bernardi in a television musical special and was honored in a program called the “Journey of Man.”

The concert will be held at Temple Beth Sholom, 2625 Tustin Ave., Santa Ana. Information: (714) 538-0404.

St. Martin De Porres Church in Yorba Linda will begin its third annual Fish Fry Dinner series this Friday at 6 p.m.

Every Friday from 6 to 8 p.m. until March 22, the church will serve fried cod or macaroni and cheese dinners.

The fish dinners are $6 for adults, $3.50 for children; and the macaroni and cheese dinners are $2.50.

St. Martin De Porres is at 19767 Yorba Linda Blvd. in Yorba Linda. Information: (714) 970-2771.

The Cristianitos Community Church in San Clemente will sponsor a banquet for married couples called “An Evening of Italian Romance” on Sunday from 4 to 7 p.m.

Bob and Yvonne Turnbull are the guest speakers. Their topic will be, “How to Have a First R.A.T.E. Marriage.”

Any married couple may attend the banquet, which will be held at the Rancho Capistrano Renewal and Retreat Center, 29251 Camino Capistrano, San Juan Capistrano. Information: (714) 361-1022.

Jubilee ‘91, the sixth annual Southwest Regional Conference on Messianic Judaism, will begin Friday at the Irvine Marriott and will end Feb. 17.

Classes, panels and workshops will be offered throughout the weekend. A concert is planned for Friday, and dinner and a concert are to be held Saturday evening.

Cost for the seminar ranges from $12 to $44 for adults, depending on what programs are selected.

The Irvine Marriott is at 18000 Von Karman Ave., Irvine. Information: (714) 786-8261.

Ash Wednesday services will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in Newport Beach at 6:30 a.m., noon and 7 p.m.

Confessions will be heard from 6 to 6:45 p.m at the church, 3209 Via Lido, Newport Beach. Information: (714) 675-0210.

The Placentia-Brea Christian Women’s Club will hold its “Let Me Call You Sweetheart” luncheon Monday at 11:30 a.m.

Guest speaker Connie Knapp will talk about “Heartfelt Words” at the event, which will be held at the Alta Vista Country Club. Wedding attire will be modeled during the luncheon.

Child care is available. For reservations, call (714) 993-0607.

The Garden Grove United Methodist Church has scheduled study groups for the Lenten season. Each group will meet for seven sessions.

The schedule for the groups is: Sundays and Tuesdays at 9 a.m.; Mondays and Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m.; Thursdays 9:30 a.m.

There is no charge for the study groups, which will meet at the church or at the homes of church members. Cost is $2.25, for a study guide.

The church also has formed a support group for single parents that meets the first and third Tuesdays of each month from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Child care is available during the support group meetings.

Garden Grove United Methodist Church is at 12741 Main St., Garden Grove. Information: (714) 534-1070.

The Mighty Fortress Orthodox Evangelical Lutheran Church in Anaheim will begin a series of Lenten midweek services on Ash Wednesday, continuing through Good Friday in March.

Each service, except Maundy Thursday, will be held at 7:30 p.m. at 1401 E. Santa Ana St. in Anaheim. The Maundy Thursday service will meet at the AVIO Dutch Club, 1557 W. Katella Ave. in Anaheim.

This week’s service is on Ash Wednesday, and the topic is “Steps Toward the Cross.”

The following services are planned: Feb. 20, “Sentenced to the Cross”; Feb. 27, “Bearing the Cross”; March 6, “The Center Cross”; March 13, “The Title on the Cross”; March 20, “Gambling Under the Cross”; March 28, “Dying on the Cross”; March 29, “The Empty Cross.”

A special Easter service and fellowship meal are also scheduled. The sermon will be “The Triumph of the Cross.”

Information: (714) 995-6301.

Temple Beth David of Orange County will present a breakfast program Sunday on the trends and the future of American Judaism. Rabbi David Ellenson, an author and scholar, will preside over the event, which is part of the Rabbi Henri E. Front scholar-in-residence program. The breakfast begins at 10 a.m., and the cost is $3. For information or reservations, call (714) 892-6623.

Dr. Chris Schriner, minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Laguna Beach, will begin monthly sessions Monday with the topic, “Our Next Adventure.”

The sessions are intended to promote personal and spiritual growth.

Schriner, a licensed family counselor and author of three books on stress, is also the minister of counseling at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church in Costa Mesa.

Admission to the 7:30 p.m. session on Monday is $20. There is no charge for members, pledging friends and their guests or recent visitors. The fellowship is at 429 Cypress Drive, Laguna Beach. Information: (714) 645-8597.

The departing Rev. David Sandberg of Shepherd of the Hills in Laguna Niguel will reminisce on Sunday about the 20 years of his ministry. He has been the pastor of Shepherd of the Hills Church since 1970 and is going to a new ministry in Norwell, Mass.

The service will begin at 10:30 a.m. A farewell dinner is planned for 5:30 p.m. at the church, 30121 Niguel Road, Laguna Niguel. Information: (714) 495-1310.

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