Unsuspecting pastors, church executives and volunteers in...

Unsuspecting pastors, church executives and volunteers in nonprofit organizations can end up in trouble--even in court--if they do not understand their legal liabilities.

That is why Fuller Theological Seminary in Pasadena will present a Ministry Liability Workshop from 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. March 11.

“We’ve given this seminar a number of times before,” said Shirley Mewhinney, Fuller’s acting director of continuing education. “It’s back by popular demand.”

Conducted by attorney Dennis Kasper, who specializes in legal concerns of religious and charitable organizations, the workshop will cover situations that place professional and lay people at risk.

A partner in the Los Angeles firm of Lewis, D’Amato, Brisbois & Brisgaard, Kasper said that sexual misconduct and employment disputes--two growing areas of litigation--can take congregations or charities by surprise.

“I find that people expect that employees, board members and volunteers in religious organizations will treat each other fairly and with respect,” he said. “Especially with regard to sexual misconduct, they think: ‘This kind of thing could never happen in my church or school.’ ”

But it does, he cautioned, and anyone in a position of responsibility in a nonprofit or religious organization should be aware of legal pitfalls.

Because religious organizations often offer counseling, he said, the workshop will discuss issues that can ignite legal problems--incompetence, breaches of confidentiality and ignorance of child-abuse reporting laws. Good interviewing and screening techniques, proper supervision and stringent record-keeping can go a long way toward averting trouble, he said.

He recommends that organizations “have a well-thought-out approach” to handling allegations of child abuse and sexual misconduct and train small teams to respond.

They can help assure that proper authorities handle the investigation, that facts are made public but rumors do not escalate and that appropriate disciplinary measures are taken.

Ranking alongside these thorny problems is the mishandling of money, Kasper said. Churches sometimes unwittingly fail to keep their records in order and their bylaws updated, or to elect the required number of directors to their boards, he said.

Although the workshop will have a Christian perspective, members of any faith may register. The fee is $90, which includes a 200-page legal handbook compiled by Kasper. A discount is available for group registration. For reservations or information, call (800) 235-2222, Ext. 5338.

DATES

* The Islamic Center of Southern California will culminate the month of Ramadan with an Eid El-Fitr Prayer and Celebration March 13, from 8 a.m. to noon at the Los Angeles Convention Center. Takbeer (chanting) will be at 8 a.m.; prayer will be at 8:30 a.m., followed by food, children’s games and entertainment. Admission is free. (213) 382-9200, Ext. 11.

* The Moscow Synagogue Choir will perform at Sinai Temple at 2 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. Sunday and 1 p.m. and at 8 p.m. Tuesday, and 8 p.m. Wednesday. Tickets are $18 and $23, with discounts for groups. Reservations may be made by phoning the University of Judaism, which is sponsoring the event, at (310) 476-9777, Ext. 203, or by fax at (310) 471-1729. The synagogue’s address is 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood.

* Catholic Singles Coordinating Council will host its 20th annual St. Patrick’s Day Dance from 8 p.m. to 1 a.m. Friday at the Lakewood Country Club. Tickets are $9 at the door, $7 with a membership card. 3101 Carson St., Lakewood. (310) 970-0444 or (714) 646-8304.

* UCLA architecture professor Berge Aran will lead a one-day study tour of some of Los Angeles’ oldest cathedrals and churches from noon to 5 p.m. March 13. Buddhist temples in Little Tokyo and Koreatown will be included. The “Sacred Structures” tour is sponsored by the Department of Continuing Education of the University of Judaism. Participants will discuss Jewish-Christian relations with the director of ecumenical affairs for the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Los Angeles. For registration information, call (310) 476-9777, Ext. 246.

* Keynote addresses will be delivered by Dr. C. Everett Koop, former U.S. Surgeon General, at 2:30 p.m. and by William J. Grace of the Kellogg National Fellows Program at 9 a.m. Wednesday at Azusa Pacific University’s annual Common Day of Learning. The day’s theme is “Living With Integrity: Ethical Decision Making.” Admission is free. For information, call (818) 969-3434.

BRIEFLY

* The Mennonite Disaster Service has established an office at Iglesia Evangelica Bethel in North Hollywood to coordinate response to the Jan. 17 earthquake. For information, call (818) 763-1330.

* The Society of St. Vincent de Paul, which operates shelters and thrift stores and provides emergency relief, has been reorganized and returned to lay governance under the direction of President J. Louis Lambert, with the support and blessing of Cardinal Roger M. Mahony. It will continue to be closely associated with Catholic Charities. For information, call (213) 224-6280.

* The Superior General of the Society of Mary, Father Quentin Hakenwerth, recently completed a three-week tour of California, which included an inspection of earthquake damage at local churches at the Chaminade College Preparatory School in Chatsworth.

HONORS

* Bud E. Grover of Chula Vista has been named a mission president by the Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter-day Saints. The former Alaska dairy farmer and longtime employee of the U.S. Department of Defense will receive his assignment soon and assume his responsibilities in the spring.

* The Reconstructionist Rabbinical College in Philadelphia recently honored four Southland residents at a silver anniversary celebration in Beverly Hills: former Rep. Mel Levine (D-Los Angeles), Rabbi Harold M. Schulweis of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino; Rabbi Steven Carr Reuben of Kehillath Israel in Pacific Palisades, and Rabbi Arnold Rachlis of University Synagogue in Irvine.

* The 1994 Spotlight Awards for “outstanding Christian service” were made by the South Coast Ecumenical Council to: layman Lowell Johnson of First Congregational Church in Long Beach; laywoman Nancy Mullio) of Los Altos United Methodist Church in Long Beach; ecumenist Eva Lampson of Belmont Heights United Methodist Church in Long Beach; Bernelle Harbert of St. Mark’s Presbyterian Church in Lomita and the Rev. Joe Ealy of Gospel Memorial Church of God in Christ in Long Beach. For information, call (310) 595-0268.