Buddhist Temple to Host Service

The Oxnard Buddhist Temple continues its Japanese culture and language school Saturdays in the social hall at 9 a.m. and noon.

Today at 4 p.m., a Bodhi Day (Enlightenment Day) special service at the temple will be followed by the “Seibo-Taikai” (Year-End Party) at the social hall.

The temple is at 250 S. H St. Call 483-5948 for more information.

Nativities of the World on Display

More than 200 Nativity scenes representing many cultures will be on display at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ojai through Sunday.

Hours are noon to 9 p.m. today and 4:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The church is at 411 San Antonio St. For more information, call 646-7806.

‘Scrooge’ to Be Performed Today

The Church of Latter-day Saints in Camarillo will conclude its presentation of Leslie Bricusse’s “Scrooge,” an adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol.” Show times are 2 and 8 p.m. today.

Tickets, available at the door, are $2 for adults and $1 for children younger than 12. The church is at 1201 Paseo Camarillo Drive.

Church Presents a Christmas Tale

Camarillo United Methodist Church will present “Journey with the Friendly Beast” at 4 p.m. today. The tale will be augmented with Christmas music, three-dimensional set pieces and life-size murals that suggest biblical villages and their inhabitants. The price of admission for a family is a dessert to share.

On Sunday, a Christmas music concert will begin at 7 p.m.

The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. Call 482-4312 for more information.

A Christian Country Celebration

Ascension Lutheran Church of Thousand Oaks invites the public to a Conejo Christian Country Celebration at 6 p.m. today and at 8:30 and 9:45 a.m. Sunday. Pastor Verner Carlsen will be discussing “A Man for All Ages.” Services are informal.

The church is at 1600 Hillcrest Drive. Call 495-0406 for more information.

Christian Musician to Perform

Christian recording artist Randy Stonehill will perform three free concerts today and Sunday at Ventura’s South Coast Fellowship.

He will perform at 6 p.m. today and 8 and 10 a.m. Sunday.

South Coast Fellowship is at 4050 Market St. For more information, call 658-7646.

Temple Cafe Features Games, Food

Temple Beth Torah in Ventura will host its “Cafe TBT” at 7:30 p.m. today. The social gathering includes games such as Trivial Pursuit, Scrabble and cards, plus celebrity impersonator Vince Palmieri and a jazz duo. The event is open to the public. The $10 cost includes desserts and unlimited cappuccinos.

The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road. Call 647-4181 for more information.

Church Has Groups for All Ages

Community Christian Church of Moorpark holds worship services at 9 and 10:45 a.m. Sundays. Bible school classes, KIDS church, nursery and preschool classes also begin at 9 and 10:45 a.m.

This Sunday’s sermon will be “Prophecy Concerning Jesus’ Birth.”

Midweek events include Tuesday evening discipleship group and adult choir, Wednesday afternoon Wildlife junior high study group and Wednesday evening AWANA ministry, plus Thursday evening senior high study group.

The church is at 216 Moorpark Ave., No. 200. For more details, call 529-3572.

Methodist Church Sets Services

On this second Sunday in Advent, St. Paul’s United Methodist Church of Oxnard will hold praise time at 10 a.m., followed by a worship celebration and communion.

The Rev. Alan Gorsline’s sermon topic will be “Heck of a Place to Grow Flowers.”

Church school for all ages is at 9 a.m., including the adult exploration class led by Gorsline. This class is continuing its Advent study.

St. Paul’s annual Alternative Christmas Mart will be held in Fellowship Hall at 11:15 a.m.

The Spanish language ministry Sunday school will begin at 1 p.m. and the worship service, led by the Rev. Carlos Saavedra will begin at 6 p.m. The Japanese language ministry, led by the Rev. Haruyoshi Fujimoto will be at 2 p.m.

The church is at 1800 S. C St. Call 983-0608 for more information.

Sermon Focuses on Traits of Sexes

Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura holds services at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Sundays.

This Sunday, the Rev. Dick Weston-Jones will speak about “what we believe to be the real differences between our genders . . . how do we experience the masculine and feminine in ourselves and our friends.” Music will be performed by the band Left of Memphis.

The church is at 4949 Foothill Road. Call 644-3898.

Lessons on Becoming ‘Optimystic’

The Interfaith Church for Today in Thousand Oaks offers numerous weekday and night programs in addition to its 10 a.m. Sunday worship service at the Thousand Oaks Inn’s garden room, 75 W. Thousand Oaks Blvd.

This Sunday, the Rev. Giff Smith will continue his series of lessons on “Becoming an Optimystic.”

For more information on the Interfaith Church for Today, call 379-9336.

Message on Awakening Inner Light

The Rev. Irma Oestmann of the Unity Center Church in Thousand Oaks will present the following messages:

This Sunday, the sermon is on “Awaken Your Inner Light.”

The 10 a.m. services, with live musical accompaniment, are held at the Holiday Inn, 495 N. Ventu Park Road. Call 496-6901 for more information.

Free Gospel Concert Organized

First Baptist Church in Santa Paula will host a gospel performance by the Crimson River Quartet on Sunday. The 10:50 a.m. concert will feature Southern gospel harmonies and messages of faith and hope. The event is free.

The church is at 241 N. Mill St. Call 525-2814 for information.

Human Rights Awards to Be Given

The eighth annual Bahai Human Rights Luncheon and Awards Ceremony will be held Sunday at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel in Westlake Village. The ceremony, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, will begin at 11 a.m.

The public is invited to share in the celebration and honor the year’s awardees. Tickets are available for $20 by calling 676-1606.

The hotel is at 880 Westlake Blvd.

Institute Plans 2 Lectures

The Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley will hold lectures with Rabbi Edward Harwitz and Jordan Elgrably on Saturday.

Harwitz, of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, will speak on “Generation to Generation: The Challenge of Transmitting Tradition.” Elgrably’s topic will be “Cultural Commuting: The Hidden Jews of the Sepharad.”

The afternoon will include Israeli dancing with time to picnic on the institute’s 3,000 acres at 1101 Peppertree Lane.

Reservations are essential--no tickets will be sold at the gate the day of the program. For information, call 582-4450. All Shabbat afternoon lecture programs are $15 per person, with the gate opening at 1 p.m.

Nun to Offer Advice on Coping

The Ojai Valley Dharma Center will present a talk by Pema Chodron at 2 p.m. Sunday at Tres Condados Lodge in Casitas Springs. Chodron, who has taken ordination as a nun in the Karma Kagyu lineage of Tibetan Buddhism, will discuss “When Things Fall Apart” and offer “radical and compassionate advice for what to do when things fall apart in our lives.”

An author of three books, Chodron is the spiritual director of Gampo Abbey, a 200-acre monastic center in the Cape Breton Highlands of Nova Scotia.

Tickets are $20 at the door. Tres Condados Lodge is at 155 Sulphur Mountain Road. For more information, call 646-2102.

Advent Fest Revives Middle Ages

An Advent Festival of lessons and carols will be presented by the combined choirs of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Thousand Oaks and St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Camarillo at 4 p.m. Sunday in Camarillo.

St. Columba’s is at 1251 Las Posas Road in Camarillo. Call 482-8831 for more information.

Creche Displays to be Exhibited

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Simi Valley stake, invites the public to attend a Christmas presentation Sunday. From 5 to 6 p.m., several creche displays will be exhibited, followed by a Christmas cantata of holiday favorites and a Christmas devotional presented by the first presidency of the church.

The church is at 480 Sinaloa Road. Call 583-5217 for more information.

Jewish Adult Classes Scheduled

The Beis Menacheim Institute of Jewish Studies is opening its winter semester for adult education with a lineup of classes, lectures and seminars.

Tuition varies. Call Chabad for registration information.

Mystic and counselor Laibl Wolf will lead a three-hour seminar on Kabbalah, Jewish meditation and serenity through spirituality, from 6 to 9 p.m. Sunday at the Chabad center.

Wolf, an ordained rabbi, lawyer and psychologist, is director of the Institute of Human Development in Melbourne, Australia. His seminar is $26 general, $18 for seniors and students.

The Women’s Group of Chabad of Ventura will hold its first annual Hanukkah event titled “The Feminine Side of Hanukkah” at 7:30 p.m. Thursday at the center.

For more information or to register for any of the events, call Chabad of Ventura at 658-7441. It is at 1259 Callens Road, Suite A.

Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe

The Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe will be celebrated Friday at St. Paschal Baylon Church in Thousand Oaks. The 7 p.m. Mass, accompanied by mariachi music, will be delivered mostly in Spanish with some English. A reception will follow and will include folklorico dances performed by children of the parish.

The church is at 155 E. Janss Road. Call 496-0222, Ext. 116, for more information.

St. Anthony’s Celebrates Feast

The Feast of Our Lady Guadalupe will be celebrated Dec. 12 at St. Anthony’s Church in Oxnard. The gathering will begin at 5 a.m. at the Condon Center, proceeding to the church and followed by a serenade by Mariachi Nacional at 5:30 a.m.

At 5:45 a.m., a group of community actors will present the Apparitions of Our Lady Guadalupe to the Beatified Juan Diego. The 6:15 a.m. Mass will be led by P. Antonio Armendariz, a Guadalupano missionary. After Mass, breakfast will be served at Condon Center.

To prepare for the celebration, special services will be held at 7 p.m. Wednesday through Friday.

The church is at 2511 S. C St. Call 486-7301 for more information.