Sale, Car Wash to Benefit Ministry

An all-day yard sale and car wash to benefit the Spanish-language ministry of St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard begins at 8 a.m. today on the church grounds at 1800 South C St.

Proceeds will benefit the evangelical program.

For more information, call 487-2711.

Discussions for Interfaith Couples

“Conversations About Jewish Identity in Interfaith Families,” a series of discussions for interfaith couples, will hold its next meeting Sunday at Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah. The program, led by Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller, will address holidays and extended family dynamics. Free child care will be provided to those with reservations. The discussion takes place from 3:30 to 5 p.m.

The Women of Reform Judaism will present their annual Feminist Seder at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Reservations are required.

For more information on either event, call the office at 641-4181. The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road.

Summer Camp for Jewish Children

An open house at Camp Gan Israel at 27400 Canwood St. in Agoura will begin at noon on Sunday and run until 2 p.m.

The camp, for children ages 3 to 13, is part of the largest network of Jewish day camps in the world, said Rabbi Yisroel Levine, the camp’s new director. It will be open for two summer sessions, each lasting a month.

The camp will have instruction in drama, music, karate, sports, crafts, Jewish heritage, swimming, dance and includes group discussion.

For more information, call (818) 991-0991.

Lutheran Church Hosts Singer

Trinity Lutheran Church in Simi Valley will sponsor singer Mandie Pinto in a free concert at 7 p.m. Sunday. The public is welcome.

Pinto, a contemporary Christian singer, has appeared as a soloist in the Crystal Cathedral’s Glory of Christmas production. This year, she will be featured as Mary Magdalene in the cathedral’s Glory of Easter production.

The church is at 2949 Alamo St. For more information, call the church office at 526-2429.

Special Services During Lent

First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard will feature a Lenten service at 11:30 each Sunday morning during Lent. Charles Griffin will lead the series, titled “Our Neighbors’ Faith--the Way of the East.”

Hinduism, Buddhism, Confucianism and Shintoism will be discussed during the services.

At 9 a.m. Sundays, “The Jesus I Never Knew” study class is held in the Agape Room, using the Bible, guide books and film clips.

For more details about church activities, call 983-0204. First Presbyterian is at 850 Ivywood Drive.

Lenten Programs at St. Matthew’s

Communion is offered at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park every Sunday during Lent.

Services during Lent are at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Maundy Thursday worship is at 7 p.m. on April 1; Good Friday interfaith worship is at noon on April 2, and Easter services on April 4 are at 6:30, 8:30 and 10 a.m.

St. Matthew’s youth will serve a continental breakfast after Easter services.

The church is at 1380 S. Wendy Drive. Call 498-6910 for more information.

Silence and Meditation for Lent

Silence and meditation replace praise time from 10 to 10:15 a.m. during Lent on Sundays at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard.

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

The Spanish-language service is held at 6 p.m. and the Japanese-language service begins at 2 p.m.

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

Sacrament of Reconciliation

St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard will hold a parish bilingual celebration of the sacrament of reconciliation at 7:30 p.m. Monday.

The church is at 2511 South C St. Call 486-7301 for more information.

Last Fish Fry Dinner of Lent

The final Lenten fish fry dinner at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard will be held from 5:30 to 7 p.m. Friday in the Condon Center. Dinner is $5.50 per plate. Takeout orders are available.

All proceeds will benefit St. Anthony’s school.

The church is at 2511 South C St. Call 487-5317 for more information.

Lecture About Phenomenology

Robert Sokolowski of the Catholic University in Washington, D.C., will speak on phenomenology as a revival of philosophy on Friday at Thomas Aquinas College in Santa Paula.

The public is invited to the lecture, which will begin at 7:30 p.m. in St. Joseph Commons.

Sokolowski’s lecture is part of a newly inaugurated Distinguished Visiting Lecturer Program.

The college is at 10000 N. Ojai Road. Call 525-4417 for more information.

Handicapables Meetings Return

After a year’s absence, Handicapables is back, with a west county meeting March 27 at Ventura’s Knights of Columbus Hall.

This is a day of spiritual and social enrichment for all physically disabled people, said Armand Mueller, who helps run both the east county and west county Handicapables meetings.

Registration is at 11 a.m. on March 27. Mass will be celebrated at 11:30, followed by lunch and entertainment. People of all faiths are welcome. There is no charge.

For more information, call Catholic Charities at 643-4694 or 486-2900.

The Knights of Columbus Hall is at 36 S. Figueroa Plaza in Ventura.

Mahony to Celebrate Mass in Area

Cardinal Roger Mahony, archbishop of Los Angeles, will celebrate a Mass at Ventura’s Our Lady of the Assumption Church at 5 p.m. March 29.

The church is at 3175 Telegraph Road.

Yearly Community Seder Planned

Rabbi Michele Paskow will conduct Congregation B’nai Emet’s third annual community Seder at Dakota’s Restaurant in Simi Valley at 6 p.m. on April 1.

A traditional kosher-style dinner will be served. Cost is $28 for adults and $22 for children ages 3 to 11. Reservations are required.

Call 581-3723 for more information.

Passover Service for Children

Thousand Oaks’ Temple Etz Chaim plans a special children’s Passover service for April 1 in the temple’s Winer Chapel.

Rabbi Michele Paskow Cohen and preschool teacher Debbie Blumenthal will conduct the hourlong service.

The children will sing Hebrew songs, see the Torah and hear stories. Refreshments will follow the 10:30 a.m. service.

Regular Passover services will be held in the main sanctuary beginning at 10 a.m. At 6:30 p.m., the traditional Seder will begin, for which reservations are required. Rabbi Shimon Paskow and Hazzan Jeff Cohen will conduct the service, at which a kosher dinner will be served.

Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road. For more information or to make reservations, call 497-6891.

Temple Plans Passover Seder

JFC-Temple Ner Ami in Camarillo plans a Passover Seder for April 1 at Las Posas Country Club. Reservations should be made by Thursday. Call 388-7643 for details.

Temple Ner Ami is at 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D.

For general information, call 388-3824.

Temple to Hold Second Seder

Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks will hold a traditional second Seder at 7 p.m. on April 1.

Catered Passover dinners cost $35 for adults and $23 for children ages 4 to 12.

The Seder is open to the community.

Call 379-5250 for reservations or information. The temple is at 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive.

Church Hosts Musical About Jesus

The First Baptist Church of Camarillo invites the public to a special musical presentation, “The Way of the Cross--a Journey to Calvary” at 7 p.m. on April 2 and at 10:30 a.m. on Easter Sunday.

The story is told from the perspectives of those who knew Jesus from childhood to Calvary. Dave Clark wrote the musical, which Associate Pastor Ray Buford is directing.

Child care is available for both performances. Call 484-2879 for additional information. The church is at 1601 Temple Ave.

Good Friday and Easter Services

Sonrise Christian Fellowship in Simi Valley will hold Good Friday services at 5:30 and 7 p.m. on April 2, with Senior Pastor Joe Woodruff speaking.

Easter weekend services will take place at 4:30, 6 and 7:30 p.m. on April 3 and at 8:30, 10 and 11:30 a.m. on April 4.

The fellowship is at 2350 Shasta Way. For more information, call 581-1628.

Mission to Celebrate Its Founding

The San Buenaventura Mission will cap off its Holy Week services, which begin March 28, with an informal observance of the mission’s 217th birthday on April 4.

The mission was founded by Junipero Serra on Easter Sunday in 1782, on the beach of the Santa Barbara Channel.

It is located at 211 E. Main St. in Ventura.

Easter Events at Moorpark Church

Easter events are being planned at Moorpark’s Community Christian Church, including an Easter musical on April 4 and a special Friendship Sunday service, “Christ in the Passover,” on April 11.

The youth group will hold a yard sale today on the church grounds at 216 Moorpark Ave. to raise money for its Mexico work trip.

Regular Sunday services are held at 9 and 10:45 a.m. at the church, with Bible school classes for preschool through junior high also at 9 and 10:45.

Call the church for more information on weekly Bible study and choir ministry classes.

Community Christian is at 216 Moorpark Ave., No. 200. For more information, call 529-3572.

Workshop on Old, New Testaments

The Camarillo Church of Religious Science will hold an eight-week workshop on interpretations of the Old and New Testaments, beginning April 6.

Classes are on Tuesday evenings and Wednesday mornings. To enroll, call 484-1137. The cost for the full workshop is $69.

The church is at 340 N. Mobile Ave.

Jewish Groups Sponsor Musical

Two performances of “We Are Here!” a millennial musical that celebrates Jewish survival and reconciliation from creation to the eve of the next millennium, are scheduled for 2 and 7 p.m. on April 11 at the Ventura College Theater in Ventura.

Tickets to the benefit performances are $18 for general admission and $15 for students and seniors.

For reservations and more information, call Susan Abrams at the UJA / Federation at 647-7800. For production information, call playwright Marty Flam at 647-7677.

Religion Briefs run Saturdays. Please submit items at least a week in advance to Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Items, which must include a publishable telephone number, may be faxed to 653-7576.