Church to Celebrate 100 Years

* First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard will hold its 100-year anniversary celebration Sunday.

Former pastors will speak and a special program will show scenes of the past and present life of First Presbyterian. The Rev. Joe Kropff will preach on “Sorrow Is Happiness Remembered.”

Worship begins at 10 a.m. Sunday school for adults is held at 9 a.m. and school for youths in grades pre-kindergarten through 12 is held during the worship service.

The Spanish-language worship service begins at 10:30 a.m.

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

Special Father’s Day Messages

* St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church of Newbury Park celebrates Father’s Day Sunday, with “Portraits of Fathers” displayed in the sanctuary during both worship services.

Speakers will be fathers of the congregation. At the 8:30 a.m. worship, Roy Totten, Jim Crowdis and Ken Hendrickson will deliver a special Father’s Day message.

At the 10 a.m. worship hour, Mike Summers, John Wotawa and Dennis Heinemann will speak. The children’s choir, directed by Steve Hobson, will sing a tribute to fathers at the 10 a.m. service.

Vacation Bible school at the church will be held Aug. 2-6. The cost per child is $5. Ages 3 through 12 are eligible.

All children from the community are invited. The summer’s theme is “Good News at Gospel Rock.” Bible lessons, games, crafts, playtime and snacks are offered daily.

For information, call the church office at 498-6910. It is at 1360 S. Wendy Drive.

Jazz Pianist to Perform at Service

* Unity Center Church meets at 10 a.m. each Sunday at Old Meadows Park, 1600 Marview, in Thousand Oaks.

Jazz pianist and Thousand Oaks High School student Kevin Fukagawa will perform at the service this week.

Children of all ages are welcome to attend 10:15 a.m. classes.

Call 496-6901 for information.

Concert Features Gospel Singer

* Ojai Valley Community Church invites the public to a free concert featuring South African gospel singer Manuel Escorcio at 6 p.m. Sunday at the church.

Escorcio has sung in more than 40 operas at the Cape Town City Opera.

He sings fluently in six languages.

Call the church at 646-4324 for information. It is at 907 E. Centro.

Father’s Day Picnic Scheduled

* Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks will hold its annual Men’s Club Father’s Day picnic and barbecue from noon to 3 p.m. Sunday. Food, games and prizes will be offered.

The cost is $5 per person or $20 per family.

The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. Call 492-7404 for information.

Congregation Plans Camp-Out

* Congregation B’Nai Emet’s annual camp-out for fathers and children, sponsored by the Men’s Club, is set June 25-27.

Call the temple for details at 581-3723. It is at 4645 Industrial St., Unit 2C, Simi Valley.

Evening of Christian Music

* First Lutheran Church of Ventura will host an evening of Christian music featuring Tim Frantz and other local musicians from 7 to 10 p.m. June 26.

Coffee and snacks will be served and children are welcome at the free musical evening.

The church is at 78 Chrisman Ave. Call 643-5585 for information.

Church Plans Reception for Mural

* The public is invited to a reception for the debut of a 13- by 23-foot, five-panel mural by Ojai artist Richard Amend at Ojai’s Holy Cross Lutheran Church on June 27.

The celebration and reception, from 3 to 6 p.m., will be held in the church gardens. There will be a silent auction of artwork related to the development of the final piece.

Begun in 1997, the huge painted mural of trees and flowers, titled “And with Thy Spirit...” covers the east wall of the sanctuary.

The mural will be formally dedicated at the 10 a.m. worship service June 27. Amend’s family has been active in the Holy Cross congregation for years. His work has been exhibited in Europe and California, and he is also involved in production design for the film industry.

The church is at 1212 Maricopa Highway. Call 646-5652 for information.

Quakers to Host Talk on Iraq

* The Ojai American Friends Service Committee, known as Quakers, will sponsor a talk on Iraq by Kitty Barragato at 11:15 a.m. June 27.

Barragato has just returned from Iraq, where she was part of a team trying to determine how the United States embargo is affecting Iraqi children.

A potluck lunch will follow the talk.

There is no charge, but reservations should be made by calling 640-0444 and leaving a message.

The Ojai Friends Worship group will also hold a meditation service at 10 a.m. that day.

For information, call 640-0444. The group meets at 506 Crestview Drive.

Vacation Bible School in Ventura

* Ventura’s First United Methodist Church will hold vacation Bible school from 5:45 to 8:30 p.m. June 27 through July 1.

“Under Construction” will be the week’s theme, as the children learn about building a community and sharing gifts with others. Throughout the week, children will learn about the work of Habitat for Humanity and will get to try child-size hands-on construction projects.

An adult class will also be offered.

Each night, a free 5:45 p.m. dinner will precede the classes and activities for children and adults.

For information or to reserve a space, call the church office at 643-8621.

First United Methodist is at 1338 E. Santa Clara St.

Ojai Church Offers Bible School

* Children from kindergarten through sixth grade are welcome at Ojai Valley Community Church’s Bible school the week of June 28 through July 2 on the church grounds.

The school will offer crafts, songs, live exotic animals and refreshments, director Jan Worsham said.

“A special feature this year will be ‘I Witness News,’ a TV broadcast that presents the life of Jesus from birth to resurrection,” she said.

The one-week school is free. Children may purchase T-shirts for $8. To sign up, call 646-4324.

The church is at 907 El Centro St.

Day Camp Offers 2 Sessions

* Camp Gan Israel, a Jewish day camp, will hold two four-week sessions this summer--from June 28 through Aug. 20.

The camp, for children ages 3 to 13, is at Heschel West Day School in Agoura-Calabasas.

Instructors in drama, music, karate, sports, crafts, Jewish heritage and swimming will be on hand.

For information, call (818) 991-0991.

Workshop on Gospel Music

* The Evangelistic Missionary Baptist Church of Port Hueneme will hold a gospel music workshop and retreat July 8-10.

Rehearsals will be at the church and at the Marriott Residence Inn in Oxnard. The worship mass choir will perform at 7 p.m. July 10.

Professional voice teachers will instruct. The cost is $15 until July 1 and $20 after July 1. Lunch will be provided on Saturday, and child care is available.

Call the church at 986-1922 for information. It is located at 125 E. Pearl St.

Future King of Ghana to Speak

* Members of more than 25 Ventura County churches will meet at Oxnard’s African Methodist Episcopal Church on July 12 to welcome guest speaker Kingsley Fletcher.

Fletcher, author of many books on prayer and fasting, is known for his miracles in his home continent of Africa. His ministry also includes healings and prophecy.

The son of the king of Ghana, Fletcher will be crowned as the next king of that nation in August.

The African Methodist Episcopal Church is at 855 South F St. For information on the event, which will be held at 7 p.m., call 646-2833.

CLU to Hold Vocation Program

* Young people interested in a vocation within the Lutheran Church can explore a variety of options at the eighth annual Invitation to Service at Cal Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks on Aug. 5 to 7.

Students from late high school through college age will have a chance to explore the roles of pastor, missionary, associate in ministry, and music and youth ministries, said the Rev. Reg Schultz-Akerson of CLU, who is coordinating the event.

Young adults of Region II of the Evangelical Lutheran Church of America are invited to attend the $95 event. For information, call Linda LeBlanc at 493-3936.