Worship

EDITOR'S NOTE: Places to Worship features brief descriptions of churches and temples in our community. They appear each week on a rotating basis.ARMENIAN APOSTOLICST. MARY ARMENIAN APOSTOLIC CHURCHSt. Mary Armenian Apostolic Church defines its work as religious and spiritual, national and social. Years of communism; the tremendous earthquake in 1988 that killed some 55,000 and left cities in ruins; the now fledgling independence for Armenia; and recent war in Azerbaijan have created many needs abroad and among immigrants establishing a new life here.

Is it possible to experience joy amidst crisis? Can we hold on to something or someone for dear life and still let go of our fears? Come see how the story of Easter unfolds, with a special Easter Sunday service by Pastor Tim Celek. Find out how others have managed their fears on their journey toward joy. This special Easter Sunday service includes great music and drama, full children's programming for infants through 5th grade, with an Easter egg hunt for children, ages 3 through 12 years.

Suzie Harrison The fifth concert in the 2002-03 Friends of Music "First Sundays at Five" Series at Saint Michael & All Angels Episcopal Church will be held Sunday. Called "A Winter's Night," it will feature the calming and deeply spiritual music of Taize. Tim Getz the church's minister of music said that it's less of a concert and more of a musical expression of worship. "Taize is named for a monastery in France," Getz said. "It's known for meditation through music and silence, and as a pilgrimage site for people from all over the world who want to come to pray with others."

Cindy Trane Christeson "Every act of worship is its own justification. It is rendering to God that of which he is worthy." -- Eric L. Mascal It was Sunday and it was a nonstop day of worship for me. Obviously, any and every day are days to worship, but for me, last Sunday was as surprising, enjoyable and varied as the weather has been. I woke up excited about what God had planned for the day, as well as the people and programs I was going to see or attend.

Michele Marr Early Monday morning, 40 or more schoolchildren will gather at St. James Episcopal Church on Via Lido to discover firsthand the myriad ways that Jesus Christ is worshiped throughout the world. They will explore the worship of a variety of cultures -- from Africa, Israel and Latin America to the Caribbean and North America -- through choral music, dance, crafts, visual arts and cookery. "The idea to offer the Worship, Arts and Music Week came out of a conversation at breakfast one morning," said the Rev. Lisa Golden, associate pastor of children's ministry at St. James.

A growing number of Christians are skipping organized church services to instead worship more informally in their homes with smaller groups. David Wells, a theology professor and author of several books on modern Christianity, characterized the movement as "empty of biblical substance." What do you think of the "house worship" phenomena? Do you think it will ultimately replace larger congregations and services? For the first three centuries, Anno Domini Christians gathered and worshiped as best they were able, usually in small groups and secret settings.

I am calling in support of the Church of Latter-Day Saints steeple temple. I am in support of it either at the compromised height of 99 feet or at the new compromised offer of 90 feet high. It is very puzzling to me why a house of worship steeple has been so controversial. We traveled in New England last summer. We visited cities and towns with numerous churches and other houses of worship. The residents would often point out to us with great pride the tallest steeple in their town.

Denomination: United Methodist Address: 1400 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach Phone: (949) 673-3805 Year established: There has been a United Methodist presence in the Newport Beach area since 1883. Christ Church by the Sea grew from that early presence. Service times: Sunday worship is at 10 a.m.; Sunday school classes for children meet concurrently. An adult study class meets at 8:45 a.m. Pastor: The Rev. George R. Crisp Church staff: The Rev. Nya K. Taryor, director of Christian education; Nancy Remley, office manager; Craig Davis, music director; Barbara King, organist and Evelyn Huebner, membership coordinator Size of congregation: 175 members Makeup of congregation: Members come from Newport Beach, Costa Mesa, Huntington Beach, Balboa Island, Corona del Mar, Irvine, and Santa Ana. Ages range from 9 months to 92 years.

When its parishioners first began meeting, St. Mark Presbyterian Church lacked a house of worship. The 60 or so congregants moved eight times in the span of two years, starting out at what is now the Oasis Senior Center. They worshiped in the Little Theater at Corona del Mar High School for a month, later taking refuge in the campus shop-class space, where the church organ shared space with driver's-education cars. All that moving around led some to dub the nomadic faithful the peripatetic Presbyterians.

The Los Angeles Times reported Feb. 2 that a church in Westchester, Covenant Presbyterian Church, allows congregants to bring their dogs to Sunday night services. The church’s pastor, the Rev. Tom Eggebeen, told The Times that the idea is to make congregants feel more comfortable attending Covenant Presbyterian by bringing along their four-footed companions who might be considered as family members. According to the article, the presence of dogs at church services is part of a trend by churches to recognize the bond between people and their pets.

COSTA MESA — In the summer of 1928, Chisholm Brown attended the first service at the First United Methodist Church of Costa Mesa. The newly founded church was a landmark in an area with precious few of them — Harbor Boulevard and the surrounding streets were still being paved — and since it was the only house of worship in town, Catholics and other denominations crowded the pews. Eighty years later, the church is still standing at 420 W. 19th St. For that matter, so is Brown.

Cathie Young, the discipleship pastor at St. James Anglican Church, loves working where she has worshiped for the past 20 years. “You can walk down the halls and smell God,” Young said. “Yes, God has a smell.” After working at St. James for the past 16 years as a lay person, Young will be ordained as deacon 10 a.m. today at St. James in a ceremony officiated by Bishop Evans Kisekka, of the Anglican Church of Uganda, and Bishop John Guernsey, the U.S.-based missionary bishop from the Anglican Church of Uganda.

A growing number of Christians are skipping organized church services to instead worship more informally in their homes with smaller groups. David Wells, a theology professor and author of several books on modern Christianity, characterized the movement as "empty of biblical substance." What do you think of the "house worship" phenomena? Do you think it will ultimately replace larger congregations and services? For the first three centuries, Anno Domini Christians gathered and worshiped as best they were able, usually in small groups and secret settings.

Christ Church by the Sea United Methodist welcomes early risers to bring their blankets and beach chairs for its 17th annual Easter sunrise service, beginning at 6:30 a.m. Sunday, where 14th Street hits the sand in Newport Beach. The Rev. George Crisp will be preaching from the Gospel of Luke and promises beautiful music and a large crowd. At 10 a.m., he will lead a traditional worship back at the church at 1400 W. Balboa Blvd., Newport Beach. For more information, call (949) 673-3805.

Recent statistics show that more women than men attend church services, prompting many religious leaders to promote Jesus as a tougher, more masculine figure. The numbers indicate that more than 60% of adults at typical worship services are women. That amounts to 13 million more women than men at church on Sunday, according to David Murrow, author of "Why Men Hate Going to Church." The Barns Group, a Christian polling firm, concluded that women are also more likely to go to Sunday school, read the Bible and regularly pray.

A Vietnamese Buddhist congregation is suing Garden Grove for barring it from worshipping at a former medical building and from building a temple on the property. The city manager said the City Council rejected the temple's plans because neighbors objected to extra traffic, parking and noise the temple might generate. The ACLU is representing the congregation in the lawsuit. This situation presents a conflict between two cherished American freedoms: the right of people to quiet enjoyment of their homes and the right of people to practice their religion.

Many church leaders have begun to take advantage of the talented actors and singers in the area to draw in new congregants by offering their divine venues as a place to share those talents. Churches in the area are experiencing a growth in their music ministries. They are attracting new congregants and generating excitement in longtime members by integrating music into Sunday services and special performances at other times, church officials said. Music ministry has always played an important role at La Ca"ada Presbyterian Church, said Tony Chunn, director of Worship, Music and Arts.

Is your church or place of worship planning a special event? If so, send the typed information at least two weeks before the event to the Daily Pilot, 1375 Sunflower Ave., Costa Mesa, CA 92626, attention: Lindsay Sandham, News Assistant; SPECIAL EVENTS "FRIENDSHIP SUNDAY" The Center for Spiritual Discovery in Costa Mesa invites everyone to attend "Friendship Sunday," a special celebration of friends and ...