From the pulpit and pew this week

| The New Mexican

4/19/2008 - 4/19/08

These are some of the events at area faith communties:


The Orthodox Christian faith communities follow the Julian calendar, so Easter will be
celebrated on April 27. Here are some of the services planned in the area Orthodox Christian communities:

St. Elias the Prophet Greek Orthodox Church at 46 Calle Electra. Visit the Web site at www.stelias.nm.goarch.org or call 466-0015. The Holy Week and Pascha schedule is:

• Today is Saturday of Lazaros. Matins is at 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy is at 10 a.m., followed by breakfast at 11 a.m. Great Vespers begins at 6 p.m.
• Sunday is Palm Sunday. Matins is at 9 a.m. Divine Liturgy is at 10 a.m. followed by a potluck luncheon at 11:30 a.m. The Service of the Bridegroom begins at
  7 p.m.
  
• Monday is Holy and Great Monday. The Service of the Bridegroom begins at
  7 p.m.
• Tuesday is Holy and Great Tuesday. The service of the Bridegroom begins at
  7 p.m.
• Wednesday is Holy and Great Wednesday. The Liturgy of Presanctified Gifts begins at10 a.m. The Sacrament of Holy Unction is at 7 p.m.
• Thursday is Holy and Great Thursday. The Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil begins at 10 a.m. The Service of the Passion — 12 Gospels — begins at 7 p.m.
• Friday is Holy and Great Friday. Royal Hours is at 10 a.m. Great Vespers of the Descent from the Cross begins at 3 p.m. Lamentations at the Tomb begins at 7 p.m.
• April 26 is Holy and Great Saturday. Vesperal Liturgy of St. Basil is at 10 a.m. Vigil of the Resurrection begins at 11 p.m.
• April 27 is Holy and Great Pascha. Service of the Resurrection begins at 12 a.m. Matins and Divine Liturgy begins at 12:15 a.m. Great Vespers of Agape begins at noon. Paschal Meal begins at 1 p.m.
  

Other area Orthodox churches also are having services.

Church of Kazan Mother of God: Russian Orthodox Church, Moscow Patriarchate. Call 505-501-0166.

Holy Trinity Orthodox Church: 231 E. Cordova Road. Call 983-5826.

St. Dimitri Orthodox Church (OCA) — Los Alamos at 2270 39th St. Call 661-7466.


At the Sunday service of Eckankar — the Religion of the Light and Sound of God, Matthew Mitchell will discuss "Giving the Gift You Came Here to Give." The 10:30 a.m. service provides readings, singing HU (a love song to God), a talk, open discussion and fellowship. Services are held at the Woman's Club, 1616 Old Pecos Trail. For more information, visit the Web site at www. eckankar.org. Call 989-5767.


Westminster Presbyterian Church, Santa Fe's multi-cultural church que es reformada y siempre reformándose, offers worship services on Sundays at 11 a.m. in Spanish and English and at 4 p.m. in Spanish. This Sunday, Laura Kuster will preach about "Life is A-Maze-ing" based on John 14:1-14. The church is at 841 W. Manhattan Ave. on the corner of W. Manhattan Avenue and St. Francis Drive, where the Korean Church also meets. For more information, visit the Web site at www.wpcsf.org or call 983-8939.


At the 8:30 and 11:45 a.m. Sunday celebration of the Holy Eucharist at the Church of the Holy Faith Episcopal, the Rev. John Onstott will preach. Dr. Stephen Kingsmore, president of the national Center for Genome Resources and a new member of the congregation, will begin a series on "Prayer 101" at the Adult Forum.

Nurseries are provided from 8:15 a.m. through the 11:45 a.m. service. Coffee and refreshments will be served at 10 a.m. and after the 11:45 a.m. service.

u From 8 a.m. until 1 p.m. on Friday and April 26, the church will host a rummage sale of
household goods, children's items, books and clothing. Great bargains will be available both days. The proceeds benefit the the Early Childhood Community and will be be used to purchase materials and supplies for the ECC.

The church offers a joyful, dignified worship with vibrant preaching and teaching proclaiming the Gospel of Jesus Christ. It is at 311 E. Palace Ave. For more information, visit the Web site at www.holyfaithchurchsf.org or call 982-4447.


At the 10:30 a.m. Sunday worship service at the Unitarian Church of Los Alamos, the Rev. John Cullinan will discuss "Being the Change We Wish to See." He will discuss the humanitarian outreach of the congregation's Service
Committee. He also will discuss "The Cost of Iraq: Who Pays the Price?" He will discuss the real cost of war and the UUSC's work in Iraq and Afghanistan, and take up a special collection to help further that work.

Religion-exploration classes and the adult forum meet at 9:30 a.m. on Sundays.

April's focus for the Adult Forum forum is "Spiritual Practice". This Sunday's conversation is led by Sherry Hardage. She will discuss a writing practice that enhances a person's ability to write from the heart.

Worship is at 10:30 a.m. Coffee and fellowship follow the worship service.

The church is at 1738 N. Sage St. For more information, visit the Web site for announcements and weekly podcasts at www.
uulosalamos.org or for an appointment
with Cullinan, call the church office at 662-2346.


The Santa Fe Study Center of the Theosophical Society in America, Wheaton, Ill., meets the first and third Sunday of the month. The group has a vision of wholeness rooted in service, study and meditation and explores the integration of spirituality, religion, philosophy and science. Anyone interested is welcome to attend. The group will be reading Ed Abdill's The Secret Gateway.

For more information, visit the Web site at www.theosophical.org, send an e-mail to marie@la-tierra.com or call 820-0062 or 852-4455.


At 2 p.m. on May 4, Our Lady of the Woods will celebrate the sabbat of Beltane at North Mesa Park in Los Alamos. The celebration is sure to include a traditional Maypole. Those who attend are asked to bring a contribution for the potluck to be held after the ceremony.

Our Lady of the Woods is a church and coven of the Wiccan faith serving Los Alamos, Santa Fe and the Northern Española Valley. It is led by Mist, the high priestess. For more information on a specific event, directions to events, or on Wicca in general, visit the Web site at www.ladywoods.org or call 672-1278.


Congregation Beit Tikva, sharing Jewish values in the Reform Tradition, holds Shabbat services at 7:30 p.m. on Fridays.

• On  Sunday, children ages 5 to 8 years old are welcome to attend Sunday School. Applications are now being accepted for the fall session of school for pre-school through seventh grade. Preparations for both Bar and Bat Mitzvah also are available.
• On Thursday, Rabbi Nicolas Behrmann will lead the weekly study class based on The Torah, A Women's Commentary, edited by Tamara Cohn Eskenazi and Adrea L. Weiss. For more information, call Eva Wohl at 577-4977.
• At the 7:30 p.m. Shabbat service on Friday, Behrmann will discuss "Who Are the Rabbis and Why do they Still Matter?" Behrmann will discuss the spiritual leaders of the Jewish people and what people can learn about finding meaning and guidance from their teaching. Cantor Michael Linder will lead the congregation in chants and song.

Beit Tikva is at 2230 Old Pecos Trail. For more information, visit the Web site at www.beittikva.info or call 820-2991.


Shaikh Kamran Golriz, a representative of
Dr. Javad Nurbakhsh, master of the Nimatullahi Sufi order — a physician and psychiatrist — will be visiting Santa Fe on April 26 and 27.

Appointments will be scheduled from 9 a.m. through 9 p.m. on both days for those interested in learning about Sufism or members of the order who want an audience with Golriz. For information and location and to make an appointment, call 983-8500.


At 6:30 p.m. on Friday, cellist Michael Fitzpatrick will perform a concert for peace at Santa María de la Paz Catholic Community, followed by a screening of his peace-documentary Compassion Rising.

The concert is free. A contribution of $15 or more is suggested to support the film.

Fitzpatrick has worked with Catholic monks and Tibetan monks for the past 12 years on this project, inspired by the friendship between the late Catholic monk Thomas Merton and Nobel Peace Laureate His Holiness the Dalai Lama of Tibet. The public is invited to join Fitzpatrick and the Rev. Earl Rohleder. For more information, visit the Web site at www.michaelfitzpatrick.com or www.compassionrising.com.

The church is at 11 College Ave. For more information, call 473-4200.


The Santa Fe Kabbalah Study Groups welcome anyone interested in the study of Kabbalah.

• The Adanced Group meets on May 1 — after the Passover holiday — to study the idea of how the acquisition of experience in the natural world can serve as a way to regain a connection to the level of the psyche present in each individual at birth.
• The Beginners Group will meet May 8 to study the sefirot of Binah and Hokhman on the Tree of Life.

For more information on the groups, call Steve Russell, the groups' tutor, at 466-3137.