Evangelist Kuhlman’s Jewelry to Be Sold

Five pieces of antique jewelry from the estate of famed evangelist Kathryn Kuhlman, who packed the Shrine Auditorium with her monthly healing rallies in the 1960s, will be auctioned by Sotheby’s in Beverly Hills.

Kuhlman died in 1976 at age 69, and her estate was left to an Oklahoma couple who had been active in her nationwide ministry. She divided most of her preaching time between Fox Chapel, Pa., and Los Angeles. She lived in Newport Beach when in Southern California.

Last year, Tink Wilkerson, the surviving member of the couple, turned over the estate, which contains much memorabilia, to writer B.C. Talbott of Dallas, who hopes to write a biography of Kuhlman, according to Charisma magazine.

One of the best-known female evangelists since Los Angeles’ Aimee Semple McPherson, Kuhlman wrote a book that is popular in Pentecostal and charismatic churches, “I Believe in Miracles,” and was on television for eight years with a program of the same name.

People seeking healing--she objected to being called a “faith healer,” saying God did the healing--often collapsed on stage at her touch, a phenomenon that Pentecostal Christians called “slain in the Spirit.” That same response is seen in followers of televangelist Benny Hinn, an Orlando, Fla., minister who is building a large studio in Orange County. Hinn credits Kuhlman as an early influence on his life.

The jewelry pieces to be auctioned by Sotheby’s were given to Kuhlman by admirers, said a Sotheby’s spokeswoman.

The most valuable piece from Kuhlman’s estate, a garnet frog brooch, is estimated to be worth between $5,000 and $7,000, according to the auction house.

Proceeds will go to various Christian ministries, said the spokeswoman.

The Kuhlman jewels will be on exhibit today and Sunday from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. at Sotheby’s, 9665 Wilshire Blvd., Beverly Hills.

PRAYER

The National Day of Prayer, established by Congress 10 years ago as the first Thursday in May, will be observed next week at community breakfasts and special services around the Southland.

Bishop Phil Porter of Aurora, Colo., national board chairman of Promise Keepers, will speak at a prayer breakfast in Biola University’s Chase Gymnasium. The 50-voice Gospel Choir on the La Mirada campus will sing at the two-hour event. $12. (562) 906-4548.

Observances, which generally reflect an evangelical Christian perspective on praying for the nation, include the following:

* The San Fernando Valley Prayer Breakfast, starting at 7:30 a.m. Thursday at Los Angeles Baptist High School in North Hills, will feature prayers and comments from 13 church and community leaders. $17.50. (818) 899-7473.

* A no-host breakfast on the grounds in front of Santa Monica City Hall, 1685 Main St., will start at 6:30 a.m., followed by a 7 a.m. program. (310) 829-4976.

ISSUES

Should the religion clauses in the Constitution be amended? U.S. Supreme Court Justice Antonin Scalia will comment on presentations by two legal scholars Tuesday at Loyola Law School in Los Angeles. The talks on religious liberty will be given by Robert P. George of Princeton University and Kent Greenawalt of Princeton and Columbia University, starting at 4 p.m. Seating is limited. (213) 736-8153.

* “Bibi and Yasser: Is the Peace Process Dead or Alive?” will be the question posed to broadcast commentator Zeev Chafets, columnist for the Jerusalem Report, and Salam Al-Marayati, founder-director of the Muslim Public Affairs Council, in a forum at 7:30 p.m. Monday at Sinai Temple, 10400 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Ex-congressman and attorney Mel Levine will moderate. $8 reservations. (310) 474-1518, Ext. 255.

* Can a “progressive Christian movement,” namely the Claremont-based Mobilization for the Human Family, “stem the tide toward greater social and economic injustice?” State Sen. John Vasconcellos (D-San Jose), Dean Marjorie Suchocki of the Claremont School of Theology and retired rector George Regas of All Saints Episcopal Church will speak to specific issues next Saturday at 9 a.m. at that Pasadena parish, 132 N. Euclid Ave. No fee. (909) 625-8722.

CRUSADES

Two Latino pastors with big congregations in the Calvary Chapel movement are leading music-filled, evangelistic rallies this weekend and next in the Southland.

The Rev. Raul Ries, pastor of the 8,000-member Calvary Chapel Golden Springs in Diamond Bar, will preach tonight and Sunday night at Diamond Stadium in Lake Elsinore. A stadium provides “a nonthreatening environment” and contemporary Christian music is used “to reach the nonbeliever,” Ries said. Anointed and The Kry are among the bands performing at the 7 p.m. events. (909) 396-1884.

Next Saturday, the Rev. David Rosales, pastor of the 5,000-member Calvary Chapel of Chino Valley, will host a men’s rally from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Ontario Convention Center. Singer-pianist Fernando Ortega and several musical groups will perform. Speakers will include Ries and the Rev. Chuck Smith of Costa Mesa, the founder of Calvary Chapels. (909) 464-8255.

DATES

Beth Sullivan, creator and executive producer of the television series “Dr. Quinn, Medicine Woman,” and multi-Grammy winner Andrae Crouch, who is also pastor of Christ Memorial Church in Pacoima, will be honored with human relations awards Thursday by the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council. The award for Crouch, who leaves for a European tour the day before, will be accepted by his sister, Sandra Crouch, at the council’s fund-raising banquet at the Warner Center Marriott Hotel in Woodland Hills. (818) 718-6460, Ext. 007.

* Orange County Muslim leader Muzammil Siddiqi, who is also president of the Islamic Society of North America, will talk on Islam in America at 7 p.m. Monday in the Argyros Forum at Chapman University in Orange. Free. (714) 997-6636.

* A 90-minute blessing of the animals and Eucharistic service will be conducted at 11 a.m. Sunday at St. John’s Episcopal Church, 514 W. Adams Blvd., Los Angeles. (213) 747-6285.

* Rabbi Uri Regev, executive director of Reform Judaism’s Israel Religious Action Center in Jerusalem, will speak at 8 p.m. Friday at Leo Baeck Temple, 1300 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. The event celebrates the 50th anniversary of both the congregation and the state of Israel. (310) 476-2861.

* Reformation scholar Eric Gritsch, a visiting professor at California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, will lecture at 10 a.m. Monday on “Martin Luther, Court Jester: The Power of Wit and Witness.” Free. (805) 493-3151.

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Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o John Dart, L.A. Times, 20000 Prairie St., Chatsworth, CA 91311, or faxed to Religion desk (818) 772-3385, or e-mailed to john.dart@latimes.com Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event, except for spot news, and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time.

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CONFERENCE

How religion has affected Los Angeles and vice versa will be examined next week in the first major public conference of UCLA’s Center for the Study of Religion.

The two-day meeting is part of the center’s long-term project to study religion in cities such as Melbourne, Australia; Hong Kong; Vancouver, Canada; London; and Paris, said historian S. Scott Bartchy, who became the center’s director last year.

Speakers will include Cecil M. Robeck of Fuller Seminary, Donald Miller of USC and Elliot Dorff of the University of Judaism. USC’s Prema Kurien and UCLA’s Jonathan Friedlander will talk about how Hinduism and Islam, respectively, have fared in L.A. culture. Other talks will deal with Buddhist unity, Chinese religion away from home and changes in the Los Angeles Catholic Archdiocese.

The two-day conference, which is free and oriented to lay audiences, will open Thursday at the Doubletree Hotel, 10740 Wilshire Blvd., Westwood. Sessions will run from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. both days. (310) 825-8948.