ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP: Northridge United Methodist Church’s new...
ALTERNATIVE WORSHIP: Northridge United Methodist Church’s new Alternative Worship Service--aimed at providing teens and young adults a worship forum they can relate to--is gaining popularity, according to church officials.
The service features dancers, videos and live music by Whatabout Faith, a band of professional musicians that plays rock, folk, gospel and reggae music. Attendance has increased from 250 at the initial February gathering to more than 300 in March.
“This type of growth and expansion is exactly the kind of thing we had in mind when we first began with the project,” said chief organizer Jayne Kells in a written statement.
The theme of this month’s program will be “Embracing Life” and will include a message on the loss and desolation brought by gangs and drugs. The service is scheduled for 6:30 p.m. Saturday at the church located at 9650 Reseda Blvd. More information: (818) 886-1555.
PRAYER BREAKFAST: In honor of the National Day of Prayer on May 2, local religious leaders will gather for the San Fernando Valley Prayer Breakfast to be held at 7 and 10 a.m. at Los Angeles Baptist High School. The Revs. William Broadous of Calvary Bible Church, David Miller of the Church at Rocky Peak and Jack Hayford of the Church on the Way will speak. Tickets are $15. (818) 779-8000.
CELTIC SAINTS: Dennis Doyle will play the harp, sing and tell stories about the lives of St. Patrick, St. Brigid and St. Columcille as part of a program titled “Celtic Saints in Story and Song” from 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Sunday at the Holy Spirit Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. Cost is $12 per person. In addition, a program on “Ordinary Miracles” will be offered from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Thursday. Cost is $20, which includes lunch. (818) 784-4515.
LECTURE: Rabbi Debra Orenstein, popular writer on Jewish spirituality and gender studies, will speak on “Learning About the Lifecycle: New Perspectives on Ritual, Life Passages and Gender” at 10 a.m. Sunday at Temple Beth Haverim, 5126 Clareton Drive, Agoura Hills. Cost is $7 per person. (818) 991-7111.
BIBLICAL WOMEN: A workshop on the role of women in the Bible will be held at 7:30 p.m. Friday at the Namaste Interfaith Center, 12447 Magnolia Blvd., Valley Village. The program will examine the part women have played in Christianity and how stereotypes developed. Cost is $10 per person. (818) 763-3330.
GRANT AWARD: Catholic Charities recently received a $50,000 grant from the Glendale Community Foundation to provide free bilingual mental health services to youths and their families in Glendale. In addressing these problems, Catholic Charities Psychological Services will target families with children attending school in Glendale. Parents will be taught about the cycle of violence in families and what symptoms may be present in their own homes. Services will be provided at Catholic Charities Glendale Community Center at 4322 San Fernando Road. (818) 409-3005.
JEWISH CLASSES: A variety of classes on Jewish mysticism and meditation will be offered through the University of Judaism’s department of continuing education. Among the offerings: “Jewish Meditation: Introduction to Basic Skills,” taught by Rabbi Stephen Robbins beginning Monday; “Kabbalah of the Omer: Jewish Mysticism and the Calendar,” taught by Judith HaLevy starting Tuesday; “Zohar: The Fundamental Text of Kabbalah,” taught by Rabbi Chaim Seidler-Feller beginning Wednesday; “Healing and Health: Kabbalah, Natural Therapies and Holistic Wellbeing,” taught by Robbins starting April 28; and “Traditional Jewish Meditation,” taught by Rabbi Jonathan Omer-Man starting April 30 for the evening class and May 1 for the noon class. Class prices and registration: (310) 476-9777, Ext. 246.
SATELLITE LECTURE: The Hein-Fry Lecture Series will conduct its first national interactive lecture via satellite at 5 p.m. April 29 at St. Stephen’s Lutheran Church, 15950 Chatsworth St., Granada Hills. The Revs. Philip J. Hefner and Timothy Lull, two widely published Lutheran theologians, will join moderator Phyllis Anderson to discuss “How Is the Church Necessary for Salvation?” Audience participants from around the country will have a chance to comment and question the speakers. Hefner is a professor at the Lutheran School of Theology in Chicago, Lull is an academic dean and a professor at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary in Berkeley and Anderson is an executive with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America’s division for ministry. (818) 891-1759.
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