Events Planned to Celebrate Shavuot Festival

The Jewish community will begin the celebration of Shavuot, the Festival of Weeks, on Tuesday to commemorate the receiving of the Ten Commandments at Mt. Sinai. Shavuot was originally described in the Bible as a festival celebrating the summer wheat harvest in Israel.

The first barley offering was brought to the temple one day after Passover began. From then on, the Jews were told to count seven weeks from the barley harvest to the wheat harvest. Then they were to celebrate Shavuot, which means “weeks.” The Torah also refers to the holiday as Chag Habikkurim, or the Festival of the First Fruits. Through the years, however, the emphasis of Shavuot has shifted away from the celebration of the harvest.

The holiday will begin at sundown on Tuesday and continue through Wednesday (Orthodox) or Thursday (Reform and Conservative). It is customary to serve dairy foods during Shavuot and favorites include cheese blintzes, cheese kreplach and cheesecakes. Kreplach, a three-sided pastry filled with cheese, symbolizes that God gave the Torah in three parts: the Torah, the prophets and the writings, through a third-born child--Moses--in the third month of the Hebrew calendar, Sivan.

* Temple Beth El of South Orange County will celebrate Shavuot with an observance of the ancient custom of Tikkun Leyl Shavuot, which is a special evening of study. The evening study of the Torah and Judaism discussions will take place Tuesday from 8 p.m. to midnight. Several discussion leaders will offer insight into different topics. They include Superior Court Judge James A. Jackman, who will lead a discussion about surrogate parenting law and Jewish traditions.

Refreshments will be served. The temple is at 27462 Laguna Hills Drive, Aliso Viejo. Information: (714) 362-3999.

* Temple Beth Sholom’s Shavuot service will be Sunday at 10 a.m. and will be led by temple students who have created a service based on the theme of “Our Generation.”

The temple is at 2625 N. Tustin Ave., Santa Ana. Information: (714) 771-9229.

* The Shavuot service at Temple Isaiah of Newport Beach will be Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. and will include the recitation of the Yizkor. Guests, particularly newcomers to the area, are welcome.

The temple is at 2401 Irvine Ave., Newport Beach. Information: (714) 548-6900.

The second annual “Spring Sing” at St. Irenaeus Catholic Church in Cypress will be at at 8:15 tonight. The church choirs will be directed by Daniel Gary Busby. A reception will follow the concert.

A freewill offering will be taken for the concert at the church, 5201 Evergreen Ave. Information: (714) 826-0760.

The Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church in Costa Mesa will celebrate its 40th year on Sunday. The Rev. James Nelson will discuss the current status of the congregation during the 10:30 a.m. service. The Chapman University Guitar Ensemble will give a concert at 3 p.m. Admission to the concert is $5.

The church is at 1259 Victoria St. Information: (714) 646-4652.

The annual Festival of Favorites Concert at St. Andrew’s Presbyterian Church in Newport Beach is Sunday at 6 p.m. A freewill offering will be taken.

Prof. John Court will discuss “Sexual Orientation: The Bad News and the Good News” during the Wednesday Serendipity Singles session at the church. An Australian, he is currently a psychology professor and director of the Psychological Center at Fuller Seminary in Pasadena. He has also written several books, including “Kinsey, Sex and Fraud.”

There is a $2 donation for the 7:30 p.m. session, which includes refreshments. Reservations are not necessary. Child-care reservations can be made by calling (714) 631-2885 by noon Monday. The church is at 600 St. Andrews Road. Information: (714) 631-2880.

Miraj Medical Center director Dr. Cherian Thomas, and his wife, Dr. Kalindi Thomas, will describe their hospital mission work in India during the Sunday worship services at the First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove. The services are at 8:30 and 10 a.m. and a luncheon and slide show will follow.

The Miraj Medical Center was founded in 1889 by a Presbyterian medical missionary, Dr. William Wanless. The hospital is supported by hundreds of American churches. Presbyterian churches in Orange County have contributed more than $25,000 to support a home-building project for lepers in India.

The church is at 11832 Euclid St. Information: (714) 534-2269.

Father Alfred Baca will lead a 7:30 p.m. healing Mass on Monday at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Brea.

The church is at 585 S. Walnut Ave. Information: (714) 525-1774.

Adat HaMashiach, a Messianic congregation, will celebrate Shavuot on May 29 at 10:30 a.m.

The service will be at 17101 Armstrong Ave., Irvine. Information: (714) 252-0474.

A Handbell Jubilee and healing service will take place Sunday at 6 p.m. at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove.

Pastor Tino Ballesteros will give the message “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Christians: Reconciliation.” The church is at 12141 Lewis St. Information: (714) 971-4000.

The Rt. Rev. William Okodi, assistant bishop of the Diocese of Lango in Uganda, will be the guest homilist Sunday at St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church in Corona del Mar. He will share his experiences in Uganda.

The services are at 8 and 10 a.m. at 3233 Pacific View Drive. Information: (714) 644-0463.

South Coast Community Church in Irvine will host a World Awareness Barbecue tonight at 7:15. The guest speaker will be Larry Walker from the Assn. of Church Missions.

The church’s Men’s Desert Retreat will begin June 25. Gayle D. Erwin will be the guest speaker with the topic “Living in Style.” A minister for 20 years, he is the author of the book “The Jesus Style” and has created five magazines. To register, call Blake MacPherson at (714) 640-9007.

The church is at 5120 Bonita Canyon Drive. Information: (714) 854-7600.

The Fullerton First Baptist Church, which is celebrating its centennial year, will host the annual Pops Concert tonight at 7 and Sunday at 6 p.m.

The church is at 212 E. Wilshire Ave. Information: (714) 526-2265.