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About The Observer. (La Grande, Or.) 1968-current | View Entire Issue (Jan. 21, 2021)
Spiritual Life 6A Thursday, January 21, 2021 HIGHLIGHTS St. Peter’s Episcopal Church Submissions Churches and faith-based groups are encouraged to submit Highlights for the Spiritual Life page by 4 p.m. Tuesday for publication Thursday. 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. LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will not hold in-person worship this Sunday, Jan. 24, due to the COVID-19 pandemic. A link to a recorded worship service for Sunday will be posted to Facebook. St. Peter’s will not be worshipping in person until at least March. Faith Lutheran Church LA GRANDE, ENTER- PRISE— The sermon at Faith Lutheran Church this Sunday, Jan. 24, will consider Jesus calling some of his fi rst disciples in Mark 1:14-20. He called four to “follow” him, and two of them, James and his brother John, “were in their boat mending their nets” (vs. 19). They were going about their healthy, industrious activity in which they served when Jesus called them. Sunday services are at 10 a.m. in La Grande and 2 p.m. in Enterprise. Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints LA GRANDE — The ability for all to receive personal rev- elation from the Lord is the focus of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints’ “Come, Follow Me” lesson for the week of Jan. 25. This lesson covers Doctrine and Covenants 6-9, when the work of transla- tion of the Book of Mormon had resumed with Oliver Cowdery as scribe. Provided with the lesson are links to “Revelation in Context,” videos and other material that provides a deeper understanding of the events taking place when these revela- tions were received. All study materials are available from the free mobile app called Gospel Library. Individual wards are meeting for in-person worship services with limited group sizes and condensed time frames. Those attending will be wearing masks and following social distancing guidelines. Contact your ward leadership for times and details. Zion Lutheran Church LA GRANDE — Zion Lutheran will not worship in person this Sunday, Jan. 24, due to COVID-19. A recorded worship service for Sunday will be posted on the church’s Facebook page on Saturday. The congregation will resume in-person worship once Union County is in the yellow zone of the state’s metrics. The offi ce also will be closed until then. Believing and Becoming: Finding ways to hold the center LAURA HUDSON LA GRANDE “H ow are you holding the center?” A spir- itual mentor recently asked me this question, inviting my refl ec- tion on ministering to others, not only during a global pandemic but also painful political division. We are wrestling through a collective dark night of the soul, struggling to discern truth amid deep anx- iety and distrust for one another. In these times, holding the center is more diffi cult than ever. For me, that phrase means more than political or religious cen- trism. It names the effort it takes to stay connected to the steadi- ness of my faith, even as I expe- rience waves of emotion, my own or others’, which threaten to fl ood me. Holding the center also evokes the sensation of core strength I can feel in the center of my body, keeping my body upright and stable. Holding the center is the approach I believe my faith asks me to take toward all the others with whom my life intersects. I am to encounter each being “center to center,” as teacher Richard Rohr often puts it, core soul-self to core soul-self, receiving one another each as we are in this moment, without judg- ment, without calculating how we might benefi t or hinder one another. In my experience, holding the center of faith is not a static stance but an ongoing process, full of movement, fl uctuation and adaptation to changing condi- tions. Faithfulness requires con- tinuous discernment to listen for divine guidance and enter into responsive action. Accepting any spiritual belief is just the initi- ating moment of a lifelong path of becoming humans who can love God and love all the neighbors God gives us. “Love God and love your neighbor,” Jesus’ greatest com- mandments, are the center I seek to hold. They point to the “narrow path,” the most direct, stream- lined path to experience the heart of God. Yet, following that way requires my willingness to receive the constant corrections God gives me, by which I return again and again from the wide extremes that tempt me, and focus anew on God’s will and ways. How are you holding the center? In these days brimming with collective uncertainty, the pull we feel toward extremes of rage, terror, grief and despair, and the temptation to produce words or deeds from these emotions, can be immense. What is the central, stable core of your faith, and what practices help you stay anchored to it? There are many practices, and there are many mentors who can guide you to discover which ones can help you maintain con- nection to your soul’s compass. Do not hesitate to reach out to wise mentors to guide you on your way. ——— Laura Elly Hudson is co-pastor of First Presbyterian Church in La Grande, a mother of two boys (and two cats), and founder of Story Journey, where she guides spiritual seekers in believing and becoming as they explore their life story. You can fi nd her at fpclagrande.org or at lauraellyhudson.com. Inauguration week prayer event aims to show Christian unity March for Life asks supporters to stay home this year By ELANA SCHOR By DAVID CRARY Associated Press WASHINGTON — As a politically divided nation prepares to inaugurate a new president in the wake of a violent insurrection at the U.S. Capitol, a group of Christian leaders is hoping to ease tensions through prayer during three days of ecumenical, nonpartisan programming. Using the slogan and social media tag #Peace- WithJustice, the effort aims to project spiritual unity and counter people’s feelings of helplessness with action, during a time of high alert with thousands of troops securing the capital fol- lowing the Jan. 6 violence, which has led to about 120 arrests so far. The name of the gath- ering — held virtually due to the pandemic — is in part a nod to the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr.’s observa- tion that “true peace is not merely the absence of ten- sion; it is the presence of justice.” Details of the ini- tiative were shared with The Associated Press in advance of its launch on the weekend when the country commem- orates his birthday. Leaders of the effort are incorporating the King hol- iday into their work, asking participants to use their Sunday messages to focus on “redoubling efforts to work together to address systemic racism and restore trust and integrity to our democratic system and institutions.” Jim Wallis, founder of the Christian social justice group Sojourners and a lead organizer of the event, said he hoped to see the faithful “move beyond the emo- tions of anger and fear” and toward the moral truth of communal reconciliation. “Prayer is action, in my view,” Wallis said. After the federal holiday on Monday, Jan. 19, the event continued Tuesday with a multidenomina- tional Zoom prayer ser- vice. On Wednesday, when President-elect Joe Biden is inaugurated, participants plan testimony and other statements on Twitter in the hopes of restoring a sense of harmony to a transi- tion of power that has been marred by violence. “Defending democracy for all Americans — no exceptions” is imperative for all people of faith, the group says on its website. Prominent participants include Michael Curry, pre- siding bishop of the Epis- copal Church; Walter Kim, president of the National Association of Evangeli- cals; Commissioner Ken- neth G. Hodder, National Commander of the Sal- vation Army; and Bar- bara Williams-Skinner, co-convener of the National African American Clergy Network. Williams-Skinner said she hopes it will become a model for collaboration by people of faith across denominational boundaries. “I hope that this is the beginning of a strong ecu- menical coalition to fi ght against the evil of racism and all kinds of systemic injustices going forward, and to connect those to public policies that will come out of this adminis- tration and this Congress,” she said. Kim said that while many member churches in his group are planning their own programs during inau- guration week, the non- partisan event appealed to him because “we need, in this moment, something that transcends partisan politics.” He also acknowledged the presence of Christian symbols and Christian identifi cation among some of those who breached the Capitol in a bid to over- turn the election for Pres- ident Donald Trump, saying that the potential convergence of Christian and nationalist identities “does grieve my heart.” AP National Writer WASHINGTON — Organizers of the March for Life, the anti-abor- tion movement’s preem- inent annual event, are asking their supporters nationwide not to gather in Washington this year because of the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest. Instead, a small group of invited anti-abortion leaders will march Jan. 29, and the event will be lives- treamed, March for Life’s president, Jeanne Mancini, announced Friday. “Since we are in the midst of a pandemic which may be peaking, and in view of the heightened pressures that law enforce- ment offi cers and others are currently facing in and around the Capitol, this year’s March for Life will look different,” she said. “The annual rally will take place virtually and we are asking all participants to stay home and to join the March virtually.” Tim Tebow, the football star, is still scheduled to make a keynote speech at a virtual gala taking place after the downsized march, Mancini said. Mancini said she looks forward to holding the event in person next year. Susan Walsh/AP Photo/Susan Walsh Anti-abortion activists participate on Jan. 24, 2020, in the “March for Life” rally near Capitol Hill in Washing- ton. Organizers of the March for Life, the anti-abortion movement’s preeminent annual event, are asking their supporters nationwide not to gather in Washington in 2021 due to the COVID-19 pandemic and political unrest. The march has been held annually since 1974, one year after the Supreme Court’s Roe v. Wade deci- sion that legalized abortion across in the United States. Even blizzards in 1987 and 2016 did not force cancel- lation, although turnouts were smaller than usual. Local March for Life events also have been affected this year. State marches in Arkansas and Oregon have been indefi - nitely postponed, while a march planned in Tucson, Arizona, was converted into a car caravan dubbed the Road Rally for Life. The annual National Prayer Vigil for Life, usu- Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches LA GRANDE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH Zion Lutheran Church (an ELCA church) 902 Fourth Street, La Grande, OR (541) 963-5998 “OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS” 1612 4th Street – 963-2498 Pastor Taylor Gould For service information go to www.lagrandeumc.org GRACE COMMUNITY LUTHERAN CHURCH The Place 62848 Philynda Loop in Island City “We are called to Serve” Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am Sunday Worship 10:00 am Phone: 541-568-4230 grace.lutherancove@gmail.com 9:00 am - Worship 10:00 am - Fellowship & Refreshments 10:30 am - Classes Pastor: Roberta Smythe www.zionlagrande.org Imbler Christian Church 440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201 www.imblercc@gmail.com Sunday Services 9:00 a.m. 10:00 a.m. Sunday School Worship Service Cove United Methodist Church 1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR North Powder United Methodist Church First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 lgdisciples@gmail.com 390 E. St., North Powder, OR JOIN US... Catch the Spirit! Worship 10:00 a.m. ally held the night before the national march at the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immacu- late Conception in Wash- ington, will instead be a livestreamed event, with bishops participating vir- tually from across the U.S. A year ago, President Donald Trump became the fi rst sitting U.S. pres- ident to address the March for Life. Trump became a hero to many anti-abortion activists for appointing Supreme Court justices and other federal judges viewed as open to the possibility of repealing or weakening the Roe v. Wade ruling. Services This Week 1531 S. Main St. Union 541-562-5531 www.UnionBaptistOregon.org Sunday Morning Worship Service 11:00 am Sunday School at 9:45 a.m. Birthing, Building and Being Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove the Body of Christ Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder ~Join us at The Lord’s Table~ La Grande Seventh-day Adventist Church A Place where hope is found in Jesus Join us in Fellowship & Worship Saturday all age classes 9:30 am Saturday Worship 11:00 am 2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande 963-4018 lagrandeor.adventistchurch.org Learning for Today and Eternity Little Friends Christian Preschool/Childcare 963-6390 La Grande Adventist Christian School K-8th Grade 963-6203 FIRST LANDMARK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 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 1812 1st St. La Grande Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215 We use the King James Version Bible 109 18th Street • 963-3402 Sunday School 9:15 a.m. Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m. 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
