BLACK RELIGION & SCHOLARSHIP: A three-hour symposium...

BLACK RELIGION & SCHOLARSHIP: A three-hour symposium on the interplay between African-American scholarship and religion will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the University Theater on the Cal State Northridge campus.

The Rev. Cecil (Chip) Murray, senior pastor of First African Methodist Episcopal Church in Los Angeles, will join three scholars in a panel discussion sponsored jointly by Pan-African and religious studies departments on the Northridge campus.

Maulana Karenga, chairman of the Cal State Long Beach department of black studies, will talk about African contributions to modern religion. Sheila Briggs, associate professor of religion at USC, will speak on liberation theology, and Karen Baker-Fletcher, assistant professor of theology and culture at the School of Theology at Claremont, will talk on feminist theology in African-American perspective.

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JEWISH-ARAB: The Israeli-Palestinian peace process and the future of Arab-Jewish relations in the United States are among topics to be discussed by three prominent speakers Sunday night at Temple Beth Hillel, 12326 Riverside Drive, North Hollywood.

The speakers are Rabbi Sanford Ragins of Leo Baeck Temple and American Friends of Peace Now, Zev Garber of the Jewish studies department of Valley College and Don Bustani, president of the Los Angeles chapter of the Arab-American Anti-Discrimination Committee.

The two-hour program, which will begin at 7 p.m., is free and open to the public. For information, call Eitan Ginsburg at (818) 763-9148.

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ENVIRONMENT: In the first of three programs on the environment, the Rev. Peter Moore-Kochlas will show photographic slides from the Earth Summit in Rio de Janeiro and lead a discussion at 6 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary of First United Methodist Church of Reseda, 18120 Saticoy St.

Topics on the following two Sunday nights will be on economics and ethics. The programs are free and open to the public. The church number is (818) 344-7135.

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COVENANT PLAYERS: The sermon at 9 a.m. Sunday at Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Northridge will be presented through drama and song by the Covenant Players, a repertory theater based in Oxnard. The church is at 9440 Balboa Blvd. For information, call (818) 886-1324.

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CHILDREN & AIDS: Armida Duran, residential manager of Casa de la Madona y Nino, a Catholic care facility for people with AIDS, will speak at 10 a.m. Monday in Burbank at the East San Fernando Valley District meeting of the Archdiocesan Council of Catholic Women.

The day begins at 9:30 a.m. with registration and includes a Mass celebrated by Msgr. Robert Howard, pastor of the host St. Finbar Catholic Church, and a luncheon for $5.50 per person. The deadline for reservations is today. Call Jo Ann Olivier at (818) 790-7392.

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BENEFIT CONCERTS: The Mullins, a country gospel group, will perform Friday during the 7 p.m. service at Shepherd of the Hills, 19700 Rinaldi Ave., Porter Ranch, and Dec. 17 at Faith Baptist Church, 7644 Farralone Ave., Canoga Park. The concerts will benefit relief work with Filipino street children in Manila.

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