Church Plans Groundbreaking

Groundbreaking ceremonies for the new home of Calvary Community Church of Westlake Village will begin at 3 p.m. Sunday at the corner of Via Rocas and La Tienda.

Officials from Westlake Village and Thousand Oaks will join Pastor Larry DeWitt, master of ceremonies Warren Duffy of KKLA radio and several families who founded the church 21 years ago.

Calvary’s new facility, the former home of the Eaton Corp., will be remodeled to include a 3,000-seat auditorium.

“It’s been our dream since we began meeting in the Hungry Tiger Restaurant in 1977 to eventually move to a permanent church,” DeWitt said. After the first Hungry Tiger meetings, he said, Calvary’s services were held in a rented warehouse for 18 years.

For more information, call 496-2101.

St. Paul’s to Begin New Series * Praise time at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard begins at 10 a.m. Sunday, followed by the worship service at 10:15.

During the first week of February, a new adult exploration series, “Begin with Goodbye,” will address ways to help in coping with personal loss, separation, grief and new beginnings.

Spanish-language church school for all ages begins at noon, and the Spanish-language worship service is scheduled for 2 p.m. There will be no Japanese language ministries this week.

Time of Evening Service Changed * Channel Islands Vineyard Christian Fellowship in Oxnard has a new Sunday evening service time of 6:30 p.m. The Sunday morning services are still held at 9 and 11 a.m., said Pastor Bill Coulter.

The Fellowship is at 1851 Holser Walk, Suite 200. For information and directions, call 485-0050.

Temple to Hold Chow Mein Dinner * The Oxnard Buddhist Temple junior YBAs will hold a chow mein dinner at the temple at 250 South H St from 3 to 5 p.m. today.

This morning at 9, the Japanese culture and language school will be held in the social hall.

Sunday’s events include a 9:30 a.m. dharma school service, a 10 a.m. dharma school class and an 11:30 a.m. dharma school taiko class.

For more information, call the temple at 483-5948.

Mexican Brunch to Benefit School * The St. Anthony’s School Parents Club in Oxnard will hold a Mexican brunch Sunday in the Condon Center of the church at 2511 South C St.

The brunch, including carne asada and chicken combination plates, is $5.50 for adults and $4 for children under 12. Proceeds will benefit St. Anthony’s School.

St. Anthony’s Women’s Council will meet at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday in the Condon Center to host a baby shower for local Life Centers. Gifts of layette sets and clothing for older children are welcome.

For more information, call 486-7301.

Workshop Offered on God’s Gifts * St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park will host a two-hour workshop on the topic “What Are Your Spiritual Gifts?” at 12:30 p.m. Sunday.

“This workshop will help you discover the unique gifts God has given you and how they can affect your life,” said the Rev. Lynne Austin.

The workshop is open to the community. St. Matthews is at 1360 S. Wendy Drive. For more information, call 498-6910.

Talk to Focus on Racial Unity * The Camarillo Baha’i Community will hear a free presentation by Keyvan Geula called “Our Children in a Rainbow Society--Spiritual Prerequisites” at 7:30 p.m. today at the Camarillo Library.

Geula will discuss the underlying principles and attitudes required for the attainment of racial and cultural unity and some of the approaches that can be taken to achieve this goal.

Geula has a marriage, family and child counseling practice and serves as a consultant in relations and mediation techniques to public and private schools.

The library is at 3100 Ponderosa Drive. For information, call 987-1253.

Center Offers Drawing Workshop * Westlake Village’s Unity Center will present a free workshop today on “Creating With the Right Side of the Brain.”

The event will be an evening of drawing using techniques for shifting into the right-brain hemisphere for artistic expression, Unity Center Minister Irma Oestmann said.

All supplies will be furnished. The workshop begins at 7:30 p.m. at 4373 Park Terrace Drive. For information, call 251-4133.

Church Hires Ex-Football Player * Former pro football player Paul Bergmann has accepted the position of senior pastor at Ojai Valley Community Church. He will deliver his first sermon at 9 a.m. Sunday.

A UCLA graduate, Bergmann played for the Jacksonville Bulls, Oakland Invaders and Kansas City Chiefs. He retired from pro ball in 1988 and became a national speaker for Sports World Ministries. During his nine years with Sports World Ministries, Bergmann spoke in churches, schools, prisons, camps and businesses. He is a licensed minister, ordained by the Evangelical Church Alliance.

Ojai Valley Community Church is at 907 El Centro St. For information, call 646-4324.

All Invited to Faith Connection * The next Faith Connection meeting will be Wednesday at 1801 Joliet Place in Oxnard. Individuals, public agencies and private groups, as well as congregations and spiritual associations, are urged to attend, said the Rev. Larry Tyler-Wayman, who leads the group.

“Tragedy did not take a vacation at the beginning of 1998,” Tyler-Wayman said. “We have already stood with the family and friends of Albert Flores. His family has asked that we continue to remember in prayer all who have been adversely affected by Mr. Flores’ death, including the Oxnard police officer and his family.

“We also recently joined with Services United of Santa Paula and other agencies and congregations to express our sense of loss over the murder of Louie Fonseca.”

Flores was shot and killed by an Oxnard police officer Jan. 6 after allegedly threatening the officer with a screwdriver. Fonseca died Jan. 1 in what police have termed a gang-related shooting.

Anyone may call 485-0778 with questions or suggestions about the next meeting’s agenda.

Speaker Set for Shabbat Dinner * A Shabbat dinner in honor of the upcoming holiday, Tu B ‘Shevat, (the new year of the trees), will be held at 6:30 p.m. Friday at the Oxnard Monday Club. A Tu B ‘Shevat Seder will also be held.

Jeffrey Auerbach, president of the Jewish League for Environmental Awareness, will speak.

The cost for the evening is $18 for adults and $9 for children. Call 656-6634 for reservations or more information. The Monday Club is at 1401 W. Gonzales Road.

Creating a Personal Mandala * “Create your personal mandala” will be the topic for the Friday Unity Center workshop in Westlake Village.

“The Sanskrit word ‘mandala’ means center, or circle,” said minister Irma Oestmann. “Images drawn within the mandala may be used as a mirror of one’s inner self.” No previous art experience is required.

The workshop is free and begins at 7 p.m. at 4373 Park Terrace Drive in the Westlake Village Community Room at City Hall and Library.

Call 251-4133 for more information.

Recording Artists Plan Sessions * Christian recording artists Donny and Reba Rambo McGuire will be at Love International Outreach Fellowship in Ventura on Feb. 6, 7 and 8.

The Friday night meeting begins at 7.

On Feb. 7, a 10 a.m. session will feature Reba Rambo McGuire ministering at the women’s fellowship. Refreshments will follow.

On Feb. 8, the husband-wife team will minister jointly at 9:30 a.m. and 6:30 p.m.

The Love International Fellowship meetings will be at 1620-A Mesa Verde Drive behind Buena Lanes. Child care will be available at all four services. For more information, call 647-5463.

Temple Plans Service for Prayer * Friends and members of Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks will meet Feb. 8 in its new sanctuary for a service of prayer and healing. Rabbi Rebecca Lebowe will lead the service.

The service is at 9 a.m. at the temple, 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive. For information, call 495-8567. For directions only, call 497-7101.

Interactive Piano Concert Slated * Pianist Laura Spitzer will present an interactive and educational piano concert at Camarillo United Methodist Church at 7 p.m. Feb. 8 in the sanctuary.

Although she is a classical performer, Spitzer says that “I’m at home performing in churches, schools and trailer parks.”

Spitzer figures she has traveled more than 60,000 miles by truck with her grand piano over the years, “bringing music to hundreds of rural communities in North America.”

A graduate of the Mozarteum in Salzburg, Austria, and the Peabody Institute, she is currently an assistant lecturer of keyboard studies at USC.

The $2 entry fees will be donated to the Pleasant Valley School District’s speech program. The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. For more information, call 482-4312.

Getty Museum to Be Talk Topic * A lox and bagel brunch at Ventura’s Temple Beth Torah on Feb. 8 will feature Jackie Goldfield speaking on the “J. Paul Getty Museum and Its Offerings.”

The 9:30 a.m. brunch, which is open to the public, is $7 in advance or $10 at the door. The temple is at 7620 Foothill Road. For more information, call 647-4181.

Church Hosts Gospel-Based Play * Frank Runyeon’s “Afraid! The Gospel of Mark” will be presented at 7 p.m. Feb. 10 by St. Paschal Baylon Catholic Community’s Adult Education Committee. The theatrical performance was written by and stars Runyeon, a television actor and religion scholar. It will be performed in the church at 155 E. Janss Road in Thousand Oaks.

“Afraid!” is a one-man play based on the Gospel of Mark translated into contemporary speech. The play is interactive, with Runyeon addressing audience members as he roams the room, and it imparts Mark’s story in the present tense, “giving the audience the opportunity to feel like they have been in Galilee,” Pastor Joseph George said.

Best known for his work in television soaps, Runyeon has been featured in “General Hospital,” “Santa Barbara” and “As the World Turns.”

“Afraid!” is recommended for ages 8 and older. Tickets, $5, are available at St. Paschal Parish Center. For information, call Sister Carol at 496-0222, Ext. 119.

St. George’s Elects Vestry * The Rev. Reg Hammond, rector of St. George’s Anglican Church in Ventura, has announced the names and offices of the newly elected vestry. Reflecting the wide geographic spread of the congregation, Fran Henry of Channel Islands Harbor will serve as senior warden; Dr. Jack Gillespie of Santa Barbara as junior warden. Thomas Flowers of Camarillo will be clerk, and Norman Kimbrough of Port Hueneme and Elizabeth Pressey of Ojai round out the vestry membership.

The conservative “low” church follows the 1928 Book of Common Prayer and replicates the pre-1960s Protestant Episcopal Church. Services are held at 10:30 a.m. Sundays in the chapel behind the church building at 6300 Telephone Road. For more information, call 524-1697.

Religion Briefs is a weekly listing that runs each Saturday. Please address items, with a publishable telephone number, to Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Items can also be faxed to The Times at 653-7576 or 653-7548.