Religion Briefs

Harvest Dinner and Auction

* The United Methodist Church of Thousand Oaks will hold its third annual harvest celebration dinner and auction tonight beginning with a silent auction at 5 p.m. Dinner starts at 6:30 and the auction gets underway at 7:30 p.m.

Auction items range from UCLA basketball tickets to weekend ski trips and gourmet meals.

Dinner tickets are $7.50 for adults and $2.50 for children, or $20 per family.

The public is invited. For ticket information or directions, call the church office at 495-7215.

The church is at 1000 Janss Road.

Celebratory Barbecue Planned

* In celebration of its 12 years in Moorpark, Community Christian Church will offer a tri-tip barbecue Sunday at 4 p.m. at Tierra Rejada Ranch.

For information, call 529-3572. Community Christian Church is at 216 Moorpark Ave., No. 200.

Anglican Global Conference

* St. George’s Anglican Church in Ventura will hold an international conference of the worldwide Anglican Orthodox Communion on Friday and Oct. 3 and 4.

The Rev. Dr. Robert Godfrey, presiding bishop, will lead the series of meetings and services for senior clergy and lay officials from around the world.

The Anglican Orthodox Church is a Protestant denomination that replicates the Episcopal Church as it existed before the 1960s, said Rector H. Reginald Hammond of St. George’s. The 1928 Book of Common Prayer is followed as the liturgical guide for Christian worship throughout the Anglican Orthodox Church.

Two of the activities are open to the public.

The first, at 4 p.m. Oct. 3, will be an address by the Right Rev. Dr. Herbert Groce, archbishop of the Anglican Rite Synod. The culminating event of the conference will also be open to the public: holy communion at 10:30 a.m. Oct. 4.

Both events will be held in St. George’s chapel at 6300 Telephone Road. Parking is available behind the Seventh-Day Adventist Church, 6300 Telephone Road.

For information, call William Henry Jr. at 984-4138.

Church Plans Friday Workshops

* The Unity Center Church of Agoura Hills will hold several free Friday night workshops during October.

All workshops begin at 7 p.m. at the Westlake Village Community Room at the city hall and library, 4373 Park Terrace Drive, Westlake Village.

“An Introduction to a Course in Miracles” will be facilitated by Jeanne Fournier on Oct. 2.

On Oct. 9, the Rev. Irma Oestmann will lead a “Sacred Circle Dance,” which she described as an evening of easy musical movement for all ages.

An introduction to the Unity movement, based on the original Kansas City church teachings of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, is scheduled Oct. 16.

On Oct. 23, Oestmann will lead “Prosperity’s Ten Commandments,” which she described as “a workshop in which you will learn to see abundance everywhere, especially in your own life.”

An introduction to Oriental Feng shui principles, used as a guide in selecting and placing elements in a harmonious space, will be led by Charlo Stuart on Oct. 30.

Auction by Project Understanding

* Project Understanding will hold a live and silent auction fund-raiser beginning at 7 p.m. Oct. 3 at Buenaventura Mall in Ventura.

Items such as pizza for a year, an excursion to Anacapa Island, original art, a vacation cabin at Mammoth Lakes, a spa day at the Oaks at Ojai and a complete wedding--including church, organist, minister and flowers--are typical of the offerings up for bid.

The public is welcome. Food tasting from local restaurants, live music, line dancing and game booths will also be featured.

Project Understanding, a nonprofit interfaith venture of numerous Oxnard and Ventura churches and synagogues, provides assistance to the homeless and operates a food pantry, winter warming shelter, tutoring centers, and shower and laundry center, as well as a counseling and referral center.

For information, call Project Understanding at 652-1326.

All-Day Animal Fair at Church

* St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Simi Valley will celebrate its patron saint by hosting an animal fair Oct. 3.

The event, which will run from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m., is open to the community and will feature displays and demonstrations by groups such as a K-9 police unit, exotic animals and birds, and 4-H guide dogs. The highlight of the day will be the traditional Blessing of the Animals, set for 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.

Crafts and rides for children, plus entertainment and a barbecue will be available throughout the day.

All animals brought to the Blessing of the Animals must be leashed or caged.

The church is at 280 Royal Ave. For information, call 526-5141.

World Communion Sunday

* St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard will celebrate Rainbow Sunday on Oct. 4. The event is also known by Methodists as World Communion Sunday.

Gathering under a huge rainbow banner in the sanctuary at 10:15 a.m. will be four St. Paul’s congregations: St. Paul’s English language ministry with the Rev. Al Gorsline, senior pastor; St. Paul’s Japanese language ministry, led by the Rev. Harayushi Fujimoto; the Spanish-language ministry with the Rev. Carlos Saavedra as pastor, and the Oxnard Community Filipino Church, a United Church of Christ congregation that uses Tagalog as its language.

“In these days when there seems to be so much conflict among cultures, this celebration around the Lord’s table, heaped with breads from around the world, is a dramatic symbol of what Christians can do when they seek to understand and celebrate one another’s cultures,” Gorsline said.

The Scripture will be read in English, Japanese, Spanish and Tagalog. The Daiko drums of Centenary United Methodist Church will also participate.

Following the morning service, a special rainbow meal will feature foods from all cultures, with dancing and music. The new recipe book from St. Paul’s will be available for purchase.

For information, call the church office at 487-2711.

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church is at 1800 South C St.

Seminary President Will Lecture

* Fuller Seminary President Richard Mouw will give a lecture Oct. 4 at Ventura’s Community Presbyterian Church entitled “Christian Faithfulness in a Culture of Confusion.”

A philosopher, scholar and author, Mouw serves as president of the largest seminary in North America, said Paul Dugan, minister of Community Presbyterian’s congregational life. The free lecture begins at 6 p.m. Child care will be provided with three days advance notice.

Mouw will also present that day’s two worship services, at 8:45 and 10:30 a.m.

He is the author of two books, “Uncommon Decency” and “Consulting the Faithful.”

Community Presbyterian is at 1555 Poli St. For information, call the church at 648-2737.

New Series of Evening Classes

* The Conejo Valley Consortium for Adult Jewish Education is offering a new series of evening classes in Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills.

The first course, “The Tao of Judaism,” begins at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 8 at Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills.

A two-month weekly class on “Making Marriage Work” kicks off at 8 p.m. Oct. 14 at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

“Jewish Home Depot” with Rabbi Nina Feinstein begins Oct. 27 at Temple Beth Haverim, also at 7:30 p.m.

On Oct. 28, “Eco-Kosher and Feng Shui” combines Chinese environmental science and Jewish sensibilities at Temple Etz Chaim.

At Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, “Carnal Israel: Gender, Love and Marriage in Ancient Israel” will be held weekly at 7:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 29.

Class fees range from $10 to $45.

Temple Beth Haverim is at 5126 Clareton Drive, Suite 140. Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road. Temple Adat Elohim is at 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive.

For information on all classes, call Maxine Meyer at the Jewish Federation at (818) 464-3230.

3-Day Krishnamurti Retreat

* The Krishnamurti Foundation will hold a three-day retreat titled “Understanding Ourselves in Relationships: Conditioning Observed in Daily Life” beginning at 6:30 p.m. Oct. 9 at the Oak Grove School in Ojai.

Nine vegetarian meals, four videotape showings, five dialogues and a book by Krishnamurti are included in the $200 fee. Discounts are available.

For reservations or information, call Stephen Smith at 646-2726.

Workshop Aims at Parenting

* A parenting workshop titled “Sacred Ground: The Spirituality of Children” will be held Oct. 11 at Ventura’s First United Methodist Church.

The five-hour workshop will focus on how parents, grandparents and caregivers can help answer children’s questions about God, the Rev. Amy Aitken said.

“Children seem to have both a natural sense of God and an unending list of questions about God,” she said.

The workshop will be led by Helen Waterson, minister of the church’s Christian education and a retired schoolteacher.

The $5 fee will also cover dinner and child care during the 3 to 8 p.m. seminar. To make reservations, call the church at 643-8621. First United Methodist is at 1338 E. Santa Clara St.

Church Plans Oktoberfest

* The annual Oktoberfest celebration at Ojai’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is set for Oct. 17 on the church grounds.

A traditional German meal, a table of homemade baked goods, music, dancing and a silent auction will begin at 4 p.m. The day will close with dancing under the stars until 9:30 p.m.

Call 646-1885 for ticket reservations. A suggested fee of $10 for adults and $4 for children under 13 includes dinner and all activities.

St. Andrews is at 409 Topa Topa Drive.

Sermon in Song and Word

* Camarillo’s United Methodist Church will present “Man of La Mancha,” a sermon in song and word, at its 9 and 10:30 a.m. worship services Oct. 18.

The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. Child care is available at both services.

For information, call 482-4312.

Speaker for CLU Founders Day

* The Rev. Rudolph Featherstone, professor of cross-cultural theological studies at Trinity Seminary in Columbus, Ohio, will speak at Cal Lutheran University’s 38th annual Founders Day Convocation on Oct. 23. His topic will focus on CLU as a character-building community.

Founders Day also serves as the annual meeting of CLU supporters who represent the church, faculty, students and community.

The 10 a.m. Founders Day service will be open to the public. For information, call 493-3936.

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

Rabbi Hired as Youth Director

* The Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills has hired Rabbi Eli Broner to serve as its youth director. Educated at the Rabbinical College of America in New Jersey, Broner has just completed a one-year internship in Sydney, Australia.

“Eli will add a new dimension of excitement to our youth activities,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski, executive director of Chabad of the Conejo and the academy.

With the addition of Broner, Chabad of the Conejo will have five rabbis serving the Conejo Valley.

For information, call (818) 991-0991.

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