Worship Celebration at St. Paul’s

* A worship celebration at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard begins at 10:15 a.m. Sunday. The Rev. Alan P. Gorsline’s sermon will be “What?” based on 1 Samuel 3:1-10 and John 1:43-51. Children will attend worship service until after the “Let the Children Come” segment and then will go to Sunday school.

The Japanese ministry service will be at 2 p.m.

The church is at 1800 South C St. For more information, call 487-2711.

Methodist Services and Music

* St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park will have worship services at 8:30 and 10 a.m. Sunday. There will be special music at the 8:30 a.m. service by Carla Stoffei and at 10 a.m. by the Chancel Choir directed by Steve Hobson. The Rev. Lynne Austin will deliver the message “Called,” focusing on 1 Samuel 3:1-11, 15-19.

Worship at St. Matthew’s is relaxed and interactive, with child care and children’s classes available during the second service.

The church is at 1380 S. Chestnut St. For more information, call 498-8910.

Calvary Millennial Messages

* Calvary Community Church in Westlake Village will offer the following messages during regular services at 8:45 and 11 a.m. in January.

“Celebrate the Harvest of 1999” on Sunday; “The Vision of the New Millennium Believer” with guest speaker Paul Cedar, the Lighthouse Movement chairman, on Jan. 23; and “The Mark of a New Millennium Believer” on Jan. 30.

The church is at 5495 Via Rocas. For more information, call (818) 991-8040.

‘Tuesdays With Morrie’ Sermon

* The Rev. James K. Bain Jr. will deliver the sermon “Tuesdays With Morrie” based on scripture 1 Samuel 3: 1-10 at the 10 a.m. worship service Sunday at First Presbyterian Church of Oxnard.

Youth groups will have a spaghetti fund-raising lunch. Proceeds will be used toward tuition for church winter camp. The lunch is $5 for adults and $3 for children.

During the worship service there will be Sunday school for youths. Adult Sunday school will be at 9 a.m.

Child care is available at all services.

The church is at 850 Ivywood Drive. For more information, call 983-0204.

Bilingual Worship Service

* All Saints Episcopal Church of Oxnard will have a worship service at 8 a.m. Sunday and a 10 a.m. bilingual worship service with guest speaker Butch Gamara, diocesan missionary for multicultural ministries.

At noon there will be an annual parish meeting with approval of budget, election of new members for vestry and delegates for the diocesan convention. A potluck dinner will follow.

Christian education classes that day will include a 9:30 a.m. adult Bible study led by the Rev. Warren V. Porter and a 10:30 a.m. class for children led by Sunday school Supt. Cindy Morales.

On Tuesday, a Christian spirituality meeting will be held in Parish Hall at 7:15 p.m.

A Holy Eucharist service will be held in Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel at 6 p.m. Wednesday.

There will also be a Bible study class at 1:30 p.m. that day. Choir rehearsal will be Thursday in Our Lady of Guadalupe Chapel from 7 to 8:30 p.m.

The church is at 144 South C St.

‘Faith Finds a Way’ Sermon

* The Rev. Irma Oestmann will speak on “Faith Finds a Way” when Unity Center Church meets at Old Meadows Park community room in Thousand Oaks at 10 a.m. Sunday. The children’s church meets in the upper room. Child care is provided.

The park is at 1600 Marview. For more information, call 496-6901.

Classes Focus on Bahai Faith

* “Introduction to the Bahai Faith,” a series of four classes put on by the Bahai communities of west Ventura County, will begin Monday.

It is a short survey course for the public of where the Bahai faith came from, its relationship to other religions and its teachings.

The classes will continue weekly until Feb. 7 at the home of Pete Quick, 1889 Montgomery Ave., Ventura.

Admission is free, and donations will not be accepted.

For more information, call Quick at 659-4660.

‘Meaningful Life’ Course to Begin

* A six-part course titled “Toward a Meaningful Life” will begin at 8 p.m. Wednesday at the Conejo Jewish Academy in Agoura Hills.

The course will discuss how to lead a more fulfilling life based on the teachings of Judaism. Topics will include body and soul, birth and childhood, home and family, faith and suffering, work and productivity and our generation.

Instructors for the course will include Rabbi Moshe Bryski, Rabbi Yitzchak Sapochkinsky, Rabbi Yisroel Levine and Rabbi Shlomo Bistritzky.

The course is accredited by the Bureau of Jewish Education.

An eight-week course focusing on the mystical aspects of prayer will be offered at the Conejo Jewish Academy beginning at 8 p.m. Thursday.

There is a $25 fee for registration and materials for each course. The academy is at 30345 Canwood St. For more information, call (818) 991-0991.

Seder to Celebrate Ecology

* Members of Congregation Am HaYam in Oxnard will have a mini-Seder to celebrate Tu B’Shavuot, the Jewish equivalent of Earth Day, at 6:30 p.m. Friday.

Tu B’Shavuot is the date on the Hebrew calendar when Jews remind themselves that they are partners with God in the development and preservation of land, sea and air.

For centuries, Jews have celebrated the Tu B’Shavuot Seder, where it is customary to eat 15 different fruits.

The Seder will be followed by a Shabbat dinner and a children’s service conducted by Rabbi Gerald Hanig. During the evening, a special presentation will be made by the students of the Talmud Torah Family School. The Seder will take place at the Oxnard Monday Club, 1411 W. Gonzales Road, Oxnard.

The cost of the Seder and Shabbat dinner is $18 for adults, $9 for children ages 5 to 12 and free to children under 5. Reservations are necessary. For more information, contact at www.amhayam.org or call 985-2853.

In celebration of Tu B’Shavuot, students of the Talmud Torah Family School will meet at the Oxnard Monday Club and plant a tree at 4 p.m. Jan. 25.

Fellowship to Host Author

* Author and speaker Cindy Jacobs will minister at 7 p.m. Friday at South Coast Fellowship in Ventura. The event will be hosted by Women of Design, and both men and women are invited.

Pastor and author Dutch Sheets will be ministering at 6:30 p.m. Jan. 28. Child care will be provided.

South Coast Fellowship is at 4050 Market St. For more information, call 658-7646, ext. 7.

Workshop on Parenting Skills

* Simi Covenant Church provides a parenting skills workshop every fourth Tuesday of the month.

On Jan. 25, the workshop will take place at the Worship Center from 6:30 to 8 p.m. and will feature Phyllis Wilson, a licensed marriage and family therapist who will speak on “Building Self-Esteem in Your Children.” Nursery care is provided, and older children will be able to participate in a Super Tuesday activity.

Simi Covenant Church is offering a new worship service Sunday evenings called “The Gathering” for those who seek a different way of worshiping. The service begins at 6:30 p.m.

Pastor Kurt Fredrickson has begun a new sermon series at the traditional services. It is entitled “Family Matters . . . Helping You Strengthen Your Family, Whatever Its Shape or Make.” Worship celebrations are at 9 and 10:30 a.m.

The church is at 4680 Alamo St. For more information, call 526-8855.

Living the Ten Commandments

* Barbara Freedman, a family therapist and temple member, will speak on “Life’s Ten Challenges: The Ten Commandments in Everyday Life” on Jan. 28 during the Sabbath eve service at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

The service begins at 8:15 p.m. and will be conducted by Rabbi Shimon Paskow, spiritual leader of the congregation. Cantor Jeff Cohen will chant the traditional Kabbalat Shabbat liturgy. After the service, everyone is welcome to the Oneg Shabbat reception in the temple social hall where Freedman will be available to answer questions.

On Jan. 29, Shabbat services will begin at 10 a.m. Chelsea Mangel will be called to the Torah in celebration of becoming bat mitzvah. Everyone is welcome to attend kiddush after the service.

Church Plans Super Bowl Party

* The public is invited to a free Super Bowl bash Jan. 30 at Ojai Valley Community Church.

Pregame festivities will begin at 2 p.m. at the youth center and will include basketball, table games and video games. Food and drinks will be provided.

The game will be watched on two large screens.

There will also be a free pottery demonstration at 6:30 p.m. Feb. 5, and 9:30 a.m. Feb. 6.

Michael and Pam Rozell will present their blend of music and art.

The stage will be transformed into a potter’s house as Michael, a master potter, creates a piece of pottery while speaking about his life. Pam will provide music.

The church is at 907 El Centre. For more information, call 646-4325.

Instruction on Talmud, Hebrew

* Rabbi Shimon Paskow will teach a course in the Talmud and beginning Hebrew at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks beginning Jan. 31. The traditional evening Maarly service will be held at 7:30, followed at 8 by the course in the Talmud.

Paskow will analyze some of the passages from the Mishna and the Babylonian Gemara, known as the Babylonian Talmud.

At 8:45 p.m., Paskow will teach beginning Hebrew. No prior knowledge is required. This course will enable people to follow the Hebrew of the synagogue service and some words in modern conversational Hebrew.

The classes will continue Mondays for about six weeks. They are open to everyone. There is no charge and membership is not required. Paskow will provide the text.

Temple Etz Chaim, a congregation of approximately 700 families, is at 1080 Janss Road. For more information, call 487-6891.

Women’s Conference in Ventura

* “Morality and Culture: Can Our Religious Ethics Transform Our World?” is the title of the third annual All Faiths Women of Vision Conference from 1 to 5 p.m. Feb. 6 at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Ventura.

Irene Pinkard, vice president of Ventura Community College District, will speak at the opening session. Participants will choose two of 11 workshops that include Youth Accepting Diversity, Teaching Children Moral Values and Character in Today’s Culture, Answering Ethical Dilemmas in Your Workplace, The Need to Talk to Each Other, Journalism Ethics, Legal Ethics, Ethics in Hollywood, Environment Responsibility and Ethical Dying. The closing sermon includes gospel music, the Women of Vision Awards and an interfaith ceremony.

The sponsor is the Ventura Interfaith Ministerial Assn. The cost is $5 in advance or $7 at the door. Teenage girls are welcome at no charge.

The church is at 10800 Henderson Road. For more information, call Robin Martin at 644-7079.

Religion Briefs runs Saturdays. Please submit items at least a week in advance to Religion Briefs, Los Angeles Times, 93 S. Chestnut St., Ventura 93001. Items may be faxed to 653-7576.