Religion’s Role in Fighting Substance Abuse to Be Explored

The roles of religion and spirituality in the battle against substance abuse will be explored in a major conference next week in Simi Valley featuring nationally prominent specialists in religion, medicine, law, entertainment and business.

Other issues set for discussion include drugs in the schools, the future of American drug policy, the state of substance abuse research and the responsibility of the entertainment industry in glamorizing drugs.

Speakers will include the Rev. Edward Malloy, University of Notre Dame president; Los Angeles Rabbi David Wolpe of Sinai Temple; William J. Bennett, former U.S. drug czar and education secretary; Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber of Commerce president, and Chairman Jack Valenti of the Motion Picture Assn. of America.

The conference, sponsored by the National Center on Addiction and Substance Abuse and the Ronald Reagan Presidential Foundation, will take place Tuesday through Friday at the Reagan Library in Simi Valley. Conference fee is $395. (805) 522-2977.

EVENTS

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The Jewish Federation of Los Angeles will hold its annual Super Sunday telephone fund-raiser Sunday, with about 1,000 volunteers at four locations in the region spending the day dialing for dollars. This year’s goal is to raise $5 million to support charitable activities locally and in Israel.

* The First Woman’s Church in the City of Angels will kick off what it hopes will become a national grass-roots movement to light candles to honor inner-city children graduating this year and reverse the negative influences that surround them. The “Village Lights 2000” event will mark the 14th anniversary of the church, which is centered on African American feminist spirituality. Men are welcome. The event will begin at 9 a.m. at the church at 3860 Crenshaw Blvd., Room 228, in Los Angeles. (323) 290-0456.

* In another candle-lighting ritual, more than 5,000 participants are expected to join the “Light of Hope” interfaith service to promote compassion, global unity and racial harmony Sunday at the Anaheim Convention Center, 800 W. Katella Ave. from 2 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. The event is sponsored by the Buddhist Hsi Lai Temple of Hacienda Heights. (714) 838-2211.

* The third annual Festival of Isis will feature a beach ritual and procession seeking blessings from the ancient Egyptian goddess Sunday at 11 a.m. at Point Dume State Beach in Malibu. Participants will launch their plans for the coming year in a ritual marked by white or Egyptian costumes, drumming, chants and spells. The event is adapted from an ancient festival for safe voyages called Launching of Ships. The requested donation is $2 and two cans of cat food for no-kill animal shelters. (310) 450-6661.

* “Kabbalah Without Hype,” a program exploring the now fashionable tradition of Jewish mysticism, will be offered Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Museum of Tolerance, 9786 W. Pico Blvd. Rabbi J. Immanuel Schochet, a professor of philosophy at Humber College in Toronto, will present the program, which is sponsored by the Jewish Studies Institute and Yeshiva of Los Angeles. (310) 772-2487.

* Can Greek literature help shed light on the life of Jesus? Ronald Hock, a USC religion professor and authority on early Christian studies, will discuss how ancient Greek romances help illuminate an understanding of the gospels in a lecture Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. at the Gallery Theater, 4800 Hollywood Blvd. in Los Angeles. The program is the second of three lectures on “Religion at the Turn of the Millennium” offered by the California Museum of Ancient Art. (818) 762-5500.

* Women of the Armenian Apostolic Catholic, Evangelical and Nazarene churches will observe the 30th annual Women’s World Day of Prayer on Friday at United Armenian Congregational Church, 3480 Cahuenga Blvd. in West Los Angeles. The 11 a.m. service will feature hymns, Bible readings and prayers in both English and Armenian. Refreshments and fellowship will precede the service at 10 a.m. (818) 920-0776.

* “Women of Faith,” a national conference featuring Christian inspirational speakers, authors and musicians, will be held March 3-4 at the San Diego Sports Arena. The conference, which aims to strengthen and encourage women in their daily lives through God, has attracted nearly 1 million participants in dozens of U.S. cities since its inception in 1996. (972) 424-1900, Ext. 133.

WORKSHOPS

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A free workshop on “The Art of Spiritual Dreaming” will be held at the Bodhi Tree Bookstore Annex, 8585 Melrose Ave. in West Hollywood, on March 4 at 7:30 p.m. Trained facilitators will share simple techniques to help people of all faiths remember, interpret and understand their dreams. (323) 340-8331.

* How to practice “soul-centered prayer” will be discussed at a workshop Sunday at 2:30 p.m. at the Unity Church of Tustin, 14402 S. Prospect Ave. in Tustin. Workshop facilitator Ann Linthorst will discuss different levels of prayer and teach a form of prayer centering on spiritual goodness. Fee is $20. (714) 730-3444.

PEOPLE

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Rabbi Alfred Wolf will be honored for 50 years of leadership and service to the Wilshire Boulevard Temple on Friday at 8 p.m. in the temple sanctuary, 3663 Wilshire Blvd. in Los Angeles. Wolf helped transform the temple’s religious school, created a Jewish camping program and was a co-founder of the Interreligious Council of Southern California. The temple will also honor Hollywood producer Norman Lear for his human rights activities. Lear will speak on “The Condition of Religion and State in America Today.” (213) 388-2401.

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