If 10 years experience has taught him...

If 10 years experience has taught him anything, says Paul Crissey of the California Consortium to Prevent Child Abuse, it is that faith communities and the clergy have a tremendous role to play in the prevention and treatment of a rampant problem.

The consortium, a statewide nonprofit organization, is holding a conference titled “In the Name of the Children” in Burbank on Thursday for members of the clergy, representatives of religious organizations and advocates for abused children.

About 92,000 children are in foster care homes in California--most of them removed from their parents or guardians because of abuse or endangerment, said Crissey, who directs training for the Sacramento-based group.

“A lot of people under stress and prone to abusive behavior see clergy regularly,” he said. “Religious communities are in a good position to get involved--especially if they learn to recognize the symptoms of abuse in families, get training in prevention and understand the reporting laws.”

That is why the consortium--a chapter of the National Committee to Prevent Child Abuse--has established an active, 12-member clergy advisory board, which it plans to expand.

Crissey said many therapists have told him that they believed in “a spiritual component to the healing process,” but that almost none of them felt comfortable discussing that aspect of the process with their clients. At the same time, he said, most members of the clergy feel inadequately skilled to deal with abuse problems, which crop up frequently in pastoral counseling, but have no network of qualified lay counselors to turn to.

Driving the wedge deeper between religion and therapy, Crissey said, is the perception of some caseworkers and therapists that strong religious beliefs are a symptom of pathology--and the suspicion among some clergy members that caseworkers are secularists who think nothing of breaking up churchgoing families by using the state’s power to remove children from families when abuse has been alleged.

“Bridges must be built between clergy and therapists,” he said. “We need to talk to each other. We do not see involvement of the clergy as a one-way street where we have an agenda and tell them what we want them to do. We want to open dialogue, to talk about what programs are working in religious communities.”

Two successful programs in Southern California, he said, are the Adopt-a-Child-Abuse-Caseworker program sponsored by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council and the One Church, One Child adoption program that the Los Angeles County Department of Children’s Services operates in conjunction with churches in the African American community.

The conference will be held from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Hilton Hotel in Burbank. Three plenary sessions and six workshops will be conducted on such topics as ministering to abusers, ethics and liability in child-abuse reporting by the clergy, and replicating successful programs. Keynote speeches will be delivered by cultural anthropologist Erlyene Piper Mandy and author Little Crow, co-founder of the American Indian Unity Church. Admission is $25, including lunch. Reservations are recommended. For information, contact Paul Crissey by phone (916) 648-8010 or fax (916) 648-8007.

DATES

* A breast cancer screening health fair named in memory of Lorraine Allen will be held at her church, New Mt. Calvary Missionary Baptist Church in Los Angeles, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. today. Allen, who died in July, was a devoted and active church member. All women over age 35 or who have a family history of cancer will be able to have a mammogram for $25 from the Watts Health Foundation’s mobile unit. 402 E. El Segundo Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 324-0644.

* Mexican folk dances, Scottish country dances and African American music will highlight an afternoon of entertainment to benefit two housing service organizations from 3:30 p.m. to 6 p.m., June 11, on the lawn of St. Andrew’s Lutheran Church on the Westside. The suggested donation of $25 benefits Habitat for Humanity and the Westside Fair Housing Council and will be matched by funding secured by the church. Tickets may be purchased in advance or, space permitting, at the gate. 11555 National Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 475-9671.

* The film “Chuppa: The Wedding Canopy” about the traditional Jewish wedding of two Holocaust survivors half a century after their engagement, will be shown at a benefit for the Southern California Counseling Center at 7 p.m. Thursday at Laemmle’s Monica Fourplex in Santa Monica. Tickets are $15 and may be reserved at (213) 937-1344.

* The Rev. Virginia Marrazzo of Apple Valley will moderate a Southern California Conference of Universal Life Church clergy and congregations from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. Sunday at Christ Church, Metaphysical in Long Beach. A complimentary lunch and information on specialized ministries will be offered. 1838 E. Wardlow Road. (310) 804-5774.

* Beth Shir Sholom in Santa Monica will hold an “around-the-table” Sabbath experience in lieu of traditional worship services at 7:45 p.m. Friday. “Traditionally,” said Rabbi Neil Comess-Daniels, “families gather at their Shabbos tish (Yiddish for Sabbath table) after returning home from synagogue. . . . We’ve simply brought the tish to the temple.” The evening will be a combination of prayer, mystical stories, meditation and plenty of music, he said. Reservations are suggested. The synagogue is at 1827 California Ave., Santa Monica. (310) 453-3361.

* Screenwriters and other aspiring authors are invited to join the weekly Writers’ Support Group of Crescent Heights United Methodist Church at 7:30 p.m. Wednesdays. Admission is free. 1296 N. Fairfax Ave., West Hollywood. (213) 656-5336.

* “Women at Work,” a training program whose participants are helping repair the earthquake-damaged Holliston Church in Pasadena, will be honored during worship services at 10 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Eric Michael Smith will speak about “What You Want Is Not What You Need.” 1305 E. Colorado Blvd. (818) 793-0685.

CELEBRATIONS

* The Rev. Hubert H. K. Rasbach will be honored by California Lutheran University and Hope Lutheran Church for his “committed, caring, talented and visionary contributions” at 10:30 a.m. services Sunday at the church. Cal Lutheran President Luther S. Luedtke will speak. A reception follows. 6720 Melrose Ave., Hollywood. (213) 938-9135.

* Downey First Christian Church celebrated its 125th anniversary May 22.

* The West Coast Orthodox Union will bestow its Kesher Shem Tov (Crown of the Good Name) award on Ahuva Wernick of Los Angeles at the Beverly Hilton Hotel on Tuesday for her pioneering role in establishing prominent positions for women in Orthodox Judaism.

BRIEFLY

* Rabbi David Lieber, president emeritus of the University of Judaism, was one of two Los Angeles Conservative rabbis named international officers of the Rabbinical Assembly. The other was Joel E. Rembaum, spiritual leader of Temple Beth Am. Regretfully, Lieber’s name was misspelled in last week’s column.