Simchat Torah Dance Tonight

Shemni Atzeret and Simchat Torah will conclude the holiday season this weekend at Chabad of the Conejo.

The community Simchat Torah dance will be held at 7:45 p.m. today in three locations: Sumac Elementary School in Agoura Hills, Chabad of Westlake Village at 741 Lakefield Road, D, and Conejo Jewish Academy at 30345 Canwood St. in Agoura Hills.

For a schedule of all services, call (818) 991-0991.

Sukkot Services at Etz Chaim

Services for the eighth day of Sukkot at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks will be held at 10 a.m. today. The Yizkor memorial service will be celebrated this evening at 7:30 and at 10 a.m. Sunday morning.

The annual Havdallah and Hot Dogs festival begins at 7:30 p.m. at the temple and will feature arts and crafts, music, baking and Israeli dancing. The cost is $8 per person; younger than 2 free. For reservations, call 497-6891.

The Conejo Valley Jewish Craft Fair will be held on the temple grounds from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 17. Artisans from Ventura and Los Angeles counties will offer their creations for sale.

Admission and parking are free.

The temple is at 1080 Janss Road.

Catholic Church Offers Retreats

St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church in Westlake Village will begin a series of mini-retreats today in the church sanctuary from 9 a.m. to noon.

The title of the first installment is “Grace of Forgiveness.” Others are “The Holiness of God” on Nov. 13 and “Generosity of Spirit” on Dec. 4.

The series will be taught by Mitzie Butler, founder of Women of Promise Catholic Women’s Fellowship. All parishes are welcome.

The church is at 1125 Lindero Canyon Road, A6 and A7. For information, call (818) 991-3915.

Church to Open New Facility

Bible Fellowship Church of Ventura will hold grand opening festivities Sunday to celebrate its new facility, which includes a 1,000-seat auditorium and new classrooms.

Held from noon to 3 p.m., the event will offer food, games, live entertainment and guided tours of the new buildings.

Services will be held at 6 p.m. today and 8:45 and 10:45 a.m. Sunday. The church is at 6950 Ralston Ave. For information, call 525-9820 or 656-7766.

World Communion Services

World Communion Sunday services will begin at 10 a.m. Sunday at Oxnard’s First Presbyterian Church. A potluck meal of ethnic foods will follow.

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

‘First Call’ to Offer Free Concert

Christian musicians “First Call” will reunite at Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village at 7 p.m. Sunday.

The free concert will be held in the main celebration center at the church at 5495 Via Rocas. Call (818) 991-8040 for more information.

Communion Rite at St. Paul’s

St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard will celebrate World Communion Sunday with parishioners bringing breads from their heritage to place on the altar as a visual reminder of the day when Christians from around the world join together.

The worship service begins at 10:15 a.m. and child care is available.

Church school begins at 10:10 with children gathering in the sanctuary and attending the first few minutes of the worship service, then meeting in their classrooms.

The church is at 1800 South C St. Call 487-2711 for more information.

Episcopal Bishop to Visit Simi

The Right Rev. Frederick H. Borsch, bishop of the Episcopal Diocese of Los Angeles, will visit St. Francis of Assisi Episcopal Church in Simi Valley on Sunday.

There will be one combined service beginning at 9 a.m. After the service, parishioners will have the opportunity to visit with Borsch about the ministries and programs of the diocese and the church in general.

The church is at 280 Royal Ave. For information, call 526-5141.

Spiritual Renewal Mission

The theme of a spiritual renewal mission at St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks on Monday through Thursday will be “Earth Is Crammed With Heaven.” Father Rusty Shaughnessy will lead the mission.

The sessions are open to the public each day, with events in the morning and evening.

Call the church at 496-0222 for a schedule or directions. It is located at 155 E. Janss Road.

Church to Observe Feast Day

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church in Thousand Oaks will observe the feast day of St. Francis of Assisi on Tuesday. The traditional blessing of the animals will be held at the church parking lot beginning at 8:30 a.m.

The church is at 1 Church Road. For information, call 499-3786.

‘Re-Membering’ Group to Meet

St. Julie Billiart parish in Newbury Park will hold the group meeting “Re-Membering Church” on Wednesday. The group, which meets at 7:30 p.m., is intended for “Catholics who have been away from church for a while and don’t know how to come back or don’t recognize the church they’ve come back to.”

The parish is at 2075 Borchard Road. For information, call 498-3602.

Jewish Artists’ Show and Sale

Congregation Am HaYam in Oxnard will present the work of several Ventura County artists Oct. 10 in a member’s home and garden.

The show and sale will feature the work of Jewish artists in stone and bronze sculptures, ceramics, silk painting, pastels, glass and mixed media.

A $5 admission charge at the 1 to 5 p.m. show will include refreshments.

For more information and directions, call Arline Tepper at 658-6623.

Am HaYam’s October services, held at the Oxnard Monday Club at 1401 W. Gonzales Road, will be at 8 p.m. Oct. 15 and 10 a.m. Oct. 16.

For more information about services or Hebrew school, call 985-2853.

Academy’s Fall Semester to Open

The official opening of the fall semester at the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills will begin with guest speaker and radio host Dennis Prager, who will lecture on the book “The Gifts of the Jews” at the Hyatt Westlake Plaza Hotel on Oct. 12. The lecture begins at 8 p.m.

For advance tickets, call the academy at (818) 991-0991. The hotel is at 880 S. Westlake Blvd. Admission is $12.

The academy, at 30345 Canwood St., offers numerous weekly courses, weekly Bible study groups, book clubs and women’s programs.

Learning to Be ‘Awake and Ready’

A public workshop called “Awake and Ready” will begin at 7:30 p.m. Oct. 15 at the Westlake Church of Religious Science.

Workshop leader John Maxwell Taylor will help those in attendance “tune up your consciousness and access your maximum potential.”

Tickets are $12.50 in advance and $15 at the door. The workshop will be held at the church in the Townsgate Business Center, 2649 Townsgate Road, Suite 500. For additional information, call 495-0105.

Marriage Encounter Weekends

A marriage encounter weekend sponsored by St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Church in Thousand Oaks is set for Oct. 15 to 17 and Dec. 3 to 5 at the Holiday Inn in West Covina.

Marriage encounter is open to all married couples regardless of faith. A $50 nonrefundable fee confirms food and lodging.

Call (818) 848-6729 for details.

Tibetan Path to Enlightenment

The Ojai Valley Dharma Center offers a weekend seminar to the public called “The Lineage of Awakening.” The seminar, to be held Oct. 16 and 17, will explore the “Kagyu Lineage Supplication,” which is a Tibetan song-poem about the path to enlightenment.

The weekend will include meditation instruction, sitting and walking meditation, discussion groups and lectures by Patrick Sweeney, a lineage holder of the Kagyu line of Tibetan Buddhism.

The cost for the weekend is $95 for nonmembers and $75 for members. Call 646-6223 for more information. Work/study scholarships are also available.

‘Handicapables’ to Meet

The Ventura County Handicapables meeting for the physically disabled is set for Oct. 16 at St. Joseph’s Hospital, 2464 E. Ojai Ave., in Ojai. All faiths are invited.

Registration is at 11 a.m., followed by an 11:30 a.m. Mass. Lunch and entertainment are free.

For more information, call Catholic Charities office at 643-4694 in Ventura or 486-2900 in Oxnard.

Conejo Valley Jewish Craft Fair

The first Conejo Valley Jewish Craft Fair will be held Oct. 17 on the grounds outside Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

Artisans from throughout the area will display their wares, including ceramics, glass votives, stained glass, bar and bat mitzvah photo albums, quilts and more.

Hours are 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. Admission is free. The temple is at 1080 Janss Road. For information, call (818) 889-8047.

Panel Discussion on Faith

First United Methodist Church in Ventura will hold a panel discussion on “What My Faith Means to Me” on Oct. 18.

The 7 p.m. program will have local presenters from the Bahai faith, Roman Catholicism, Seventh-day Adventism and United Church of Christ.

A five-minute talk by each speaker will be followed by 1 1/2 hours of questions and answers with the audience.

The moderator will be John M. Sherwood, past president of the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council. Admission is free.

The church is at 1338 E. Santa Clara St. Call 643-8621 for information.

Council of Churches Plans Dinner

The Ventura County Council of Churches will put on its annual fall fellowship dinner Oct. 22 at Ventura’s First United Methodist Church.

All are invited to attend the dinner, which begins at 6:30 p.m. Registration is at 6; the program begins at 7:30. The cost for the evening is $10 per person. For information, call the Rev. Richard Beving at 482-9566.

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

The council also sponsors an ecumenical dialogue on the third Wednesday of the month at 1:30 p.m. at St. John’s Seminary in Camarillo. Call 643-8621 for information.

Education-Youth Leader Named

St. Patrick’s Episcopal Church and day school in Thousand Oaks have added Sterling Koch to the staff as director of Christian education and youth coordinator.

The church is at 1 Church Road. For information on services, call Mary Seage at 499-3786.

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