Pastor to Speak on Jesus’ Purpose

* At Community Christian Church of Moorpark, Pastor Steven Day will address the topic “From a Manger to a Cross--His Love, His Purpose,” at the 9 and 10:45 a.m. worship services on Sunday.

The church also has numerous Bible-study classes during the week for adults and middle and high school students.

The church is at 216 Moorpark Ave., No. 200. Call for details at 529-3572.

Message Titled ‘Life Is Fine in ‘99’

* The message on Sunday at the Unity Center Church in Thousand Oaks is “Life Is Fine in ’99.”

Congregation members will be invited to write a letter to God that the church will hold for one year and then mail back to the author, said the Rev. Irma Oestmann.

The service begins at 10 a.m. in the Crystal Room of the Holiday Inn. Children’s church, which is open to all ages, follows at 11:15 a.m.

The Holiday Inn is at 495 N. Ventu Park Road. For information, call 496-6901.

Benefit for Native Americans

* The annual Circle of Light concert to raise funds for Native American families during the holidays will feature Elk Whistle, a traditional flute soloist. Other local artists will present dance and crafts displays, beginning at 4 p.m. on Sunday.

The concert will be held at College United Methodist Church in Ventura during the Tri-Counties Native American Gathering.

Elk Whistle, of Cherokee heritage, will play at 4:30 p.m. He plays Plains-style cedar flutes of the Lakota, Kiowa and Comanche nations, and the cane lutes of the Choctaw.

Gordon Hall, spokesman for the United Methodist Church Native American program, said, “We have adopted families in crisis and will help provide basic necessities for all family members.”

Reservations are requested. Call 525-5507 for more information. College United Methodist Church is at 16 Baylor Drive.

Differences Among Jews, Christians

* A special forum exploring the differences between Judaism and Christianity will be held at 8 p.m. Sunday at the Chabad Jewish Center in Ventura.

The forum, titled “Missionary Impossible,” will be presented by Rabbi Bentzion Kravitz, national director of Jews for Judaism. It will address the ongoing issue of Christian missionary efforts directed toward Jews.

Admission is $10 at the door. For information, call 658-7441. The Chabad Center is at 1259 Callens Road, Suite A.

Masses to Welcome the New Year

* New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day Masses at St. Anthony’s Catholic Church in Oxnard are scheduled for 5:15 p.m. Thursday and 7:30 and 9 a.m. Friday. A noon Mass in Spanish is also scheduled on Friday.

St. Anthony’s is at 2511 S. C St. For information, call 486-7301.

Temple Has New Times for Shabbat

* JFC Temple Ner Ami announces new Shabbat service times that will begin in January.

Family Shabbat service will be at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays, beginning Jan. 8. Torah study will commence on Jan. 9 at 10 a.m.

Tot Shabbat services will be held at 6:45 p.m., followed by an adult Shabbat service at 7:30 p.m. on Jan. 22.

Temple Ner Ami is at 4098 Calle Tesoro, Suite D. For information, call the temple at 388-3824.

Ceremonies to Adopt Jewish Name

* Those who are interested in acquiring a Hebrew name are welcome to call Rabbi Shimon Paskow at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

On the evening of Jan. 8 and the morning of Jan. 9, ceremonies bestowing new names will be held at the temple.

Jewish tradition places great emphasis on having a Hebrew name, which is used at all religious ceremonies, such as bar and bat mitzvahs, and on marriage certificates, Paskow said. Many Jewish names have been passed down through families for centuries.

For more information on the January ceremonies, call Paskow at 497-6891. Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road.

Video on Quaker Social Work

* Actor Sam Waterston will host a video presentation dealing with Quaker social work after the 10 a.m. Ojai Friends worship service on Jan. 10.

The video will accompany a talk by Claire Gorfinkle of the American Friends Service Committee that will highlight the humanitarian work done by the AFSC throughout the world.

Refreshments will be served after the meeting, to which the public is invited.

The Ojai Friends Quaker Group will meet at 506 Crestview Drive. For information, call 640-0444.

Talks on Building Community

* Sponsored by the Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Assn., the second annual All Faiths Women of Vision Conference, called “Building Community: Transforming Intolerance and Violence,” will be held from 2 to 5 p.m. Jan. 10 at Temple Beth Torah in Ventura. Workshops and discussion groups will follow a keynote panel.

Registration is $10. Call 647-4181 for information. The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road.

Lectures on ‘Mere Christianity’

* Dr. Paul Ford, professor of theology and liturgy at Camarillo’s St. John’s seminary, will present a five-week lecture series on the C. S. Lewis classic “Mere Christianity,” the third-bestselling Christian book of all time--after the Bible and “The Imitation of Christ”--at Ventura’s Community Presbyterian Church beginning Jan. 10.

Ford, a nationally recognized authority on Lewis, lives in Camarillo.

“This promises to be a delightful series,” said Paul Dugan, Community Presbyterian’s associate pastor. “A Presbyterian church hosting a Roman Catholic scholar speaking about an Anglican author who wrote about ‘mere’ Christianity.”

The lecture series will run Sundays, 6 to 7:30 p.m., from Jan. 10 through Feb. 7 at the church.

Registration is $13 per individual, $18 per married couple and $10 for students. Child care can be provided with three-day advance reservations.

Community Presbyterian is at 1555 Poli St. For information, call Ford at 484-0681.

*

Religion Briefs run Saturdays. Please submit items at least a week in advance to: Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura, CA 93001. Items, which must include a publishable telephone number, may be faxed to 653-7576.