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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 10, 2020)
6A FRIDAY, JANUARY 10, 2020 H IGHLIGHTS Jesus’ baptism celebrated Sunday Submissions LA GRANDE — Zion Lutheran Church in La Grande will worship at 9 a.m. Sunday. The service will be centered around the baptism of Jesus. Holy Communion will be served, and Pastor Roberta Smythe will offi ciate. There will be a time of fellowship following the service. The evening Bible study will begin at 7 p.m. Monday at Ruth Zemke’s house. Book of Mormon is basis for study LA GRANDE — The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ Sacrament Service in La Grande and surrounding areas Sunday will feature speakers from the congregation. Priesthood and Relief Churches and faith-based groups are encouraged to submit Highlights for the Spiritual Life page by 4 p.m. Wednesday 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. Society meetings will be held dur- ing the second hour. The “Come Follow Me” lesson for the week of Jan. 6-12 will be based on 1 Nephi 8-10 in the Book of Mormon. It will focus on Lehi’s vision of the iron rod, spacious building and tree of life. A worldwide devotional for all young adults ages 18-30 will be broadcast at 5 p.m. Sunday and can be viewed online or in church meeting houses. Electronic copies of all scriptures and lesson materials Is it a mistake or providence? A lthough the word “providence” is itself not a word in the Bible, we use the term generally to refl ect God’s loving care of the universe he has created and which he contin- ues to sustain. But as laypersons we also use the term in specifi c and personal ways. We use it to speak of God’s extraordinary gracious interventions in our lives. Take, for example, the story of Ruth in the Old Testament, told in the book named after her. She was a Moabite, widowed from her Israelite husband. She insisted on relocating to Bethlehem with her mother-in-law, Naomi. As a result of her decision, she eventually married Boaz, and the two of them became the grandparents of David, king of Israel. Her story shows that bad things may happen, but providentially they may also lead to good consequences. A story I heard a while ago refl ects events that were alarming yet turned out to bless wondrously. As the story goes, on a certain Saturday night a pastor was working late at his church. He decided to call his wife before leaving for home. It was about 10 p.m., but his wife didn’t answer the phone. The pastor let the phone ring many times. He thought it was odd she didn’t answer, but decided to can be obtained by all interested individuals by downloading the mobile app called “Gospel Library” or by visiting www.ChurchofJesus- Christ.org/scriptures?lang=eng&cid =rdscriptures. First Presbyterian welcomes new member LA GRANDE — The First Presbyterian Church of La Grande Sunday will celebrate the vap- tism of the Lord with the baptism of a new member. Pastor Laura John announces Jesus as the son of God Hudson’s message will be “Stand Up and Walk Wet,” based on two passages from the book of Mark. The service will begin at 9:30 a.m. A congregational meeting and fel- lowship will follow the service. NORTHEAST OREGON — Faith Lutheran Church will have a sermon Sunday expounding on an act, “the fulfi llment of righteous- ness,” that began Jesus’ public ministry. After being baptized by John, Jesus was revealed as the son of God. Services will be at 10 a.m. in La Grande and 2 p.m. in Enterprise. Message explains worth of ‘The Suffering Servant’ LA GRANDE — The La Grande Church of the Nazarene offers Sunday school at 9:15 a.m. and worship at 10:30 a.m. Pastor Kevin Goss brings week two of the “Name Above All Names” sermon series with a message from Hebrews 2:10-18 titled “The Suffering Servant.” Suffering is something we all try to avoid, yet, for Jesus, any amount of suffering he must endure is well worth it in to offer the mercy and help we need. St. Peter’s annual meeting follows service LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s Epis- copal Church will celebrate Holy Eucharist Sunday at 11 a.m. Pastor Roberta Smythe will offi ciate. The church’s annual meeting will follow. The book club will meet at 6 p.m. — Observer staff The key to a bright new year JUST CALL ME PASTOR DONALD N. BASTIAN wrap up a few details and try to phone again a few minutes later. When he tried again, his wife answered after the fi rst ring. He asked why she had failed to answer earlier, and she said the phone had been quiet all evening. The following Monday the pastor received a phone call at the church offi ce. It came in on the phone he had used the previous Satur- day night. The call was from a stranger who wanted to know why the pastor had called him. The pastor was puzzled until the caller said, “My phone rang and rang Saturday night but I didn’t answer it.” The pastor remembered calling his wife and realized he must have called the wrong number. The man interrupted the pastor’s explana- tion, “That’s okay,” he said. “Let me tell you my story. You see, I was planning to commit suicide on Saturday night, but before I did I prayed, ‘God, if you’re there, and you don’t want me to do this, give me a sign now.’” At that point my phone started to ring. I looked at the caller ID, and it said, ‘Almighty God.’ I was afraid to answer.” The reason it showed “Almighty God” on the caller ID was the church the pastor was serving was called Almighty God Tabernacle. Was that wrong number call just a coinci- dence or a providential interruption to show grace to the caller? My readers can ponder and decide. For more writings by Donald N. Bastian, bishop emeritus of the Free Methodist Church of North America, go to justcallmepastor.wordpress.com. F ive pennies in an age when a nickel can buy nothing seem worthless and certainly insignifi cant. And yet what would you say if I told you, in all seriousness, that these particular pennies are of infi nite value and extraordinary power? You might think I was two pennies short of a nickel myself. The key lies not in the penny’s material worth, which in 2010 cost 1.79 cents to pro- duce (“Penny Foes Urge Common Sense” By Dave Levinthal, Politico Magazine: August 2011). Instead, their true value lies in how they are used. Used correctly, those fi ve pen- nies have the incredible power to change a day, a mind, the coming year and even a life. As hard as it may seem to believe, those fi ve pennies are truly heaven sent as they each possess the power to be a blessing to others and to give a blessing to those who know how to use them. Here’s how it works. At the beginning of each day the fi ve pennies are placed in your right pocket. Your goal for each day is to move all fi ve pennies to the left pocket. To move one penny from the right pocket to the left pocket, you fi rst must fi rst show appreciation to someone you’ve seen do a good deed, a job well done or a kindness to you or another. This simple method is both powerful and transformative. This action unleashes the two-fold power of the pennies. First they help us to see the good around us each and every day and, second, they place the responsibility fi rmly on our shoulders to recognize the goodness and kindness that happens every day in our world. Some 5 PENNIES FROM HEAVEN JAN VARNEY people really do go the extra mile. Many strive to do their best or to do better. When we allow ourselves to remain silent in the face of acts of kindness or deeds of goodness, then slowly, little by little, we stop noticing them. Through this process we become poorer and poorer and the world inside our minds becomes darker. There is a wonderful truth: Those who show gratitude are happier people. Yes, being grateful makes you happier. So many studies have proven this fact. For the sake of brevity I will provide just one book here, “The How of Happiness” by Sonja Lyu- bomirsky. This book shows eight surprising ways gratitude boosts human happiness. The fi ve pennies remind us to notice the goodness and kindness and effort around us. The fi ve pennies remind us to engage in our world as a voice of recognition. When we decide to move from the role of mere “ob- servers” in our world and become “partici- pants” we begin to make a real difference, a positive difference. Five little, shiny pennies can help us do all of this. We are no longer blind to the goodness around us. We are no longer silent in the face of kindness and effort. Our world is brighter. Those we’ve rec- ognized know they are making a differ- ence. They are encouraged. Their world is brighter. 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.lagrandeor.adventistchurch.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 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\ 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
