Temple Offers Hypnotism Show

Temple Etz Chaim of Thousand Oaks invites the public to the Marc Bachrach Hypnotism Show at 8 p.m. today. The fund-raising event will also feature magician Richard Burr.

A dessert reception will follow.

Tickets at the door are $22 for adults and $16 for seniors. For more information, call 583-8152. The temple is at 1080 Janss Road.

Anniversary of Historic Church

* A special celebration of musical, spiritual and community events will commemorate the 100-year anniversary of historic Bardsdale United Methodist Church today and Sunday.

The church, surrounded by orchards, is the only remaining community building in Bardsdale.

Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the church was dedicated April 15, 1898, after being built by its congregation on land donated by Thomas Bard. Described as “carpenter Gothic architecture,” its brownstone material was hauled from nearby Sespe Creek.

An 8 a.m. communion service will be offered today, followed by docent tours from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. A 7 p.m. ice cream social and family fellowship are scheduled tonight.

At 10 a.m. Sunday, Bishop Roy Sano will lead the centennial rededication worship service. The public is welcome to the free barbecue luncheon that follows and to all other events.

The church is at 1498 Bardsdale Ave., Fillmore. For information, call 524-2070.

Seminars on Relationships Offered

* A seminar series titled “Building Strong Relationships” will begin Sunday 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.

Church Plans Fireside Discussion

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites the public to an open house and fireside discussion at 7 p.m. Sunday in Ventura. The one-hour family oriented program will be presented in Spanish and English.

A display, video and handouts will be included.

The church is at 3501 Loma Vista Road. For information, call 659-1758.

Ceremony to Recall Holocaust

* Jewish Families of Camarillo will hold a Yom Hashoa or Day of Holocaust ceremony Sunday 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 Sunday 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.

Israel’s 50th Anniversary Observed

* “Israel at 50” is 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.

On Monday, 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.

Holocaust Remembrance Services

* Several county congregations will hold Holocaust remembrance services this week.

Oxnard’s Congregation Am Hayam will hold Yom Hashoah at 8 p.m. Wednesday. The guest speaker will be Ret. Col. James Hayes of the U.S. Army, who will talk of his experiences in liberating four concentration camps at the end of World War II.

For information on attending the service, call 656-6634.

Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah will commemorate Yom Hashoah on Friday with a service featuring Moorpark College history professor Daniel Patrick Brown. Brown will present “Universe of the Perverse,” which focuses on the origins of Nazism.

Open to the public, the service will begin at 8 p.m. Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. For more information, call the office at 647-4181.

Members of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks also will remember the Holocaust during the Sabbath service Friday.

The service will begin at 8:15 p.m., conducted by Rabbi Shimon Paskow. Cantor Jeff Cohen will chant the liturgy. The entire congregation will join Paskow in reciting the Mourner’s Kaddish.

Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road. For more information, call the temple office at 497-6891.

Women in Bible Topic of Series

* “Beyond the Matriarchs: What We Are Learning From Women in the Bible” is the subject of an adult education series given by Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura on Tuesdays.

The free series will be held through May 5 at 7:30 p.m.

Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. For information, call 647-4181.

Oxnard Church Hosts Seminar

* Nyeland Community Church in Oxnard will host a seminar on understanding and interpreting the Bible on Friday and April 25. The free seminar is open to the public.

Leading the seminar will be senior Pastor Troy S. Welch, who has doctorates in biblical studies and theology, with an emphasis on studies from the original languages of the Bible.

Welch believes that even the grammar of scripture is divinely inspired and thus should be studied in the original language. Materials and tools will be provided to assist in understanding the original languages.

The Friday session will run from 7 to 9 p.m., and the April 25 session 9 a.m. to noon.

Call the church at 485-1817 for more information. Nyeland Community is at 3326 Nyeland Ave.

Family Conference Coming Up

* St. Paul Baptist Church of Oxnard will hold its annual family conference at the church Friday and April 25. Workshops for children, teens, singles, married couples and on substance abuse are planned.

Guest instructors will include Donald Bell of Faithful Central Baptist Church in Inglewood; Charles Wolford, pastor and counselor at St. Joseph Children’s Treatment Center in Dayton, Ohio; Mildred White, Ventura County family counselor; substance abuse counselor Benny Jeffreys, and Cory Coles, a youth pastor in San Diego.

Registration is $7 per person, $12 for married couples, $5 for teens and $2 for children. The fee includes pizza and Saturday lunch. For information on registering, call the church at 487-1555. St. Paul Baptist Church is at 1354 South C St.

Ojai Church to Celebrate 40th

* Ojai United Methodist Church will celebrate its 40th anniversary from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. April 26 on the church grounds.

Activities will include special music and speeches by former ministers.

For more information, call the church at 646-3528. The church is at 120 Church Road.

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.

Faculty members, alumni, administrators, students and regents will attend Lutheran churches throughout the Southwest and update congregations on developments at the university.

Schultz-Akerson said 1997-98 was a banner year for CLU, which placed in the top tier of Western regional colleges and universities in U. S. News and World Report’s guide on America’s best colleges. And it was included in the Templeton Foundation’s “Honor Roll for Character Building Colleges,” he said.

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

Bluegrass and Gospel Concert

* Gospel in the Country, an outdoor bluegrass and gospel concert, will begin at 4 p.m. May 9 at the Rancho Del Rey Christian Conference Center near Oak View.

The public is welcome to the event, which will feature the Witcher Brothers Bluegrass Band, Home Grown Bluegrass Band, the Red River Band from Ventura County and the Country Gospel Jubilee. The concert will end at 7:30 p.m.

Gospel Light Publications and KDAR Radio are co-sponsoring the concert. It will be the third held on the grounds of the 130-acre Ojai Valley retreat.

Tickets are $7.50 at the gate; free for children 12 and under. A tri-tip dinner for $5 will be available. Lawn chairs or blankets for picnics are welcome.

For information or reservations, call Rancho del Rey at 649-3356. It is at 655 Burnham Road., Oak View.

Reagan Son to Emcee Prayer Day

* Michael Reagan, son of former President Ronald Reagan, will serve as emcee of the 25th annual National Day of Prayer Community Breakfast at the Ventura Holiday Inn on May 7. The event is sponsored by the Ventura Salvation Army.

The breakfast begins at 7 a.m. Reservations for the $15 meal are required. The Holiday Inn is at 450 E. Harbor Blvd. For information or reservations, call 659-3847.