Courses include Indian Wells Resort, Westin Mission Hills Resort, Desert Falls Country Club, Terra Largo, La Quinta Resort and Club, the Classic Club and the Golf Club at La Quinta.

The format will be a four-ball scramble.

To kick-off the event, a pairing and course-assignment dinner featuring local pro Jeff Cranford will be held from 5:30 to 8 p.m. April 2 at the Westin Mission Hills Resort. The tournament will be held the following morning.

As part of the dinner, Cranford will interview several well-known Professional Golf Association pros.

The Festival Life is a weeklong ministry outreach sponsored by Mike MacIntosh and his San Diego-based church Horizon Christian Fellowship and the LOV movement, an acronym for the Lighthouse of the Valley, an alliance of Christian churches of all denominations in the Coachella Valley.

For more information, visit www.lovmovement.com and click on the golf tournament link.


Rove to headline PJI’s annual banquet
ANAHEIM — Celebration of Justice 2010, the annual fundraising gala for the Pacific Justice Institute, will be held May 8 at the Grand Californian Hotel at the Disneyland Resort and feature keynote speaker Karl Rove.

Rove served as senior adviser and deputy chief of staff under the George W. Bush administration. He now serves as a commentator for Fox News.

Radio talk show host Frank Pastore from Los Angeles, KKLA, will serve as the event emcee.

A VIP reception hosted by Focus on the Family's Steve Jordahl will also be included in the festivities.

The hotel is located at 1600 S. Disneyland Drive.

Event sponsorship from $2,500 to $10,000 are available. Individual tickets are priced at $250.

For more information, visit www.pacificjustice.org.


Calvary Costa Mesa to host free recovery conference
SANTA ANA — Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa will host its 3rd Annual “One Step to Freedom,” a drug and alcohol recovery conference, from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. March 13. The theme of the free event is “Lost and Found.”

Guest speakers include Gerry Brown, founder and president of U-Turn for Christ Addiction Rehabilitation; Victor Marx: president of All Things Possible Outreach to troubled youth; Laurie Ishii, president of After Hours Outreach to pimps and prostitutes; David Zamora, an ex-gang member/drug dealer who is now senior pastor of Community Faith Center and Tommy Cota, and ex-convict who is now associate pastor of Calvary Chapel Costa Mesa.

Also participating will be several recovery centers offering information and contacts to those interested in overcoming addictions such as eating disorders, gambling, pornography, prescription drug abuse, and drug/alcohol abuse. A pregnancy center and a homeless outreach will also be represented.

In addition to free admission, lunch and parking will also be free.

The church is located at 3800 South Fairview Road in Santa Ana. For more information, visit www.calvarychapel.com.


Catalyst to host leadership conference
IRVINE — “Unusual Tomorrow,” a Catalyst West conference targeting the next generation leaders, will be held April 21 to 23 at Mariner’s Church.

Event speakers include Andy Stanley, Don Miller, Erwin McManus, Eugene Cho, Kay Warren, Mark Driscoll, Reggie Joiner, Louie Giglio, Wess Stafford, Scott Belsky, Charlene L and Dallas Willard.

The pre-event Catalyst labs, held on April 21, will include such as John Ortberg, Jud Wilhite, Margaret Feinberg, Michael Hyatt, Scot McKnight, Dan Kimball, Mike Foster, Susan Isaacs, Dave Kinnaman, Leroy Barber and Carlos Whittaker.

Registration discounts are available before March 25, when rates are $269. After that date, the price increases to $289. Discounts are also available for students and groups of 2 to 9, 10 to 19 and more than 20. The cost for labs is $119 by March 25 and $129 afterward.

The church is located at 5001 Newport Coast Drive.

For more information, visit www.catalystwestcoast.com.


Eastside Christian launches organic garden
FULLERTON — Students and teachers from Eastside Christian Elementary School broke ground Feb. 3 on the campus’ new organic garden project.

The project began Feb. 12 and involves the removal of existing dirt and replacing it with fresh organic soil, then the planting and seeding of organic herbs and vegetables.

The installation of the gardens is a collaborative effort between groOrganic, and Eastside Christian Elementary School and is designed to provide the opportunity and empower children to develop lifelong habits of nutrition, health and service. Producing their own organic garden, administrators said, promotes confidence and positive role models for healthier lifestyles within the community.

As part of the project, groOrganic will present the school with a gardening enrichment curriculum program that encompasses both California Board of Education content standards and state standards. The curriculum teaches students the importance of understanding our environment and how to protect it.

They will also learn about balanced, healthy lifestyles through cross-curricular educational content standards in the area of language arts, nutrition, historical and social science, mathematics, physical education, science, visual arts, performing arts and community service opportunities.

“The garden is a natural place of learning and growing,” said Karen Cancilla, founder of groOrganic. “The metaphors it provides are invaluable for children.”


O.C. Christian Writers to host conference
IRVINE — The 26th annual Orange County Christian Writers Conference, featuring editors, award-winning authors, literary agents, and writers, will be held May 1 at Mariners Church.

Faculty for the event will include Mick Silva, editor of WaterBrook Press; Susan King, assistant editor of Upper Room Publishers; Dan Alban, editor of Power for Living magazine; Nancy Sanders, an award-winning children's writer; Susan Meissner, an award-winning novelist; Kathy Ide, founder and director of The Christian Pen Network; Kathy Collard Miller, best-selling author and speaker; Brian Bird, screenwriter and film producer: John Fox, publisher of Book Fox blog and short story writer; Jeff Gerke, publisher of Marcher Lord Press; Kati Macias, author and writer; Dan Miley, editor of Rainbow Publishers and Legacy Press; Kelly Morimer, agent, Susan Titus Osborn, editor in chief of Christian Communicator Critique Service & Acquisition and editor of New Hope Publishing.

In addition to keynote discussions, the conference will provide workshops and individual consultations with editors and speakers.

The cost of the conference is $125 for members and $150 for non-members. The registration fee includes a catered lunch and one faculty consultation.

The church is located at 5001 Newport Coast Drive.

For more information, visit www.occwf.org or call (714) 538-7070.


Harvest 2010 dates set
ANAHEIM — The 21^st annual Harvest Crusade with Greg Laurie will be held Aug. 6 to 8 at Angel Stadium of Anaheim.

Confirmed artists for the festival are the David Crowder Band, Jeremy Camp and Steven Curtis Chapman.

In addition to the music and message, activities will target small children and extreme sports.

Available language translations will include Spanish, Korean, Chinese and Vietnamese. Sign language interpretation will also be available.

Although the crusade admission is free, there is a $10 parking fee for the lot.

For more information, visit www.harvest.org.


Cleaning out our hearts
ORANGE — Covenant Presbyterian Church Women’s Fellowship will feature Joann Wright Schulte’s program, “This Old House” at 11:30 a.m. March 18 in St. Andrew’s Hall.

Schulte is a freelance writer and speaker whose articles have appeared in Chicken Soup for the Soul publications, among others. and on the More Hours in My Day Web site. She brings humor and a warm personality to her subject—how to clean out and clear out our hearts and “spiritual houses,” just as we get rid of the clutter in our physical homes.

The program is free, but a $5 lunch will be served prior to the program.

Advance reservations are required by noon March 16. Childcare is available upon request, with a sack lunch to be provided for each child.

The church is located at 1855 N. Orange Olive Road, Orange.

For more information, call (714) 998-6650 or visit www.covp.org.


Free family movie night
GARDEN GROVE — First Presbyterian Church of Garden Grove will host a free family night featuring “Dreamer: Inspired by a True Story” at 7 p.m. March 12.

The movie, rated PG for brief mild language, uses humor to explore family and money issues. It features Kurt Russell as Ben, a horse trainer with a beautiful, loving wife, Lilly (Elisabeth Shue), a darling daughter, Cale (Dakota Fanning), and an estranged father, Pop (Kris Kristofferson).

When, against Ben's advice, his bully of a boss (David Morse) insists on racing a horse named Soñador, the horse is badly injured. Ben is fired, and impulsively accepts the horse in lieu of severance pay.

Ben Crane fears he may have been crazy when he decided to rescue the injured racehorse, but his daughter Cale thinks he's a hero. So does the filly Soñador, which is Spanish for “dreamy.” Sonador shows favor on his compassionate owner by giving the economically challenged family a reason to dream again, changing their lives forever.

The movie will be shown on a big screen in the sanctuary of First Presbyterian Church, 11832 Euclid St.

For more information, visit www.fpcgg.org or call (714) 534-2269.


Mary Rice Hopkins concert
ORANGE — Covenant Christian School will host a Mary Rice Hopkins & Co. concert on Friday, March 26 at 7 p.m.

Tickets are $10 for VIP seating and $5 general admission. VIP tickets also include a photo opportunity and autograph signing.

The concert is described as an interactive experience of “nonstop fun and singing from beginning to end.” Featured songs include award-winners like “Hippopotamus,” “Superman,” “Fish Are Gonna Bite,” “Create in Me” and “Matilda.” The songs are augmented with visuals and hand movements.

The school is located at 1855 Orange-Olive Road.

For more information, contact Stacy Germain at sgermain@covschool.org or call the school office at (714) 998-4852. The Web site is at www.covschool.org.


London banker to discuss ‘God at Work’
IRVINE — Ken Costa, chairman of Lazard International in London and former vice chairman of UBS Investment Bank, will talk about his recent book, “God at Work” at Concordia University Irvine’s upcoming Faith & Business Forum, set for 11:30 a.m. March 12 at the Hyatt Regency.

In his book, Costa, who hails from the heart of the United Kingdom’s financial district, writes how the Christian faith can be lived out day to day at work. He points to a place for biblical principles in today’s business world, which is commonly known for its cutthroat demands and lack of compassion.

The 30-year veteran investment banker will give practical insights on tackling common problems such as work-life balance, stress, ambition, failure and disappointment.

Concordia University Irvine hosts the annual Faith & Business Forum to offer a unique platform for national and international business leaders to express how biblical principles have given them success, wisdom and strength.

Faith and Business Forum tickets are available by calling 1-800-229-1200, ext. 1808 or going online at www.centerforfaithandbusiness.com.


GLASS returns to Pasadena
PASADENA — The 58^th Annual GLASS Convention, sponsored by Christian Ministries Training Association, will be held April 23 to 24 at the Pasadena Convention Center.

The keynote speaker will be noted author Anne Graham Lotz.

The convention will offer dozens of workshops covering the wide-ranging issues faced by churches and families, including “Using the Arts to Reach a Post-Modern Generation,” “How to Bring Order to Your Classroom,” “Top 10 Things You have to Do To Be Successful in Children’s Ministry,” “The Parent as Coach, Raising Kids of Conviction, Courage and Character,” Creative Ways to Incorporate Prayer into Your Children’s Ministry,” “Engaging Fathers in Family,” “How to Raise Kids So They Don't Hate Church,” “A Battle Cry for Christian Marriages,” “Growing Your Children’\s Ministry through Reaching the Public School and “Creating Controlled Chaos.”

Registration fees are $49 per day or $69 for both. Discounts are available for students and pastors.

The center is located at 300 E. Green St.

For more information, visit www.cmtaconvention.org.


Southern Gospel Fan Fest set for Visalia
VISALIA — The 14th Annual Great Western Fan Festival will be held April 29 to May 1 in Visalia’s Convention Center.

The festival is relocating after 13 years in Fresno.

“We are absolutely thrilled by the response we received when the announcement was made that we would be making the move to Visalia,” said Dean Hopper, a board member of the fan festival. “The city has pulled out all the stops to welcome this event.”

Since its 1977 debut, the event has grown to become one of the largest three-day gospel music events west of the Rockies. The event merges the biggest names in Southern Gospel Music with many of the most popular West Coast-based Gospel recording artists, attracting thousands each year.

“We are thrilled with this new facility in Visalia,” Hopper said. “The seating will be in the round, which will provide an intimate setting. We think attendees will love the setting, and we expect this to be our best year to date.”

The festival will include nightly concerts and afternoon showcases with many of Southern Gospel Music's most popular names, including The Hoppers, Greater Vision, The Booth Brothers, Legacy Five, and Triumphant, as well as many prominent West Coast groups.

Tickets for the 2010 Great Western Fan Festival are on sale now and may be purchased by calling 1-800-965-9324 or online at www.iTickets.com. For more information, visit www.fanfestivals.com.


Gettys bring hymns to Glendora
GLENDORA — The Gettys, a husband and wife duo who specialize in full-bodied modern hymns, will appear at Church of the Open Door at 7 p.m. March 21.

Co-sponsored by Haven Ministries, the free show will include Charles Morris, host of the radio program, Haven Today!

The couple, with Keith at the piano and Kristyn, with her angelic, Celtic voice, came to the United States several years ago to promote their classic music. They have become popular performers and will return to Shadow Mountain for the third straight year.

Keith co-wrote the popular hymn “In Christ Alone,” with singer, songwriter Stuart Townend. The title song was featured in their successful first release in 2006. The couple recently released “Awaken the Dawn,” which is described as a collection of hymns that takes listeners on a lyrical journey of grace and hope for all the nations.

“There are two reasons we write modern hymns,” Keith writes on his Web site. “First, it’s to help teach the faith. What we sing affects how we think, how we feel and ultimately how we live, so it’s so important that we sing the whole scope of truth the Bible has given us. The second reason is to try to create a more timeless musical style that every generation can sing, a style that relates to the past and the future.”

For more information, visit www.churchoftheopendoor.com or call (626) 914-4646.