NEW MINISTER: The Rev. Burley Howe was...

NEW MINISTER: The Rev. Burley Howe was expected to announce his retirement from St. John’s in the Valley United Methodist Church at the denomination’s regional conference this week in Redlands. Howe will be replaced by the recently ordained Rev. Keith Hwang, who will take over July 1. This will be the first ministry for Hwang, who lives in Northridge.

“He seems very dynamic,” said lay leader Bill Flay. “We’re looking forward to working with him.”

Attendance at the church has grown due to a successful Worship Attendance Crusade that concluded May 26. Church officials report that average Sunday attendance went from 72 last year to 85 during the crusade. Membership at the end of 1995 was 179, compared with 181 currently.

A congregational birthday celebration is planned for 5 p.m. June 23 at the church, 20600 Roscoe Blvd., Winnetka. Each table will be labeled with a month, and church members, friends and guests will sit at the table representing their birthday month. A $10 donation per person is asked for the chicken dinner, with a maximum of $30 for large families. Reservations: (818) 348-5026.

JERUSALEM’S BIRTHDAY: B’nai B’rith and Church on the Way will co-sponsor A Celebration of Jerusalem’s 3,000th Birthday at 7 p.m. Wednesday at the church, 14300 Sherman Way, Van Nuys. Pastor Jack Hayford will offer greeting and closing remarks. Singer Pat Boone will introduce a video presentation and Uriel Palti, deputy Israeli consul general, will speak. (818) 779-8000.

ENTERTAINMENT TALK: Actress Joan Van Ark will be the featured speaker at an entertainment fellowship dinner Thursday in Burbank. Van Ark, whose credits include “Dallas” and “Knot’s Landing,” will discuss how she balances her career and family life in such a challenging industry. The mission of the entertainment fellowship is to enable people in the entertainment industry to learn and apply Judeo-Christian principles in their careers. The dinner will begin at 6:30 p.m. at Acapulco restaurant, 3113 W. Olive Ave. Admission is $12 for members and $17 for nonmembers. (818) 909-0841.

GRANT AWARDED: The LSS Workforce, Lutheran Social Services of Southern California, was one of a dozen ministry projects to receive a grant recently from Wheat Ridge Ministries, a nonprofit Lutheran agency based in Itasca, Ill., that provides start-up funds for innovative programs. The $13,000 the Van Nuys-based group will get will be used to establish an employment agency that will encourage making temporary workers into permanent employees by waiving fees for participating firms.

INSTALLATION: The Rev. Sue Rubin will be officially installed as minister/executive director of the 100-member Westlake/Conejo Valley Church of Religious Science next Sunday. Rubin of Reseda recently returned to the San Fernando Valley from a 10-year ministry in Edmonton, Canada. She served as interim minister for two months before being elected to replace the Rev. David Laughray, who left to minister at a church in Southern California. The installation will be held at 3 p.m. June 23 at the church facilities, located in the Townsgate Business Center, 2649 Townsgate Road, Suite 400, Westlake Village. (805) 495-0105.

STAR-STUDDED BENEFIT: A fund-raiser for Pasadena’s Walter Hoving Home, featuring entertainment by husband and wife actors Jodi and Ray Benson, will be held tonight at the CBS Studio Center. Jodi Benson was the voice of Ariel in Disney’s “The Little Mermaid” and her husband starred in several Broadway shows, including “Dreamgirls.” The Walter Hoving Home is a nonprofit, spiritually focused rehabilitation center serving women who have been involved in drug addiction, alcoholism, prostitution and similar problems. The event is planned for 6 p.m. at the studio, located at 4024 Radford Ave., Studio City. Tickets are $30. (818) 405-0950.

VOLUNTEERS HONORED: Two San Fernando Valley residents were honored for their volunteer work by the Bureau of Jewish Education of Greater Los Angeles at a gala event Tuesday. The honorees were Esther Saritzky of Northridge, Bebe Simon of Sherman Oaks and Rita Chotiner of Beverly Hills. “These remarkable women [were] recognized for their talent, dedication and accomplishments in furthering Jewish knowledge, identity and values over the past five decades as well as for their never-ending work on behalf of children and families today,” co-chairwoman Rhea Coskey said in a prepared statement.

ORCHESTRA PERFORMS: A free concert by the Los Angeles Doctors Symphony Orchestra is planned for 8 p.m. Tuesday at Stephen S. Wise Temple, 15500 Stephen S. Wise Drive, Los Angeles. The all-Russian program will include music by Mikhail Glinka, Sergei Rachmaninoff, Alexander Glazunov and Alexander Borodin. (310) 275-0584.

BREAKFAST SPEAKER: The Rev. Cheilon Edwards of the Van Nuys Hispanic Foursquare Church will speak on “Being Born Into the Spirit of God” at a Westlake Women’s Aglow breakfast at 8:30 a.m. June 21 at the Plug Nickel restaurant, 717 Lakefield St., Suite 1, Westlake Village. Cost is $6 for newcomers and $8 for regulars. Reservations, due by Wednesday, can be made by calling (818) 597-9266.