CONFERENCE: Grace Community Church’s 1993 Mission Conference,...

CONFERENCE: Grace Community Church’s 1993 Mission Conference, featuring discussions with missionaries from the church, will continue today and Sunday. Today’s events include a panel discussion from 10 to 11:15 a.m., followed by numerous speakers addressing a variety of topics. After Sunday’s 8:30 and 10:15 a.m. services, the church will host a Missions Fair from 12:30 to 2 p.m. The church is located at 13248 Roscoe Blvd., Sun Valley. Admission is free.

SPEAKER: Philosopher Huston Smith will speak at 10:50 a.m. today at the Glendale Seventh-day Adventist Church, 610 E. California Ave. Smith, a visiting professor of religious studies at UC Berkeley, has written books on world religion and higher education.

JEWISH PERSPECTIVES: “The Jewish View of Love and Sex” will be presented by Rabbi Steven Tucker of Temple Ramat Zion at 10 a.m. Sunday at the synagogue, 17655 Devonshire St., Northridge. The event is part of a Sunday morning breakfast series sponsored by the Conservative congregation’s Men’s Club. Admission is $5. Reservations can be made by calling (818) 993-6655.

SPECIAL GUEST: Pepperdine School of Law Professor Cheryl MacDonald will speak at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Granada Hills, 10400 Zelzah Ave., Northridge. She will address the effect of the criminal justice system on the various ethnic groups in Los Angeles.

CHRISTIAN RADIO: Jack Kozeal, an official with Far East Broadcasting, will be the guest speaker at 11 a.m. Sunday at Community Bible Church, 14339 Hamlin St., Van Nuys. He will speak about Christian radio broadcasts into former Soviet countries.

INSTALLATION CEREMONY: St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church will conduct an installation ceremony for its new pastor, the Rev. Kenneth R. Johnson, at 3 p.m. Sunday at the church, located at 15520 Sherman Way, Van Nuys. Bishop Roger Anderson will preside.

As a young man, Johnson worked in corporate finance and became interested in entering the ministry after volunteering at Skid Row homeless shelters in Los Angeles. He graduated from Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, and was ordained in 1989 in Buffalo, N.Y.

Johnson, 40, served a church in upstate New York until mid-November when he returned to California with his wife, Barbi, and their three children. At the 200-member Van Nuys church, Johnson is able to assist the needy by serving as a board member of Lutheran Social Services.

PARISH MISSION: Beginning Monday, Father Tom Allender will conduct a Parish Mission at St. Charles Borromeo Catholic Church, 10828 Moorpark St., North Hollywood. The event provides an opportunity for participants to focus on the spiritual dimension of their lives. Allender, a Jesuit priest ordained in 1970, will speak at the 8:30 a.m. Masses and at 7:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and also Feb. 22 through Feb. 25. There will be no Mass at the evening sessions. A special session for teen-agers and young adults will be offered at 7:30 p.m. Feb. 21. Allender has been active in parish work, counseling and education and has worked extensively in alcohol and drug rehabilitation.

AGING ISSUES: Rabbi David Spritzer from the Jewish Home for the Aging will speak Wednesday on “How the Community Deals With, and Can Deal With, Issues of Aging.” The luncheon, from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., is sponsored by the Clergy Network and will be held at the Woodland Care Center, 7120 Corbin Ave., Reseda. Admission is free and the public is invited. Reservations, due Monday, can be made by calling (818) 225-8125.

EMIGRE WELCOME: Temple Solael, a Reform congregation, will host a Sabbath dinner Friday to welcome Jewish emigres from the former Soviet Union and Iran. Dinner will be served at 6:45 p.m., followed by Shabbat services at 8:15 p.m. and an Oneg Shabbat featuring Israeli dance specialist Moshe Caphir. Cost for the dinner is $10.50 per person and tickets must be purchased by Monday at the synagogue. There is no charge to attend the services. The synagogue is located at 6601 Valley Circle Blvd., West Hills.

SEMINAR: The First Baptist Church of Canoga Park will present a Family Life Seminar beginning Friday and continuing through Feb. 21. Some of the subjects that will be addressed by Pastor Art Peters and his wife, Shirley, are positive family communication, overcoming anger in the family and cooperation. The program will run from 7 to 8:30 p.m. Friday and from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Feb. 20. In addition, Art Peters will preach at the 10:30 a.m. and 6 p.m. services on Feb. 21. Admission is free, however a freewill offering will be taken.

UNDERSTANDING: Members of St. Paul’s Presbyterian Church of South Central Los Angeles will be the guests at a Shabbat morning Torah minyan next Saturday at Temple Solael in West Hills. The event, intended to increase communication with the African-American and Jewish communities, is sponsored by the synagogue’s Project Rebuild L.A. Hand-in-Hand Committee. The service will be held from 11 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. Feb. 20.

News and announcements for this column can be sent to Religion Desk, Los Angeles Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311.