POLICE & CLERGY: The Rev. Dudley Chatman,...

POLICE & CLERGY: The Rev. Dudley Chatman, president of the San Fernando Valley Interfaith Council, has invited clergy in the area to meet with Deputy Chief Martin Pomeroy and other Los Angeles police representatives Monday at his Pacoima church to discuss race relations.

“The meeting will be non-confrontational, but it will allow us to air and meet concerns about police-community relations,” said Chatman, pastor of the Greater Community Missionary Baptist Church, 11066 Norris Ave. The meeting will start at 9 a.m.

In issuing mailed invitations to Valley clergy on behalf of the council, Chatman said, “We share the concern of many in the religious community about the social and psychological aftermath of . . . the O.J. Simpson trial.”

Reactions “divide sharply and dangerously along racial lines” to Simpson’s not-guilty verdict and to the “Million Man March” in Washington organized by Minister Louis Farrakhan of the Nation of Islam, wrote Chatman. “We hope we can help to counteract any increased distrust between the races.”

An interfaith prayer for understanding was also mailed to invited clergy for suggested reading before Thanksgiving. Chatman said the council also hopes to organize small dialogues among congregational members of different faiths.

For more information, call the council office in Chatsworth: (818) 718-6460.

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GORDIS-IN-RESIDENCE: Rabbi Daniel Gordis, a vice president at the University of Judaism and dean of its rabbinical school, will begin a series of talks Friday night at Temple Aliyah in Woodland Hills as the Conservative synagogue’s scholar-in-residence for the weekend.

Some of Gordis’ themes will be from his recent book, “God Is Not in the Fire: The Search for a Spiritual Judaism.”

At the 6 p.m. shabbat dinner and service Friday, Gordis will talk on “Modern Jews and Their Discontent.” Information: (818) 346-3545.

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PRAYERFULNESS SEMINAR: An all-day workshop of “prayerfulness” will be held at the Glendale City Seventh-day Adventist Church on Nov. 18, co-sponsored by La Sierra University’s school of religion and Charistis, a Glendale organization.

“Prayerfulness is a matter of living our union with God and is more simple and encompassing than prayer is commonly understood to be,” said Diane Forsyth, founder of Charistis. The program will include four cycles of presentations, silence and shared reflections, Forsyth said.

The cost is from $20 to $30. The church is at 610 E. California Ave. Information: (818) 243-2996.

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LECTURE SERIES: Miriyam Glazer, who chairs the University of Judaism literature department, will talk on new trends in Jewish American literature at 10 a.m. Sunday at Temple Beth Haverim of Agoura Hills as part of a lecture series at the synagogue, 5126 Clareton Drive.

On Nov. 21, Lois Hecht Oppenheim, professor of political science at the same university, will talk on a Jewish perspective of the immigration debate in California. She has done extensive research in the field of Latin American politics.

Cost of each lecture is $7. Information: (818) 991-7111.

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CATHOLIC COMPOSER: Theology professor Bob Hurd of Menlo Park, who also is a composer of liturgical music for Catholic worship, will present a concert at 7:30 p.m. Friday at St. Bernardine of Siena Catholic Church, 24410 Calvert St., Woodland Hills.

Hurd will also hold a workshop the next day examining the relationship between music and rituals in worship. Admission for the events range from $5 to $15. Information: (818) 888-0324.

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BAHAI CELEBRATION: The Bahai Community of Calabasas will hold a celebration, “Global Peace Through Universal Education,” at 2 p.m. Nov. 18 at Soka University. Featured speakers will be educational specialist John Burton and Hoda Mahmoudi, professor of sociology at Cal Lutheran University. Information: (818) 591-7002.

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MAGIC & KABBALAH: In separate talks Sunday, Rabbi Morris L. Rubinstein of Valley Beth Shalom will talk at that Sun Valley synagogue at 11 a.m. on “Jewish Magic and Superstition,” and Eitan Yardeni of the Kabbalah Learning Center will speak at 1 p.m. on “Learning About Kabbalah,” mystical Jewish lore dating from the Middle Ages.

Valley Beth Israel, a Conservative congregation, is at 13060 Roscoe Blvd. Cost of each lecture is $8. Information: (818) 782-2281.

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SAMARITAN CLINIC: Blood pressure readings, parenting classes, tenant/landlord counseling, Social Security information and other services will be offered to the public Nov. 18 in a Good Samaritan Clinic at St. Paul’s United Methodist Church, 5619 Lindley Ave., Tarzana. The hours will be 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Information: (818) 708-7068.