Protestant, Catholic and Jewish seminarians headed for...

Protestant, Catholic and Jewish seminarians headed for the serene hills of Malibu last week to confront their differences--and commonalities.

InterSem ’92 was the 20th annual interfaith retreat sponsored by the National Conference of Christians and Jews. Held Feb. 23-24 at Wilshire Boulevard Temple’s Gindling campground, its theme was “Us and Them: What Does God Require of Us?”

Eighty-five men and women from Southern California and Oregon attended, including students from Fuller Theological Seminary, Hebrew Union College, the School of Theology at Claremont, St. John’s Seminary, the University of Judaism and Mt. Angel Seminary.

They watched short dramatizations depicting religious and ethnic stereotypes. Then they attended lectures and took part in small discussion groups. The students also attended Protestant, Catholic and Jewish worship services--which for many provided their first experience of services outside their own denomination.

According to National Council of Christians and Jews spokeswoman Lucky Altman, one of InterSem’s aims is to foster seminarians’ development as future community leaders by examining the prejudice that leads to interreligious conflict.

At the end of each small-group session, students passed a cross and a Star of David from hand to hand. Each student talked about how it felt to hold the symbols.

Allen Corben, 29, of Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena, said, “Until the people in my group talked about their personal experiences that day, I thought the cross and Star of David were simply neutral and equal symbols of two different religions. For the first time, when I reached out to hold the cross, I understood how this central image of life in the Christian faith can feel very threatening to others because of its use in hate crimes by the Ku Klux Klan and in a long history of violent anti-Semitic acts, like pogroms.”

Marc Sirinsky, a rabbinical student at the University of Judaism in Bel-Air, said, “I heard a Protestant express deep anguish over being excluded from communion in a Catholic worship service because of archdiocesan guidelines and the Protestant belief that the Eucharist is a symbolic, rather than actual, presence of the body and blood of Christ. It was the first time I personally experienced the hurt Protestants can feel coming from Catholics.”

A cross-cultural studies major at Fuller, Flo Tinsley, 48, said, “I appreciated the atmosphere of honesty that was created--and even the tense moments. They helped us break down barriers in our own thinking and actions.”

The willingness of the students to speak frankly about their vulnerabilities and biases was an outgrowth of the spirit of cooperation among the conference’s planners, according to Father Gordon Chang, a professor of moral theology at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo, who helped organize the event. “The strong sense of personal openness and acceptance that developed during our meetings seemed to carry over to the retreat itself.

“This was especially gratifying,” he said, “because once we’re ordained and out in parishes or synagogues, the only thing a lot of the members of our own faiths will know about other religions is what we teach them. If we have an informed understanding, our co-religionists will have more tolerance toward other groups.”

DEDICATION

The Right Rev. Vinton Randolph Anderson, the first black president of the World Council of Churches and presiding prelate of the Fifth Episcopal District of the African Methodist Episcopal Church, will dedicate the newly renovated sanctuary of Brookins Community AME Church on Sunday at 4 p.m.

The church’s pastor, the Rev. T. Larry Kirkland, says the service is the culmination of a monthlong celebration of the renovation of the church, which suffered extensive damage in a fire on Feb. 24, 1991.

HONORS

In recognition of his success redirecting the lives of gang members, Father Gregory J. Boyle, pastor of Dolores Mission in East Los Angeles, will receive the Corita Kent Peace Award March 11 at a gala dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel. The trustees of Immaculate Heart College Center established the award in 1989 in memory of Kent, an artist and peace activist. Tickets are $150 per person. (213) 386-3116.

GRANTS

Mazon: A Jewish Response to Hunger, recently announced grants of $63,000 to 10 agencies in Southern California for emergency food assistance, shelter and advocacy for the poor. A total of $652,000 was granted worldwide for hunger relief. Local recipients include the Valley Interfaith Homeless Shelter Network in Chatsworth, the El Rescate meals program in Los Angeles and the St. Joseph Center’s Next Stop program in Venice.

The organization, based in Los Angeles, makes grants twice yearly. Most of its funds come from a voluntary “tax” paid by Jewish families of 3% of the cost of celebrations such as weddings and bar mitzvahs.

SPEAKERS

Israeli journalist Dan Avidan, a specialist in Arab-Israeli affairs, will give four talks in the Los Angeles area on the current Middle East peace talks and escalating violence in the region. He will speak Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Jewish Community Building, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles; admission is $5. Admission will be free at his three other engagements: Sabbath eve services at 8:30 p.m. on Friday at Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles; sabbath services at 9 a.m. next Saturday at Hollywood Temple Beth El, 1317 N. Crescent Heights Blvd., Los Angeles, and a meeting of the San Fernando Valley region of the Jewish Community Relations Committee at 7:30 p.m. on March 8 at Valley Beth Shalom, 15739 Ventura Blvd., Encino. For information, phone Jeff Zimmerman at (213) 655-7710.

A series entitled “The Teaching and Practice of Zen” will be given at Pomona College by Japanese abbot Roshi Keido Fukushima. Fukushima belongs to the Tofuku-Ji sect of Rinzai Zen Buddhism, which seeks enlightenment by direct intuition through meditation. He is the 303rd master of his monastery, founded in 1235, and master of the chief training monastery of Zen Buddhism.

On Wednesday at 8 p.m., Fukushima will discuss “Master Joshu’s Zen.” On Thursday at 4:15 p.m. he will demonstrate Zen calligraphy. On Friday at 2 p.m. he will lead a meditation meeting. All events are free and open to the public. For exact campus locations and additional information, phone (714) 621-8000, ext. 3075.

CONFERENCES/DATES

Jewish women across the spectrum of ethnic, political, philosophical and religious backgrounds will gather March 8 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. to mark International Women’s Day with the second annual Timbrels of Miriam conference. Participants in workshops, panels and special events will range from Ethiopian to Hasidic Jews. The conference is at the University of Judaism, 15600 Mulholland Drive, Bel-Air. Registration is $65. For further information, call (310) 476-9777 ext. 246.

PERFORMANCES / DATES

Choirs from Santa Monica, Westwood and Los Angeles will lift their combined voices at 4 p.m. on Sunday at the Westside Ecumenical Conference Choir Festival under the direction of Paul Salamunovich. The site is the Westwood United Methodist Church, 10497 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Admission and parking are free; child care is provided. For information, phone (310) 394-1518 or (310) 474-4511.

WORSHIP

“Quiet Rest,” a worship program of hospitality and community for all persons dealing with AIDS will be presented on March 8 at 4 p.m. The service will intersperse periods of silence and contemplation with music, art and the spoken word. The program, which will last 30 minutes, will be held at Geneva Presbyterian Church, 2625 East 3rd St., Long Beach. (310) 438-2294.

Minister and peace activist George W. Hill will speak at worship services 10:30 a.m. this Sunday at Wilshire Presbyterian Church. A “peacemakers luncheon” will follow, during which he will report on his recent tour to the Middle East. The church is at 300 S. Western Ave., Los Angeles. For information, phone (213) 387-5387.

Please address notices to: Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles 90053. To receive consideration, an item must arrive at least two weeks before the event announced.