Singles Connection Plans Dance

* The Camarillo Christian Singles Connection will hold a dance from 7:30 p.m. to midnight today at Trinity Presbyterian Church.

The band Expressions will play 1950s to ‘90s music, plus country and swing. Munchies and door prizes will be featured at the casual-dress night. The dance will be smoke- and alcohol-free. Admission is $8 before the event and $10 at the door.

The church is at 2304 Antonio Ave. For tickets and information, call 445-9932 or 388-8917.

Services in 3 Languages

* Praise time at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard begins at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by the 10:15 a.m. worship service. The Rev. Al Gorsline’s sermon will be “Why Can’t We Just Get Together?”

Church school for children, youth and adult exploration begins at 9 a.m.

The service in Spanish with the Rev. Carlos Saavedra will begin at 6 p.m. Sunday school in Spanish is at 1 p.m.

The Japanese-language ministry, led by the Rev. Haruyoshi Fujimoto, will begin at 2 p.m.

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

Blind Musician to Perform

* Ventura Missionary Church will hold a concert by musical artist Ken Medema at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Blind since birth, Medema is a pianist, singer and songwriter and has spent the past 20 years as a traveling minister.

The event is free. Child care will be available.

Ventura Missionary is at 500 High Point Drive. Call 656-0500 for details.

Discussion on Jewish Identity

* “Conversations About Jewish Identity in Interfaith Families,” a discussion group for interfaith couples, will continue from 3:30 to 5 p.m. Sunday at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura. The program will cover common issues and feelings when a couple have different religious backgrounds.

Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller will lead the group.

Cantor Michael Anatole will present an evening of original Jewish music at 8 p.m. Jan. 30. Ticket prices range from $12 to $50.

Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road. Call 647-4181 for information.

Annual Hymn Festival in Oxnard

* The Ventura County Council of Churches will hold the third annual Hymn Festival at 4 p.m. Sunday, co-sponsored by the Ventura County chapter of the American Guild of Organists. The event will be at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Oxnard.

A free-will offering to benefit CROP Walk will be taken.

County organists, choirs, instrumentalists and the congregation will participate. The public is welcome.

Call 983-0157 for details. St. John’s is at 1500 North C St.

Fellowship Plans Sunday Services

* Channel Islands Vineyard Christian Fellowship invites the public to its Sunday services at 9 and 11 a.m. and its Sunday evening college-age worship service at 6:30.

Contemporary music and casual dress are the order of the day, said Bill Coulter, pastor.

The fellowship is at 1851 Holser Walk, Suite 200, Oxnard, across from Wal-Mart. For directions, call 485-0050.

Exhibits to Highlight Ministries

* Trinity Lutheran Church in Simi Valley plans a Mission Sunday this weekend. Pastor Al Young’s message will be “Many and Various Missions.” Exhibits illustrating the ministries supported by Trinity members will be highlighted.

Exhibits will include Wycliff Bible translators, Lutheran Braille workers, Crisis Pregnancy Center, Simi Valley PADS program to feed and shelter those in need, Muslim Outreach and L. A. Lutheran High School.

Visitors may browse through the display area from 9 a.m. until noon.

Sunday worship services are at 8, 9:30 and 10:45 a.m. Child care is available for all three services.

Trinity Lutheran is at 2949 Alamo St. Call 526-2429 for information.

Unity Church to Elect First Board

* Unity Center Church of Thousand Oaks will hold its first membership meeting after the service Sunday. The membership will elect the church’s first Board of Trustees.

The public is welcome to attend the church’s nondenominational celebration service each Sunday at 10 a.m., held at the Holiday Inn, 495 N. Ventu Park Road.

Tuesday evenings at 7:30, a discussion group meets to talk about “Conversations With God, Book III.” For directions, call 492-0914.

Call the Rev. Irma Oestmann at 496-6901 for information on Sunday morning worship.

Ethical Teachings of Talmud

* Rabbi Shimon Paskow of Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks will present a course on the ethical teachings of the Talmud at 8 p.m. Monday. Paskow will introduce the most popular book of the Talmud, known as the “Ethics of Our Fathers.”

The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. Call 497-6891 for information.

Psychotherapist to Lecture

* A free lecture titled “Signs of Life: How to Find Your Unique Path in a Changing World” will be presented by psychotherapist Sue Carroll Moore in Ojai at 6:30 p.m. Wednesday at 108 N. Signal St.

For information, call 640-9118.

Guest Minister to Speak

* Love International Outreach Fellowship in Ventura will present guest minister Roberts Liardon at 7 p.m. Wednesday and Thursday.

Liardon has spent years studying the lives of great ministers and why they succeeded or failed.

For information on the event, at which child care will be available, call 644-9900. Love International is at 1711 Wood Place, near Transport Street.

Religious-Oriented Diet Program

* Weigh Down, a religious-oriented diet program, will be held at Oxnard Church of the Nazarene at 7 p.m. Thursday.

The church is at 1630 Saviers Road. For information, call 483-7046.

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 and $15 at the door. Snacks and coffee will be served.

The temple holds at least one Tot Shabbat service each month, from 7 to 7:30 Friday nights, and caters to families with young children. The next Tot Shabbat will be Feb. 5, conducted by Rabbi Michele Paskow.

B’nai Emet is at 4645 Industrial St., 2C. Call 581-3723 for information.

Church to Welcome Football Fans

* Camarillo First Baptist Church will welcome football fans to watch the Super Bowl on Jan. 31 at the church on a 12- by 12-foot screen.

A conversation and crafts room will be available to those who attend but don’t want to watch the entire game.

Festivities begin at 3 p.m. Snacks and drinks will be available. The church is at 1601 Temple Ave. For information, call 484-2879.

Church Plans Super Bowl Bash

* Ojai Valley Community Church invites the public to attend its free Super Bowl bash at the church Jan. 31.

Beginning at 1 p.m., pregame festivities in the youth center will include basketball, Ping-Pong, table games, drinks and snacks.

At 3 p.m., the game will be shown on two large screens in the sanctuary.

Ojai Valley Community Church is at 907 El Centro St. For information, call the church at 646-4324.

Discussion Group Offered

* A “Conversations With God” discussion group will be held at the Pleasant Valley Center for Positive Living starting at 7 p.m. Feb. 3.

Jan Guzman and Gracia Marks will host the group.

Call 482-4300 for details. The center is at 221 Daily Drive, Suite 1, Camarillo.

Church Schedules Fund-Raiser

* The Westlake Church of Religious Science will hold its first 1999 fund-raiser, a cabaret and auction, Feb. 5.

Musical entertainment by Bob Holland and church musicians and a no-host wine bar with hors d’oeuvres will be accompanied by a live and silent auction of products and services.

Donations of auction items are needed at the church by Feb. 1.

Everyone is welcome to attend the event, which runs from 7 to 10 p.m. Admission is $5.

The church is at 2649 Townsgate Road, No. 500, Westlake Village. For details, call the church office at 495-0105.

The church will also begin a 12-class Prosperity Program in February. Two informational sessions will be held Jan. 31 and Feb. 7 at 11:30 a.m. at the church.

Call the church for details.

Congregation Plans Winter Social

* Congregation Am HaYam in Oxnard will hold its second annual winter social, featuring a dance to the music of Buster, a silent auction, and kosher barbecue and dessert buffet Feb. 6.

Tickets are $15 a person. The festivities will run from 6 to 10 p.m. at the Mobile Home Estates clubhouse at 5th Street and Mandalay Beach Road in Oxnard.

For reservations or information, call Frieda Harary at 985-1574. To donate auction items, call Brenda Rich at 382-4880.

Bible Institute to Open at Church

* The Channel Islands Bible Institute will open its doors Feb. 15 on the grounds of Nyeland Community Church in Oxnard, said Troy S. Welch, senior pastor at the church.

“The unusual thing with this new school is that there will be no registration or tuition fees for those desiring Christian college and seminary training,” said Welch, who will serve as the institute’s first president.

The school will begin without accreditation and be open to all, regardless of age or previous education, he said.

The first session will run Feb. 15 through May 21, with six course offerings in both day and night classes: Basic Bible Doctrines, New Testament Survey, Exposition of Ephesians, Basic Piano and Hymn Playing, New Testament Greek I and an internship program.

For a brochure or information, call 485-7072. The institute will be at 3326 Nyeland Ave.

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