Founding Pastor to Return

The founding pastor of the First Christian Church of Simi Valley will return to his old pulpit to take up an interim ministership Sunday.

“It’s truly only interim,” said E. Gean Davis, who last gave a sermon in 1971 to the congregation and church he helped start in 1962. “I’m retired.”

Davis will also mark three anniversaries Sunday: the 36th anniversary of the First Christian Church of Simi Valley, his own birthday and his 50th year of pastoring. The service will begin at 10:30 a.m.

Davis and his wife, Archalee, did not move from Simi Valley after he left First Christian. In 1971, he began lecturing in the motivational field with seminars on career development, especially in the real estate and insurance industries.

In the late 1960s, Davis worked with Mayor Les Cleveland, the first mayor of Simi Valley after the towns of Santa Susana and Simi decided to become one city.

“We worked together on one of the earliest drug prevention programs in Ventura County,” Davis said. “It wasn’t a big undertaking, but it was a precursor.”

First Christian Church is at 4307 Walnut St. For information, call 527-0123 or 526-6434.

Guest Speaker at Temple

* The Oxnard Buddhist Temple will welcome a guest speaker, the Rev. Nobuo Miyaji of the Los Angeles Hongwanji Betsuin Buddhist Temple, at 7 p.m. today for its Shotsuki memorial service and Nirvana Day. He will address the congregation in Japanese.

The memorial service honors church members who died during the month of February.

The regular Japanese language school convenes at 9 a.m. today.

On Sunday, the Dharma school service begins at 9:30 a.m., followed by Dharma school classes at 10 and Taiko class (Japanese drumming) at 11:30 a.m.

The temple is at 250 South H St. For information, call 483-5948.

Concert to Celebrate Many 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 Monday 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.

Council of Churches to Meet

* The Ventura County Council of Churches will elect and install new officers and executive board members at its 35th annual assembly Friday at Trinity Presbyterian Church in Camarillo. Approval of the 1998 budget also is on the agenda.

The Rev. Dr. Edwin Girod will deliver the keynote address.

Reception and fellowship time will begin at 6 p.m., followed by a catered dinner at 6:30. The business session will start at 7:45.

The cost for the evening is $10, and reservations may be made by calling 482-9566. Trinity Presbyterian is at 2304 Antonio Ave.

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.

Writer and radio host John McLarty will lead the sessions, which will address “the intersection of intellectual culture and the life of faith.” Rich DuBose will perform sacred folk music.

The seminars are free. Thousand Oaks Public Library is at 1401 E. Janss Road. For information, call 496-2684.

Group for Returning Catholics

* St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Simi Valley invites all inactive or returning Catholics to the parish community’s Landings program.

“Landings is designed especially for people who may have felt rejection in the past related to the church, and, as a result, have become non-practicing,” said Landings Chairwoman Madeleine Sorensen.

The program begins Feb. 24. For information about when and where Landings get-togethers are held, call Sorensen at 522-6107 or the rectory at 526-6499.

The church is at 5649 Pittman.

Open House at Christian School

* Simi Valley Seventh-day Adventist School will hold an open house Feb. 25 for parents seeking a kindergarten through eighth-grade Christian education, Principal Ed Phillips said.

The open house will run from noon to 7 p.m. at the school at 1636 Sinaloa Road. For information, call 583-1866.

March Sermons to Focus on Faith

* “Lent, Journey of Faith” will be the March sermon series at Camarillo United Methodist Church.

“In this series, we will look at faith,” said the Rev. Jim Decker-Mahin. “Sometimes the choices we make are hard or do not bring the results we intend. Jesus models for us these choices of courage.”

Sunday services are held at 9 and 10:30 a.m.

The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. For information, call 482-4312.