Temple IJC Will Celebrate Purim

Temple IJC Reform Congregation will celebrate Purim with festivities at 6 p.m. Friday. There will be a reading of the Book of Esther in which the congregation will try to drown out the name of Haman, the evil prime minister, with noisemakers. Everyone is encouraged to wear costumes. The temple is at 30 Hughes, No. 200, Irvine. (714) 829-5880.

The Rev. Leslie Heyboer will speak on “Religion According to Zumbach the Tailor” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church. The sermon is based on the story of an old village tailor who figured that if churches were managed the way the tailor made suits, there would be good results. Child care and youth religious education will be offered. The church is at 1259 Victoria St., Costa Mesa. (714) 646-4652.

Cal State Fullerton will host a lecture on “Dialogue and Cooperation Among the World’s Religions in the 21st Century” at 9 a.m. Monday in Room 32 of the Education Classroom Building. Barbara Fields Bernstein, assistant director of the Dearborn Institute, will be the featured speaker. Bernstein is working with the M.K. Gandhi Institute for Nonviolence and the Rev. Martin Luther King’s Youth Nonviolence Training Academies to coordinate the “Gandhi-King: A Season for Nonviolence” project. Cal State University is at 800 N. State College Blvd., Fullerton. (714) 278-3452.

Temple Beth Emet will begin the Fast of Esther at 7 a.m. Wednesday. It will have a Megillah reading at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday, and a Purim service will take place at 7 a.m. Thursday. Next Sunday, the temple’s Sisterhood and Men’s Club will host a Purim party at 4 p.m. Reservations are required for the party. The temple is at 1770 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. (714) 772-4720.

Santa Ana/Tustin Christian Women’s Club will have its “Light Up Your Spring” luncheon from 11:30 a.m. to 1:45 p.m. Friday at the Tustin Ranch Golf Clubhouse. Guest speaker Cally Davis will give the message, “Growing Through It and Finding Peace.” Cost is $13 and reservations are required by Tuesday. The clubhouse is at 12442 Tustin Ranch Road, Tustin. (714) 731-0432.

The women of St. Polycarp Catholic Church will host a day of prayer and reflection beginning with a celebration of the Eucharist at 8:30 this morning. A day of prayer and reflection will take place from 8:30 a.m. to 2 p.m. A donation of $5 will be taken. Reservations are requested. The church is at 8100 Chapman Ave., Stanton. (714) 897-6306.

Richard Foster will lead a spirituality renewal conference from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. today at Mariners South Coast Church in Irvine. There is a registration fee, which includes lunch. The church is at 5120 Bonita Canyon Drive. (714) 854-7030 ext. 328.

Christ Lutheran Church is offering Lenten services at 7 p.m. Wednesdays through April 1. The church youth will serve a Lenten meal at 6 p.m.; a freewill offering will be taken. The church is at 820 W. Imperial Highway, Brea. (714) 529-2984.

The Rev. Gary Demarest will speak on “The Spirit of Disciples” as part of his Lenten series at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Trinity United Presbyterian Church. Child care will be available. The church is at 13922 Prospect Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 544-7850.

The Jewish Community Center of Orange County is offering Judaica Mini Courses this month. Classes include “A Holocaust Secret” from 7 to 8:10 p.m. Monday; “Life, Death and the Hereafter” from 7 to 8:10 p.m. Tuesday; “Jewish Humor I and II” from 8:20 to 9:30 p.m. this and next Tuesday, plus additional classes throughout the month. Cost is $5 for members and $7 for others. The center is at 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. (714) 755-0340.

The Hebrew Academy will host its annual Grand Masquerade and festive Purim party at 9 a.m. Thursday. There will be games and contests. A comedy and magic show will take place at 11:30 a.m. The academy is at 14401 Willow Lane, Huntington Beach. (714) 898-0051.

J. Samuel Sallie will speak on “The Meaning of Transfiguration” from 9:35 to 10:25 a.m. Sunday in the Wesley Room of the United Methodist Church of Laguna Hills. Sallie, a Chapman University professor of religion for 20 years, received the Humanities Faculty of the Year Award in 1993. The church is at 24442 Moulton Parkway, Laguna Hills. (714) 837-3428.

New Life Christian Fellowship announces its private home prayer meetings which occur throughout the week. Times and locations can be arranged through the church. New Life is a Foursquare Church. It is at 26041 Cape Drive, Suite 101, Laguna Niguel. (714) 348-0300.

Rabbi Arnold Rachlis and Cantor Ruti Braier will lead a Purim service at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the University Synagogue. People are encouraged to come in costume and hear the Book of Esther read. There will be games, food and more. The synagogue is at 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine. (714) 654-2720.

The Laguna Beach United Methodist Church will offer comparative religion courses from 3 to 4:30 p.m. Sundays. This week, Ignacia Castuera will lead a class on Islam. Regular worship services take place at 10 a.m. Sundays. The church is at 21632 Wesley Drive, South Laguna. (714) 499-3088.

Congregation Adat Israel will host a Purim Megillah reading service and Purim costume party at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Hebrew Academy Auditorium. Then, Purim services will begin at 7:15 a.m. Thursday at Adat Israel. The Hebrew Academy is at 14401 Willow Ave., Huntington Beach. Adat Israel is at 5052 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach. (714) 846-2285.