Holocaust Survivor, Activist Will Speak at Temple

Holocaust survivor Mel Mermelstein will give the message “At My Back Door, but You Will Not Enter” at 7 p.m. Sunday at Temple Bat Yahm. In 1980, Mermelstein battled the Institute for Historical Review over the Holocaust’s occurrence. The court case was the basis of the movie “Never Forget.” Admission is $9. The temple is at 1011 Camelback St., Newport Beach. (949) 644-1999.

John Hayes, director of Innerchange, an inner-city ministry headquartered in San Francisco, will be the guest minister for the 8:45 and 10:30 a.m. services Sunday at Trinity United Presbyterian Church. The services will conclude Trinity’s Mission Emphasis Month. The church is at 13922 Prospect Ave., Santa Ana. (714) 544-7850.

The Rev. Karen Stoyanoff of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Orange Coast will be the guest speaker at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church of South County. A book-sharing hour will commence at 9:30 a.m. The church is at 25801 Obrero Drive, Suite 7, Mission Viejo. (949) 581-0245.

The Rev. Sue Ayer, newly retired minister of the Eastrose Unitarian Universalist Fellowship in Gresham, Ore., will speak on “The Secret of the Labyrinth” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Unitarian Universalist Church in Fullerton. The congregation meets at Temple Beth Tikvah, 1600 N. Acacia Ave. (714) 871-7150.

The Rev. Robert H. Schuller will continue his leadership series during the 9:30 and 11 a.m. Sunday services at the Crystal Cathedral. Music will be provided by Ken Medema, who has been blind since birth, and the Cathedral Choir. The church is at 12141 Lewis St., Garden Grove. (714) 971-4000.

The Rev. Suzanne Dougherty will give the message “Living Lightly on the Earth” at 10:30 a.m. Sunday at the Orange Coast Unitarian Universalist Church. Child care and youth education will be offered. The church is at 1259 Victoria St., Costa Mesa. (949) 646-4652.

The Rev. Ginny Wheeler will lead the 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday worship services at the Laguna Beach United Methodist Church. The junior and senior high youth group will meet from 12:30 to 3 p.m. The church is at 21632 S. Wesley Drive. (949) 499-3088.

A “Cranking Up Your Prayer Life” sermon series will be offered during the 8, 9 and 11 a.m. Sunday services at Red Hill Lutheran Church. This week’s topic will be “Surviving Midlife Crisis.” The church is at 13200 Red Hill Ave., Tustin. (714) 544-3131.

The Rev. Ed Ewart will give the message “Sabbath: Play-Day or Pray-Day?” at 9 and 10:30 a.m. Sunday at Geneva Presbyterian Church. A marriage enrichment evening with Jack and Judy Balswick will take place at 5 p.m. Feb. 6. The church is at 24301 El Toro Road, Laguna Hills. (949) 837-2323.

Special Services

A “Raising Holy Sparks” service with Rabbi Shawn Zevit, director of outreach for the Reconstructionist movement, will take place at 8 p.m. Friday at Irvine’s University Synagogue. Zevit will also present a concert of new Jewish music in honor of Shabbat Shira, the Sabbath of Song. The synagogue is at 4915 Alton Parkway, Irvine. (949) 553-3535.

Orange County synagogues will observe the Jewish Federation of Orange County’s Sabbath at 8 p.m. Friday at their locations. Speakers will explain the importance of the federation and the role its annual campaign plays in supporting community projects and services. Some participating congregations include Beth Jacob, B’nai Tzedek, Beth Tikvah, Shir Ha-Ma’a lot and the University Synagogue in Irvine. The federation is at 250 E. Baker St., Suite A, Costa Mesa. (714) 755-5555.

Inactive Catholics are invited to a “Re-Membering” gathering at 6:15 p.m. Sunday at Our Lady Queen of Angels Church. Those who have been away from the church, feel spiritually empty or just have questions are encouraged to participate in a discussion of divorce, alienation, shaming, wounds, the Vatican Council and more. The church is at 2046 Mar Vista Drive, Newport Beach. (714) 644-0200.

Father Mike Barry will speak on “Jesus Heals Today” during a Healing Mass at 7:15 p.m. Monday at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church. Those suffering from emotional, physical or spiritual illness, or those concerned for someone who is, are encouraged to attend. Music will be provided by RUACH. The church is at 585 S. Walnut Ave., Brea. (714) 525-1774.

An ecumenical prayer service for Christian unity will take place at 7 p.m. Sunday at St. Paul’s Greek Orthodox Church. The keynote speaker will be Valerie Karras, professor of early Christian theology at St. Louis University. The event will attempt to unite people of the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, Lutheran, Presbyterian and United Methodist faiths. The church is at 4949 Alton Parkway, Irvine. (949) 733-2366.

Professor Benjamin J. Hubbard of Cal State Fullerton’s department of comparative religion will speak on “The Conditions of Religious Life in America Today” at 9 p.m. next Saturday at Temple Beth Emet. The recipient of the 1999 Rabbi Aaron J. Tofield Achievement Award will be announced.

A Sabbath dinner will take place at 6:30 p.m. Friday, followed by services at 8. Reservations are required for dinner. The temple is at 1770 W. Cerritos Ave., Anaheim. (714) 772-4720.

Performances

Huntington Beach Baptist Church will celebrate the opening of its new worship center and wedding chapel with an open house from 2 to 4 p.m. this afternoon. The musical group Regents of Southern California will perform during the open house and at 5:30 p.m. Sunday. The church is at 18685 Main St., Suite A-397. (714) 848-8481.

The United Methodist Church of Laguna Hills will present Hector Olivera in an organ concert at 3:30 p.m. Sunday. The cost is $7, free for those high school age or younger. The church is at 24442 Moulton Parkway. (949) 837-3414.

The Jewish Community Center of Orange County will present its orchestra in an all-string concert at 2 p.m. Sunday. Fifteen-year-old Riana Pahmer, who serves as first violinist of the College Chamber Music Orchestra at Saddleback College, will be featured. Tickets are $12 for members, $15 for others and $25 for patrons. The center is at 250 E. Baker St., Costa Mesa. (714) 755-0340.

Workshops, Other Notes

San Antonio Catholic Church will offer a family life series at 7:30 p.m. Mondays through March 8 in the Parish Hall. This week’s workshop will feature the Rev. Bill Vohsing, judicial vicar of the Diocese of Orange. Vohsing’s address is “Domestic Church.” Child care will be provided. The church is at 5800 E. Santa Ana Canyon Road, Anaheim. (714) 974-1416.

“Communication Key to Discipline,” a workshop for parents of preschool-age children, will be offered at 6 tonight at Presbyterian Church of the Master. A family dinner will take place at 5 p.m. at a cost of $5 for adults and $1 for children. Reservations are required. The church is at 26051 Marguerite Parkway, Mission Viejo. (949) 582-2670.

The United Methodist Church of Garden Grove is offering a basic beliefs class, led by senior pastor R. Preston Price, at 6:30 p.m. Sundays through June. Topics include the Bible, prayer, salvation, baptism, Communion and more. Participants may come to any or all of the classes. The church is at 12741 Main St. (714) 534-1070.

Messiah Lutheran Church will offer a “What You Do Best in the Body of Christ” course at 7 p.m. Mondays through March 15. There will also be “Five Wednesdays of ‘Why?’,” addressing some of life’s fundamental questions, from 7:30 to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays through Feb. 20. The church is at 4861 Liverpool St., Yorba Linda. (714) 528-0920.

Ed Gerber will speak on “Evangelizing Family and Friends: When to Start, When to Stop and When to Pray” at Holy Spirit Catholic Church at 3 p.m. Sunday. Gerber is a Jehovah’s Witness turned Catholic who evangelizes door-to-door. A freewill offering will be taken. The church is at 17270 Ward St., Fountain Valley. (714) 744-0336.

Liberty Baptist Church announces its new Web site, https://www.libertybaptistchurch.org. Liberty is an independent, fundamental Baptist church. The church is at 5108 Bonita Canyon Road, Irvine. (949) 760-5444.

The Rev. Gwen Ehrenborg will tell the story of St. Francis of Assisi in the character of his best friend, the Lady Clare, during the California-Pacific Conference on Prayer and Healing next weekend at Palisades United Methodist Church. Clinical psychologist David Stoop will also speak. The cost is $90. The church is at 27002 Camino de Estrella, Capistrano Beach. (949) 496-5502.

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