Sukkot to Be Held in Homes

* Congregation Am HaYam in Oxnard will hold Sukkot will be held in members’ homes today through Monday. Shemini Atzeret will be held in members’ homes at 8 p.m. Sunday and at 10 a.m. Monday.

Simchat Torah services will be held at the Oxnard Monday Club at 6:30 p.m. Monday and 10 a.m. Tuesday. The Monday service is especially for families, and costumes are welcome.

A new Talmud Torah Family School meets every Thursday at 3 p.m. at the Oxnard Monday Club. Topics will include Jewish history, the Hebrew language, arts and crafts and Hebrew songs. Tuition is $250 for children through age 6 and $375 for children 7 and older. Nina Gelman-Gans is the education director.

For registration, locations or more information, call 656-6634. The Oxnard Monday Club is at 1401 W. Gonzales Road.

Church Holds Holiday Boutique * A holiday boutique will be open from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. today at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church in Oxnard. United Methodist Women will offer a soup lunch, baked goods and a variety of handcrafted items for sale in the fellowship hall.

St. Paul’s is at 1800 South C St.

For information on services, call 487-2711.

Satellite Bible Seminar Planned * For the next month, the Simi Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church will host a satellite Bible seminar, broadcasting to thousands of locations across six continents. The transmissions will begin at 7:15 p.m. on Saturdays, Sundays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays.

The seminar’s theme focuses on what the Bible has to say about God’s desire to have personal relationships with worshipers as the new millennium approaches, said guest pastor Dwight Nelson, who will host the transcontinental seminar.

The public is invited to the Simi Valley seminar location at 1636 Sinaloa Road.

For more information, call 526-0141.

Christian Country Celebration * Ascension Lutheran Church of Thousand Oaks invites the public to a Conejo Christian Country Celebration at 6 p.m. today and at 8:30 and 9:45 a.m. Sunday. Services are informal.

A less liturgical, contemporary service led by Pastor Larry Wagner, with assistance from the musical group “Company,” will be featured at the 11 a.m. Sunday service.

Nursery care is provided at all services.

Ascension Lutheran is at 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive.

For more information, call 495-0406.

Early Christmas Shopping * Santa Paula Presbyterian Church invites the public to “Christmas Shopping in October” at 3 p.m. Sunday on the church grounds.

Christmas gifts and decorations will be on sale and refreshments will be served. Child care will be available.

For more information, call Sally Phelps at 933-1961 or Andrea Hickernell at 933-0890.

The church is at 121 Davis St.

Succot Discussion at Temple * Rabbi Lisa Hochberg-Miller of Temple Beth Torah begins leading a Lifelong Learning Series on Sunday with a discussion on “What Ecclesiastes/Kohelet Brings to Sukkot” at 9:40 a.m. in the social hall.

At noon, the Jewish League for Environmental Awareness will sponsor a program called “Healing Our Creeks and Ocean” at Henry’s Beach in Santa Barbara. For more details on this activity, call 647-7760.

Simchat Torah will be celebrated Sunday and Monday. Sunday’s 6 p.m. celebration includes a consecration service for kindergartners and new Torah-Hebrew school students. The Simchat Torah service at 10 a.m. Monday will include a memorial service.

On Thursday, the Brotherhood will sponsor a men’s discussion group led by Rabbi Jeffrey Marx at the temple at 7:30 p.m. Its subject will be the role of the Jewish father. An Oct. 18 Sunday Brunch will also be sponsored by the Brotherhood.

The temple’s monthly Tot Shabbat is set for 7 p.m. Friday. The regular 8 p.m. service will include a talk by international attorney John Baer.

Temple Beth Torah is at 7620 Foothill Road in Ventura.

For more information, call the temple office at 647-4181.

‘Bumper Sticker Religion’ Sermon * Pastor James Bain will talk about “Bumper Sticker Religion” at Oxnard’s First Presbyterian Church at 10 a.m. Sunday.

A regular no-cost Tuesday evening dinner and discussion group gets underway at 6 p.m. on the subject, “Christianity-- Boring, Untrue and Irrelevant?”

Call the church at 983-0204 for reservations.

First Presbyterian is at 850 Ivywood Drive.

Workshop Focuses on Parenting * A parenting workshop titled “Sacred Ground: The Spirituality of Children” will be held Sunday at Ventura’s First United Methodist Church.

The five-hour workshop will focus on how parents, grandparents and caregivers can help answer children’s questions about God, the Rev. Amy Aitken said.

“Children seem to have both a natural sense of God and an unending list of questions about God,” she said.

The workshop will be led by Helen Waterson, minister of the church’s Christian education and a retired schoolteacher.

The $5 fee will also cover dinner and child care during the 3 to 8 p.m. seminar. To make reservations, call the church at 643-8621. First United Methodist is at 1338 E. Santa Clara St.

Families to Address Congregation * Two young families will share their stories with the congregation at St. Matthew’s United Methodist Church in Newbury Park on Sunday.

At the informal 8:30 a.m. service, the congregation “is invited to bring a mug of coffee, enjoy the mountain view and hear from the Wotawa family,” said Pastor Lynne Austin.

The 10 a.m. service, slightly more traditional, will feature the Lamb family and singing with music director Steve Hobson. Children’s classes are offered at 10 a.m.

St. Matthew’s is at 1360 S. Wendy Drive.

For more information, call the church at 498-6910.

Dedication for Church, School * St. Paschal Baylon Parish Center and Parish School in Thousand Oaks, both of which underwent major renovation this year, will be blessed and opened for operation during a special Mass and dedication at 9 a.m. Sunday.

Bishop Thomas Curry of the Santa Barbara Pastoral Region will preside. The Mass will be followed by a procession led by Curry and Msgr. Joseph George, St. Paschal Baylon’s pastor.

The church and school are at 155 E. Janss Road.

For more information, call 496-0222, Ext. 0.

Public Invited for Simchat Torah * Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks welcomes the public to its Simchat Torah family service at 7 p.m. Monday.

Everyone will have a chance to carry a Torah scroll, and flags and apples will be given to all children.

Tickets are not required. For more information, call the temple office at 497-6891.

Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road.

Chabad Plans Holiday Festival * Ventura’s Chabad Community Center will hold a festival of song and dance at 7 p.m. Monday to celebrate the Simchat Torah holiday. Refreshments will be served and l’chaim will be toasted. Membership is not required to participate, and children of all ages are welcome.

Call 658-7441 for additional details, times or locations.

Simchat Torah Celebrations * Simchat Torah will be celebrated at 7 p.m. Monday at Sumac Elementary School in Agoura Hills, Chabad of Westlake Village and the Conejo Jewish Academy. The Yizkor service will begin at 10 a.m. at all local Chabad centers.

For more information, call (818) 991-0991.

HEAD Program Targets Inactive Catholics * St. Peter Claver Catholic Church in Simi Valley invites all inactive or returning Catholics to the parish’s Landings program.

“Landings is designed especially for people who may have felt rejection in the past, related to the church, and as a result have become non-practicing,” said Landings chairwoman Madeleine Sorensen.

The program begins Tuesday. For information, call Ray Knight at 526-4787 or the rectory at 526-6499.

St. Peter Claver is at Stow and Cochran streets.

New Series of Evening Classes * The Conejo Valley Consortium for Adult Jewish Education is offering a new series of evening classes in Thousand Oaks and Agoura Hills.

A two-month weekly class on “Making Marriage Work” kicks off at 8 p.m. Wednesday at Temple Etz Chaim in Thousand Oaks.

“Jewish Home Depot” with Rabbi Nina Feinstein begins Oct. 27 at Temple Beth Haverim, also at 7:30 p.m.

On Oct. 28, “Eco-Kosher and Feng Shui” combines Chinese environmental science and Jewish sensibilities at Temple Etz Chaim.

At Temple Adat Elohim in Thousand Oaks, “Carnal Israel: Gender, Love and Marriage in Ancient Israel” will be held weekly at 7:30 p.m. beginning Oct. 29.

Class fees range from $10 to $45.

Temple Beth Haverim is at 5126 Clareton Drive, Suite 140. Temple Etz Chaim is at 1080 Janss Road. Temple Adat Elohim is at 2420 E. Hillcrest Drive.

For information on all classes, call Maxine Meyer at the Jewish Federation at (818) 464-3230.

Unity Center Plans Workshops * The Unity Center Church of Agoura Hills will hold several free Friday night workshops during October.

All workshops begin at 7 p.m. at the Westlake Village Community Room at the City Hall and library, 4373 Park Terrace Drive, Westlake Village.

An introduction to the Unity movement, based on the original Kansas City church teachings of Charles and Myrtle Fillmore, is scheduled Oct. 16.

On Oct. 23, Oestmann will lead “Prosperity’s Ten Commandments,” which she described as “a workshop in which you will learn to see abundance everywhere, especially in your own life.”

An introduction to Oriental feng shui principles, used as a guide in selecting and placing elements in a harmonious space, will be led by Charlo Stuart on Oct. 30.

Church Plans Oktoberfest * The annual Oktoberfest celebration at Ojai’s St. Andrew’s Episcopal Church is set for Oct. 17 on the church grounds.

A traditional German meal, a table of homemade baked goods, music, dancing and a silent auction will begin at 4 p.m. The day will close with dancing under the stars until 9:30 p.m.

Call 646-1885 for ticket reservations. A suggested fee of $10 for adults and $4 for children under 13 includes dinner and all activities.

St. Andrews is at 409 Topa Topa Drive.

Sermon in Song and Word * Camarillo’s United Methodist Church will present “Man of La Mancha,” a sermon in song and word, at its 9 and 10:30 a.m. worship services Oct. 18.

The church is at 291 Anacapa Drive. Child care is available at both services.

For information, call 482-4312.

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