NEW RECTOR: The Rev. Ellen R. Hill...

NEW RECTOR: The Rev. Ellen R. Hill has become the fourth rector of St. Michael and All Angels Church in Studio City. A graduate of Ohio Wesleyan University, Hill worked as a teacher in New York, Ohio and London before becoming president and chief executive officer of Professional Management Associates, a subsidiary of the Lusk Co.

After working for the Irvine-based development company for eight years, Hill decided to go into the ministry. She received her master of divinity degree from the School of Theology in Claremont in 1988 and was ordained shortly afterward. Hill served as associate rector of the Church of the Messiah in Santa Ana before coming to the 500-member Studio City parish last month. Her husband, Lamar, is an English history professor at UC Irvine and they have two children. An installation ceremony for Hill, with Bishop Frederick Borsch presiding, is planned for May 16.

ANNIVERSARY: The Hindu Temple and Indian Cultural Center will commemorate its first anniversary today with activities celebrating the festival of Maha Shivaratri. Activities will begin at 11 a.m., with lunch at 1 p.m. The festival will conclude with dinner at 10 p.m. The temple is at 21213 Devonshire St., Chatsworth.

GUEST SPEAKER: Steven Cagan, representing Chosen People Ministries, will speak on “Christ in the Passover” at 6:30 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church, 11011 Hayvenhurst Ave., Granada Hills.

RAMADAN: With the sighting of the first sliver of the new moon, Muslims will mark the beginning of the month of Ramadan, Islam’s holiest month. The monthlong observance, in which Muslims are asked to fast and abstain from marital intercourse from dawn until sunset, will begin either Monday or Tuesday, depending on when the new moon is seen. Children begin fasting gradually until they are old enough to do so without injuring their health. The ailing, in addition to travelers and pregnant or nursing women, are exempt from the daily fast.

Two visitors, one from London and another from Saudia Abraia, who both have memorized the Koran, will be participating in nightly prayers during Ramadan at the Islamic Center of Northridge. The mosque is at 8424 Tampa Ave., Northridge.

San Fernando Valley Muslims will gather next month at Cal State Northridge, in front of the Oviatt Library, to celebrate the end of the fast. The event, beginning at 7 a.m. with prayers and a lecture, will be either March 24 or March 25, depending on the day Ramadan begins this year.

WORKSHOP: L’Chaim Workshop, adapting the 12 steps of Alcoholics Anonymous to Judaism, is offered at 7:30 p.m. every Wednesday at Temple Beth Hillel, 12326 Riverside Drive, North Hollywood. The workshops are sponsored by the Alcohol Drug Action Program of Jewish Family Service of Los Angeles. No fee is charged. For more information, call (213) 655-1049.

SABBATH DINNER: A special social action Sabbath will be held Friday night at Temple Beth Hillel in North Hollywood. Following a 6 p.m. dinner, guest speakers Barbara and Mel Schwimmer of Parents and Friends of Lesbians and Gays, will speak at 7:30 p.m. Cost of the dinner is $8. Reservations for dinner and/or headsets for the hearing-impaired are due by Monday and can be made by calling (818) 846-5692.

WORLD RELIGIONS: Guest speaker B. William Wiltshire will conduct a five-part seminar titled “Religions of the World and Why They Exist” at the West Valley Unity Church, 18300 Strathern St., Reseda. The series will be held Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. beginning Feb. 27 and continuing through March 27. A $7 donation is requested per session.

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