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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 22, 2019)
6A FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 22, 2019 H IGHLIGHTS Faith Lutheran celebrates on Thanksgiving Day LA GRANDE, ENTER- PRISE — This Sunday is the last one of the church year for Faith Lutheran Church. The sermon will be based on Luke 23:37- 43, which tells that people stood by watching Jesus on the cross, and his teachings have been watched through- out the ages. There will be a service at 10 a.m. in La Grande and at 2 p.m. in Enterprise. Faith Lutheran will have a Thanksgiving Day service in La Grande at 10 a.m. The Christmas Bazaar held by Koinonia, Faith’s women’s group, will be on Dec. 6. Christmas season is a chance to serve one another LA GRANDE — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints invites you to transform Christmas into a season of service by visiting www.light- theworld.org to plan and sign up for daily prompts, beginning Dec. 1, on ways to fi nd joy in service. The “Come Follow Me” lesson for Nov. 25 to Dec. 1 will focus on First and Second Peter. La Grande’s First Ward primary children will present a special program Sunday during the Sacra- ment Service. Members of the congregation will be the speakers in the other area Wards. The second hour meetings will be Relief Society and Priesthood at all locations. Nazarene Church serves Thanksgiving dinner after service LA GRANDE — Sunday School begins at 9:15 a.m. at the La Grande Church of the Nazarene, followed by a worship service at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Kevin Goss will preach the fi nal week of the “Upside Down Kingdom” sermon series with a mes- sage titled, “Build My Life,” drawn from Matthew 7:21- 29. The Kingdom of God invites us into full participa- tion whereby our actions and behaviors are meant to come into alignment with the very beliefs we confess. Listening and doing go hand-in-hand: neither one can stand without the other. After the service, an all- church Thanksgiving dinner will be served. Submissions Churches and faith-based groups are encouraged to submit Highlights for the Spiritual Life page by 4 p.m. Tuesday for publication Friday. Submit by email to news@lagrandeobserver.com (with Highlights in the subject line), by fax to 541-963-7804, or by hand to the offi ce. to prepare for the beginning of Advent. Sunday brings the Hanging of the Greens Roberta Smythe installed as pastor of LA GRANDE—Pastor Ray Smith’s message will be St. Peter’s and Zion Lutheran “Sacrifi ce and Thanksgiv- ing” at the La Grande First Christian Church’s 10 a.m. Sunday service. The focus will be on Psalm 116:12-19. Following the service, the congregation will engage in the Hanging of the Greens LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in La Grande will celebrate Holy Eucharist at 11 a.m. Sunday. Pastor Roberta Smythe will offi ciate. Coffee and fellowship will follow. At 2 p.m. Smythe will be in- stalled as the pastor of both St. Peter’s Episcopal and Zion Lutheran churches. The service will be held at Zion Lutheran Church. St. Peter’s will hold its Holiday Bazaar from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday. Cin- namon rolls will be served in the morning and soup and pie will be available for lunch. — Observer staff The Shrouded Mountain: The Sin of Gossip, Part 2 A Darkness in the Soul & the Circle of Guilt “They have become fi lled with every kind of wickedness, evil, greed and depravity. They are full of envy, murder, strife, deceit and malice. They are gossips, slanderers, God-haters, insolent, arrogant and boastful; they invent ways of doing evil. They have no understanding, no fi del- ity, no love, no mercy. Although they know God’s righteous decree that those who do such things deserve death, they not only continue to do these very things but also approve of those who practice them” (Romans 1:29-32). Gossip needs a network to thrive. “Gossipers” are: those who start the information fl owing to others, those who accept the information as true, those who pass on the information to others in their network. This is how the attacks of gos- sipers are begun, kept alive and spread to a wider audience. This is the complicity of guilt that is shared by the “gossip circle” or “gossip network.” They are all necessary to carry out the act of wrongly attacking another JAN VARNEY person. They are all guilty. Even though gossip usually begins with an act by one person, it only works when it is a group activity. Psychologist Sherrie Camp- bell, PhD., a public speaker and author (“Loving Yourself: The Mastery of Being Your Own Per- son” and “But It’s Your Family — Cutting Ties with Toxic Family Members and Loving Yourself in the Aftermath”) says, “Gossips never work alone because they aren’t powerful alone, they are in need of a team of lieutenants to help them create their storm.” Ironically, gossip is often perpetrated by family members or those who have, at one time or another, identifi ed themselves as friends. Donna Jones, a Christian author (“Seek: a Woman’s Guide to meeting God”) and specialist on gossip, says “jealous gossips worm their way into friendships, into families, and even into places of worship. This is why gossip is listed in the behaviors of the carnal, fl eshly Christian. When we gossip we behave just like the unbelieving world.” The heartbreaking words of the Psalmist illustrate this very clearly: “My enemies speak evil against me … when he comes to see me, he speaks falsehood … and his heart gathers wick- edness to itself; when he goes outside, he tells it. All who hate me whisper together against me; against me they devise my hurt … even my close friend, the friend in whom I trusted most, who ate my bread, even he has lifted up his heel against me” (Psalms 41:5-9). Jones writes: “There is some- thing dark in the human soul (sin) that revels in making oth- ers look bad … the bitter, venge- ful gossip is driven by jealousy. Always, they wish ill on another person, and are all too happy to add to their pain by passing along any negative report to others. When we engage in bitter, vengeful gossip we don’t simply want vindication for wrongs done to us (real or perceived), we want vengeance! Gossip assures we get it!” Campbell says, “Gossip comes from the individual who has the largest, yet most fragile, ego and who feels the greatest threat to their … self-esteem, popularity or status. Gossip creates disrup- tion and is specifi cally designed for the demise of others. Gossips gain success by undermining signifi cant people they admire or fear. They strategize to ruin those they view as better than themselves or who are in their way.” Gossip over God It is heartbreaking to know Christians who practice gossip. They think their sin is secret but God sees all. When we think of all that God has us, for we are all sinners in need of salvation, and when we look at his commands, we soon realize that Christians who practice gossip have chosen gossip over God: • “Whoever would foster love covers over an offense, but who- ever repeats the matter sepa- rates close friends” (Proverbs 17:9). • “With their mouths the godless destroy their neighbors” (Proverbs 11:9). • “A gossip betrays a confi - dence, but a trustworthy person keeps a secret” (Proverbs 11:13). • “A perverse person stirs up confl ict, and a gossip separates close friends” (Proverbs 16:28). “Without wood a fi re goes out; without a gossip a quarrel dies down. As charcoal to embers and as wood to fi re, so is a quarrel- some person for kindling strife. The words of a gossip are like choice morsels; they spread to our deepest parts” (Proverbs 26:20-22). • “Do not spread false reports. Do not help a guilty person by being a malicious witness” (Exo- dus 23:1). • “Brothers and sisters, do not slander one another. Anyone who speaks against a brother or sister or judges them speaks against the law and judges it” (James 4:11). Jan Varney, 57, lives in La Grande. He has studied history and theology extensively and has written and spoken on both subjects numerous times. Retired from a career in manufacturing, he now works as a transit driver mainly for seniors and those with mobility challenges in Union County. This is the second part of an ongoing series. Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 lgdisciples@gmail.com Worship 10:00 a.m. Services This Week ~Join us at The Lord’s Table~ 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 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 Worship 10:00 am Sunday 12:30 pm Mass No Weekdays Fellowship Coffee Hour 11:00 am - Nursery provided - FIRST LANDMARK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH Zion Lutheran 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 (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: Roberta Smythe www.zionlagrande.org “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 963-5884 109 18th Street • 963-3402 Sunday School 9:15 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. 1316 T St., La Grande, OR 541-568-4567 Sunday S Su u nday 1 10:30 a.m. 2 Cor r 12:9 1 My Grace is sufficient for you. suf ffi grace.lutherancove@gmail.com I 40:31 IS First Baptist Church 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 St. Katherine’s Catholic Church Contemporary Worship Expositional Teaching Tune in to Calvary Radio 88.1 CSN Pastor Taylor Gould lgumc@eoni.com www.lgumchurch.org Office Hours: Mon-Thur 9am-Noon Elgin - Saint Mary’s 12th and Alder CALVARY CHAPEL 1433 Jefferson Ave. Sunday Service - 10:30 a.m. Studying The Book of Second Corinthians Wednesday Service - 7:00 p.m. Studying The Book of Joshua Wednesday Night Youth - 6:00 p.m. The Place 1612 4th Street – 963-2498 62848 Philynda Loop in Island City Amazing Grace Fellowship Fr. Thomas Puduppulliparamban (*DUÀHOG(QWHUSULVH Mass Schedule Sundays: 6W3LXV;:DOORZD²DP 6W.DWKHULQHRI6LHQD(QWHUSULVH²DP Saturdays 6W.DWKHULQHRI6LHQD(QWHUSULVH²SP Weekdays 6W.DWKHULQHRI6LHQD(QWHUSULVH²DP 0RQGD\²7KXUVGD\DQG)LUVW)ULGD\ All are welcome SIXTH & SPRING, LA GRANDE 541-963-3911 Sun. 10:00 AM - Worship Sun. 8:45 AM - Exploring the Bible Wed. 6:15 PM - AWANA 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
