Musical Drama About Christ

* Calvary Community Church of Westlake Village will produce “The Power of His Love,” an original musical drama on the last week of Christ before the crucifixion today and Sunday.

The musical was written by David Fischette, John Gardella and Steve Moore, who also produced it. The Dove award-winning Sounds of Celebration Choir will sing.

Tickets are free, but reservations are necessary. The play will be performed at 6 p.m. today. Sunday performances will be staged at 9 and 11 a.m. and 6 p.m.

For ticket information, call the church office at 496-2101. Calvary Community is at 31293 Via Colinas.

Palm Sunday Service Planned

* Ventura’s First Lutheran Church is planning a special Palm Sunday service at the church at 10:30 a.m., followed by a Koinonia tri-tip lunch at noon, said Marilyn Newstrom of the church. The cost for lunch is $4 for adults and $2 for children.

On April 9, holy communion will be offered at 7:30 p.m. at the Maundy Thursday service. The Good Friday service will begin at 7:30 p.m. April 10.

First Lutheran is at 78 Chrisman Ave. For information, call 643-5586.

Procession of the Palms

* Congregants at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard will meet on the church patio at 10 a.m. Sunday for the procession of the palms into the sanctuary. The choir will present a dramatic reading of the Gospel.

Church school will begin at 9 a.m. Spanish language church school for all ages will begin at noon. The Spanish language ministry will be at 2 p.m. in the sanctuary, and the Japanese-language service will be at 2 p.m. in the parlor.

St. Paul’s is at 1800 South C St. Call 487-2711 for information.

Center to Celebrate Holy Week

* The Center for Positive Living in Ventura will celebrate Holy Week beginning Sunday at 1 p.m.

Laura Eaton of the center supervised construction of a canvas labyrinth, measuring 35 feet by 35 feet, to portray Jesus’ entrance into Jerusalem.

On Good Friday, a sacred arts concert and healing service at 7 p.m. will be followed by a second labyrinth event.

The center is at 2646 Palma Drive, Building 250. For information, call 650-8711.

Chabad Center Plans Garage Sale

* Ventura’s Chabad Jewish Community Center will hold a garage sale Sunday from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 1259 Callens Road, Suite A.

Proceeds will underwrite the center’s Passover programs for those in need, Rabbi Yakov Latowicz said.

Anyone with unwanted items to donate may take them to the sale Sunday or call 658-7441.

Service Features Songs, Readings

* The Ventura Contemplative Community will hold a Taize ecumenical worship service of songs, readings and silent prayer at Trinity Lutheran Church on Sunday.

The “sung prayer” or simple chants sung by worshipers inspire and focus devotion, said Cecil Hoffman of the society. Instrumental accompaniment will be led by Trinity Lutheran’s music minister, Ron Zell.

The Taize service will begin at 6:45 p.m. The church is at 196 N. Ashwood St. For information, call 647-6831 or 642-7785.

Israel’s 50th Anniversary Observed

* “Israel at 50” will be the theme of a countywide observance sponsored by the Ventura County United Jewish Appeal / Federation throughout April, May and June. UJA / Federation provides funds for local and overseas programs that support Jewish life.

The anniversary observance will officially begin in Camarillo on Monday with a meeting of the Pleasant Valley group of Hadassah at 12:30 p.m. Esther Friedman and Julian Swing will speak.

On April 20, the Camarillo section of the National Council of Jewish Women will meet at 12:30 p.m. at the Marquie Banquet Center at 340 Mobil Ave. Camarillo section Vice President Muriel Helfenbein will speak.

A Sabbath service is set for Congregation Am HaYam at the Oxnard Monday Club, 1401 W. Gonzales Road, at 8 p.m. May 1.

For information on these events, call Marvin Rosenthal, executive director of Ventura County UJA / Federation, at 647-7800.

Remembering Holocaust Children

* In memory of the 1.2 million Jewish children who were killed in the Holocaust, the children of the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura invite the public to join them in “Remember the Children, Butterflies of the Holocaust.”

The students plan to help the Chabad Academy in South Carolina reach a goal of coloring 1.2 million paper butterflies and putting them on display April 23.

The butterflies should be cut out of white paper, 5 inches by 7 inches, and colored with crayons. They should be mailed by Tuesday to Chabad Academy, 2803 Oak St., Myrtle Beach, S.C. 29577.

For information, call Rabbi Yitzchak Sapochkinsky at the Conejo Jewish Academy at (818) 991-0991.

Lecture at Camarillo Center

* Father Leo Booth will speak on “Insight, Wisdom and Harmony” at the Pleasant Valley Center for Positive Living in Camarillo on Wednesday.

The public is welcome to the free 7:30 p.m. talk at 200 Daily Drive, Suite 1. For information, call the center at 482-4300.

Peace Officers Fellowship to Meet

* The Ventura County chapter of the Fellowship of Christian Peace Officers meets each Thursday morning for breakfast, fellowship and Bible study at the Ventura County Government Center’s small executive dining room. The weekly meetings run from 6:30 to 7:30 a.m.

The fellowship is a nondenominational, nonprofit organization with more than 50 chapters throughout the United States, member Vinse Williams said. A variety of local pastors and guest speakers lead the meetings.

For information about attending, call 659-1040.

Youths to Walk to Ventura Cross

* Religious youth groups from about 20 denominations will join on Good Friday for a 13-mile walk from the parking lot of Oxnard’s Channel Islands Vineyard Christian Fellowship, down Oxnard’s main streets, through The Esplanade and Buenaventura malls, and down Ventura’s main streets to the cross on the hill above the city.

The teenagers will leave Vineyard Christian Fellowship, 1851 Holser Walk, at 8:30 a.m. and expect to arrive at the Ventura cross about 3:30 p.m.

The fellowship will also hold a free Easter morning breakfast and Easter egg hunt at Oxnard State Beach. The breakfast begins at 8:30, followed by the egg hunt at 9. At 10 a.m., a musical drama will portray the events from the day after Christ’s crucifixion to the resurrection, youth director Barbara Rush said.

The public is welcome. There is a 50-cent charge for parking at the beach lot. For information, call Rush at 485-0050.

Stand-Up Comic to Be Featured

* “Comedy and Coming Home” will feature Jewish stand-up comic Richard Morris at Chabad Community Center in Ventura on April 15.

Morris, a onetime writer and occasional guest on NBC’s “Late Night with David Letterman,” tells of returning to becoming an observant Jew.

The show begins at 7 p.m. at the community center, 1259 Callens Road, Suite A. For information or to make reservations at $10 per person, call 658-7441.

Seminars on Relationships Offered

* A seminar series titled “Building Strong Relationships” will begin April 19 at Oxnard’s First Presbyterian Church. It will begin at 9 a.m. and run for three Sunday mornings preceding the 10 a.m. worship service.

Tom Prinz, marriage, family and child counselor, will conduct the series.

Child care will be provided. For reservations, call the church office at 983-0204. First Presbyterian is at 850 Ivywood Drive.

Ceremony to Recall Holocaust

* Jewish Families of Camarillo will hold a Yom Hashoa or Day of Holocaust ceremony April 19 at the JFC-Temple Ner Ami.

Remarks by Ventura County Supervisor Kathy Long, Camarillo Mayor Charlotte Craven and Ventura County schools Supt. Charles Weis are planned.

The afternoon’s focus will be to mourn the several million people who perished under the Nazis and reflect on lessons learned. Joining JFC-Temple Ner Ami in sponsoring the 3:30 p.m. event will be several Jewish organizations, including B’nai B’rith.

JFC-Temple Ner Ami, a 150-family Reform congregation, will hold the observance at 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D. For information, call the temple at 388-3824.

Jewish Adult Education Expands

* Representing the joint efforts of four area synagogues and three Jewish organizations, a Jewish adult education program will be offered by the new Conejo Valley Consortium for Adult Jewish Education and the Bel-Air-based University of Judaism. Classes will begin April 19 at local synagogues.

“This is a response to the significant growth of the Jewish population in the Conejo Valley,” said Michael Lotker, consortium administrator at its Thousand Oaks headquarters.

The program’s spring semester will offer a series of Sunday night lectures and extensive weeknight courses.

The consortium is made up of Temples Adat Elohim, Beth Haverim, Etz Chaim and Congregation Or Ami, along with Abraham Joshua Heschel Day School-West Campus, the Conejo Valley JCC for Early Childhood and Family Education, and the Jewish Federation / Valley Alliance.

Lotker said the program significantly expands the University of Judaism’s role in bringing adult education classes to the Conejo Valley.

Four Sunday lectures and four six-session weeknight courses on aspects of Judaism will be offered in April and May. Costs are $10 per lecture or $66 per course, plus a registration fee.

For information, call Lotker at 241-0485. The consortium is at 1379 Calle Crisantemo.

Unity Video to Be Broadcast

* The Bahais of Ventura County announce the broadcast of a new video titled “The Power of Race Unity” on local cable channels 67 (Odyssey), 8 (Americast), 6 (Avenue and Century) and 19 (Jones Intercable and Comcast) through April 16. All channels have scheduled multiple showings.

“Bahais have decades of experience working on a grass-roots level to put into effect one of their central beliefs: the elimination of all forms of prejudice,” said John Bruton of the Simi Valley Bahai community.

CLU Sunday to Be Celebrated

* Cal Lutheran University’s annual CLU Sunday will be celebrated April 26. The 775 churches that make up the congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, CLU’s constituency in the Southwest, will recognize the alliance between CLU and the churches.

CLU Sunday encourages churches to focus on Christian higher education and acquaint young people with Lutheran institutions and CLU, said the Rev. Reg Schultz-Akerson of the university.

For information on CLU Sunday, call the church relations office at 493-3152.

Religion Briefs is a weekly listing that runs each Saturday. Please address items, with a publishable telephone number, to Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Items may be faxed to The Times at 653-7576 or 653-7548.