CRISIS OF FAITH INSPIRED MAN TO FOUND NEW CHURCH.Byline: VICTORIA GIRAUD The Rev. Gifford M. Smith Jr., minister of The Church for Today's interfaith congregation, first felt his calling to the ministry in the eighth grade. ``I was a real serious kid. It was important to discover my purpose or mission in life. I thought for a while of becoming a pilot. I was interested in the space program and read everything on it,'' Giff remembered. The Smiths had moved to Phoenix from Upstate New York Upstate New York is the region of New York State north of the core of the New York metropolitan area. It has a population of 7,121,911 out of New York State's total 18,976,457. Were it an independent state, it would be ranked 13th by population. and became active in a 3,500-member Congregational con·gre·ga·tion·al adj. 1. Of or relating to a congregation. 2. Congregational Of or relating to Congregationalism or Congregationalists. Adj. 1. church. As part of the youth group, Giff attended a church-sponsored vocational conference in Redlands. ``All kinds of exotic ministries'' were featured at the conference, Giff recalled. One Las Vegas This article or section contains information about expected future buildings or structures. Some or all of this information may be speculative, and the content may change as building construction begins. man was a bartender by day and worked in suicide prevention Suicide prevention is an umbrella term for the collective efforts of mental health practitioners and related professionals to reduce the incidence of suicide through proactive preventive measures. at night. Others were working in the inner city helping with welfare rights and tenants unions. ``The church I was involved in impacted people's lives. I wanted to be a part of that and make a difference. I thought I might have those skills. It sounded like a good match,'' Giff explained. Giff was ordained or·dain tr.v. or·dained, or·dain·ing, or·dains 1. a. To invest with ministerial or priestly authority; confer holy orders on. b. To authorize as a rabbi. 2. as a Congregational minister by the United Theological Seminary The United Theological Seminary was founded in Dayton, Ohio, United States in 1869 by the Rev. Milton Wright at a General Conference of the Church of the United Brethren in Christ. in the Minneapolis-St. Paul area in 1978. His early ministries were a church in Whittier and then in Hollywood. When the Hollywood church was ordered to bring its building into compliance with earthquake safety standards Safety standards are standards designed to ensure the safety of products, activities or processes, etc. They may be advisory or compulsory and are normally laid down by an advisory or regulatory body that may be either voluntary or statutory. , the congregation decided to make a fresh start. Their Hollywood property was sold, and Giff came to Agoura Hills in 1984 to found the Agoura Hills Community Church. In 1987, Giff's life hit a snag, and he left the ministry. During the next few years he dealt with personal crises, a divorce and his ex-wife's fatal illness, and his own crisis of faith. In the meantime Adv. 1. in the meantime - during the intervening time; "meanwhile I will not think about the problem"; "meantime he was attentive to his other interests"; "in the meantime the police were notified" meantime, meanwhile , Giff took a regular day job as a human resources The fancy word for "people." The human resources department within an organization, years ago known as the "personnel department," manages the administrative aspects of the employees. troubleshooter with a company that made index tabs and binders. ``I got burnt out. I was disillusioned dis·il·lu·sion tr.v. dis·il·lu·sioned, dis·il·lu·sion·ing, dis·il·lu·sions To free or deprive of illusion. n. 1. The act of disenchanting. 2. The condition or fact of being disenchanted. somewhat, so I didn't do anything for a while. I did a career assessment and learned what I was doing in the ministry was what I wanted to do most.'' Giff began exploring spiritual alternatives, taking such classes as Science of Mind, Tai Chi Tai Chi Definition T'ai chi is a Chinese exercise system that uses slow, smooth body movements to achieve a state of relaxation of both body and mind. , 12-step programs, the Course in Miracles. When his ex-wife, with whom he remained friends, was dying, he stayed by her side. She told him she was healed, that she ``had reached a place of peace within herself where she could accept whatever was going to happen,'' Giff recalled. ``Intellectually, I had an understanding of who God was,'' Giff described his earlier beliefs. His explorations deepened his faith. ``My heart began to connect with my mind. It had less to do with a belief in dogma, and everything to do with experiencing the mystery of God.'' In 1991, with the help of Joyce Barango, The Church for Today was established in Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. as an ``alternative that spoke to the spiritual needs of unchurched un·churched adj. Not belonging to or participating in a church. n. (used with a pl. verb) People who do not belong to or participate in a church considered as a group. Used with the. folks. We appreciate differences, but we emphasize the similarities,'' Giff said. In line with Giff's own spiritual quests, the church has established The Institute of Spiritual Direction, which gives a Certificate of Spiritual Counseling after a two-year course that includes classes on counseling, comparative religions, meditation and the principles of attitudinal healing, to name a few. Among its many projects, the church is active in the local Coalition to Prevent Homelessness, Project Love (providing aid for Arizona's Navajo and Hopi Indians), a youth program to help the people of Guadalajara, Mexico, and an alliance with other local churches to provide meals and shelter to the homeless. Currently working out of the old Goebel Senior Center at 110 S. Conejo School Road, Giff, who has been a full-time minister only in the past 18 months, dreams of ``eventually getting our own building.'' In the meantime he's found personal happiness and plans to marry congregation member Diane Simon in September. Simon was raised in the Jewish faith, and the couple will combine some of the Jewish marriage ceremony traditions in a ceremony performed by Giff's early mentor from the Arizona church, Dr. Bill Nelson. Giff sees his ministry as interconnected to others. ``We're in the business of assisting people on their spiritual path, in equipping them to minister to other people's needs. The whole congregation is an extension of that ministry. We all have special gifts we can share with each other.'' MEMO: Victoria Giraud welcomes comments and suggestions for columns. Call her at (818) 386-9399. CAPTION(S): 2 Photos Photo: (1) The Rev. Gifford Smith has started a new chur ch in Thousand Oaks. (2--ran in CONEJO edition only) Smith, founder of The Church for Today, stands outside his study. David Crane/Daily News |
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