Ashcroft’s Focus Is Faith, Family at Crystal Cathedral

Atty. Gen. John Ashcroft, whose conservative Christian views threatened his confirmation by the Senate this year, will speak at worship services Sunday at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove. At the 9:30 and 11 a.m. services, the Rev. Robert H. Schuller will interview the former U.S. senator from Missouri on “his personal story of faith and family.” The exchange will be broadcast on “The Hour of Power,” Schuller’s worldwide Sunday television show. The Crystal Cathedral is at Lewis Street and Chapman Avenue. (714) 971-4000.

SPECIAL EVENTS

* Those in need of spiritual healing are encouraged to attend a Mass of Healing at 7:15 p.m. Monday at St. Angela Merici Catholic Church in Brea. The Rev. Charles R. Lueras will give the message “Jesus Heals!” Lueras, of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Los Angeles, has shared his faith on TV and radio and at national conferences. The guitar-playing Lueras will accompany the Catholic praise band Ruach. The church is at 585 S. Walnut Ave. (714) 525-1774.

* The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints will host its annual Pioneer Day on Saturday from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Prentice School in north Tustin. The free event features activities that local pioneers might have engaged in 150 years ago as well as modern games. Pioneer Day commemorates the arrival of the Mormon pioneers in the Salt Lake Valley on July 24, 1847. The school is at Fairhaven Avenue and Esplanade Street. (714) 508-8222.

* The third annual California Irish Festival is today and Sunday at Brothers of St. Patrick in Midway City. An Irish dancing competition with more than 700 dancers, children’s games, live entertainment and Irish food are featured. Performers will include the European Celtic folk band Wayward Sons and the Irish folk and rock band Wrath of McGrath. A raffle, with an Irish vacation grand prize, is set for Sunday. The festival is from 7:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. July 28-29. Admission is $5 for adults and free for children. Brothers of St. Patrick is at 7820 Bolsa Ave. (714) 846-0415.

* Assemblywoman Patricia Bates (R-Laguna Niguel) will speak Thursday on El Toro Airport issues during an 11 a.m. potluck at South Shores Church in Monarch Beach. The church will also host comedian Carlos Oscar on July 28 at 6:30 p.m. Cookies will be served. Cost for adults is $3, $2 for children. The church is at 32712 Crown Valley Parkway. (949) 496-9331.

* Covenant Community Church in Orange will hold a recovery meeting called “Unchained” on Thursday evenings at 6 p.m. The group is for anyone who’s addicted or recovering from addictions. The nondenominational church is at 221 N. Waverly St. near Old Town Orange. (714) 997-2811.

* Pam Stephens will speak on “Great Expectations and Living Happily Ever After” at 7:15 p.m. Friday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Irvine. The evening is presented by the church’s women’s ministry. A minimum $5 donation will be collected. The church is at 4800 Irvine Center Drive. (949) 552-1918.

* The theme of the annual National Catholic Family Conference on July 28 and 29 in Long Beach will be “The Blessed Virgin Mary in the Third Millennium.”

This year’s keynote speaker will be Alex Jones, an African American Pentecostal pastor from Detroit, who will tell the story of how he and his congregation entered the Catholic Church. Speakers include Scott Hahn, a former Presbyterian minister and convert to the Catholic faith, and his wife, Kimberly; Tim Staples, a former Assemblies of God youth minister who has devoted his career to presenting and defending the Catholic faith he once attacked; Matthew Arnold, who will discuss his experiences with the New Age movement; and Jesse Romero, a former Los Angeles police officer and kickboxing champion who now challenges Catholics to live a more vibrant faith. Cost for the weekend is $50 for adults, $20 for children, $85 for families and free for priests and seminarians. The conference will be at the Long Beach Convention Center, 300 E. Ocean Blvd. (626) 331-3637 or (877) 526-2151.

* Tisha B’Av, which commemorates the destruction of the first and second Holy Temples in Jerusalem, will be observed July 28-29. Services will be at Congregation Adat Israel in Huntington Beach and Chabad of Irvine, among other synagogues. The observance includes a 24-hour fast. The Huntington Beach synagogue will have services July 28 at 9 p.m. and July 29 at 8 a.m. and 7:25 p.m. The synagogue is at 5052 Warner Ave. (714) 846-2285. Services at Chabad of Irvine are July 28 at 9 p.m. and July 29 at 9 a.m. The chabad is at 4980 Barranca Parkway. (949) 786-5000.

* Faith Lutheran Church in Anaheim will host its annual Christmas in July Celebration on July 29 at its 9 and 10:45 a.m. worship services. The church is at 2219 W. Orange Ave. (714) 535-9654.

Impressionist Peter M. Small will perform a one-person show Aug. 12 on the life of the late Israeli Prime Minister Golda Meir at Temple Isaiah of Newport Beach. The show is part of an open house at the temple to welcome new members. The show begins at 1 p.m. The temple is at 2401 Irvine Blvd. (949) 548-6900.

EDUCATION

* An “Art and Contemplation” workshop will be held at The Center for Spiritual Development in Orange. The workshop will encourage participants to express their spirituality through visual arts. No special ability in the visual arts is required. The workshop will be Monday through Friday from 7 to 9 p.m. Cost is $60. The Center for Spiritual Development is a Sisters of St. Joseph ministry. The center is at 434 S. Batavia St. (714) 744-3175, Ext. 4400.

* A summer lecture series focusing on basic life questions will be hosted by Calvary Baptist Church of Huntington Beach. The series runs from 6 to 8 p.m. Sundays through Aug. 26. Admission is free. The church is at 8281 Garfield Ave. (714) 962-6860.

* “Tuesdays in the Word,” a summer family series, continues Tuesdays at Trinity United Presbyterian Church and runs through Aug. 21. Jesus’ “outrageous humor and whimsical playfulness” displayed in the parables of the Gospel will be studied. The program is free, and child care will be provided. The programs are from 7 to 8:30 p.m. The church’s senior adult ministry is presenting a Bible study on the book of Leviticus. The class for seniors meets Tuesdays at 11 a.m. with lunch at 12:15 p.m. The cost is $3. The church is at 17th Street and Prospect Avenue in Tustin. (714) 544-7850.

MUSIC

* The teenage trio, “Girls Next Door” from Midway City will perform Friday at the First United Methodist Church of Seal Beach. The performance will be from 7 to 8 p.m. The church is at 10th and Central streets. (562) 431-0494.

AWARDS

* Saddleback Church Senior Pastor Rick Warren received the inaugural Spirit of Giving Award on Thursday from Mission Hospital Regional Medical Center at a ceremony in Dana Point. The honor was given to “individuals who have enriched the lives of community residents and have a long-term commitment to a spirit of giving, through vocation, volunteerism, avocation or philanthropy.” Other recipients included Orange County Sheriff Michael S. Carona; Tony Moiso, president and CEO of Rancho Mission Viejo; and Victor Avila, president of Avila’s El Ranchito Restaurants.

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Religious event notices of countywide interest may be sent to Gena Pasillas at The Times’ Orange County edition, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa 92626. They also may be faxed to (714) 966-7711 or sent by e-mail to gena.pasillas@latimes.com