Representatives of the predominantly gay and lesbian...

Representatives of the predominantly gay and lesbian Metropolitan Community Churches had a lot to talk about at their general conference this week. At the top of the list was President Clinton’s long-awaited policy about homosexuals in the military.

“We’re very concerned as a church group about what Clinton has done and what (Senate Armed Services Committee Chairman) Sam Nunn (D-Georgia) has said in the hearings,” said church founder and moderator, the Rev. Troy Perry, reacting to Clinton’s “don’t ask, don’t tell, don’t pursue” policy announced this week. “They want us to die for our country, but lie about who we are.”

David Mixner, a gay activist and a Clinton adviser, spoke at the conference in Phoenix, which was attended by 3,000 clergy and lay members from around the world.

“He shared the disappointment he felt and we felt,” Perry said of Mixner. “We’ve all struggled so far on this line. We’re concerned because the government is saying to lie, don’t be truthful, just don’t talk. If (President Clinton) was told he could not mention Hillary or Chelsea, I doubt he could live very long.”

The Metropolitan Community Churches, founded in 1968 in Los Angeles, serves primarily Christian gays and lesbians, “but our doors are open to everyone,” Perry said. The church has 31,000 members worldwide and 11 congregations in Southern California.

The denomination’s representatives have been pushing for months to have a representative from their church appointed to the military chaplaincy, Perry said.

“As a denomination, we want to be represented in the military,” he said. “Members of our church have the right to worship with chaplains of their own denominations--they should have the same rights as Roman Catholics or Southern Baptists.”

Perry worries that the Chaplain’s Board will dismiss the church’s request because “it raises a red flag for the military that if they are from this church, there is an 85% chance (the chaplain) will be gay or lesbian.”

Even if a representative from the church was named a chaplain, Perry said, he believes that person would have a tough time in the military.

“They would be under such scrutiny, they would not be able to live normal lives,” he said.

With the help of the American Civil Liberties Union, the church is planning to challenge the constitutionality of the policy on homosexuals in the military.

“We teach people to tell the truth, and you are healthy when you come out of the closet and you are truthful,” Perry said. “We believe in wholeness. When the military plays the game of not allowing us to share our deepest thoughts with other human beings, it’s ludicrous.”

OUTREACH

* Chinmaya Mission in Los Angeles will hold a weeklong Family Spiritual Camp conducted by Swami Chinmayananda at Pomona College in Claremont, July 27-Aug. 2. The program will include guided meditations and discussions of holy texts. (310) 402-8156, (818) 990-8236.

* The Harvest Crusades in Orange County continue today and Sunday at Anaheim Stadium at 7:30 p.m. The annual evangelistic event, which tours the country, features contemporary Christian music and the preaching of Greg Laurie, pastor of Harvest Christian Fellowship in Riverside. For information, call (714) 687-3331.

* The Queen of Angels Church in Santa Clarita will hold a traditional Mass in Latin at 11 a.m. Sunday. Parishioners and church leaders will be on hand to discuss the Mass afterward. 24244 Newhall Ave. (805) 297-8443.

* As part of its adult education program, Temple Beth Torah is offering a “Spiritual Tour of the Jewish Prayer Services,” taught by Rabbi Seth Rosen from 10 a.m. to noon Sundays. Non-members are welcome to join the free class. 11827 Venice Blvd., Mar Vista. (310) 398-4536.

* SOVA Kosher Food Pantry, a non-sectarian free food distribution service, will open its doors at its third location in Tarzana on Sunday, celebrated by a gala at 2 p.m. Donations of non-perishable goods are encouraged. The center’s operating hours are 10:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. Sundays and 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Wednesdays. 6027 1/2 Reseda Blvd. (310) 828-3433.

* “The Many Faces of Women’s Spirituality” will be the topic of the service at the First Unitarian Church of Los Angeles at 11 a.m. on Sunday. 2936 W. 8th St. (213) 389-1356.

OBSERVANCE

Tisha B’Av, the Jewish holiday of mourning marking the tragedies that have befallen the Jewish people since the destruction of the First Temple in 586 BC, begins just before sundown Monday and ends Tuesday night. Tisha B’Av is traditionally a fast day, and those who observe it wear dark clothes, chant kinot (dirges) and read from the Book of Lamentations. Synagogues throughout the Southland will hold services, including:

* University Synagogue in Irvine. Services at 8 p.m. Monday, led by Rabbi Arnold Rachlis. The topic will be anti-Semitism in the community. Jonathan Bernstein, regional director of the Anti-Defamation League of Orange County, will speak. 4915 Alton Parkway. (714) 553-3535.

* Adat Ari El and Valley Beth Shalom will hold a joint observance in the social hall of Adat Ari El in North Hollywood at 7:30 p.m. Monday. The Valley Beth Shalom Jewish Music Commission will present “Eicha,” a work for piano, violin and cello, based on the Book of Lamentations and performed by members of the Brandeis-Bardin ensemble. Traditional services will follow. 12020 Burbank Blvd. (818) 766-9426.

* Temple Beth Am in Los Angeles will present a Tisha B’Av service and the reading of the Book of Lamentations at 7:45 p.m. Monday and another service at 7:30 a.m. Tuesday. 1039 S. La Cienega Blvd. (310) 652-7353.

* University Synagogue in Los Angeles will hold a Tisha B’Av workshop and service at 7:30 p.m. Monday. 11960 Sunset Blvd. (310) 472-1255.

DATES

* Recent immigrants from Russia and Armenia will perform “A Romantic Concert for You” at 2 p.m. Sunday at the Westside Jewish Community Center. The show will include ballroom dances as well as arias in Russian, Hebrew, Armenian, Persian and Italian. Tickets are $6 for center members and senior citizens, $8 for others. 5870 W. Olympic Blvd. (213) 938-2531, Ext. 2252 or Ext. 2253.

* St. John’s Presbyterian Church in West Los Angeles will present the musical “Godspell” at 7 p.m. Friday. Tickets are $10 for adults, $5 for senior citizens and children under 15. Child care is available. 11000 National Blvd. (310) 477-2513

* Actress Tyne Daly, best known for her role in television’s “Cagney and Lacey,” will host the eighth annual Westwood Presbyterian Church Benefit Musicale at 3 p.m. and 7 p.m. Sunday. The show will include Broadway tunes performed by the church choir and gospel music sung by the Westminster Gospel Choir. Suggested donation is $20. Proceeds will go to local agencies serving homeless, abandoned and abused children, and the needy in South-Central Los Angeles. 10822 Wilshire Blvd. (310) 474-4535.

* St. Joan of Arc Church in West Los Angeles will present “Herstory” tonight at 7 p.m. as part of its Golden Jubilee celebration. The musical explores the life of Jesus from a woman’s perspective. The music was composed by Grammy and Emmy award nominee Roger Nichols, who wrote hits for the Carpenters, Three Dog Night and Paul Anka. The show has toured Oregon, California and Ireland. A $10 donation is requested for adults, $5 for children. 11534 Gateway Blvd. (310) 479-5111.