Many AIDS sufferers say they feel shut...

Many AIDS sufferers say they feel shut out by the religious community. But during World AIDS Day on Wednesday, spiritual leaders from many faiths will come together to preach a message of inclusiveness.

“Churches have done an abysmal job with the people who are dying in their midst,” said the Rev. Joseph Gilbert, a member of the Spiritual Advisory Committee of AIDS Project Los Angeles, who has organized an interfaith service at Wilshire Boulevard Temple.

“We hope we can show the incredible diversity of spirituality and support within the AIDS community,” he said. “People who are affected by AIDS need to hear that. Many come out of churches that seem to preach a very exclusive rather than inclusive message. We’re hoping that some people who come to the service will feel empowered to better resist the virus.”

The service will include participants from Judaism, Islam, Christianity, Buddhism, Religious Science, Native American religions and Unitarianism.

In Pasadena on Saturday, Dec. 4, another interfaith service will kick off the fifth annual Posada benefiting the AIDS Service Center.

Greg Harris, a parishioner at All Saints Church in Pasadena who is coordinating the service, says he hopes the gathering will show that AIDS is affecting everyone, “regardless of race, creed, color or preference.” The service will include Jews, Muslims, Catholics, Baptists, Episcopalians and Buddhists, each of whom will contribute a ritual from their religion to the service.

“We’re bringing people together from different religious traditions to show how people from different cultures and religious experiences can come together,” Harris says. “Only by working together can we care for people impacted by the disease.”

In Santa Monica, a full day of activities will lead to an interfaith service at the First Presbyterian Church and then a candlelight walk and vigil down Third Street Promenade.

Project coordinator Scott Vandrick of the Santa Monica AIDS Project says he hopes the day will galvanize those who have struggled with the disease.

“This will give people a chance to grieve for the people they’ve lost in their lives, a chance to mourn and reflect,” he says. “And this will also give us a chance to see where we stand and how far we have to go. This year is a time to act. . . . We want to stimulate people enough in this event so they’ll get involved.”

But Vandrick says he hopes the day will serve another purpose as well.

“A lot of people in younger groups think, ‘It can’t affect me’--they think it’s an older gay men’s disease,” says Vandrick, who is 24. “They think they are immune; they don’t see it is still happening. We want to ensure the next generation doesn’t ever forget what has happened here.”

Here is a partial listing of AIDS Day events:

Display of sections of the NAMES Project AIDS Memorial Quilt, Sunday through Friday at Santa Monica High School’s Roberts Art Gallery, 601 Pico Blvd., and the Midnight Special Bookstore, 1318 Third Street Promenade. The quilt is composed of panels memorializing those who have died of AIDS.

Interfaith services at First Presbyterian Church at 5:30 p.m. Wednesday. 1220 2nd St.

Candlelight walk and vigil down Third Street Promenade, beginning at 7 p.m.

For a complete schedule of Westside events or to volunteer, phone the Santa Monica AIDS Project, (310) 917-6699.

The Spiritual Advisory Committee of AIDS Project Los Angeles and the AIDS Interfaith Assn. of Greater Los Angeles are hosting “AIDS: An Interfaith Service of Prayer, Healing and Remembrance” at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at Wilshire Boulevard Temple. 3663 Wilshire Blvd. (213) 962-1600.

An Interfaith service at All Saints Church, 132 N. Euclid Ave. in Pasadena, will begin at 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 4. At 5 p.m., a candlelight march to raise money for the AIDS Service Center will begin through Old Pasadena. The posada will include Aztec dancers, a jazz band and the American Symphony Orchestra. (818) 796-5633.

OUTREACH

* A women’s Scripture study and sharing group meets from 9 to 11 a.m. Thursday mornings at the Center for Spiritual Development. The group includes music, prayer and discussion. For more information, call Sister Anne Lynch, (714) 744-3175. 434 S. Batavia St., Orange.

* The Office of Family Life within the Diocese of Orange is sponsoring a weekend retreat for the separated, divorced or widowed, Friday through Sunday at the Marywood Center in Orange. Topics covered during the weekend will include communication, taking responsibility, assertiveness, acceptance and letting go. Fees are $80 for a double room, $95 for a single room, $60 for commuters, and includes meals. 2811 E. Villa Real Drive. (714) 282-3045.

* The Honorable Bambi Baaba, an African spiritual leader, will speak at the Guidance Church of Religious Science at 3:45 p.m. Sunday. Baaba is the founder of SSerulanda Spiritual Foundation in Uganda. 7225 S. Crenshaw Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 778-0773.

* Pasadena’s Lake Avenue Congregational Church will hold a free screening of “Scars That Heal” at 6 p.m. Sunday. The documentary-style film depicts the true story of the spiritual, emotional and physical recovery of a young soldier who was severely wounded in Vietnam. 393 N. Lake Ave. (818) 795-7221.

* The African American/Korean American Christian Alliance presents a joint musical worship fellowship at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Young-Nak Presbyterian Church. There will be solos, duets and choirs from each community. Donations are encouraged. 1721 N. Broadway, Los Angeles. (213) 227-4093.

DATES

* A 30-year retrospective of paintings by Los Angeles artist Ron Blumberg opens Wednesday at the University of Judaism’s Marjorie and Herman Platt Art Gallery. Blumberg will attend the opening reception from 6 to 9 p.m. Blumberg’s paintings hang in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art and the Hirschhorn Museum.

* The Hills Church in Laguna Niguel will host a chili supper and “hanging of the greens” party at 5 p.m. Sunday. After the meal, adults will help construct and hang evergreen garlands in the sanctuary while children make ornaments to decorate the church Christmas tree. Caroling will follow. 30121 Niguel Road. (714) 495-1310.

* The Conference Council of Youth ministry will hold its eighth annual United Methodist Night at Disneyland Friday from 7 p.m. to midnight. Tickets are $19.50. The event provides funds that go directly to the youth ministry. Tickets can be purchased at the Garden Grove Methodist Church, 12741 Main St., Garden Grove. (714) 534-1070.

BRIEFLY

* In honor of World Marriage Day in February, the Worldwide Marriage Encounter community in the Los Angeles area is joining with other marriage encounter groups across the country in search of couples who have been married more than 60 years. The area couple married the longest will be honored on World Marriage Day. Send names, addresses, phone numbers and wedding date to: 1314 W. 221st St., Torrance. (310) 320-9675.