Westlake Village Church Buys Industrial Site

Calvary Community Church of Westlake Village recently bought one of Westlake Village’s largest industrial facilities from the Eaton Corp.

Escrow closed at year’s end on the $18-million purchase of 35 acres fronting La Tienda Drive. The 310,000-square-foot building--once used for defense manufacturing--will become a 2,900-seat auditorium for worship, with rooms for ministries, a wedding chapel, bookstore and community meetings.

“This is a historic day for the Conejo Valley and Westlake Village,” said Pastor Larry DeWitt. “Twenty years ago, a handful of area residents prayed that God would provide a place of worship. With this new facility, we’ll be able to meet the needs of thousands more people.”

This spring, the church will sell a portion of the property to the Price Family Foundation for $10 million. The foundation has already presented preliminary conceptual plans to the city of Westlake Village for the creation of a Christian high school in the Conejo Valley.

Calvary Community Church expects to holds the first service in its new location on Sept. 13. Until that date, services will continue at 31293 Via Colinas.

Calvary Community is known for its musical programs and outreach to high schools, singles, divorced and various support groups. Current membership is at 5,000.

For information on services, call 496-2101.

Buddhist Church to Hold New Year’s Party

The Oxnard Buddhist Church will hold its New Year’s party at 5 p.m. today.

Also today, the Japanese culture and language school class will be taught from 9 a.m. to noon in the social hall. At 4 p.m., the new 1998 Buddhist Church Board and Buddhist Women’s Assn. will hold a cabinet installation.

On Sunday, the Buddhist Women’s Assn. will begin its monthly meeting at 9:30 a.m. at the church, at 250 S. H St. For information, call 483-5948.

Temple’s Annual Casino Night Is Today

Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah will hold its annual Casino Night at 7:30 tonight. Tickets are $25 at the temple office at 7620 Foothill Road.

“Game tables, door prizes, Vegas trip giveaways, a silent auction and lots of desserts will be highlights,” said temple brotherhood President Jay Diamond. For information, call the temple at 647-4181.

Brunch Looks at Empowering Jewish Women

Chabad and the Conejo Jewish Academy will co-host an “Empowerment of Jewish Women” brunch at 11 a.m. Sunday at the academy, 30345 Canwood St. in Agoura Hills.

Television host Chaya Teldon will speak on the topic “Not Just Chicken Soup: the Empowerment of Jewish Women.”

Reservations are necessary for the $15 gourmet brunch and talk. Call (818) 991-0991.

Jewish Program on Dealing With Children

The Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills will hold a workshop titled “From Kvetching to Kvelling: How to Effectively Deal With Your Children,” on Monday.

Led by psychologist Clara Zilberstien, the 8 p.m. workshop will be at 30345 Canwood St. Zilberstien’s primary interest is the integration of psychology and Judaism.

Call (818) 991-0991 for information or reservations.

Temple Hosts Lox and Bagel Brunch, Lecture

Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah Brotherhood invites the public to its 9:30-to-11:30-a.m. lox and bagel brunch Sunday. Miriyam Glazer of the University of Judaism will speak on “Rediscovering the Biblical Family--How Do the Patriarchs and Matriarchs Speak to Us Today?”

The brunch is $10 at the door. Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. For information, call 647-4181.

Learning the Habits of Effective Christians

Ascension Lutheran Church School in Thousand Oaks is sponsoring a public workshop called “Seven Habits of Highly Effective Christians,” based loosely on Stephen Covey’s best-selling business book, but in the context of the Bible’s teachings.

The $20 workshop will be limited to 24 people, meeting for two hours on eight Tuesday evenings. The first meeting on Tuesday will begin at 7:30 in the music room.

Ascension Lutheran is at 1600 E. Hillcrest. For information or to register, call 495-0406.

Camarillo Methodist Begins Season of Classes

Camarillo United Methodist Church begins its new season of weekly “Journey Through Stories” programs on Jan. 21. Classes for children in kindergarten through sixth grade and adults will run from 6:30 to 7:30 p.m. on six consecutive Wednesdays. A line-dancing exercise group also meets at the same times.

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

Conejo Jewish Academy Sets Winter Semester

The Conejo Jewish Academy begins its winter semester on Jan. 26. In Agoura Hills, the academy is in its fourth year of providing adult education classes to the community on a variety of Judaic subjects.

More than a dozen lecture series will be offered on such topics as living Judaism, the Talmud, the Kabbalah and the Chodesh Women Study Group. Highlighting the winter semester will be a four-part lecture series and weekend Shabbaton retreat at the Sheraton in Ventura, called “Counting Down to the New Millennium.”

To sign up or for a detailed brochure, call the academy at (818) 991-0991. It is located at 30345 Canwood St.

Interfaith Forum for Women and Daughters

* “New Visions for Women,” a forum for women and their daughters of all faiths, will be presented Sunday by the Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Assn. at Temple Beth Torah.

“We will celebrate religious diversity and share unique perspectives on ways women help in our community,” said Robin Martin of the Church of the Foothills.

Carolyn Leavens, Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller and the Rev. Marilyn Miller will speak. Small group discussions will also be included in the 3 to 5 p.m. event.

Reservations may be made by calling Martin at 644-7079. Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. A $5 donation for women over 18 will cover costs and refreshments.

Classes on Understanding the Sacraments

* The First United Methodist Church of Ventura will offer a four-week class titled “Sacramental Living” through January. The Rev. Chuck Simmons will lead the class in exploring the Protestant understanding of the sacraments.

The classes are open to the public and will begin at 10:15 Sunday mornings in Room 103. First United is at 1338 E. Santa Clara Ave. For information, call the Rev. Amy Aitken at 643-8621.

Dinner Theater Spotlights Rockne’s Life

* A night of dinner theater featuring the play “Rockne,” based on Knute Rockne’s life, will be offered today at St. Pascal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks.

Proceeds from the dinner and play will help the outreach group People to People feed needy and homeless people in Ventura County. Volunteers from St. Pascal Baylon work with volunteers from St. Maximilian Kolbe in Oak Park to serve breakfasts and dinners weekly.

Performances of the play, featuring actors from the Herb Mitchell acting company, will begin at 3:45 and 7:15 p.m. A prime rib or lobster-tail dinner will be served prior to the performances.

Tickets for the first “After the Holidays Night Out” event, including the play and dinner, are $20 per seat or $150 for a table of eight. To purchase tickets or for information, call Tom McLaughlin at 495-1154.

Epiphany Celebration to Be Held at Restaurant

* An Epiphany celebration will be presented by Camarillo’s St. Demetrios Greek Orthodox Church on Sunday at the Greek at the Harbor restaurant in Ventura.

A Blessing of the Waters service outside the restaurant will be followed by a buffet lunch, $20 for adults and $7.50 for children.

The blessing will begin at 1 p.m. The restaurant is at 1583 Spinnaker Drive at the Ventura Harbor. For reservations or information, call 482-1273.

Sermon Series to Explore 8 Great Religions

* A look at the eight great world religions will begin Sunday at Camarillo United Methodist Church.

“We will look at Hinduism, Buddhism, Taoism, Confucianism, Shintoism, Judaism, Christianity and Islam, and find their answers to some of the most important questions in life,” said Jim Decker-Mahin, who will present the series at the church’s Sunday sermons.

“As we find the answers to questions such as ‘Why do I exist?’ ‘What is true and real?’ and ‘Is there immortality?’ our faith will deepen and our appreciation will increase for the efforts made over the centuries by many cultures to answer the great questions of life,” Decker-Mahin said.

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

New ‘Freethinkers’ Group to Hold First Meeting

* A new group called Freethinkers of Ventura County will hold its first meeting Monday at Adolfo Camarillo High School in Camarillo.

“Freethinkers is a group of concerned individuals which meets monthly to discuss philosophical and theological issues and also current events which challenge the separation of state and church,” said Charlotte Poe of Somis.

The group defines a free thinker as “a person who forms opinions about religion on the basis of reason, independently of tradition, authority or established belief,” she said.

At the meeting, Poe will present the speech she recently gave to the Los Angeles chapter of the Council for Secular Humanism titled “Why I Am a Freethinker.”

The meeting will begin at 7:30 p.m. at the faculty lounge at 4660 Mission Oaks Blvd. For information, call 386-4232.

Volunteers Needed to Help Feed the Hungry

* The Food Pantries at Westminister Presbyterian Church in Port Hueneme and All Saints Episcopal Church in Oxnard need volunteers to help serve meals and prepare food baskets.

The pantries serve approximately 320 families each month. For information, call 487-3535.

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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 can also be faxed to The Times at 653-7576 or 653-7548.