Appeal Tribune Wednesday, August 31, 2016 3A
Canyon Views
Facing the challenges of climate change
ARLENE
M.
WEBB
In De-
cember
2015’s
Global Cli-
mate Sum-
mit held in Paris, 195 sig-
natory nations and the EU
agreed to the earth-wide
goal of preventing a two-
degree increase in Earth’s
temperature above pre-
industrial temperature.
Two degrees sounds
like a small amount, but as
we are already witness-
ing, in terms of global
temperature, these small
rises have significant ef-
fects in our weather pat-
terns and the vitality of
our seas and lands.
The most current sci-
ence indicates that, in or-
der to prevent a two-de-
gree rise in Earth’s tem-
perature, we must reduce
our carbon emissions to
ZERO by the year 2050.
If we fail to reach that
goal, we will experience
global climate change ef-
fects that will be both dev-
astating and irreversible.
To put that time frame
into perspective, I think
about people I love. In
2050, my children will be
64, 63, and 58. My grand-
son will turn 40. To say
that we live in times that
are unprecedented, ur-
gent, and epochal can in
no way be considered an
overstatement.
To help us grasp the
feasibility of this chal-
lenge, we can harken to
the “moonshot” of the
Kennedy era. At the start
of the 1960’s, the idea of
putting “man on the
moon” was as big a leap in
our collective psyches as
is our present mind shift
of creating a non-carbon-
emitting world. We are a
species that has demon-
strated an ability to meet
challenges and even sur-
pass the musings of
dreamers.
The existential dilem-
ma with which each of us
must wrestle is that of de-
termining where we will
stand in the midst of this
global re-orientation. For
we are called – called by
the glories of our past,
called by the hopes our fu-
ture generations, and
called by the eternity of
our Creator God – to make
this enormous energy
transition in conjunction
with a reinvigorated pur-
suit of justice and peace.
The currently reigning
twin artifices of ‘haves vs.
have-nots’ and ‘peace
through war’ have no
place in the coming global
transition.
Do you see the door-
way through which we
must travel?
Through the rich and
beautiful Judeo-Christian
tradition, we have re-
The most current science indicates that, in order to prevent
a two-degree rise in Earth’s temperature, we must reduce
our carbon emissions to ZERO by the year 2050.
ceived God’s dream for
our lives here on earth. A
serious devotion to our
faith imbues us with God’s
gift of the image of God’s
Kingdom. The Lord has
been known to deal se-
verely with us when that
approach is what we need-
ed. Simultaneously, God’s
grace and forgiveness are
what enable us to proceed
forward - moving beyond
the excesses of ego which
are a hallmark of human-
ity’s walk here on earth.
In the era of the Great
Exodus, God frankly de-
clared to Moses that God
was fed up with the arro-
gance and waywardness
of God’s people. But we re-
member that Moses re-
minded God of God’s
promises to the people –
promises to always be
with them and to help
them. And God responded
by setting aside pining
and wrath in order to deal
with the people merciful-
ly so that they might con-
tinue to move forward to-
ward God’s dream.
Friends, can we not
help but imagine that God
must surely now some-
times pine for a new be-
ginning, for a fresh start
with this project that we
call humanity? But we
know both from our own
personal experiences and
from the stories of our
rich, rich tradition that
God’s love and mercy are
stronger and longer last-
ing than God’s wrath.
God’s love and concern
for us is from everlasting
to everlasting.
Will you now help God?
Will you allow yourself to
envision with God a bright
and beautiful future for
this amazing assortment
of life here on Planet
Earth? Will you veer nei-
ther to the left nor to the
right, but move resolutely
toward the pathway of our
future – to the dream of
God?
Arlene Webb is the minister
of discipleship at Stayton
United Methodist Church.
She can be reached at
503-409-6769 or
arlene@wvi.com.
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OR-0000381137
Lucas Rue lifts Christy Anderson, ballroom-style.
ENTER FOR YOUR
Dance
CHANCE TO WIN OUR
Continued from Page 1A
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49
Choreographer Sarah Bauman explains the newest dance.
there performing, and the
crowd’s enjoying it, it’s
worth it.”
There are other rea-
sons the dancers are will-
ing to put in the work. Per-
formance weekends are
paid date nights, said Liz.
Dancing keeps you in
shape, said Leah, adding,
“It’s good for couples to
have to listen to each oth-
er and move as a couple.
We’ve come a long way
since our first year.”
If dancing ever ceases
to be fun, “we’ll stop,” Sa-
rah said. Over the years,
the group has rehearsed
in her driveway, in school
gyms and in a hay barn.
They lean hard on grand-
parents during perfor-
mances, but they typical-
ly bring their kids to prac-
tices.
That’s the case at to-
night’s practice. As the
evening wears on, Klein-
städtler-chen keep the
mood light, if their par-
ents weren’t already suc-
ceeding. All around the
16,000-square-foot Fes-
thalle, the kids romp and
play, ride bikes and run as
their parents dance.
In a moment of silence
between sets, tiny Lincoln
Rue snags the keys to his
dad’s King Ranch pickup,
sets off the alarm, and
comes tearing back to get
it silenced. The grownups
just laugh.
Showtime – in Mt. An-
gel and across the country
– awaits.
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GRAND PRIZ
nners
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Last day to call is 9/12/2016.
WEST5483
them – Matt Bauman and
Nick Wavra – are local
boys who danced at Okto-
berfest as children.
The three married cou-
ples that founded the
group still form its core.
They are Matt and Sarah
Bauman, Andy and Liz
Schaecher and Nick and
Imelda Wavra. Later,
brothers Jesse and Lucas
Rue joined the group,
along with Jesse’s wife,
Leah, and, now, Lucas’
fiancée, Christy Ander-
son.
This season, they’re
dancing to songs such as
“Rock Mi” by Alpenrebel-
len, “Du Hast” by Ramm-
stein, and “Timber” by
Pitbull. Like their music,
they combine German
and American dance
forms, pumping youth
and excitement into a tra-
dition that’s hundreds of
years old.
“Performing Saturday
night in the Alpinegarten
can’t be beat. We have so
much fun,” Nick said.
The group’s unique
blend of old and new is
more than a crazy idea
now; it’s a tried-and-true
recipe for entertainment
that crowds expect at Ok-
toberfest.
“The standing goal is
for people to have fun
watching us,” Sarah said.
“We want to be surprising
enough that we’re fun to
watch again and again.”
She credits a trio of Ok-
toberfest organizers for
the chance to perform. Liz
Schmidt, John Gooley and
Jerry Lauzon “believed in
us before we had anything
to believe in,” she said.
Since that first outdoor
performance six Oktober-
fests ago, the Kleinstäd-
tlers have grown up to-
gether. Between having
babies and holding down
jobs, they practice togeth-
er every week, year
‘round. The commitment
is real, especially now
that there are 10 children
in the mix.
“It hasn’t been easy, not
by a long shot,” Sarah
said. “But when we’re out
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