‘Showtime ‘98’ to Be Presented

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will sponsor “Showtime ‘98” at the Thousand Oaks Civic Arts Plaza at 7:30 tonight.

More than 200 local performers 8 and older will accompany former City Manager Grant Brimhall in singing and dancing.

Tickets, $5, are available at the Thousand Oaks stake of the church or by calling 495-6389. Tickets purchased for an Aug. 29 performance, which was canceled because of power outages, will be honored.

Consecration Sunday Service Set

The annual Consecration Sunday service will begin at 10:15 a.m. at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard. The guest preacher will be the Rev. Charles Simmons, who will speak on “Remembering the Gift.”

Church school for all ages begins at 9 a.m., including the adult exploration class led by St. Paul’s lead minister, the Rev. Al Gorsline. The Consecration Sunday dinner will follow the 10 a.m. worship service.

The 2 p.m. Japanese language ministry will be led by the Rev. Haruyoshi Fujimoto. The Spanish language Sunday school starts at 1 p.m. The Rev. Carlos Saavedra will lead the Spanish language worship service at 6 p.m.

Christmas Market Helps Needy

An alternative Christmas market will be held at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park on Sunday, during which one may purchase a gift in the name of another to help those less fortunate around the world.

Represented will be Heifer Project International, which benefits agricultural needs of Third World countries, and Habitat for Humanity, which helps with local housing needs. Also, handcrafted gifts from village cooperatives in Third World countries will be on sale.

St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church will host the alternative market after the 10 a.m. worship service, or at about 11:15, for one to two hours.

The church is at 1360 Wendy Drive. Call 498-6910 for more information.

Book Sales to Help Congregation

Oxnard’s Congregation Am HaYam, in conjunction with Ventura’s Barnes & Noble Bookstore, will hold its first holiday book sale from 9 a.m. to midnight Sunday.

Barnes & Noble has pledged to donate up to 25% of all purchases made through a special register set up for Am HaYam.

“We ask all our friends and members of the community to help the congregation by purchasing their holiday books and gifts at Barnes & Noble this Sunday,” said Rabbi Gerald Hanig.

In its second year of existence, Am HaYam is the only conservative Jewish congregation between Thousand Oaks and Santa Barbara. The congregation holds Shabbat services the first and third Friday night and Saturday morning of each month at the Oxnard Monday Club, at the corner of Gonzales and Ventura roads. For more information, call 985-2853.

A Message of Thanksgiving

On Sunday, Unity Center Church in Thousand Oaks will feature the Rev. Irma Oestmann’s Thanksgiving message, “Give God the Glory.” Congregants will have the opportunity to list the things they are thankful for.

The 10 a.m. service will be held at the Holiday Inn, 495 N. Ventu Park Road. For information, call 496-6901.

Church Reaches Out for Holidays

The Interfaith Church for Today in Thousand Oaks offers numerous weekday and night programs in addition to its Sunday-morning 10 a.m. worship service at the Thousand Oaks Inn’s garden room.

Approaching the holidays, congregants are focusing on helping those in need. Already this year, hundreds of wrapped Christmas gifts have been sent to the low-mountain Native American children by Church of Today members, said spokeswoman Leila Newell.

On Sunday, food for five local needy families will be delivered by church members. The children of Interfaith Church members planned the menus and will help deliver the food for the traditional Thanksgiving meals, which will include turkey and the trimmings.

For more information on the Interfaith Church for Today, call 379-9336.

Hanukkah Boutique Is Sunday

The yearly Hanukkah boutique given by the Women of Reform Judaism at Temple Beth Torah is set for 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Sunday.

At 4 p.m., a discussion titled “Conversations About Jewish Identity in Interfaith Families” will be open to all. Child care is provided by reservation.

For reservations or information, call 647-4181. The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road, Ventura.

Holiday Gifts Featured

On Sunday, Thousand Oaks’ Temple Etz Chaim Sisterhood will put on a Hanukkah Happening, featuring holiday gifts, at the temple from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.

For information, call the temple office at 497-6891. The temple is at 1080 Janss Road.

Chabad Offers New Programs

Chabad of Ventura Jewish community center announces several programs for November and December.

At 8 p.m. Monday, Rabbi Israel Haber will lecture on “A Rabbi’s Northern Adventures--From the Heights of Alaska to the Golan Heights.” Admission is $10.

The Beis Menacheim Institute of Jewish Studies is opening its winter semester for adult education with a lineup of classes, lectures and seminars. All programs will be held at the community center on Callens Road in Ventura. Classes will include “Back to the Beginning,” an in-depth study of the entire book of Genesis, and “Hebrew Reading Crash Course.”

The evening classes begin in December; tuition varies. Call Chabad for registration information.

Mystic and counselor Laibl Wolf will lead a three-hour seminar on Kabbalah, Jewish meditation and serenity through spirituality, from 6 to 9 p.m. Dec. 6 at the Chabad center.

Wolf, an ordained rabbi, lawyer and psychologist, is director of the Institute of Human Development in Melbourne, Australia. His seminar is $26 general, $18 for seniors and students.

The Women’s Group of Chabad of Ventura will hold its first annual Hanukkah event titled “The Feminine Side of Hanukkah” at 7:30 p.m. Dec. 10 at the center. Cooking demonstrations, a speaker, refreshments and a boutique will be featured. There is no cost to attend.

“Know What to Answer When Someone Challenges Your Faith” will be Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz’s topic at a workshop at 8 p.m. Dec. 27 at the Chabad center. The fee is $10.

For further information or to register for any of the above events, call Chabad of Ventura at 658-7441. It is at 1259 Callens Road, Suite A.

Temple Sponsoring Essay Contest

JFC-Temple Ner Ami of Camarillo is sponsoring an essay contest for its 70 kindergarten through sixth-grade Torah School students. Winners will be announced at this year’s Hanukkah Bazaar at the temple from 4 to 7 p.m. Dec. 2. The free Hanukkah Bazaar is open to the community and will feature singing, dancing, food, face-painting, art projects and Hanukkah items.

Temple Ner Ami is at 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D. For more information, call 388-3824.

Nativities of the World on Display

More than 200 Nativity scenes representing many cultures will be on display at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Ojai from Dec. 3 through 6.

Hours are 4 to 9 p.m. Thursday; noon to 9 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and from 4:30 to 7 p.m. Sunday.

The festivities will include live musical performances by choirs and groups. The scenes are suitable for all ages, said Peggy Clark of the church.

The church is at 411 San Antonio St. For more information, call 646-7806.

Institute Plans Lectures

The Brandeis-Bardin Institute in Simi Valley will hold two lectures with Rabbi Edward Harwitz and Jordan Elgrably on Dec. 5.

Harwitz, of the University of Judaism in Los Angeles, will speak on “Generation to Generation: The Challenge of Transmitting Tradition.” Elgrably’s topic will be “Cultural Commuting: The Hidden Jews of the Sepharad.”

The afternoon will include Israeli dancing with time to picnic on the institute’s 3,000 acres at 1101 Peppertree Lane.

Reservations are essential--no tickets will be sold at the gate the day of the program. For information, call 582-4450. All Shabbat afternoon lecture programs are $15 per person, with the gate opening at 1 p.m.

Christian Musician to Perform

Christian recording artist Randy Stonehill will perform three free concerts Dec. 5 and 6 at Ventura’s South Coast Fellowship.

Stonehill, known in the Christian music world for 30 years, has been active with Compassion International, which helps underprivileged children worldwide, for 15 years.

He will perform at 6 p.m. Dec. 5 and 8 and 10 a.m. Dec. 6.

South Coast Fellowship is at 4050 Market St. For information, call 658-7646.

Advent Fest Revives Middle Ages

An Advent Festival of lessons and carols will be presented by the combined choirs of St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Thousand Oaks and St. Columba’s Episcopal Church in Camarillo at 4 p.m. Dec. 6 in Camarillo.

“The popular Advent concert dates back to King’s College, Cambridge, England, with traditional carols and anthems from the Middle Ages to our own times being sung,” said choir director Martha Lamar.

St. Columba’s is at 1251 Las Posas Road in Camarillo. Call 482-8831 for more information.

Human Rights Awards Coming Up

The eighth annual Bahai Human Rights Luncheon and Awards Ceremony will be held Dec. 6 at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel in Westlake Village. The ceremony, which commemorates the 50th anniversary of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights, will begin at 11 a.m.

Supervisor Kathy Long and the Camarillo-based Interface Children Family Services of Ventura County will be among the honorees. Elsa Campbell of Santa Paula will be feted for creating opportunities for local citizens to acquire skills necessary to voice the needs of women and children.

Long will be recognized for her emphasis on children’s, women’s and health services in Ventura County.

Interface will be honored for its “urgent concern in taking care of all people in trouble,” said Salma Howard.

The public is invited to share in the celebration and honor the year’s awardees. Tickets are available for $20 by calling 676-1606.

The hotel is at 880 Westlake Blvd.

Theological Conference at CLU

The theme of Cal Lutheran University’s 18th annual January WinterBreak Theological Conference will be “Christ and the Coming Century.” Topics will include “Martin Luther’s Legacy” and “Daring to Be Christian as the Century Turns.”

The WinterBreak Theological Conference, scheduled Jan. 27 and 28, is open to both clergy and laity. For information or to register, call the church relations office at 493-3936.

Cal Lutheran is at 60 W. Olsen Road, Thousand Oaks.

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