FINDING MEANING : CLERGY SHARE DIFFERENT PERSPECTIVES ON CHRISTMAS.

Byline: Sharline Chiang Daily News Staff Writer

For the Rev. Carl Bell, the spiritual meaning of Christmas came to life as he watched his parishioners ready gifts for donation to families in South Central Los Angeles.

For Deacon Chet Holly, it was the busy hands of congregants as they decorated their Chatsworth church for Christmas, planting a tree and building a Nativity scene.

And for the Rev. Philip Price, Christmas is a time to find the holiday spirit in the pews - not the malls.

On Christmas Eve, religious leaders from the San Fernando Valley offered an array of views of the holiday season and messages they hope to impart to congregants today.

However, what they and other spiritual leaders from other denominations agreed on was that this is the time of year to remind people to love each other.

``For those that are skeptical, just look around you,'' said Holly of St. John Eudes Church in Chatsworth. ``There is a tremendous sense of generosity and giving and loving one another. Not just in the community, but in the country, and we should feel fortunate for that.''

For some, the spirit of the holiday season cuts across denominations, particularly because Christmas marks the end of the year and the start of a new one.

``It really is the season of sharing and hope,'' said Rabbi Ed Feinstein of Valley Beth Shalom in Encino. ``I'm not a Christian but I can appreciate what it means. People respond to that because they need hope.''

For many Buddhists, this is a time to cherish wisdom gained during the year, said Hye Wol Sunim, a teacher at the Maitthri Vihara Buddhist Meditation Center in Sun Valley.

``This is mostly to remind them to learn from the experiences of their lives and use this wisdom to deal with whatever comes in the new year,'' Sunim said.

From the pulpit, Bell has been reminding his parishioners of the helpless around the world, such as refugees in Rwanda and the hostages in Peru.

``I'm trying to make people more conscious of the world because we are all brothers and sisters,'' said Bell of St. Cyril's Catholic Church in Encino.

Price, of Woodland Hills Community Church, believes the greatest power of Christmas lies in the tale of the birth of Jesus Christ.

``The exciting thing about the Christmas story was that it announced good news for all people,'' he said. ``If we live out the Christmas story - we can change the world.''

Although for some people Christmas has been all but waylaid by commercialism, those who preach spirituality urged skeptics to keep the faith.

``It's giving, more than giving gifts. It's giving service to one another,'' Holly said. ``It's a really uplifting time.''

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Photo: (color) ``If we live out the Christmas story - we can change the world,'' said the Rev. Phil Price of Woodland Hills Community Church on the eve of the celebration of Christ's birth.

Tina Gerson / Daily News