6A
THURSDAY, FEBRUARY 13, 2020
H IGHLIGHTS
St. Ann’s group
meets Friday
LA GRANDE — St.
Peter’s Episcopal Church in
La Grande offers a morning
prayer service at 11 a.m.
Sunday. Coffee and fellow-
ship will follow.
St. Ann’s will meet Friday at
2 p.m. in the Fellowship Hall.
Congregants welcome
back Pastor Hudson
LA GRANDE — Pastor
Keith Hudson will present
a message on being “Clean
Inside and Out” on Sunday at
the 9:30 a.m. worship service
at the First Presbyterian
Church, La Grande. The
service also also include Com-
munion. Hudson recently
returned from traveling in
Israel and will share a little of
his experiences. A fellowship
time will follow the service.
Be ‘Watchful Unto
Prayer’
NORTHEAST OREGON
— The three Baker City
wards of the Church of Jesus
Christ of Latter-day Saints
will hold their annual Ward
Conference on Sunday with
the bishop and a member of
the stake presidency speak-
ing during the sacrament
service, while members of
the High Council will be the
speakers in all other wards
and branches. The “Come,
Follow Me” lesson for Feb.
17-23 is based on 2 Nephi
11-25, which are chapters
from the Book of Mormon
that include the writings
of Isaiah 2-14. Readers are
encouraged to seek inspira-
tion and guidance through
prayer and study as they
search for the deep spiritual
meaning of Isaiah’s teach-
ings and how they apply to
our own situations in life.
Jesus teaches us we
are not in control
LA GRANDE — During
the 10 a.m. Faith Lutheran
Church Sunday service in
La Grande, the sermon will
expound on Jesus’ proper in-
terpretation of Scripture, as
related in the fi fth chapter
of Matthew. In these verses,
Jesus has several teachings
beginning with “You have
heard that it was said...”
This week’s sermon will
focus on “You shall not swear
falsely” — Jesus explains,
“And do not take an oath by
your head, for you cannot
make one hair white or
black” (verses. 33-36). Christ
further reminds us that we
are not in total control.
Following the service,
Faith’s women’s group, Koi-
nonia, will put on its annual
cake walk, a fun activity for
all ages with desserts.
God has already
drawn near to us
LA GRANDE — Sunday
school begins at 9:15 a.m.
followed by a worship ser-
vice at 10:30 a.m. at the La
Grande Church of the Naz-
arene. Pastor Kevin Goss
will continue the “Name
Above All Names” sermon
series with a message from
Hebrews 12:18-29 titled,
“The AWE-ful Presence.”
In worship we draw near
to the God who has already
drawn near to us. Thus,
worship is the way we avail
ourselves to the immediacy
of his very presence.
On Feb. 22, the Women’s
Winter Luncheon will
be held at 11 a.m. in the
church fellowship hall.
Lunch will be a potluck
of soup, salad, bread and
dessert. The theme will be
“Stitched Together” and
will feature an assort-
ment of vintage sewing
machines and quilts. All
women are invited to at-
tend and asked to bring
something for the potluck
if able.nd and asked to
bring something for the
potluck if able.
Is anything too hard for the Lord? Feeding faith’s fire
T
he biblical account of Abraham
and Sarah having a baby has
been cherished throughout the ages.
The story, found in Genesis 17-18,
reveals how God planned to estab-
lish a covenant with Israel through
this child named Isaac. According
to the holy scriptures, the Lord and
two angels appeared one day to
Abraham, who was 100 years old,
and explained his plans about this
covenant and how Abraham’s future
child will be the beginning of a great
nation. Sarah, who was 90, happens
to overhear this conversation about
her having a baby and snickers
within herself at how ridiculous this
sounds. It’s not known for sure, but
Sarah probably does not realize this
is God who is talking. She had been
barren her entire adult life and this
prediction about becoming pregnant
at 90 years old was clearly impos-
sible. Or was it?
In Genesis 18:13, the Lord told
Abraham that Sarah had doubted
in her heart and actually laughed
at the idea of having a child. (By the
way, how ironic that the name Isaac
means “laughter.”) I’m not critical
of Sarah or her husband because
we would have probably reacted
the same way. Then God asks an
astounding question: “Is there any-
thing too hard for the Lord?”
I will gladly be the spoiler and an-
nounce that God’s promise to Sarah
about her having a son named Isaac
LIVING ON
PURPOSE
BILLY HOLLAND
did come true, and as the patriarch
of the Jewish nation, he was the
father of Jacob and the grandfather
of the 12 tribes of Israel.
As we continue meditating about
the authority and ability of God,
we are presented with some very
serious thoughts about our spiritual
views. Do we believe that God can do
anything? Do we believe he desires
to help us and to give us the miracles
we desperately need? We understand
that faith is a component of receiv-
ing — but can faith develop to a level
where we accept and embrace the fact
that nothing is impossible with God?
Many individuals today are facing
very challenging situations and some
are reaching deep within their hearts
and souls to fi nd the strength to be-
lieve. Well, this is a lot to consider, but
personally, I’m convinced that God
created everything in the universe
and certainly would have no problem
creating anything we might need.
You see, the God of the Bible has
several attributes associated with his
character: He is omniscient, which
means he knows everything, and
omnipotent, meaning he has unlim-
ited power and is able to do anything.
These two distinctions alone should
encourage and reinforce our confi -
dence as we turn to him in prayer.
When we read true accounts like that
of Abraham and Sarah and realize
that he is willing and able to do great
and mighty miracles for others, it fi lls
us with his joy and peace in knowing
that he can also help us. Jeremiah
32:17 declares, “Ah, Lord God, behold
thou hast made the heaven and
the earth by thy great power and
stretched out thy arm, and there is
nothing too diffi cult for thee.”
When fear and doubt comes upon
you, remember that God specializes
in doing the impossible. Everything
from health or financial problems to
restoring relationships or finding our
destiny, the Lord is perfectly aware of
our worries and has more than enough
wisdom and power to take care of it.
Believe me, I understand about
the intimidating giants and moun-
tains, but I’m learning the impor-
tance of absorbing faith and hope
from his unfailing truth. Yes, there
are certain things we can do to help
ourselves, but there is no substitute
for trusting God.
As Jesus said, “with God, all things
are possible” (Matthew 19:26).
Dr. William “Billy” Holland is the
founder of an independent Christian
ministry in central Kentucky. An
ordained and licensed minister
and chaplain, he is the author of
“Convictions and Considerations:
Encouragement for the Soul.”
I
’m told that in a grassland
area in Africa, people may
walk long distances to Sunday
worship with scraps of wood in
hand. The people conclude wor-
ship by lighting a large bonfi re to
symbolize their fellowship.
A visitor from North America
witnessed the event and asked
villagers how they could create
such a fi re week after week when
there was very little wood in
their area. Their reply was that
every worshipper was on the
lookout the prior week for scraps
of wood to take for the church
in anticipation of the weekly
bonfi re.
The concept of coming supplied
has merit for enlivening worship.
What each individual brings to
corporate worship has a large
bearing on how vital the gather-
ing together will be. And what we
bring can be something invisible,
reverent and of the heart.
When I was a child, my par-
ents, younger sister and I would
walk to church. We were usually
among the fi rst to arrive. Before
my parents took their seats, they
knelt to pray. It was a worship
custom for that congregation. My
sister and I sat in silence waiting
for the service to begin.
As the worshippers gathered,
there was no talking and no music
filled the air. None of this was
JUST CALL
ME PASTOR
DONALD N. BASTIAN
enforced, and it felt natural. The
reverence and silence were what
the worshippers contributed to the
sense of awe they would share.
Gathering wood for the
bonfi re also can in a sense be
what we are doing when we put
our houses on Saturday to avoid
haste and stress on Sunday
morning. Or when we arrive
at church early in order to sit
quietly in prayerful refl ection on
a Psalm or hymn.
I realize some who come to
worship may arrive depleted with
hardly the energy to lift their eyes
to heaven. Others whose faith
is little more than an inherited
tradition may not have much to
bring. At the same time, every
congregation likely has a core of
believers who are inwardly ener-
gized daily by meditation, prayer
and praise, who invoke the
energy of the Spirit when they
come to worship. Such believers
might bring an extra piece of
wood to build the fi re for those
who come empty-handed.
Donald N. Bastian is the bishop
emeritus of the Free Methodist
Church of North America.
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
“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 10:30 a.m.
2 Cor 12:9 My Grace is
sufficient for you.
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
IS 40:31
First Baptist Church
1531 S. Main
Street, Union
541-562-5531
1531
S. Main Street, Union
www.UnionBaptistOregon.org
541-562-5531
Sunday School
9:45 am
www.UnionBaptistOregon.org
9:00 am - Worship
Morning
Worship
11:00
am
Sunday
School
9:45
am
10:00 am - Fellowship & Refreshments
Worship
Service AWANA
11:00 am
Thursday
6:30 pm
10:30 am - Classes
Thursday AWANA 6:30 pm
Birthing,
Building
and Being
Pastor: Roberta Smythe
Birthing,
Building
and
Being the the
Body Body
of Christ of Christ
www.zionlagrande.org
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
301 E Garfield Enterprise
Mass Schedule
Sundays:
St Pius X, Wallowa – 8:00 am
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 10:30 am
Saturdays
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 5:30 pm
Weekdays
St Katherine of Siena, Enterprise – 8:00 am
(Monday – Thursday and First Friday)
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