Interfaith Groups Plan Weekend of Prayer for Peace in Kosovo

More than 1,500 congregations from throughout Southern California and Nevada will take part in a weekend of praying for peace in Kosovo today and Sunday.

Under the auspices of the Faith Groups for Peace in Kosovo, congregations from Santa Barbara to San Diego and east to Las Vegas will participate in “Pray for the Peace of Kosovo.”

Sponsors of the event include the Ecumenical Council of Pasadena Area Churches, the Ecumenical Council of San Diego County, the Ventura County Council of Churches, the Las Vegas Interfaith Council and the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, among many others. (626) 797-2402.

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WORKSHOP

Sculptor William Catling and scholar Joel Hunt will present a one-day workshop, “The Artist and the Spiritual Life,” exploring the union between art and sacred life, at the First Congregational Church, 540 S. Commonwealth Ave., Los Angeles, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. next Saturday. A $10 donation covers cost of materials and lunch. (213) 385-1341.

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PEOPLE

Rabbi Gilbert Kollin, of the Pasadena Jewish Temple and Center, has been named president of the Board of Rabbis of Southern California, an affiliate of the Jewish Federation. Kollin has served in congregations in Michigan, Florida, Washington and, most recently, in California in his nearly four decades in the rabbinate. The Board of Rabbis of Southern California consists of more than 250 rabbis serving 85 congregations and other related fields of Jewish life.

* The Rev. Steven E. Berry, senior minister of the First Congregational Church of Los Angeles, has been named recipient of the 1999 HOPE Award by the People Coordinated Services of Southern California Inc., based on his continuous commitment to service in the community. Under Berry’s leadership, First Congregational Church has joined with Habitat for Humanity to build more than a dozen homes in South-Central Los Angeles, including the Jimmy Carter Work Project in Watts, and other projects.

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CRUSADE

More than 18,000 people are expected to attend this weekend as Pastor Paul Ries brings his “Somebody Loves You Crusade” to the Stampede Stadium, 280 S. E St., San Bernardino, Friday through June 6. Begun in the early 1990s, the crusades are contemporary, evangelistic events that feature contemporary Christian musical artists and a straightforward biblical message from Ries. Although the crusades are relevant across age and ethnic lines, Ries, senior pastor of Calvary Chapel Golden Springs in Diamond Bar, particularly seeks to reach the young people of the Inland Empire. Programs will begin at 7 p.m. nightly. Spanish translation and signing for the hearing-impaired will be provided. (909) 396-1884.

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MUSIC

The Biberach German Boys’ Choir will perform at Holy Family Church, 1527 Fremont Ave., South Pasadena on Sunday at 7:30 p.m. Founded in 1962, the choir of 35 boys ages 9 to 15 performs Gregorian chants, Masses, spirituals and popular secular music a cappella and with organ accompaniment. (626) 799-8908.

* Maurita Phillips-Thornburgh will conduct the singers of Cantori Domino, chamber orchestra and organ in a program of works by Bach, Beethoven, post-romantic composer Maurice Durufle and contemporary British composer John Tavener at St. Augustine-by-the-Sea, 1227 4th St., Santa Monica on Sunday at 4 p.m. General admission $15, students and senior citizens $10. (323) 662-5007.

* The Celebrant Singers, founded in 1977 by Jon Stemkoski, will appear in concert at St. Stephen’s Episcopal Church, 10925 Valley Home Ave., Whittier on Tuesday at 7 p.m. (562) 947-0394.

* “Rosarium,” a new work for chorus and orchestra with music by Roger Bourland and libretto by William MacDuff, will be premiered at UCLA’s Royce Hall June 5 at 8 p.m. Featuring the UCLA Chorale, the Angeles Chorale and the UCLA Philharmonia Orchestra under the direction of Donald Neuen, “Rosarium” examines the themes of faith, doubt and hope and the concept of spiritual revelation in a modern scientific age. Tickets are $35, $25 and $15 and are available through the UCLA central ticket office, (310) 825-2101.

* The Friends of Music Program of Pasadena Presbyterian Church will present guitarist Robert Simon in a Music at Noon concert Wednesday at 12:10 p.m. in the church sanctuary, 585 E. Colorado Blvd. at Madison. (626) 793-2191.

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Notices may be mailed for consideration to Southern California File, c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, CA 90053, or faxed to Southern California File at (213) 237-4712. Items should arrive two to three weeks before the event, except for spot news, and should include pertinent details about the people and organizations with address, phone number, date and time.