Temple Offers Japanese School

* A Japanese culture and language school will be held from 9 a.m. to noon today in the social hall at the Oxnard Buddhist Temple. At 11 a.m., Japanese language school teachers and parents meet.

At 4 p.m., Ho’onn-ko, the 738th memorial service for Shinran Shonin, will be held, combined with the January shotsuki memorial service. New officers will be installed, and the Rev. Tetsuo Unno will be the guest speaker.

On Sunday at 10 a.m., the Rev. Kay Nakagawa leads the Shinshu practice in the adult Sangha assembly.

The Buddhist Temple is at 250 South H St. For information, call 483-5948.

Emerson Essay to Be Topic * Unitarian Universalist Church of Ventura holds services at 9:15 and 11 a.m. Sundays. This Sunday, the Rev. Dick Weston-Jones will speak about Ralph Waldo Emerson’s essay on “Self-Reliance.”

Religious education is available for all grade levels. A social hour follows services.

The church is at 4949 Foothill Road. For information, call 644-3898.

Church to Celebrate Baptism * St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard will celebrate the baptism of the Lord on Sunday, beginning at 10 a.m. The congregation will have the opportunity to renew their baptismal covenant.

Spanish-language Sunday school and ministry are at 1 and 6 p.m. Japanese language ministry begins at 2 p.m.

St. Paul’s is at 1800 South C St. For information, call the office at 487-2711.

Personal Energy to Be Discussed * The Rev. James Bain Jr. will speak on “New Personal Energy” at the 10 a.m. worship service Sunday at the First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard. A worship service in Spanish begins at 10:30 a.m.

Adult class begins at 9 a.m., and Sunday school for youths from pre-kindergarten through 12th grade is held during worship service. Child care is available for all classes and worship services.

Adult Bible study is at 6:30 p.m. Mondays. Bible study and worship in Spanish are held Fridays at 7 p.m. for adults and youth.

The church is at 850 Ivywood Drive. For information, call 983-0204.

Classes Begin at Jewish Academy * The winter semester at the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills kicks off Sunday.

It will offer such classes as “Biblical Literacy--The Most Important People, Events and Ideas of the Torah,” “Living Judaism,” “Prophets,” “Hebrew Reading,” “Talmud Course,” “Kabbalah” and “Moses--Prince of (Egypt) Israel.”

Most classes are held in the evening and run five to eight weeks. A weekend retreat in February will also be offered. Fees for classes range from free to $18.

To make reservations for any of the classes or for a brochure of all classes, call (818) 991-0991. The academy is at 30345 Canwood St.

Lauding Jewish Female Heroes * Chabad of the Conejo will hold a tribute gourmet luncheon to heroines of Jewish history at 12:30 p.m. Sunday in Agoura Hills.

The tribute will be via a fashion show featuring the lives and historical times of heroines of the past and present.

The luncheon will also feature harpist Jaclyn Rebecca Johnson and a talk by Sarah Latowicz.

The cost is $18. The luncheon will be at 30345 Canwood St. Call (818) 991-0991 for information.

Video on Quaker Social Work * Actor Sam Waterston will appear on a video presentation dealing with Quaker social work after the 10 a.m. Ojai Friends worship service on Sunday.

The video will accompany a talk by Claire Gorfinkle of the American Friends Service Committee that will highlight the humanitarian work done by the committee throughout the world.

Refreshments will be served after the meeting, to which the public is invited.

The Ojai Friends Quaker Group will meet at 506 Crestview Drive. For information, call 640-0444.

Women of Vision Conference * Heading the Sunday All Faiths Women of Vision conference in Ventura will be Ventura City Manager Donna Landeros, the Ventura Unified School District’s Kris Bergstrom and Dorothy Jue Lee, past state Board of Education member. The conference title is “Building Community: Transforming Intolerance and Violence.” Women of Vision awards will also be presented.

“The spirit of unity and fellowship created by this conference between the various religious faiths is exciting,” said Sister Joyanne of Sacred Heart School.

Issues of importance to all faiths will be discussed at the session.

Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller of Temple Beth Torah said the group will also honor Landeros, Bergstrom and Jue Lee for their contributions in eliminating violence in Ventura.

A project of the Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Assn., the afternoon conference will offer presentations and workshops. To register for the $7 conference, to be held at Temple Beth Torah, 7620 Foothill Road, call 647-4181. For information, call 650-8711.

Lectures on ‘Mere Christianity’ * Paul Ford, professor of theology and liturgy at Camarillo’s St. John’s Seminary, will present a five-week lecture series on the C. S. Lewis classic “Mere Christianity,” the third-best-selling Christian book of all time--after the Bible and “The Imitation of Christ”--at Ventura’s Community Presbyterian Church beginning Sunday.

Ford, a nationally recognized authority on Lewis, lives in Camarillo.

“This promises to be a delightful series,” said Paul Dugan, Community Presbyterian’s associate pastor. “A Presbyterian church hosting a Roman Catholic scholar speaking about an Anglican author who wrote about ‘mere’ Christianity.”

The series will run 6 to 7:30 p.m. Sundays through Feb. 7 at the church, 1555 Poli St.

Registration is $13 per individual, $18 per married couple and $10 for students. Child care can be provided with three-day advance reservations.

For information, call 648-2737.

Rabbi Opens Adult Lecture Series * The 15th annual Conejo Jewish Academy adult lecture series will begin Tuesday. Over the years, the academy has presented dozens of internationally acclaimed speakers.

Opening this year’s series will be Rabbi Marvin Tokayer. He served as a rabbi in the Far East from 1968 to 1976 and has done extensive research on the history of Judaism in Asia. His subject this year will be “The Fugu Plan,” a plot to create an Israel in Asia under Japanese control, said Rabbi Moshe Bryski of the academy.

The lecture will begin at 8 p.m. at the academy, 30345 Canwood St., Agoura Hills. The fee is $10, or $7 for students and senior citizens.

For reservations or information, call (818) 991-0991.

Shabbat Services in Camarillo * The Tikvah Group of Leisure Village in Camarillo will hold Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m. Friday at Heritage House, 903 Carmen Drive.

Services are held on the third Friday of each month, and all are welcome. For information, call 484-8129.

Founders’ Weekend at Institute * Featured at the Brandeis-Bardin Institute’s 1999 Founders’ Weekend on Jan. 15 to 17 will be Rabbi Edward Feinstein speaking on “The Quest for Oneness” and Tel Aviv District Judge Amnon Straschnov speaking on “The Common and the Different in the Legal Systems of the U. S. and Israel.”

Brandeis-Bardin Institute is at 1101 Pepper Tree Lane, Simi Valley. For information or reservations on Founders’ Day events, call 582-4450.

Reservations are essential. The complete weekend program is $250 per person, including all lectures and the Saturday dinner and concert. Individual lectures are $15.

Temple Etz Chaim Plans Events * Events at Temple Etz Chaim this month will include a breakfast at 10:30 a.m. Jan. 17 in the social hall, hosted by the Men’s Club. Mark Eaton from the Simon Wiesenthal Center will speak on hate groups. The cost is $5 for members and $4 for guests.

Rabbi Neal Loevinger will conduct Torah study sessions at 5 p.m. Jan. 16 and 23. On Jan. 24, he will teach an adult education class titled “Be Cool in Shul.” The morning will be spent studying the choreography of a Jewish service.

For information, call 497-6891. Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road, Thousand Oaks.

Church to Hold Parish Celebration * St. Anthony Church in Oxnard will hold its anniversary Parish Celebration at 3 p.m. Jan. 17 at the church. A social hour will follow.

Mass times for St. Anthony’s are 5:15 p.m. Saturday, 7:30, 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday in English, and noon and 1:30 p.m. Sunday in Spanish.

The sacrament of penance is held Saturdays from 3:30 to 5 and 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. The prayer group will meet at 7 p.m. Wednesday in Room 7 of the school.

St. Anthony’s is at 2511 South C St. For information, call the office at 486-7301.

Lecture on Lubavitcher Rebbe * The Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills will host a lecture by Rabbi Laibel Groner at 8 p.m. Jan. 19.

Groner was the personal secretary of the Lubavitcher Rebbe, Rabbi Menachem M. Schneerson, for four decades.

“There are presently 2,500 Chabad centers throughout the world--a living legacy to one great man, Rabbi Schneerson, whose teachings and love for all humanity was truly a light unto the nations,” said Rabbi Moshe Bryski of Chabad of the Conejo.

The lecture, titled “The Lubavitcher Rebbe--a Light Unto the Nations,” will begin at 8 p.m. Reservations are recommended. Admission is $10 general and $7 for senior citizens. For reservations, call (818) 991-0991.

The Conejo Jewish Academy is at 30345 Canwood St.

Peace Now Leader to Speak * Galia Golan, a leader and spokeswoman for the Israeli movement Peace Now, will be featured in the Jan. 22 Shabbat service at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura.

Titled “Israel and the Prospects for Peace,” Golan’s discussion will center on the peace process and the current political climate in Israel. Golan is a visiting scholar at the Center for International Relations at UCLA.

The Shabbat service begins at 8 p.m. Refreshments will follow.

Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. For information, call 647-4181.

Scholar-in-Residence Program * Temple Beth Haverim in Agoura Hills will present its first Scholar-in-Residence program at 6 p.m. Jan. 22 with a family Shabbat dinner. At 8:15 p.m., the adult Shabbat service will be led by Rabbi Gershon Johnson. Syndicated columnist Marlene Adler Marks will be the featured speaker during the service.

Marks will also speak at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 23 at a festive Havdalah with cheese, wine, noshes and dessert preceding her dialogue, workshop and book signing.

To make reservations, call the temple office at (818) 991-7111. Temple Beth Haverim is at 5126 Clareton Drive.

Comedy Troupe to Perform * The improvisational comedy troupe Tangent will perform at 7:30 p.m. Jan. 30 at Congregation B’nai Emet in Simi Valley.

Admission is $12.50 in advance or $15 at the door. Snacks, coffee and dessert will be served. The C. B. E. Men’s Club is sponsoring the event. Call 581-3723 for information.

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