Before Tour, Choir to Hold Concert

The choir at the United Methodist Church of Garden Grove will give a concert Sunday then leaves Tuesday for their Canadian tour. The choir usually tours every three years and will perform in Halifax, Charlottetown, Fredericton, Quebec City, Ottawa and Stratford. Raymond Woods directs the choir.

A free-will offering will be taken for the 4 p.m. concert at 12741 Main St. Information: (714) 534-1070.

The Aldersgate Chorale at the First United Methodist Church of Fullerton will present “An Evening of Walt Disney” during an Ice Cream Social tonight and Sunday at 6:30.

Tickets are $5 for adults, $2 for children ages 5 to 10, ages 4 and under are free. The church is at 114 N. Pomona Ave. Information: (714) 871-4115.

Irvine’s South Coast Community Church is offering a Wednesday series of dinners and speakers. Humorist and Spatula Ministries’ founder Barbara Johnson will speak during the program on Wednesday.

The dinner is at 5:30 followed by worship and program at 7. Tickets for the dinners are $7 for adults, $2.50 for children. Those who would like to bring their own dinners are welcome to do so. The church is at 5120 Bonita Canyon Drive. Information: (714) 854-7600.

“Soul Searching in the Material World” is the Rev. Chris Schriner’s topic as guest speaker Sunday at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church in Costa Mesa. He is minister of the Unitarian Universalist Fellowship of Laguna Beach and is also a psychotherapist and author.

The service is at 10:30 a.m. at 1259 Victoria St. Information: (714) 646-4652.

Associate Pastor Martha Lynne Austin of Aldersgate United Methodist Church of Tustin recently received her master of divinity degree from the School of Theology at Claremont. She also is the recipient of the Wilshire Preaching Award, which is provided by the Wilshire United Methodist Church for the student “whose performance in preaching class is most exemplary of the excellence required for effective church leadership.”

The School of Theology at Claremont is a seminary of the United Methodist Church whose graduates serve in many countries. Information: (909) 626-3521.

The one-week Vacation Bible School at Laguna Niguel Presbyterian Church USA begins Monday and meets from 9 to 11:45 a.m. and is for children ages 4 through fifth grade. The theme will be “Code: Jesus.”

Cost is $20 per person and scholarships are available. The church is at 30071 Ivy Glenn Drive. Information: (714) 249-1218.

A series of four free workshops on conflict resolution will be offered at University United Methodist Church in Irvine. The workshop tomorrow is on the topic “Domestic Conflict: Problems and Possibilities in Family Disputes.” Next week the topic is “Conflict in the Community: Identifying and Responding to Local Tensions.”

The workshops are on Sundays from 4 to 6 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall at the church, 18422 Culver Drive. For more information, call Chris Whytock at (714) 668-6214 or the church office at (714) 786-8354.

St. Clement’s By The Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente will host an art exhibit of works by Yevgeniy V. Zolotsev today at noon. He became a member of the Union of Free Artists in St. Petersburg in 1989 and has displayed his work both in his native Russia as well as Germany, Finland and the United States. He immigrated to this country in 1992.

The exhibition is at 190 Avenida Aragon. Information: (714) 492-3401.

The Center for Spiritual Development in Orange will offer a Holistic Retreat for one week beginning Aug. 5.

Cost for private room and board is $325, shared room and board is $310. Registration for the retreat is required by Wednesday. The Center is at 434 S. Batavia St. Information: (714) 744-3175.

Galen F. Hertweck will be installed as pastor of Family Christian Center in Lake Forest on Sunday during the 10 a.m. worship service. He served as pastor of King’s Chapel Christian Center in Springfield, Mo., and has taught in colleges and seminaries in the United States, Europe and Pacific Rim countries. The Rev. T. Ray Rachels, district superintendent of the Southern California district of the Assemblies of God, will lead the service.

The church was founded in 1987 and is at 21801 Pittsford Drive. Information: (714) 953-3021.

The Rev. Tari Lennon of the Neighborhood Congregational Church in Laguna Beach will give a sermon on “Domestic Violence” Sunday as she concludes her series on violence.

The worship service is at 10 a.m. followed by fellowship in Bridge Hall. The church is at 340 Saint Ann Drive. Information: (714) 494-8061.

Author, lecturer and scholar Vernon W. Mattson Jr. will speak on the topic “The Dead Sea Scrolls and Other Important Discoveries” on Sunday at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Anaheim Hills.

The free 7 p.m. lecture is at 441 S. Fairmont Blvd. Information: (714) 692-0504.

University Synagogue in Irvine created a flexible scholarship fund for children in the congregation that provides partial scholarships for Jewish educational experiences such as Jewish summer camps or trips to Israel, as well as for traditional or liberal Jewish schools.

The decision to offer these scholarships was influenced by the results of a study issued by the Jewish Educational Service of North America and Brandeis University in 1993, which stated, “the extent and type of formal Jewish education are clearly related to levels of Jewish affiliation and activism.” Information: (714) 553-3535.

Bob Meyer will lead a discussion on the “Information Superhighway and How It Affects Us All” on Sunday at the Aliso Creek Church, Unitarian Universalist, in Mission Viejo.

The congregation will meet at 10:30 a.m. at Coast Federal Savings, 27362 Crown Valley Parkway, Mission Viejo. Information: (714) 582-8204.

Geneva Presbyterian Church in Laguna Hills will offer a one-week Vacation Bible School with the theme “Son Country Farm” beginning Monday from 9 a.m. to noon. Classes are for ages 4 through sixth grade.

Cost is $12 per person, or $6 per child for three or more. The church is at 24301 El Toro Road. Information: (714) 837-2323.

Global Outreach, a ministry of the Main Place Christian Fellowship, is sponsoring a luncheon and discussion about Christianity in the People’s Republic of China on Tuesday at noon. The Rev. Mariano Yeo will be the guest speaker. Information will also be given on religious tours to Chinese missionary sites sponsored by Global Outreach.

The luncheon is at 1701 E. Edinger Ave., Building H, Santa Ana. Information: (714) 547-3416.

“The World’s Oldest Question” is the Rev. Don Northcutt’s sermon topic on Sunday at All Souls Unitarian Church in San Juan Capistrano.

The 10 a.m. service is at Harold Ambuehl Elementary School, 28001 San Juan Creek Road. Information: (714) 489-0610.