BOARD ADOPTS GUIDELINES ON INVOCATIONS WILSONA TRUSTEES SPLIT ON RULES.

Byline: Karen Maeshiro Staff Writer

LAKE LOS ANGELES - A divided Wilsona School District board has adopted National Conference of Christians and Jews guidelines for local pastors to give invocations at board meetings.

A copy of the guidelines was brought to the board by Bernard Price, president of the Antelope Valley Interfaith Council, at a special meeting Thursday at which a Wiccan high priestess spoke of the need to respect each other's faiths.

``I think these are appropriate guidelines. I think it's good the board has adopted something that has been tried and tested,'' Superintendent Ned McNabb said. ``It's been confirmed as something that is acceptable by many faiths.''

The board voted 3-2 to approve the guidelines. The dissenting votes were cast by board President Sharon Toyne, whose own set of guidelines failed to pass on a 2-2 vote with one abstention earlier this month, and trustee Christina Behringer.

Toyne could not be reached Friday for comment. McNabb said Toyne did not like a portion of the guidelines that suggested using universal, inclusive terms for deity rather than particular proper names.

``She didn't want to limit what people can say,'' McNabb said.

Board member Mark Lucas said he voted in favor of the guidelines because they were standard ones used in legislative bodies.

``They are broad and everybody uses them. The nice thing is they have examples in there. You don't say 'Jesus,' you say 'Creator.' It's something that's neutral and not offensive,'' Lucas said. ``I'm glad this is behind us.''

The National Conference of Christians and Jews guidelines state, ``Prayer on behalf of the general community should be general prayer. General prayer is inclusive, nonsectarian and carefully planned to avoid embarrassments and misunderstandings.''

General public prayer ``calls upon God on behalf of the particular public gathered; avoids individual petitions,'' ``uses forms and vocabulary that allow persons of different faiths to give assent to what is said,'' and ``uses universal, inclusive terms for deity rather than particular proper names for divine manifestations. Some opening ascriptions are 'Mighty God,' 'Our Maker,' 'Source of all Being,' or 'Creator and Sustainer.' Possible closing words are 'Hear Our Prayer,' 'In Thy Name,' 'May Goodness Flourish,' or, simply, 'Amen.'''

General public prayer also ``considers other creative alternatives, including a moment of silence,'' and ``remains faithful to the purposes of acknowledging divine presence and seeking blessing, not as opportunity to preach, argue or testify.''

The Anti-Defamation League, an anti-discrimination group, said the district violated the law when the school board opened its April meeting with a local minister's invocation mentioning Jesus Christ.

The prayer was the first after a 3-2 vote by the board the previous month to start its meetings with an invocation. In that vote, Behringer and Lucas voted no.

The second invocation given at the May 16 meeting also mentioned Jesus Christ, trustees said.

The city of Burbank was sued in 1999 over its practice of commencing City Council meetings with a prayer and lost. Los Angeles Superior Court Judge Alexander Williams III ruled that, ``In numerous decisions, prayer invoking the name of Jesus Christ has been identified as sectarian, and prayer that does not has been identified as acceptably nonsectarian.''

Burbank has appealed that decision.

Toyne came up with the idea of opening board meetings with invocations after being approached by people in the community.

Toyne contacted Lake Los Angeles churches about sending representatives to offer invocations. All listed on the invocation schedule are Christians, which drew discrimination criticism.

Toyne has said she did not extend invitations to mosques, synagogues or other places of worship in Lancaster or Palmdale because she wanted to focus on the local community of Lake Los Angeles, and it has only Christian churches.