6A
FRIDAY, NOVEMBER 29, 2019
H IGHLIGHTS
Sunday brings
lighting of fi rst
Advent candle
LA GRANDE — Pas-
tor Ray Smith will speak
about “The Watch” on the
fi rst Sunday of Advent at
First Christian Church
(Disciples of Christ) in
La Grande. His message
comes from Luke 21:25-36.
Dale and Jackie De Long
will light the fi rst candle of
Advent. The service begins
at 10 a.m.
celebrate Holy Eucharist
during the 11 a.m. Sunday
service in La Grande. Pas-
tor Roberta Smythe will
offi ciate. Coffee and fellow-
ship will follow the service.
On Tuesday, there will
be a Girl Scout leader
meeting at 10 a.m. in the
Parish Hall. St. Peter’s
Altar Guild will meet at
9 a.m. Thursday.
Faith Lutheran’s
evening Advent
services begin
St. Peter’s Altar Guild Wednesday
meets next week
LA GRANDE — The
LA GRANDE — St. Pe-
ter’s Episcopal Church will
season of Advent, which
heralds the arrival of Jesus
Christ, begins this Sun-
day. The sermon at Faith
Lutheran Church will
expound on the account
in Matthew 2:11 that “the
crowds said, ‘This is the
prophet Jesus, from Naza-
reth of Galilee.’” The people
in the crowd would learn
that he was more than just
a prophet, but they had a
good start in respecting
him.
Faith Lutheran will
hold Wednesday evening
Advent services beginning
next week. There will be a
soup supper at 5:30 p.m.,
followed by a service at
6:30 p.m. The Dec. 4 ser-
and a time of fellowship
follows the service. All
church activities are held
at The Place on Buchanan
Road in Island City.
mon will be “For You and
All the World.”
First Sunday of
Advent celebrates
hope
ISLAND CITY — This
Sunday, Grace Commu-
nity Church will begin
the Advent season with
the lighting of the fi rst
Advent candle, known as
the candle of hope, during
the 10 a.m. service. Pastor
Carl’s sermon, “Wake Up
— Put on Christ,” is drawn
from Luke 21. Christmas
carols will be sung during
the service. Adult Sunday
school begins at 9 a.m.,
“Come, Follow
Me” lessons guide
services and classes
LA GRANDE — This
Sunday is Fast Sunday for
the Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter-day Saints. All
members are encouraged
to fast for two meals and
donate the value of the
meals to help the less for-
tunate. The Sunday meet-
ings will consist of Sacra-
ment meeting, where all
members can share their
testimony, followed by Sun-
day School classes during
which the prior two weeks
of “Come, Follow Me” les-
sons will be discussed.
The “Come, Follow Me”
lesson for the week of
Dec. 2-8 will be based on the
New Testament Epistles of
1-3 John and Jude. Mem-
bers are encouraged to start
the Christmas season by
watching a dramatization of
the Nativity story at www.
lighttheworld.com and by
downloading the Light-
TheWorld calendar that gives
daily suggestions on ways to
serve one another.
Thankful for God’s
Being thankful is a state of mind
continued faithfulness I
LIVING ON
PURPOSE
I
t is of the LORD’S mercies that
we are not consumed, because
his compassions fail not. They are
new every morning: great is thy
faithfulness. The LORD is my por-
tion, saith my soul; therefore will
I hope in him. The LORD is good
unto them that wait for him, to the
soul that seeketh him. It is good
that a man should both hope and
quietly wait for the salvation of the
LORD (Lamentations 3:22-26).
As I was walking the other
morning I was reminded of the
faithfulness of the great God and
heavenly father. Each new day as
the sun comes up in the east and
sets in the west, it is a testimony
of the creator who made it all to
work that way. As the seasons
come and go with precise perfec-
tion, we see the display of the
glory of the designer that made it
function as it does. Every time we
plant in the spring, we know that
we will gain a harvest of the same
thing we planted as the growing
season leads into the season of
harvest. I love living in a region of
the earth that offers us a dramatic
distinction between each of the
seasons. There is so much in our
valley that points us to the reality
of the great and powerful God that
FROM THE
PULPIT
FRANKLIN HUMBER
is faithful in all he does.
As we read his only revelation
of himself to mankind in the Holy
Bible, we can understand more
about him and what he desires for
us in this life and the eternity to
come. I am thankful that God is
faithful to all that he says in his
word. Just as we can depend on
the seasons to change and the sun
to rise, we too can depend on the
fact that if we confess our sins to
God and receive Christ as savior,
we will experience his eternal
salvation in our lives for time and
eternity.
I am so thankful that the great
and powerful God of the universe
has lovingly and faithfully made
a way for a sinner like me to
be made right with him in his
holiness and to become his child
through faith in his grace. Just
as reliable as the seasons and the
24-hour day, so too is the truth of
God’s judgment to come. We can
only prepare for his judgment by
receiving his forgiveness before we
enter into eternity.
was thinking this week (while in
the midst of complaining about
the frustrations of life) that being
thankful is more of a state of mind
than a celebration. I’m sure you will
agree it’s truly a blessing to wake up
each morning and not be in agony.
When we swing our bodies over
onto the side of the bed and stand
on our feet, this is nothing less than
a miracle. So often, we become so
busy thinking about what we are
going to do that we forget how God
is providing the good health that
enables us to enjoy our life. It’s easy
to take our blessings for granted.
Since being grateful is an attitude
of appreciation, let us remember to
tell Jesus how much we love him for
paying the ransom for our soul.
What does Thanksgiving mean
to you? Someone might reply “a
delicious feast” or “a day off from
work or school,” but the holiday
is not only to be a celebration of
indulgence but an opportunity to
recognize all that we have and who
gave it to us. We talk a lot about
the “thanks” but rarely hear about
the “giving.” Giving thanks is more
than an expression of gratitude.
Genuine appreciation is a sincere
awareness of a particular thing or
person, and then demonstrating
that gratitude with honesty and
sincerity. We show we are thankful
for the Lord by saying a prayer at
DR. BILLY HOLLAND
the table and then living a life that
pleases him.
One of our good friends is bat-
tling a serious health issue and is
seeing life through a different per-
spective this Thanksgiving. She’s
been taking morning walks lately
and has shared with me about how
quiet and peaceful the world is
right before the sun rises. In these
times, it’s the little things like hear-
ing the birds sing and the colors of
the leaves that are majestic and
awe-inspiring. Have you considered
lately how glorious it is to be able
to take a deep breath? Breathing
seems so natural, but to many it is
a constant battle. How often do we
thank God for all of the medica-
tions and treatments he provides to
maintain our health?
Franklin Roosevelt is quoted as
saying, “It is a good thing to give
thanks unto the Lord. Across the
uncertain ways of space and time,
our hearts echo those words, for
the days are with us again when,
at the gathering of the harvest, we
solemnly express our dependence
upon Almighty God.”
Occasionally I will take a short
nap on my cozy leather sofa while
our English bulldog wedges his
way in between me and the back
of the couch and lets out a sigh of
enjoyment that sounds more like
the grunt of a hog. What a blessing
it is to have a place called home.
I’m sure most of you feel the same
way about your sanctuary of peace
and security.
I thank God that I can go to the
refrigerator and fi nd something to
eat, then go out into the garage and
get into a nice vehicle and travel
wherever I need to go. We usually
do not pay any attention to these
“luxuries,” but they are amazing
blessings. May we remember there
are many people who do not have
a home, a vehicle, a couch, or any
food at all. First Thessalonians 5:18
tells us to be “thankful in every-
thing, and in all circumstances.”
Whether in lack or abundance we
will look to God and thank him for
all he has given, and more impor-
tant, we will worship and love him
just for who he is.
Holland if the founder of an
independent Christian ministry
located in Central Kentucky and
the author of “A Lifestyle of Worship:
Living in the Awareness of God’s
Presence” and “Convictions and
Considerations: Encouragement for
the Soul.” To read more, go to www.
billyhollandministries.com.
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.
1 My Grace is
2 Cor r 12:9
suf ffi
sufficient
for you.
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 Galatians
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\
$OODUHZHOFRPH
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