PANEL ON MIRACLES: An interfaith panel will...

PANEL ON MIRACLES: An interfaith panel will discuss “What My Faith Tradition Tells Me About Miracles--Do They Still Happen?” Thursday night at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 18400 Kinzie St., Northridge.

The panelists will be Rabbi John Sherwood, rabbi emeritus of Temple Emet, Woodland Hills; Jesuit Father Andrew Diviney of the host Catholic parish; Abdel Kineche of the Islamic Center of Santa Clarita, and the Rev. Afrie Songco Joye of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, Tarzana.

The discussion is one in a series organized by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council. The continuing panel moderator is the Rev. Jeff Utter, pastor of Chatsworth Congregational Church and a part-time member of Cal State Northridge’s religious studies department.

There is no charge. For more information, call the council at (818) 718-6460.

WHEELS TO GUATEMALA: Wheels for the World, the nonprofit wheelchair recycling program of the Agoura Hills-based JAF Ministries, will load more than 100 wheelchairs today for shipment to Guatemala.

Joni Eareckson Tada, founder-president of JAF Ministries, said the gift was made possible by Sealand Inc., which donated shipping costs. The wheelchairs will be loaded into a 40-foot cargo container today at the Wheels for the World warehouse in Simi Valley.

Tada, a quadriplegic known in evangelical circles for her books, paintings and radio program, said the 3-year-old Wheels for the World program has been getting substantial support from corporations.

HEALTH SCREENINGS: Free health checks will be offered to the public today from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Santa Rosa Catholic Church, 668 S. Workman St., San Fernando, under the parish nurse partnership/Latino health promoters program of Holy Cross Medical Center.

Available are tests for blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol, allergies, vision and dental hygiene.

COUNTRY GOSPEL: Australian-born country gospel singer Ken Withington will perform at two churches Sunday in the San Fernando Valley. He will be at Trinity United Methodist Church, 14061 Terra Bella St., Arleta, at 9 a.m., and at Sun Valley United Methodist Church, 9070 Sunland Blvd., at 10:30 a.m.

JEWISH COMEDY: Four actor-comedians will be featured in a fund-raising comedy night next Saturday at Temple Ner Maarav, 17730 Magnolia Blvd., Encino. The event, which costs $8 per person, will be hosted by former stand-up comic Diane Faber, who is now an entertainment attorney.

Dan Frischman, who played Arvid on the TV sitcom “Head of the Class,” is featured on the program, which will start at 8 p.m. For tickets or information, call the temple at (818) 345-7833.

News and announcements for this column may be mailed to Religion Desk, L.A. Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth 91311 or faxed to (818) 772-3385.