AGOURA HILLS

The Book of Ruth' to be presented

"The Book of Ruth," a one-woman dramatization, will be presented at 9:30 a.m. Sunday at Christian Church of the Hills.

Karen Westcott will step into the role of each character to offer a look at the humor, frailties and strengths of the characters in the biblical Old Testament book.

Christian Church of the Hills is at 29295 Agoura Road. For more information, call 818-991-1929.

CAMARILLO

Author to speak at May 18 brunch

The Sisterhood and Brotherhood of Temple Ner Ami will host author and scholar Lillian Hawthorne at the Sunday Brunch at 10 a.m. May 18 at 4098 Calle Tesoro.

Hawthorne's topic will be "Jewish History of Camarillo." She is well-versed in this subject as a member of a founding family of the local temple.

Reservations are required. There is a fee of $10 for advance reservations or $15 at the door to cover the cost of the brunch. For more information, call Temple Ner Ami at 388-3824.

SIMI VALLEY

Mormon Choir to perform May 10

The Southern California Mormon Choir will perform at 7 p.m. May 10 in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Sinaloa Building, 480 Sinaloa Road.

This choir is a 120-voice choral ensemble directed by Frank Turner. Since its formation in 1953, it has performed concerts of classical, sacred, folk, patriotic and popular choral music throughout the Southern California area. It has performed with the Boston Pops, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Glendale Symphony, the Pacific Symphony, and others. The Simi Valley Stake Choir will join in singing two numbers with them.

Admission is free. For more information, call 306-9388 or 578-1051.

THOUSAND OAKS

Zulu shamans topic of program Monday

An international religious expert will discuss Zulu shamans in South Africa and North America at 10 a.m. Monday at California Lutheran University.

David Chidester will speak on "Global Dreamscapes: Religion and Dreaming in a Changing World" in Samuelson Chapel. He will discuss the dreams, visions and extraordinary experiences of contemporary Zulu shamans in South Africa and North America. He will explore how these new spiritual mediums are bringing together religion, electronic media and sensory experiences in new combinations to follow their dreams into a changing, globalizing world.

The presentation is the second annual Deborah Sills Memorial Lecture. The series was developed in memory of the CLU religion professor, whose work focused on women and American popular culture.

The chapel is near the corner of Olsen Road and Campus Drive. For more information, call Jarvis Streeter at 493-3236.

Civil War program to be presented

"The Common Soldier in the Civil War" from the Vermont Volunteers Historical Association will be presented in words and pictures by Pete and Tim Swavely at a breakfast on May 10 at Ascension Lutheran Church.

In Pederson Hall, the two men will talk about history and the groups they portray in re-enactments, Company E, 2nd Vermont Volunteer Infantry, and Company G, 3rd George Volunteer Infantry. Host is the church's Men's Ministry. Men, women and families are welcome. Fellowship will start at 7 a.m. and breakfast at 7:30 a.m.; the program will conclude at 9:15 a.m.

Cost of $8 per person covers food and reservations can be made with Men's Ministry leader George Lange of Thousand Oaks by e-mailing gold2george@yahoo.com.

The church is at 1600 E. Hillcrest Drive. For more information, call 495-0406.

Ventura

African tea and silent auction scheduled

Conejo Valley Church will sponsor an African tea and silent auction to raise money for the Made in the Streets ministry in Nairobi, Kenya. The event will take place from 5 to 7 p.m. Sunday at 2525 E. Hillcrest Drive.

Attendees will drink Kenyan chai, hear about the ministry to street kids in Nairobi, and bid on items for sale in the silent auction.

Sharing presentations about the ministry will be Francis Mbuvi and Anthony Owino, former street kids who now help lead the ministry. Also presenting will be ministry founders Charles and Darlene Coulston and other Conejo Valley Church members who have served in this ministry.

For more information, call Tammy Ditmore 498-3399 or e-mail tammy.ditmore@pepperdine.edu.

Concordia University singers to perform

The choral ensembles of Concordia University in Portland, Ore., will present a concert in Ventura at 7 p.m. Thursday, as part of their summer tour. The concert, called Building Bridges — Serving Like Christ, will be at Trinity Lutheran Church, 196 N. Ashwood Ave.

The ensembles are directed by Kurt Berentsen, who was associated with Ventura's Gold Coast Chorus and the music department at Trinity Lutheran during the 1980s.

The concert will include selections composed or arranged by J.S. Bach, Norman Luboff and others.

Admission is free; donations will be accepted. For more information, call 644-7474.

WESTLAKE VILLAGE

Spring Jubilee Women's event set

Calvary Community Church's Mothers of Preschoolers will present a Spring Jubilee women's seminar and boutique, The Beauty of You, on May 10.

The seminar will be from 9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and feature Nancy Stafford. Participants will discover ways to develop not only the beauty inside, but also home and relationships. Presentations on preparing a quick floral arrangement, gourmet meal, and craft will be included, along with breakfast and lunch. Tickets are $25 in advance or $30 at the door.

The boutique will be from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m. Items will include designer clothing, jewelry and home decor. Admission is free.

The event will be at Calvary Community Church, 5495 Via Rocas.

To purchase tickets or for more information, e-mail SpringJubilee@gmail.com. The church's phone number is 818-991-8040.