English, Spanish, Japanese Services

Religious services in English, Spanish and Japanese will begin at 9 a.m. Sunday at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard with church school in English for all ages, followed at 10 with praise time and the 10:15 worship service.

Spanish Language Church School for all ages begins at noon. The Rev. Carlos Saavedra will lead the 2 p.m. Spanish language ministry in the sanctuary.

Also at 2 p.m., the Rev. Harayushi Fujimoto will conduct the Japanese Language ministries worship in the parlor.

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church is at 1800 S. C St. For information, call 487-2711.

Husband-Wife Team at Fellowship

Christian recording artists Donny and Reba Rambo McGuire will be at Love International Outreach Fellowship in Ventura today and Sunday.

A 10 a.m. session today will feature Reba Rambo McGuire ministering at the women’s fellowship. Refreshments will follow.

On Sunday, the couple will minister jointly at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The Love International Fellowship meetings will be at 1620-A Mesa Verde Drive behind Buena Lanes. Child care will be available at all the services. For information, call 647-5463.

Temple Plans Service for Prayer

* Friends and members of Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks will meet Sunday in its new sanctuary for a service of prayer and healing. Rabbi Rebecca Lebowe will lead the service.

The service is at 9 a.m. at the temple, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive. For information, call 495-8567. For directions only, call 497-7101.

Interactive Piano Concert Slated

* Pianist Laura Spitzer will present an interactive and educational piano concert at Camarillo United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Sunday in the sanctuary.

Although she is a classical performer, Spitzer says that “I’m at home performing in churches, schools and trailer parks.”

Spitzer figures she has traveled more than 60,000 miles by truck with her grand piano over the years, “bringing music to hundreds of rural communities in North America.”

A graduate of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and the Peabody Institute, she is currently an assistant lecturer of keyboard studies at USC.

The $2 entry fees will be donated to the Pleasant Valley School District’s speech program. The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. For information, call 482-4312.

Getty Museum to Be Talk Topic

* A lox and bagel brunch at Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah on Sunday will feature Jackie Goldfield speaking on the “J. Paul Getty Museum and Its Offerings.”

The 9:30 a.m. brunch, which is open to the public, is $7 in advance or $10 at the door. The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road. For information, call 647-4181.

‘Lost Tribes of Israel’ Lecture

* The Conejo Jewish Academy will host the first of four lectures on “The Lost Tribes of Israel and the Oriental Mystery” on Tuesday. Rabbi Marvin Tokayer, who has done extensive research on the history of Judaism in the Orient, will speak. The fee for the 8 p.m. lecture is $10.

The academy also will host a three-part lecture series titled “A Journey into the World of Kabbalah” beginning at 8 p.m. Feb. 24. Tickets to the lectures are $10 each, and discounts for seniors and students are available.

Rabbi Laibl Wolf of Melbourne, Australia, will open the series at the Agoura Hills academy with a lecture on “Angels and Dreams: Their Mystical and Practical Implications.”

Future lectures will cover “Tikkun Olam--a Kabbalistic Approach,” and “The Bible Codes--Fact or Fantasy?”

The Conejo Jewish Academy is at 30345 Canwood St. For information or reservations, call (818) 991-0991.

Church Hosts Gospel-Based Play

* Frank Runyeon’s “Afraid! The Gospel of Mark” will be presented at 7 p.m. Tuesday by St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Community’s Adult Education Committee. The theatrical performance was written by and stars Runyeon, a television actor and religion scholar. It will be performed in the church at 155 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.

“Afraid!” is a one-man play based on the Gospel of Mark translated into contemporary speech. The play is interactive, with Runyeon addressing audience members as he roams the room, and it imparts Mark’s story in the present tense, “giving the audience the opportunity to feel like they have been in Galilee,” Pastor Joseph George said.

Best known for his work in television soaps, Runyeon has been featured in “General Hospital,” “Santa Barbara” and “As the World Turns.”

“Afraid!” is recommended for ages 8 and older. Tickets, $5, are available at St. Paschal Parish Center. For information, call Sister Carol at 496-0222, Ext. 119.

Jews of Greece Focus of Service

* The Jews of Greece will be the topic at the Temple Etz Chaim service in Thousand Oaks at 8:15 p.m. Friday. Victoria Monina, who was born and raised in Greece and now lives in the Conejo Valley, will discuss Jewish history, culture and contemporary life in Greece.

Rabbi Shimon Paskow and cantor Jeff Cohen will conduct the service.

Temple Etz Chaim is located at 1080 Janss Road. For information, call 497-6891.

Concert Celebrates Different Faiths

* Choirs from four churches, Hebrew and English cantors and a liturgical dancer will join musicians from the Ventura County chapter of the American Guild of Organists in an ecumenical liturgy and performance featuring chants and sacred music from different religious traditions on Feb. 15 at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks.

People from all faiths are welcome at the free musical-liturgical event, which begins at 7:30 p.m.

“This is an opportunity for the community to experience various forms of sacred music and explore the similarities in different faiths through song,” said James Pingelli, St. Paschal Baylon’s music director. “Much of the sacred or secular music we know today has its roots in the earliest traditions of worship.”

Jewish, Protestant and Roman Catholic musicians and choirs from throughout the county will participate in the event., which is based on an ancient Catholic liturgy called “Tenebrae.”

For information, call 496-0222, Ext. 0.

Library to Host Spiritual Seminars

* A series of seminars on classic Christian practices for the cultivation of spiritual life is set for three Saturday mornings, beginning Feb. 21, at the Thousand Oaks Public Library. The seminars are free. For information, call 496-2684.

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.