U.S.-China Symposium to Discuss Strengthening Ties

Church leaders from China, concerned about their government’s response to a religious resurgence, will travel to California next week for a symposium on ministry.

Members of the China Christian Council and the Protestant Three-Self Patriotic Movement will meet in Pasadena with U.S. church leaders to discuss strengthening relations between Christians in China and the West.

The four-day conference, which will begin Tuesday, is sponsored by the Arcadia-based Christian Leadership Exchange and will touch on several topics, including expanding communication among Christians worldwide and opening a dialogue between the U.S. and China’s official church.

Areas of discussion scheduled for Thursday afternoon include persecution of the burgeoning house-church movement and relations between the Three-Self Patriotic Movement and the Chinese government.

Danny Yu, president and founder of the Christian Leadership Exchange, is expected to participate in the discussion. All communication will be translated from English to Chinese and vice versa.

Last year, a State Department report on religious freedom found that China had intensified its repression against Tibetan Buddhists, Muslim Uyghurs, members of the Falun Gong and Protestants and Catholics not belonging to the official churches. Members were reportedly subject to harassment, prolonged detention, beatings and torture.

The Symposium on Church Ministry of China will take place at the Ramada Hotel at 3500 E. Colorado Blvd., Pasadena. Cost for the conference is $350. (626) 294-9400.

ARTS

The J. Paul Getty Museum will open an exhibit of manuscripts used in medieval church services on Tuesday. The exhibit, titled, “Ritual Splendor: Illuminated Liturgical Manuscripts,” explores medieval liturgy through 17 manuscripts dating from the 10th through the 16th centuries. The museum is at 1200 Getty Center Drive. (310) 440 7360.

* The music of Los Angeles composer Rayner Brown will be performed at 4 p.m. Sunday at the Pasadena Presbyterian Church at 585 E. Colorado Blvd. The program will include “Papillons” for organ; “Jesus to His Disciples” for baritone and organ and other works. Performers will include organists Cherry Rhodes and Ladd Thomas and baritone Eli Villanueva. The concert will be free.

RELIGIOUS SCIENCE

The United Church of Religious Science will hold its annual convention at the Hilton Hotel at the World Trade Center in Long Beach Tuesday through next Saturday. Hundreds of church members will participate in an array of activities, ranging from Web site design to meditating in a labyrinth. This year’s convention theme is “Genesis: United for a New Beginning,” and focuses on a planned reorganization of the church. Details on the proposed changes are posted on the church’s Web site, https://www.religiousscience.org.

Religious Science is a nationwide movement founded in 1927 by Ernest Holmes and based in Los Angeles. Religious Science--not to be confused with Christian Science--permits medical treatment as a supplement to prayer for healing and preaches metaphysical philosophy.

For conference details, call (213) 388-2181.

JEWISH WORKSHOPS

Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein, director of Project Next Step of the Simon Wiesenthal Center, will teach an introductory class on Jewish law for the next four consecutive Tuesday evenings. Jewish law is the oldest continuously practiced legal system in the world. The class uses the most popular material from a course taught to upper-level students at Loyola Law School. No previous knowledge of Hebrew or Jewish law is required. The class will begin at 6:30 p.m. Tuesday. Cost is $50 for the series, which includes a light kosher dinner to be served before each class. Registration is required. Call (310) 552-4595. The Simon Wiesenthal Center is at 9911 W. Pico Blvd. in Los Angeles.

* Jewish families interested in home schooling are invited to attend an orientation and open house at the Jewish Community Library of Los Angeles at 1 p.m. Thursday to learn more about the resources available for this approach. Storyteller and home schooler Karen Golden will present a brief program after an introduction and resource orientation provided by library director Abigail Yasgur.

In March, Golden will offer “Telling Stories,” a home-schooling class geared toward 5- to 7-year olds, every Wednesday from 1 to 2 p.m. The library is at 6505 Wilshire Blvd. (323) 761-8648.

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