Temple to Dedicate Burial Site
Temple Beth Torah on Sunday will dedicate a Jewish section at Ivy Lawn Memorial Park in Ventura. The temple acquired 119 plots and has an option to purchase 180 more.
Dedication and consecration of the ground will be held at 2 p.m. The public is welcome. Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller will dedicate the new burial site, called Makom HaShaloam or “place of peace.”
Marking the entrance to the Jewish section will be two boulders donated by two area residents.
Methodist Church Plans Services
* St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Newbury Park will hold worship services at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Lynne Austin will deliver the message “The E Ticket,” focusing on John 3:1-17 and Genesis 12:1-4a.
The 8:30 a.m. service will include music with Michael Domes and Steve Hobson. At 10 a.m., the Chancel Choir will perform. The church is at 1360 Wendy Drive. Call 498-6910 for more information.
Churches in Choir Exchange
* St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard will replace praise time with silence and meditation from 10-10:15 a.m. Sunday. A worship service will follow. Also on Sunday, the church and Bethel A.M.E. are participating in a pulpit and choir exchange.
In addition on Sunday, church school for children will begin at 9 a.m.; the 9 a.m. adult exploration class continues its series with “Breaking the Code,” an exploration of the Book of Revelations; the Spanish-language ministry Sunday school will begin at 1 p.m., followed by a 6 p.m. worship service led by the Rev. Carlos Saavedra; the Japanese language ministry worship service is at 2 p.m.
The church is at 1800 South C St. Call 487-2711 for more information.
‘Hitch Your Wagon to a Star’
* Unity Center Church of Westlake Village now meets at Old Meadows Center, 1600 Marview, at 10 a.m. Sundays.
This week, the Rev. Irma Oestmann will speak about how to “Hitch Your Wagon to a Star.” Guitarist Richard Hoover will provide music. Call 496-6901 for more information.
In addition, the church will hold the workshop “Understanding the Easter Story: A Metaphysical Interpretation” beginning March 5. The four-installment series, led by Oestmann, will be held each week at the Westlake Community Room, 4373 Park Terrace Drive. Call 46-6901 for more information.
Church Begins Lenten Series
* First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard begins a new Lenten series, “Our Neighbor’s Faith--the Way of the East.” The series will begin 11:30 a.m. Sunday with a study of Hinduism. Other installments include Buddhism, Confucianism and Shintoism.
Also Sunday, the adult fellowship “Bunco Night” will be held from 6 to 8 p.m. in fellowship hall.
At 7 p.m. Monday, an adult Bible study group features “The Jesus I Never Knew” in the choir room; and Pastor Varre L. Cummins focuses on Genesis for another adult Bible study group meeting in the Agape Room.
The church is at 850 Ivywood Drive. Call 983-0204 for more information.
Purim Carnival in Simi Valley
* Congregation B’nai Emet will hold its 22nd annual Purim Carnival from noon to 3:30 p.m. Sunday at its preschool in Simi Valley.
Food and games will be offered.
The preschool is at 3050 Kadota St. Call 581-3723 for more information.
Class on Jewish Holiday Offered
* Rabbinic intern Neal Loevinger will lead a class titled “Purim: Holy Celebration” at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks at 10:30 a.m. Sunday.
Purim is a festive day, but also considered one of the holiest days of the Jewish year, said Linda Friedlander of the temple.
At noon, the annual Purim carnival will get underway with pony rides, food, games and a costume contest.
Call the temple at 497-6891 for more information. The temple is at 1080 Janss Road.
Temple Hosts Musical Program
* JFC Temple Ner Ami of Camarillo will present a special program of music, songs and commentaries reflecting stages of Jewish life in different periods of history at 7 p.m. Sunday.
Cantor-Rabbi Baruch Cohon will perform this “Jewish Life Through Music” program. Though now retired, Cohon was UCLA’s Hillel Foundation cantor and taught at Hebrew Union College. He is rabbi for the Ojai congregation.
The program will be held at the temple, 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D. Refreshments will follow the program, which is free for temple members and $5 for nonmembers.
Call 388-3824 for reservations.
Fish Fries Scheduled for Lent
* St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard plans fish fries each Friday during Lent, from 5:30 to 7 p.m. in the Condon Center. The parents’ club will serve a dinner of a fish fillet, tater tots, coleslaw, roll and drinks for $5.50 per plate. Takeout orders are also available.
All parishioners are invited for food and fellowship. Lenten stations of the cross devotions are held on Fridays during Lent at 7 p.m.
Call 486-0018 for more information. The church is at 2511 South C St.
Temple to Hold Purim Service
* JFC Temple Ner Ami of Camarillo will hold a Purim service at 6:15 p.m. Monday. Children are asked to come in costume. There will be singing, dancing and reading of the Megillah. Hamantaschen, traditional Purim cookies, will be served. The event is free, and the public is welcome.
The temple is at 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D. Call 388-3824 for more information.
Temple to Celebrate Purim
* The holiday of Purim will begin at 7 p.m. Monday at Thousand Oaks’ Temple Etz Chaim. Children are encouraged to attend in costume for a masquerade walk, which will follow a brief evening service conducted by Rabbi Shimon Paskow, along with cantor Jeff Cohen and teenagers of the temple.
At the end of the service, the temple’s sisterhood will serve pastries and other sweets.
The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. Call 497-6891 for more information.
Family Festival for Purim
* Chabad of the Conejo will celebrate the Purim holiday with a family festival Monday at the grand ballroom of Hyatt Westlake Plaza, 880 S. Westlake Blvd. The event will begin at 7 p.m. and include the walking tour “Journey to Shushan,” featuring characters of the Purim story. Children are encouraged to come in costume for a masquerade contest.
Admission is $3 per person or $10 per family. For more information, call (818) 991-0991.
Church to Hold Silent Auction
* St. Matthews United Methodist Church in Newbury Park will hold a fund-raising estate showcase and silent auction Wednesday from 5:30 to 8 p.m. at the Lyle home at 940 Candlecrest in Country Club Estates, Westlake Village. For ticket information, call 498-6910.
‘Evening of Imagination’
* Jewish Family Service of Ventura County will hold its second annual “Evening of Imagination” at 6:30 p.m. March 6 at Temple Beth Torah.
The evening--which will include a catered gourmet dinner, entertainment that includes a magician, fortune teller and palm reader, and a silent auction--will benefit Jewish Family Service counseling programs, a free legal clinic and senior-to-senior peer counseling.
For reservations, call 641-6565. Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road.
Discussions on Assisted Suicide
* The Rev. Dick Weston-Jones of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura will present on March 7 the first of two services discussing “the unlawful acts of Dr. Kevorkian assisting the terminally ill in Michigan and the law in Oregon that makes assisted suicide legal there.” Services are at 9:15 and 11 a.m.
The church is at 4949 Foothill Road. Call 644-3898 for more information.
Congregation Schedules 3 Lectures
* Congregation Am HaYam of Oxnard has scheduled three special lectures.
On March 7, Rabbi Elliot Dorff will speak on “Matters of Life and Death.” Dorff is rector and professor of philosophy at the University of Judaism in Los Angeles and a law school instructor.
On April 18, Alice Greenfield will talk on “The Soul of Israel.” She will discuss such issues as whether Israel will remain a democracy or turn to theocracy.
On May 23, Lillian Rosenbloom’s topic will be “Waters of Eden.” Rosenbloom is administrator of the mikvah at the University of Judaism. The mikvah is the ritual Jewish bath, symbolizing rebirth and renewal.
All of the free lectures will begin at 7 p.m. at the Oxnard Monday Club, 1401 W. Gonzales Road. Seating is limited, and attendance at the lecture series is by reservation only. For more information or reservations, call 985-2853.
Shabbat Across America
* Congregation B’Nai Emet will host a family dinner and service March 12 as part of its participation in Shabbat Across America.
The 6:30 p.m. event will be catered by Dakota’s Restaurant. After dinner, there will be a special service led by Rabbi Michele Paskow and cantor Michael Russ. Cost is $12.50 general; $7.50 for ages 7-12. The congregation is at 4645 Industrial St., No. 2-C. For more information and reservations, call 581-3723.
Ceremony to Dedicate Church
* Oxnard’s Saint Paul Baptist Church will hold a dedication ceremony on the grounds of its future church, senior citizen complex and gymnasium at the corner of Statham Boulevard and Pacific Avenue at noon on March 13. The public is invited to celebrate the occasion.
“God has blessed us with tremendous growth during the past eight years,” said Pastor Broderick Huggins.
Currently, Saint Paul holds all worship services at its 1354 South C St. church. For more information, call church secretary Claudette Hester at 487-2015.
Jewish Groups Sponsor Musical
* Two performances of “We Are Here!” a millennial musical that celebrates Jewish survival and reconciliation from creation to the eve of the next millennium, are scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. April 11 at the Ventura College Theater in Ventura.
The performances are sponsored by the UJA / Federation of Ventura County, Ventura County Jewish Council-Temple Beth Torah and the Ventura College music department.
Tickets to the benefit performances are $18 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors.
For reservations and more information, call Susan Abrams at Ventura’s UJA / Federation at 647-7800. For production information, call playwright Marty Flam at 647-7677.
Religion Briefs run Saturdays. Please submit items at least a week in advance to Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Items, which must include a publishable telephone number, may be faxed to 653-7576.