Parents these days will talk to their...

Parents these days will talk to their children about sex, drugs and relationships, but when it comes to talking about God, they’re lost, says Rabbi David Wolpe, whose book “Teaching Your Children About God: A Modern Jewish Approach,” was published this month.

“It’s sad,” said Wolpe, an instructor at the University of Judaism on the Westside. “Children will have questions about God. They are ready to talk about it, but parents aren’t.”

Wolpe decided to write his book after spending 15 years teaching Hebrew school and working in summer camps. He saw that many parents struggled with the “God question.”

“I felt as though parents in general were depriving their kids of a sense of spirituality and of God,” said Wolpe, 35, who is married and plans to have children. “Even those involved in a religious life are missing the unique gifts that teaching a child about God can give to that child.”

Wolpe said the book is geared toward parents of all religious persuasions, and he has received positive responses from Christian parents and clergy.

“A lot of teaching about God is universal,” said Wolpe, who has written two other books about Judaism and God.

This book is meant as a practical guide to parents, Wolpe said, and includes stories and exercises to make discussing and understanding God easier.

Although the comfort level in talking about God has declined in the last 40 or 50 years, Wolpe said, people are realizing once again that religion is important.

“People are recognizing that religion is not just a crutch for weak people, but important to raise an ethical society,” he said. “Spirituality is not a dirty word.”

By the time a child is 5 years old, Wolpe said, he or she already believes in God. The question, then, is whether the parent will have an input in that belief.

“This is a book for parents who don’t know how to talk to their children about God, but realize that there is no greater gift you can give a child than to know he or she is created in God’s image, and that makes them invaluable,” Wolpe said. “What could possibly be greater for a child’s self-esteem than to know he has a spark of the divine in him?’

DATES

* Members of the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles will join the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America-Southern California West Synod for a covenant prayer service at 3:45 p.m. Sunday at the First Congregational Church. Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, Roman Catholic archbishop of Los Angeles; Bishop Frederick Borsch, Episcopal bishop of Los Angeles, and Bishop Roger Anderson, Lutheran bishop of Southern California, will sign a covenant of mutual support at the service, which organizers say will usher in a new era of cooperation among the three churches. 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles. (213) 617-3433

* Rabbi Nachum Sauer, director of the Yeshiva of Los Angeles, will discuss Judaism’s view of how an employer should treat an employee in his lecture “9 to 5,” at 8 tonight. The program, sponsored by the West Coast Orthodox Union and Shaarey Zedek Congregation of North Hollywood, will be held at a private home. For information, phone (213) 877-4768.

* The First Presbyterian Church of Inglewood will hold a discussion and lecture on “Foundations for Dialogue Between Judaism, Christianity and Islam,” 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday. Conservative Rabbi Debra Orenstein, the Rev. George Benedict Grose and Imam Muzammil N. Siddiqi will speak. The event is sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church, the Peacemaking Committee of the Presbytery of the Pacific and the Academy for Judaic, Christian and Islamic Studies. 100 N. Hillcrest Blvd., Inglewood. (213) 678-0168.

* The Rev. Nancy Wilson of the Metropolitan Community Church of Los Angeles and author of “Amazing Grace” will speak from 4 to 6 p.m. Sunday and Nov. 28 at the Gay and Lesbian Community Services Center. Wilson will discuss homosexuals in the Bible, “countering the outrageous bigotry of the religious right.” 1625 Hudson Ave. (213) 930-1600.

PERFORMANCES

* Ben Donenberg, executive producing director and founder of Shakespeare Festival L.A., along with Diana Maddox, Shakespearean actress and director for the Mark Taper Forum and UCLA Theatre Arts, will discuss Shakespeare’s references to Jews and the “Merchant of Venice” from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at the University of Judaism. Actors from the Shakespeare Festival L.A. company will also perform readings throughout the day. The $60 fee includes lunch and materials. 15600 Mulholland Drive. (310) 476-9777, Ext. 246.

* Pianist and recording artist Calvin Taylor will perform a free concert of sacred music at 6 p.m. Sunday at the First Baptist Church of Alhambra, 101 S. Atlantic Blvd., Alhambra. (818) 570-1511.

* The Kirk O’ the Valley Presbyterian Church in Reseda will hold its second annual St. Andrew’s Day celebration at 10 a.m., Sunday. The traditional Scottish service will feature the Highland Pipe and Drum Band, lead by pipe major John Massie, the Heather Highlights Highland Dancers of the Farrar Scottish Dance Group and the Scottish Fiddlers of Los Angeles. 19620 Vanowen St., Reseda. (818) 345-2535.

* A 45-voice choir and 22-piece orchestra will perform Mendelssohn’s “Elijah, Part I” in a free concert today at 4 p.m. at the Wilshire Christian Church in Los Angeles. Natalie Ning, organist and Chancel Choir director at the church, will be directing the performance as part of her doctorate in choral performance at USC. 634 S. Normandie Ave. (213) 382-6337.

AWARDS

* The University Religious Conference at UCLA will present the Elizabeth Stern Faith and Freedom award to Stewart Kwoh at its fourth annual fund-raiser Sunday at the University Religious Conference Center. The award is given to an individual who has shown outstanding leadership and commitment to interfaith service and dialogue. Kwoh is executive director of the Asian Pacific American Legal Center of Southern California, and a board member of Rebuild L.A. A wine and cheese reception begins at 5:30 p.m.; dinner follows at 6:15 p.m. Tickets are $50 per person. 900 Hilgard Ave. (310) 208-5055.

OUTREACH

* Pasadena’s Lake Avenue Congregational Church is sponsoring a “Twentysomething Fellowship” Sundays at 7:30 p.m. The meetings, aimed at the post-college-age young people, include Bible discussions and prayer. 393 N. Lake Ave. (818) 797-3836.

* Catholic Big Brothers is seeking men for role models to children throughout Los Angeles County. CBB also serves hearing impaired children ages 6 to 18. For information or to volunteer, call(213) 251-9800.

Notices may be sent to Southern California File c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053, or by fax to (213) 237-4712. Items must be brief and arrive at least three weeks in advance. Include a phone number, date, time and full address.