Two major Protestant denominations will hold regional...

Two major Protestant denominations will hold regional gatherings at Los Angeles churches next week to define and plan their missions for the turn of the century.

The Presbytery of the Pacific will convene Kaleidoscope ’94 from 8:15 a.m. to 4 p.m. next Saturday at First Presbyterian Church of Hollywood. The conference theme is “The Year 2000: Sharing Our Faith.”

On the same day, the Los Angeles District of the California-Pacific Annual Conference of the United Methodist Church will present “Vision 2000: Planning for Ministry Into the Next Century” from 8:30 a.m. to noon at Holman United Methodist Church.

The keynote speaker for the Presbyterian gathering will be the Rev. Ben Campbell Johnson, professor of evangelism and church growth at Columbia Theological Seminary in Decatur, Ga. Johnson, who has written several books on evangelism, will speak about “What Most Presbyterian Churches Need.”

The gathering will be a reflection of the church “not as a one-dimensional picture, but as an intertwined and ever-changing kaleidoscope, encompassing worship, education, mission, evangelism, peacemaking and social concerns,” said Linda Culbertson, acting general presbyter.

Speakers and seminar leaders include local pastors as well as Emory University professor Robert M. Franklin, author of “Liberating Visions: Change and Continuity in Black Church Culture”; the Rev. Jacquelyn Grant, professor of systematic theology at the Interdenominational Theological Center and the author of “White Woman’s Christ, Black Woman’s Jesus”, and poet Ann Weems, author of “Kneeling in Jerusalem.”

Twenty-five seminars will be presented, some in Spanish, Korean and Taiwanese. About 700 are expected to attend.

At the Methodist conference, the emphasis will be strictly local. Event organizer Pansy Wing said that at least 100 Los Angeles-area clergy and lay leaders in church ministry teams are expected to attend.

Members of the clergy from Greater Los Angeles will lead five sessions inspired by the 1989 book “Vision 2000: Planning for Ministry Into the Next Century,” by United Methodist leaders, the Revs. Joe A. Harding and Ralph W. Mohney, Wing said.

The Rev. Sharon Rhodes-Wickett of Westwood United Methodist Church will lead a workshop on how a church can clarify its goals and revitalize itself. The Rev. Lydia Waters of Crossroads United Methodist Church in Los Angeles will speak about the “Evangelism Explosion.” Al Pineda, chairman of the Hispanic Ministries of the California-Pacific Conference, will conduct a sixth workshop, in Spanish, on the meaning of Vision 2000.

“Sometimes we become too comfortable as Christians,” Wind said. “A few of our district churches are struggling, and this conference is one way of helping them. It is a call to the other churches to say, ‘What good things are you doing?’ ”

Advance registration is required for both events. For information about fees, location, child care, youth and group rates, call Linda Culbertson or Patricia Gruver at the Presbytery of the Pacific (310) 670-5076 or Lesa Smith at the Los Angeles district office of the United Methodist Church, at (213) 749-6310.

DATES

* Actor-director Robert Townsend presents benefit performances of the musical stage version of his film “The Five Heartbeats” through Oct. 9 at the West Angeles Christian Arts Center in the Crenshaw district. Proceeds go to the Crenshaw Community Revitalization Project of West Angeles Church of God in Christ for construction of a complex near Crenshaw and Jefferson boulevards. The 40-member cast and the crew have donated their time. Performances are Thursdays through Saturdays at 8 p.m., with matinees Saturdays and Sundays at 3 p.m. 3020 S. Crenshaw Blvd. For ticket information, call (213) 466-1767.

* “The Dance of Change: An Interfaith Synod of Women” will be presented by Immaculate Heart Center from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. next Saturday at Immaculate Heart High School in Hollywood. “It is a day for women of all traditions to celebrate women’s spiritual journeys,” said Susan Maloney, who heads the center’s graduate program in feminist spirituality. Leaders of the day’s 18 workshops include: Mary Ann Lundy, recently associate director of the General Assembly of the Presbyterian Church USA; Maria Pilar Aquino, professor of religious studies at the University of San Diego; the Rev. Lori Dick, associate pastor of Metropolitan Community Church, Los Angeles, and Sister Mary Faith Clark, vicar for Women Religious of the Los Angeles Roman Catholic Archdiocese. Registration is $25 in advance or at the door. Scholarships are available. 5515 Franklin Ave., Hollywood. (213) 386-3116.

* “Historical and Mythical Figures in the Ancient World of the Bible,” a joint lecture program of the California Museum of Ancient Art and the University of Judaism, takes place for eight weeks beginning Oct. 3 at the university. Noted archeologists and other guest scholars of the ancient Middle East will speak on subjects ranging from “The Goddess Ishtar: Undomesticated Woman” to “In Quest of the Historical Jesus.” Lecturers include William W. Hallo, the Laffan Professor of Assyriology and Babylonian Literature at Yale University; Geoffrey Martin, professor emeritus of Egyptology at University College London, and Tikva Simone Frymer-Kensky, professor of Hebrew Bible at the University of Chicago. For registration information, call (310) 476-9777 or (818) 762-5500.

* The Benedictine monks of St. Andrew’s Abbey in the Antelope Valley will stage their 38th consecutive Valyermo Fall Festival from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. today and Sunday on a 650-acre ranch in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains. More than 85 attractions will be offered, including a gift shop with ceramics designed by Father Maur and made by the monks in their studio. Food, country music, a flea market and a 4 p.m. cabaret show are popular attractions. Admission is free, but all-day parking costs $3. No pets. Take the Antelope Valley Freeway to the Littlerock turnoff, then straight to California 138. Turn right to Pearblossom and follow the signs to the ranch. (805) 944-2178.

* The Alliance of Humanist, Atheist and Ethical Culture Organizations of Los Angeles presents HumCon ‘94, featuring keynote speaker Steve Allen, from 3 p.m. Friday, Sept. 30, through 3 p.m. Oct. 2 on the Queen Mary in Long Beach. For registration information, call (310) 271-9989.

* Lifewater, a Christian organization dedicated to helping the rural poor obtain safe water, holds its international annual conference from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Thursday through next Saturday, at William Carey International University, 1605 Elizabeth St., Pasadena. A banquet will be held at 7 p.m. next Saturday, at the First Church of the Nazarene in Pasadena. For information, call (818) 962-4187.

* Prison-reform advocate Bo Lozoff leads a free community forum, “A Nation Behind Bars--Creating a Safer, Kinder Society,” from 2 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Agape Church of Religious Science in Santa Monica. 3211 Olympic Blvd. (310) 829-2780.

* Temple Isaiah holds a Simchat Torah picnic dinner at 6 p.m. Monday, followed by services at 7 p.m. A Sukkot memorial service will be held at 8 a.m. Tuesday. 10345 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. (310) 277-2772.