Twenty-five South-Central Los Angeles churches operating programs...

Twenty-five South-Central Los Angeles churches operating programs to curb alcohol, tobacco and drug abuse could receive a boost if Sacramento lawmakers heed the advice of a state-appointed committee of substance-abuse specialists.

The seven-member African American Advice-Seeking Committee met in South Lake Tahoe this week to put finishing touches on a package of recommendations that would establish qualifications and procedures for state and federal funding of church-run substance abuse programs.

Also included in the package is technical support, training and unspecified financial support for religious organizations of any faith that want to start anti-abuse programs. The proposal would create a western regional chapter of the National Interfaith Alliance Against Substance Abuse, an informal organization of religious leaders.

A council of directors of state agencies is slated to vote on the package next month.

Committee efforts in the Southland are being coordinated by the Rev. Edward H. Grice III, who directs Wings of Hope, the drug-intervention program of the Southern Christian Leadership Conference of the Greater Los Angeles Area.

Other South-Central-based organizations that have rallied behind the committee’s recommendations are the Baptist Ministers Conference, led by the Rev. Frank Higgins; the Interdenominational Ministerial Alliance, headed by the Rev. Monroe Woods, and the National Baptist Convention.

The Rev. E.V. Hill, Mayor Richard Riordan’s special adviser on South-Central affairs, has also endorsed the package.

“With the recent cutbacks in state appropriations for traditional alcohol and drug services, trained clergy offering church-based services can offer effective alternatives for those seeking help,” Grice said. “The main hurdle is getting the state to work in partnership with the faith community.”

In the past, he said, the state has been wary of violating the constitutional separation of church and state.

Arguing that state support of church-run drug abuse prevention programs would not violate the Constitution, Grice pointed out that, since February, 1992, annual meetings and quarterly teleconferences of the National Interfaith Alliance Against Substance Abuse have been funded by a $6,000 grant from the Center for Substance Abuse Prevention, an agency of the Department of Health and Human Services.

In the South-Central church effort, “the issue of separation of church and state is not applicable,” Grice said, “as long as government funds are not used to promote religion.”

“The federal grant, albeit small, sets a new tone of optimism” for clergy involved in the alcohol- and drug-abuse prevention field,” he said.

“This initiative is extremely important because it provides a vehicle for urban churches to respond to the plight they see at their doorsteps every day.”

Clergy or lay people interested in information can call Grice at (213) 290-4129.

DATES

* The Rev. Robert W. Edgar, president of the School of Theology at Claremont and a former six-term congressman, speaks on “Global Security in the 21st Century” at a luncheon marking the 48th anniversary of the United Nations at 12:30 p.m. Sunday at the Doubletree Hotel in Pasadena. Reservations are $25. Sponsored by the Pasadena chapter of the United Nations Assn. (818) 449-1795.

* A free guided tour of the Judaica collections of the Los Angeles Public Library’s newly reopened Central Library, sponsored by the Jewish Historical Society, will be conducted by Jane Nowak, head of the library’s history department, at 2 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24. Other celebratory events that day are performances by the Aman Folk Ensemble at 2 p.m. and the Los Angeles Master Chorale at 3 p.m., and a children’s book signing by author Chaim Potok, 3 to 5 p.m. Refreshments will be served in the garden at 4 p.m. Advance tour reservations are requested. (213) 653-7740.

* Carlos Valles, a Spanish Jesuit who spent 40 years studying, writing and teaching in India, will direct a weekend spirituality workshop titled, “What Is It to be a Christian Today?” from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Oct. 23-24 on the Downtown Los Angeles campus of Mount St. Mary’s College. Admission to the conference, sponsored by the Los Angeles Archdiocesan Spirituality Center, is $15 for one day and $25 for two days. Registrants may bring picnic lunches or eat at nearby restaurants. For information about the conference or the center, call Sister Thomas Bernard at (213) 746-0450.

* The Clergy Network offers two free luncheons for clergy. The Rev. Walker Railey, a Dallas pastor acquitted of attempting to murder his wife, delivers “Guilty Until Proven Innocent--Clergy in the Limelight” from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Wednesday at the Woodland Care Center, 7120 Corbin Ave., Reseda. Immunologist Michael Gottlieb will give an “Update on the Issue of AIDS” from 11:45 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Thursday at Sharon Care Center, 8167 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles. For reservations, call (818) 225-8125 or (213) 655-2023.

* College-bound Jewish high-school students and their families are invited to attend the fourth annual Facets Conference, a program of Los Angeles Hillel Council, from 1 to 5:30 p.m. Sunday, Oct. 24. Participants can meet representatives of more than 25 U.S. colleges and universities, and obtain information about campus life and financial aid. Miriyam Glazer, chairwoman of the Department of English and Literature at the University of Judaism, will speak on opportunities in college. The conference will be held at Griffin Commons, Sunset Village, UCLA. Admission is $10; reservations are recommended. (213) 259-2959.

RESOURCES

* “Resources for Buddhist-Christian Encounter: An Annotated Bibliography,” may be ordered from the publisher at $4.25 a copy. Multifaith Resources, P.O. Box 128, Wofford Heights, Calif. 93285-0128; (619) 376-4691 . . . “Who Speaks on What in the Jewish Community” lists nearly 100 local organizations that provide speakers. Available for $2.75 from the Women’s Conference of the Jewish Federation Council of Greater Los Angeles, 6505 Wilshire Blvd., Suite 1002, Los Angeles, Calif. 90048; (213) 852-7712, Ext. 3000 . . . “If I’m Jewish and You’re Christian, What Are the Kids?” a guide for interfaith-parent families, is available for $12.50 from UAHC Press, 838 Fifth Ave., New York, N.Y. 10021; (212) 249-0100.

HONORS

* Edward A. Artis of West Hills recently became the first American to be invested into the Sovereign Military Order of St. John of Jerusalem, Knights of Malta, in Moscow . . . United Methodist Church of Garden Grove recently welcomed its new diaconal minister of Christian education, Jerry Owyang . . . Southlanders Gustavo Castillo and A. Juan Guerra have been awarded freshman scholarships by St. Meinrad Seminary in Indiana for their academic achievement.

Notices may be sent to Southern California File by mail c/o Religion Editor, Los Angeles Times, Times Mirror Square, Los Angeles, Calif. 90053, or by fax to (213) 237-4712. Items must arrive three weeks in advance of the event. Include phone number, date, time and full address.