ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOP: Both religious background and practical...

ENVIRONMENT WORKSHOP: Both religious background and practical ideas to involve churches in environmental concerns will be presented next Saturday at an interdenominational workshop in Reseda.

The Rev. Shantilal Bhagat, a Church of the Brethren official who edited a new resource packet for churches called “God’s Earth, Our Home,” will deliver the keynote talk at 10 a.m. for the daylong conference at Reseda First United Methodist Church, 18120 Saticoy St.

Other speakers will include the Rev. Bill Somplatsky-Jarman, associate director for environmental justice for the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.); Episcopal priest Peter Kreitler, co-founder of L.A. Clean-up; Victoria Loorz of World Vision, creator of an environmental start-up kit for evangelical churches, and Lourdes Arguelles, professor of gender and Chicano studies at Pitzer College in Claremont.

Carmen Twillie, who sang “The Circle of Life” in the Disney animated film “The Lion King,” will join the Alkebu-lan Boys Choir in the opening worship service at the conference, which will begin at 9 a.m. The cost of the workshop is $10.

The deadline for registration has been extended to Thursday. For information, call (818) 344-7870.

SURF RIDERS: A notice in the newsletter of Grace Community Church--a congregation in the fundamentalist tradition--invited men “to catch some gnarly waves with your brothers-in-the-Lord” in a new surfing fellowship forming at the Sun Valley church.

“About 30 men responded at our first meeting last Saturday,” said organizer Bruce Young of Simi Valley, who indicated that the good turnout may belie the sometimes stuffy image of the theologically conservative church.

The group planned to meet for an early breakfast this morning at a pancake house in Agoura, then proceed to Leo Carrillo State Beach.

SURF DUNKERS: At Zuma Beach today, ministers from Porter Ranch’s Shepherd of the Hills Church will immerse 21 people in the surf during an 11 a.m. service called “an old-fashioned ocean baptism” by Senior Pastor Jess Moody.

Moody will be assisted by Associate Pastors Haus Miller, Patrick Moody and Rob Myers for the seashore rites near Lifeguard Station 7 at Zuma Beach. Songs and prayers will precede the baptisms.

GAY/LESBIAN ISSUES: A two-day Presbyterian conference on divisive issues of homosexuality and clergy ordination will begin Friday night at Glendale Presbyterian Church with prominent speakers from both sides of the issues.

President Richard Mouw of Fuller Theological Seminary and the Rev. Mel White, a former ghostwriter for Pat Robertson and Jerry Falwell who later announced that he is gay, will be among the speakers at the conference organized by the Presbytery of San Fernando, the regional body of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.).

“We very intentionally have tried to make it a level playing field with respected people holding opposite views,” said the Rev. Chet B. Gean of Reseda, who designed the program. “No vote will be taken, but maybe we can find greater consensus without people being so defensive on either side.”