BRIEFLY IN RELIGION

Christian Science lecturer to appear

“What Is Christian Science and How Does It Heal?” is the topic of a lecture to be given Thursday, Nov. 9, at 7:30 p.m. at First Church of Christ, Scientist, 635 High Dr., Laguna Beach. The one-hour lecture is open to all.

In her talk, Martha Moffett of Elsah, Ill., will discuss a number of healings brought about through the application of God’s law. The healings include those of serious illness, addiction and life-threatening harm.

“All were accomplished through understanding God’s power and ever-present goodness,” Moffett says.

After receiving an undergraduate degree from Smith College and a law degree from Boston University, Moffett became a trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice in Washington, D.C., and served as a Special Assistant U.S. Attorney in Alexandria, Va. She later went into the private practice of law.

While her husband was assigned to the Middle East for three years for The Christian Science Monitor, Moffett was a trial lawyer with the U.S. Department of Justice. As the staff attorney for the New York-based Lawyers Committee for Human Rights in Jerusalem, she worked with Israeli officials and visited Palestinian prisons and refugee camps, addressing human rights concerns.

In 1994, she left her law practice to devote herself to the full-time public practice of Christian Science healing.

For children too young to attend the lecture, child care will be provided at the church, which is located off No. Pacific Coast Highway above the Boat Canyon Shopping Center. No entrance fee will be charged nor collection taken.

For more information, call (949) 494-3040.

‘Crash course’ in Hebrew at Chabad

The National Jewish Outreach Program will present “Read Hebrew America” this year at Chabad Jewish Center in Laguna Beach.

This free Hebrew reading “crash course” runs for six weeks, providing a gateway for spiritual seekers who want to discover deeper meanings in their lives and their Judaism as well, said Rabbi Perel Goorevitch of Chabad.

“As the primary language in which virtually all Jewish prayer books and significant religious texts are written and read, the Hebrew language has an innate spirituality,” Goorevitch said.

An estimated 80% of North American Jews are not Hebrew literate. Every November, tens of thousands of Jewish adults gather to learn to read Hebrew.

Throughout Jewish history, the Hebrew language has been a connection between Jewish communities around the world. For many modern Jews, learning Hebrew is the first step to reconnecting with their roots, Goorevitch said.

Chabad Jewish Center will offer the course for six consecutive weeks, beginning Tuesday, Nov. 7.

Chabad is located at 30804 S. Coast Highway. To register for the class, call (949) 499-0770.

Autobiographical story workshop

A 1 1/2 -hour workshop will explore a way to begin the process of assembling autobiographical stories at 9 a.m. Sunday in the Parlor of Laguna Presbyterian Church, 415 Forest Ave. The workshop will be repeated at 12 noon.

Sunday’s meetings spring from a presentation at Laguna Presbyterian last Sunday by storyteller and Vanguard University Professor Jerry Camery-Hoggatt.

Ceil Sharman, teacher, church member and Silver member of Toastmasters, will facilitate this Sunday’s programs.

The public is welcome to join the free workshop.

For more information, contact Sharman at [email protected] or (949) 494-7657.