Sikhs to Celebrate 531st Birthday of Religion’s Founder
With song, sermons and their trademark--a free community meal--Southern California Sikhs on Sunday will celebrate the 531st birthday of Guru Nanak, founder of what is now the fifth largest religion in the world.
Guru Nanak was born in 1469 in the small village of Talwandi in what is today Pakistan. The son of Hindus, he is said to have received a call from God while bathing in the Bein River. Emerging three days later, followers say, he declared, “There is no Hindu or Muslim,” and founded a religion based on the unity, equality and oneness of God.
Those values are popularly expressed through the langar, or community kitchen, where all sit equally on the floor to share a meal. Sunday’s celebration will feature a langar meal, along with traditional kirtan music and singing, presentations on Sikh history and religion, and festival booths offering Indian clothing, Sikh literature and other items.
The celebration will take place at the Los Angeles Convention Center between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. (562) 802-9720, Ext. 103.
EVENTS
The Inglewood Church of Christ will host a free conference on family problems and how to resolve them through interactive workshops, games and role playing Friday through Nov. 19. The church is at 323 S. Eucalyptus Ave., Inglewood. (310) 674-7690.
* Rabbis and cantors from more than 20 congregations will celebrate the Reform movement at 8 p.m. Friday at Temple Isaiah, 10345 W. Pico Blvd., Los Angeles. Sara S. Lee of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion will speak on “Reform Judaism: The Challenges of Success.” (213) 749-3424.
* His Holiness Jigdal Dagchen Sakya will offer teachings and an empowerment ritual on Padmasambhava, the Indian yogi who brought Buddhist teachings to Tibet centuries ago. The program will be at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Fowler Museum Lenard Auditorium at UCLA. The Sakya lineage represents one of Tibet’s four schools of Buddhism. Cost is $20. (310) 276-6745.
* Community Presbyterian Church will present its annual Mission Fair from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. today at 23701 Hillsborough Drive, La Mirada. (562) 902-9033.
* Journalist and author Marlene Adlers Marks will begin the first of a series of classes on “The Family Journey: The Book of Genesis and the Story of Our Lives” from 2 to 3:30 p.m. today. The series is presented by the Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. The cost is $6 per class or $20 for the four-class series. (310) 440-4500.
* “Interfaith Families in a Pluralistic Society” is the theme of the 24th annual Catholic-Jewish women’s conference, from 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Monday at Wilshire Boulevard Temple, 3663 Wilshire Blvd. Speakers include journalist Ellen Jaffe Gil and UCLA Catholic campus minister Cynthia Yoshitomi. Fee is $15. (818) 222-4694.
* The Hawthorne Seventh-day Adventist Church will offer a free Thanksgiving meal for the needy at noon Thursday at 3939 Marine Ave., Hawthorne. (310) 214-9318.
* The Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles will kick off Jewish Book Month with a free children’s storytelling event from 3 to 4 p.m. Sunday at the Slavin Family Children’s Library at the Jewish Federation-Goldsmith Center, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Los Angeles. Kathleen Zundell will present “Under the Story Hat.” (323) 761-8648.
* Holy Spirit Retreat Center will offer a monthly gathering for women of all faiths to deepen their spirituality and offer mutual support beginning from 7 to 9 p.m. Monday or from 10 a.m. to noon Tuesday. The center is at 4316 Lanai Road, Encino. (818) 784-4515.
LECTURES
Rabbi Marvin Bornstein will present “The Gantsa Megillah: Four Stories” from 7:30 to 9 p.m. Thursday and Nov. 30 at B’nai Tikvah Congregation, 5820 W. Manchester Ave., Westchester. (310) 645-6262.
* Lama Ole Nydahl will speak on “Buddhism in the City” at 8 p.m. Monday at the Olympic Collection, 11301 Olympic Blvd., West Los Angeles. The talk is sponsored by the Los Angeles Diamond Way Buddhist Center. (310) 858-0220.
* A Hindu-Catholic dialogue on social service and spirituality will feature speakers from India, New York and Los Angeles from 8:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. today at Loyola Marymount University in Los Angeles. The event will take place at the Ahmanson Auditorium. Speakers will include the Rev. Michael Kennedy of the Delores Mission in Los Angeles and Kiran Bedi, the joint commissioner of Delhi police, who introduced meditation into prisons in India. (310) 338-2846.
PERFORMANCES
Cantor Wally Schachet Brisken will present songs in Hebrew and English at 2 p.m. Sunday at Skirball Cultural Center, 2701 N. Sepulveda Blvd., Los Angeles. Tickets are $5. (310) 440-4636.
* The Anglican Chorale will perform the “Magnificat” and Nunc Dimittis in D by George Dyson at 4:30 p.m. Sunday at St. Thomas the Apostle Church, 7501 Hollywood Blvd., Los Angeles. A short choral concert will follow. (909) 599-5255.
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