Interfaith Coalition Sets Forum on Environment

Caring for Creation, an interfaith coalition for the environment, will hold its annual conference Sunday at Santiago de Compostela Roman Catholic Church in Lake Forest. The all-day conference features a variety of workshops, including Mass Extinction, Religion and You, and Unity with Nature: Spiritual Dimensions of Our Concern for the Earth. The keynote speaker will be priest and author Jim Conlon, director of the Sophia Center at Holy Names College in Oakland. The cost is $20 and covers continental breakfast and lunch. The church is at 21682 Lake Forest Drive. (949) 951-8599.

* Dr. Muzammil Siddiqi and the Islamic Society of Orange County will host a program on the basics of Islam from 3 to 5 p.m. Sunday at the society’s mosque in Garden Grove. There will be an overview of Islam, an analysis of current events and a Muslim perspective on Orange County’s reaction. Siddiqi, an Islamic scholar, presented the opening prayer at the National Cathedral interfaith event recently in Washington, D.C. Refreshments will be served. The event is free, but reservations are required. The Islamic Society of Orange County is at 9752 13th St. (949) 442-2814.

* St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Tustin will host a panel discussion, “Global Acts, Local Consequences: How God’s People Respond to Inhumanity,” on Nov. 5. Guests include Iman Sayed Moustafa al-Qazwini, founder of the Islamic Educational Center in Costa Mesa; Donald Will, professor of peace studies at Chapman University; and Paul Levesque, assistant professor of Christianity and world religions at Cal State Fullerton. The free event will begin at 7 p.m. The church is at 1221 Wass St. (714) 838-4119.

* Chapman University and the Roman Catholic Diocese of Orange will co-sponsor “Living in Peace as Children of Abraham: An Evening of Discussion Among Jews, Christians and Muslims” at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Chapman University in Orange. Among the panelists at the free event will be Sayed Moustafa Al-Qazwini of the Islamic Educational Center of Orange County; Suzanne Butnik of the American Jewish Committee; the Rev. Thomas Raush of Loyola-Marymount University; Dr. Zakiyyah Muhammad of the Crescent School in Garden Grove; and the Rev. Diane Jardine Bruce of St. Clement’s by the Sea Episcopal Church in San Clemente. The event will take place at Chapman’s Bush Conference Center. For information, call the diocese at (714) 282-3000.

* The American Jewish Committee will host a private showing of an exhibition, “The Holy Land: David Roberts, Dead Sea Scrolls, House of David Inscription,” Oct. 13 at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana. Dinner will be served. Space is limited. The cost is $75. (949) 660-8525.

* The Jewish Federation of Orange County Women’s Division will hold a private tour of the exhibition “The Holy Land: David Roberts, Dead Sea Scrolls, House of David Inscription,” at 10:30 a.m. Nov. 5 at the Bowers Museum of Cultural Art in Santa Ana. Luncheon is included, followed by a talk by Marilyn J. Lundberg, associate director of the Western Semitic Resource Center at USC, who has developed one of the most extensive archives of ancient manuscripts, including the Dead Sea Scrolls and Hebrew texts from the biblical period. The museum will be closed to the public during this event. Cost is $55 and space is limited. The event is open to those who will contribute $500 or more to the 2002 Jewish Federation Annual Campaign. (714) 755-5555, Ext. 222.

* Eugene Pogany, author of “In My Brother’s Image,” will give a free talk at 8 p.m. Nov. 9 at University Synagogue in Irvine. His book is the true story of identical twin men separated by faith after the Holocaust. They were born in Hungary of Jewish parents, but raised as Catholic converts until their story was unraveled. Pogany is the son of the Jewish brother and nephew of the now-Catholic priest. The synagogue is at 4915 Alton Parkway. (949) 553-3535.

* The Orange County Interfaith Walk for Hunger will be held Sunday in Aliso Viejo. The event will include a cultural fair with information from groups such as the National Conference of Negro Women, the Islamic Society of Orange County and the Macedonia Christian Fellowship. Other participating groups include the Juaneno Band of American Indians, Congregation Eilat, Mount of Olives Lutheran Church, Shepherd of the Hills Church, the Alliance for Spiritual Community, Faith Episcopal Church, Coast Hills Church and the National Conference for Community and Justice. The walk begins at 1:30 p.m. at Temple Beth El, 2A Liberty. (949) 635-0279.

* Temple Bat Yahm in Newport Beach has announced its schedule of speakers for next season. “Dvorah Telushkin: An Evening of Jewish Folklore” will be presented Oct. 28. Telushkin was the assistant and translator for author and Nobel laureate Isaac Bashevis Singer.

“Whither the Fifth Generation?,” on Dec. 2, will feature Michael Berenbaum. An author and editor of 12 books, Berenbaum will trace the unique characteristics of generations of Jews and how each influenced its successor.

“The Temple Mount: Sacred Space, Political Nightmare,” on Jan. 27, will be a talk by Gershom Gorenberg, who wrote “The End of Days: Fundamentalism and the Struggle for the Temple Mount.” He will discuss the convictions and expectations of three religions regarding the Temple Mount.

On Feb. 17, Stephen Bloom will speak on “Lessons Learned From Postville.” Bloom is a professor and author of “Postville: A Clash of Cultures in Heartland America,” a new book about the Hasidim who moved into a small Iowa town in 1987.

On March 24, Rabbi Mark S. Miller will talk on “Shovels vs. Scripture,” the debate on whether the Exodus and the subsequent conquest of Canaan happened as depicted in the Bible, and if archeological evidence can be reconciled with biblical narratives.

The synagogue is at 1011 Camelback St. (949) 644-1999.

* The 28th annual Apple Festival Bazaar will take place today at Bethlehem Lutheran Church in Los Alamitos. Sale items will include gourmet and baked goods, craft items, plants and herbs and children’s clothing. Proceeds will help finance church activities, but portions will also go to WE CARE in Los Alamitos, the Lutheran Brotherhood Relief Fund for survivors of Sept. 11’s mass murder, and the Lutheran Navajo Mission in Arizona. The bazaar will be held from 8 a.m. to 2 p.m. Lunch will be served from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m. The church is at 3352 Katella Ave. (562) 430-3444.

Music

* “Women at the Well,” a free hourlong program with portrayals of prominent women from the New Testament, will be staged at 5 and 7:30 tonight at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in Aliso Viejo. There will also be songs and narration about Jesus’ teachings to Mary Magdalene, Mary and Martha, Jarius’ daughter and others. The church is at 22851 Aliso Creek Road. (949) 831.2384

* The Women’s Ministry of Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Irvine will present its “LAFF Nite” (Ladies’ Active Friday Forum) at 7:15 p.m. Friday in the sanctuary. Author Cyndi Monroe will present “Spend All Your Kisses,” a talk incorporating Monroe’s humorous songs. The minimum donation is $5. The church is at 4800 Irvine Center Drive. (949) 552-1918.

Education

* St. John the Theologian Antiochian Orthodox Church in San Juan Capistrano will host the Rev. Peter Gillquist for the seminar “The Growth of Orthodox Christianity in America” next weekend. Anyone interested in learning about the Orthodox Christian faith is encouraged to attend. The seminar begins at 6:30 p.m. Friday, and sessions will run all day Oct. 27 and 28, The church meets at 32244 Paseo Adelanto, Suite C. (888) ST JOHN-6. https://www.stjohn.theologian.org.

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Religious event notices of countywide interest may be sent to Gena Guisar 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.guisar@latimes.com.