6A
FRIDAY, SEPTEMBER 13, 2019
H IGHLIGHTS
Koinonia works on
cookbook tomorrow
LA GRANDE — The sermon
at Faith Lutheran Church in
La Grande Sunday will be from
Luke 15, in which Jesus tells the
parable of the lost coin, revealing
that God works diligently for the
sake of those who are lost. The
service will begin at 10 a.m.
The women’s group, Koinonia,
will meet at 10 a.m. Saturday. It
will be a regular meeting and the
members will work on a cook-
book to be ready for the holidays.
God works even in the
in-between moments
LA GRANDE — The La Grande
Church of the Nazarene offers
Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. During
the 10:30 a.m. worship service,
Pastor Kevin Goss will conclude his
“An Altar in the World” series with
a message from Genesis 33:22-32
titled “God in the In-Between.”
Sometimes we fi nd ourselves at de-
fi ning moments that have a lasting
effect on the outcome of our lives.
But God may be at work even in
the in-between moments, in ways
we might easily miss if we aren’t
paying attention.
Holy Eucharist celebrated
at Episcopal Church
LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church of La Grande
will celebrate Holy Eucharist
at 11 a.m. Sunday. Reverend
Roberta Smythe will offi ciate.
Coffee hour and fellowship will
All welcome at
Patriot Day gathering
in Summerville
W
ith the divisive po-
litical climate of our
nation, I fear many have
forgotten what has gotten
us to the place we are today.
The reason we should not
allow reconstructionists to
rewrite our nation’s history
is because we need to learn
from the past. The reason we
have historic monuments is
to help us not forget our past
no matter how bad or good
different periods may be.
We need to be reminded
of the Civil War, because we
must never return to the
racist attitudes that allowed
for slavery, while at the same
time fi nding ways to honor
state’s rights to allow them
to govern themselves within
reason.
The reason we need the
Pearl Harbor Memorial is to
remind us that we can never
be too prepared for an attack
from those who hate us and
to remember those who died
in that attack. The reason
we need the memorial in
New York City is so we never
forget what happened on
Sept. 11, 2001, when haters
of our country used our own
commercial airliners as
missiles to bring down two
iconic buildings of the past.
Patriot Day is to remind us
of the sacrifi ces made on that
day by many workers, law of-
fi cers, EMTs, fi refi ghters and
FROM THE
PULPIT
FRANKLIN HUMBER
other emergency personnel.
These people serve us
every day and put their lives
on the line as part of their
normal routine of work.
Along with these, it reminds
us of those who serve to
protect us nationally and
internationally in our armed
forces of the military. All of
these brave men and women
serve us at home and abroad
to protect our freedoms and
to defend us from future at-
tacks on our homeland. They
enable us to enjoy our liveli-
hoods and to sleep at night
without the continual fear of
attack from our enemies and
those who desire to destroy
our way of life.
This Sunday, Sept. 15,
Summerville Baptist
Church, along with many
other churches in our valley
and throughout our nation,
will gather for a time of re-
membrance to recognize our
emergency personnel and
our military in the morning
worship service. We would be
honored to have guests join
us for this special 11 a.m.
service, to recognize, honor,
support and pray for these
public servants who are truly
our heroes every day.
follow in the Parish Hall.
Congregant delivers
message
LA GRANDE — A member
of the La Grande Seventh-day
Adventist Church will share
the message, “Many Parts, One
Body,” Saturday. The service will
begin at 11 a.m.
Sister Becky Craven’s
message focus of teaching
LA GRANDE — The “Come
Follow Me for Individuals &
Families” lesson for the week
of Sept. 16-22 for the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
will be based on 2 Corinthians
8-13. Members of the Stake High
Council will be speaking
The story
of our life
is being
written
W
hen it comes to fi nding our place
in this world, let’s consider two
categories. The fi rst one I call “fl oating
down the river.”
Picture a scenario of someone nap-
ping in a small boat without a com-
pass or a paddle. Having a spectator
mentality, this person has no map or
intentional direction but rather is just
hoping for the best. It’s also common
for these individuals to throw pity par-
ties from time to time, as a happy-go-
lucky lifestyle usually runs into serious
disappointments. Often haunted with
thoughts of being left behind, they are
caught in a vicious cycle of confusion
and discouragement.
As a Christian counselor, I’ve tried
to help those who are stuck in this
drifting mindset and certainly have
compassion on them, but we all have
to do our share of searching and pray-
ing. No doubt it’s extremely diffi cult
to fi gure out our calling, but it’s also
not helping the situation by living in
denial and blaming everyone else for
our problems and failures.
It’s always scary to move out of our
comfort zone and face reality because
sometimes life can seem like a huge
mountain that’s impossible to climb. If
you’ve ever tried to help someone fi nd
their direction, you understand when
I say we cannot force anyone to do any-
thing, and neither can we help those
who are not willing to help themselves.
Sunday at the Sacrament Service
of Sister Becky Craven’s recent
general conference talk titled
“Careful vs. Casual.” The second
hour of meetings will be Sunday
school. Sister Craven’s talk and
past general conference talks
can be viewed or read at www.
churchofjesuschrist.org
Adult Forum meets after
team meetings
LA GRANDE — Zion Lutheran
Church in La Grande will worship
at 9 a.m. Sunday. Holy Commu-
nion will be celebrated. Pastor
Roberta Smythe will offi ciate. A
time of fellowship will follow. The
Adult Forum will continue with
the topic of “Climate Change” after
brief team meetings.
LIVING ON
PURPOSE
BILLY HOLLAND
In every area of life, those who desire
a healthy state of being must see the
truth about their own circumstances
and be willing to do something about
it.
Since God’s character and nature is
divine order, we can agree there are
no mandates or divine commissions
for fl oating aimlessly through life. The
good news is that God is patiently
waiting to help us whenever our pas-
sion to change becomes stronger than
our excuses.
I believe that having Jesus Christ as
the Lord of our life is the meaning and
purpose for everything we do, and this
brings me to the second category. God
is the author and fi nisher of our faith,
and his word reminds us that he’s
drawn a general outline and a specifi c
one-of-a-kind blueprint for each per-
son’s life according to his perfect plans.
It’s true, he rarely writes, “John Smith
will be a plumber” on the wall, but the
basic concept of the Christian life is to
be determined to listen and trust him.
This truth encourages and moti-
vates us, but another aspect of this
challenge is to realize there are certain
conditions and responsibilities on our
part. In order for his plan to be fully
activated, it will require surrendering
our will to him.
You see, with God being the pot-
ter and us being the clay, it’s critical
to accept the fact that we are not to
conveniently add God to the ambitions
we already have, but rather to allow
him to transform us into a brand-new
creation.
Yes, it’s painful not to be in control,
but this is a very important part of
our personal relationship with Christ.
Our spiritual mission is more about
him molding us into his image than
Housing Matters Union County
will meet at Zion from 11 a.m. to
2 p.m. Monday. Lunch will be pro-
vided. The women’s evening Bible
study will be at 7 p.m. Monday at
Cathy Lease’s house. The Quil-
ters will meet at Zion at 9 a.m.
Tuesday.
Christian Church Sunday
school has fall kick-off
LA GRANDE — Pastor Ray
Smith’s message will be “The
Unexpected Jesus” Sunday at La
Grande’s First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ). Mark 3:20-35
will reveal that Jesus continually
surprises us.
The service will begin at 10 a.m.
Sunday school will have its fall
kick-off at 8:45 a.m.
“Since God’s character and nature
is divine order, we can agree
there are no mandates or divine
commissions for fl oating aimlessly
through life. The good news is
that God is patiently waiting to
help us whenever our passion to
change becomes stronger than our
excuses.”
blessing our ideas. He desires to be
more than a savior. He demands to be
our Lord.
Personal change is not easy and
anyone who advertises how wonderful
it is to sacrifi ce, suffer and be un-
comfortable probably has a degree in
marketing.
There’s nothing wrong with reading
books about how other people have
accomplished their goals, but even
if we become experts on how to be
successful, this does not automatically
mean we will be. Besides, beyond the
motivational seminars and the per-
sonal achievement formulas that are
available, you are a unique individual
and God has arranged a special path
for you to take.
Allow me to include: There is no
substitute for prayer and persever-
ance if we are to become all that God
has called us to be. Everyone who has
experienced even a modest amount of
success had to not only discover their
spiritual blueprint, but to also arise
from their couch and start building.
Every idea needs faith and a plan,
but without allowing God to lead and
teach us, we will most likely never
fulfi ll our destiny.
May we remember, the story of our
life is being written and if we choose
to follow God’s plans, we are a true
success and will never be disappointed
or ashamed.
Read more at www.billyhollandmin-
Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches
Services This Week
I MBLER
C HRISTIAN
C HURCH
440 R UCKMAN , I MBLER 534-2201
www.imblerchristianchurch.org
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ)
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Worship
10:00 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
CALVARY
CHAPEL
1433 Jefferson Ave.
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
Sunday Services:
Sunday School & Adult Bible Classes
9:45AM
Children's Church & Worship Service
11:00AM
Family Worship Service
6:00PM
Wednesday:
Prayer Mtg, Children's Bible Club, Youth
Group 7:00PM
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
963-5884
Contemporary Worship
Expositional Teaching
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
C OVE U NITED
M ETHODIST C HURCH ROMAN CATHOLIC
1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR
N ORTH P OWDER
U NITED
M ETHODIST C HURCH
390 E. St., North Powder, OR
JOIN US... Catch the Spirit!
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
La Grande Seventh-day
Adventist Church
A Place where hope is found in Jesus
Join us in Fellowship & Worship Every Saturday
9:30 a.m. - Bible Study/Fellowship
10:45 a.m. - Worship Service
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande • 963-4018
Pastor: Mike Armayor
www.lagrande22adventistchurchconnect.org
Learning for Today and Eternity
Little Friends
Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390
La Grande Adventist Christian School
Christian Education K-8th Grade 963-6203
LA GRANDE UNITED GRACE COMMUNITY
CHURCH SERVICES
METHODIST CHURCH LUTHERAN CHURCH
La Grande - Our Lady of the Valley
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
1002 L Avenue
Saturday 5:30 pm Mass
Sunday 10:00 am Mass
Weekdays 8:00 am Mass
Union - Sacred Heart
340 South 10th Avenue
Sunday 8:00 am Mass
No Weekdays
Elgin - Saint Mary’s
12th and Alder
Sunday 12:30 pm Mass
No Weekdays
FIRST LANDMARK
MISSIONARY BAPTIST
CHURCH
1812 1st St. La Grande
Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215
We use the King James Version Bible
Sunday School - 10:00 am
Worship 11:00 am
Sunday Evening Bible Study - 3:00 pm (Effective June 10)
Wednesday Evening - 6:30 pm
“Where you can find TRUTH according to the scriptures”
www.flmbclagrande.com
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
Pastor Taylor Gould
lgumc@eoni.com
www.lgumchurch.org
Office Hours: Mon-Thur 9am-Noon
Worship 10:00 am
Fellowship Coffee Hour 11:00 am
- Nursery provided -
Zion Lutheran
Church
(an ELCA church)
902 Fourth Street,
La Grande, OR
(541) 963-5998
9:00 am - Worship
10:00 am - Fellowship & Refreshments
10:30 am - Classes
Pastor:
www.zionlagrande.org
LCMC
667 N. Main in Union
“We are called to Serve”
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Pastor Carl Seelhoff
Phone: 541-786-0447
Sunday Service - 10:30 a.m.
Studying The Book of First Corinthians
Wednesday Service - 7:00 p.m.
Studying The Book of Revelation
Wednesday Night Youth - 6:00 p.m.
Tune in to Calvary Radio 88.1 CSN
Amazing Grace
Fellowship
1316 T St., La Grande, OR
541-568-4567
S Su
u nday 1 10:30 a.m.
Sunday
1 My Grace is
2 Cor r 12:9
suf
ff fi
sufficient
for you.
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
1531 S. Main
Street, Union
541-562-5531
www.UnionBaptistOregon.org
Sunday School
9:45 am
Morning Worship 11:00 am
Thursday AWANA 6:30 pm
Birthing, Building and Being
the Body of Christ
I 40:31
IS
First Baptist Church
SIXTH &
SPRING,
LA GRANDE
541-963-3911
Sun. 10:00 AM - Worship
Sun. 8:45 AM - Exploring the Bible
Wed. 6:15 PM - AWANA