Patriotic Service to Mark Independence Day

A patriotic service, including a drum procession into the church led by Pearl Harbor survivor Henry Hessing, a sermon, and a reading of a poem by Jack Brown, former chief of Armed Forces Radio Service, will be presented at 10 a.m. Sunday by St. Mary the Virgin Anglican Catholic Church, which meets at the Pioneer Church in Oakwood Memorial Park, 22601 Lassen St., Chatsworth. There will also be a narration by Billy Bauman for the painting “The Creation of a Nation.” Members and guests are urged to wear their military caps to identify their service branch. (818) 341-3053.

* His Grace Bishop Joseph Zehlaoui, auxiliary bishop of the Antiochian Orthodox Christian Archdiocese of North America, will pay his first episcopal visit to St. John the Theologian Orthodox Church in San Juan Capistrano on Sunday. Zehlaoui will celebrate the Hierarchical Divine Liturgy and deliver the homily at 10 a.m., after Orthros, which will be celebrated at 9 a.m. An informal luncheon with the bishop will be held at the conclusion of the liturgy. The church is at 31495 El Camino Real in San Juan Capistrano. (949) 459-2299.

* The Center for Divine Expression will hold a “Healing and Forgiveness” service Sunday morning, led by Rod Weaver with featured speaker Betty Chatfield. Meditation begins at 10 a.m., followed by a service of singing and celebration at 10:30. The center meets at Besant Lodge in Beachwood Canyon, 2560 N. Beachwood Drive, Los Angeles.

LATINO CHARISMATIC GATHERINGS

The Catholic charismatic movement continues attracting believers with its effusive style of praise and worship. Prayer groups continue to grow throughout Southern California churches, especially in the Latino community. July 9-11, thousands are expected to gather at the Los Angeles Sports Arena for the 25th annual Encuentro Latino Internacional, or International Latino Encounter, organized by the Montebello-based Charisma in Missions. The encounter is a three-day celebration of Spanish prayer services, singing, dancing, healings and evangelization. Among the speakers are retired Bishop Juan Arzube, former auxiliary bishop of the Archdiocese of Los Angeles; Father Eugenio Cardenas of St. Martha Church in Huntington Park; Bishop Onesimo Cepeda of Cuernavaca, Mexico; and Marilynn Kramar, the founder of Charisma in Missions. Tickets are $40 per person. (323) 260-7031.

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* On Aug. 21 and 22, the charismatic ministry group El Sembrador will take over the Los Angeles Sports Arena for its annual event, Congreso de Catolicos en la Fe, or Congress of Catholics in the Faith. El Sembrador has garnered a large following through a Friday night Pentecostal-style service at St. Thomas the Apostle Church in Pico-Union. Invited speakers include Roman Catholic Cardinal Roger M. Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, and Noel Diaz, founder of El Sembrador. Tickets are $20 if purchased before Aug. 1. (323) 737-6001.

SHABBAT SERVICES

Sinai Temple will host its first monthly “Early Friday Night Live” service Friday at 5:45 p.m. Rabbi David Wolpe will lead the service with music from Craig Taubman. Called the originator of American Jewish rock ‘n’ roll, Taubman has just released a recording based on the Sinai Temple services and has published a book of spiritual meditations, “Voice of the Spirit.” Sinai Temple is at 10400 Wilshire Blvd. (310) 474-1518.

GENEALOGY

The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is now offering the public free downloads of its top-selling genealogical software program, Personal Ancestral File 4.0. Anyone interested in starting research into a family tree is invited to visit https://www.familysearch.org and download the Windows-based program. Although the software does not provide genealogical data, it can produce records for family histories and logs to help people search for missing ancestors.

LECTURES

The Center for Spiritual Development will present a talk on “Eco-Spirituality: God in All Things” July 10 from 9:30 a.m. to noon. Sister Ellen O’Leary and Sister Jeanne Fallon say they hope to awaken participants to the awe of creation and increase awareness of the interplay between humanity and the environment. Cost is $20. The Center for Spiritual Development is at 434 S. Batavia Street in Orange. (714) 744-3175.

* Yeshiva of Los Angeles Community Beit Midrash is sponsoring a series of three Sunday morning lectures on “The Laws of Tzedaka and Ma’aser” (tithing). Rabbi Nachum Sauer will begin the series Sunday at 9:30 a.m. with “General Principles of Charity: Who Must Give and Who May Receive.” The lectures continue July 11 with “Determining Income for Purposes of Tithing,” and on July 18, Rabbi Sauer will speak on “Distributing One’s Charitable Fund: What Are the Priorities?” Beit Midrash is at 9760 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles, (310) 772-2487. Admission is free.

MUSIC

Holy Spirit Retreat Center will kick off its sixth annual Summer Music Festival on Wednesday with the sounds of Prevailing Winds. Under the direction of Dick Hoyt, this woodwind quintet will present a selection of popular, traditional, patriotic and folk music. The concerts will be held at 7:30 p.m. each Wednesday in July on the patio of the Retreat Center, 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. Tickets are $8 and listeners are invited to bring a picnic dinner while listening to the music under the stars. (818) 784-4515.

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