Spiritual Life 6A Thursday, February 11, 2021 HIGHLIGHTS ZION LUTHERAN CHURCH time when Joseph Smith began to board with the Whitmer family while completing the transla- tion of the Book of Mormon and securing its copyright. Mem- bers of the Whitmer family were blessed with the opportunity to receive direct revelation through Joseph Smith and to be witnesses of the plates from which the Book of Mormon was translated. As church building use increases, members are reminded of our duties to care for them. RootsTech Connect, a virtual family history event, will take place Feb. 25-27. Visit the news- room on the Church’s website to Submissions LA GRANDE — Zion Lutheran Church will not wor- ship in person this Sunday, Feb. 16, due to COVID-19. A recorded worship service will be posted on Zion’s Facebook page and website on Saturday. There will be a recorded service for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, posted to Zion’s Facebook page and website on Tuesday. The Zion congregation won’t worship in person again until Union County is in the yellow zone of the State’s metrics. The 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. offi ce will remain closed until then as well. CHURCH OF JESUS CHRIST OF LATTER-DAY SAINTS LA GRANDE — Individual wards of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints con- tinue to meet in person, with lim- ited size groups and condensed time schedules. Members are encouraged to contact their ward’s leaders for meeting informa- tion. Face coverings and social distancing are required at all meetings. For the week of Feb. 15, the church’s at-home “Come, Follow Me” lesson is on Doctrine & Cov- enants 14-17, which covers the learn about the keynote speakers. ST. PETER’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s Episcopal Church will not wor- ship in person this Sunday, Feb. 14, due to COVID-19. A link to a recorded worship service for Sunday will be posted to Face- book on Saturday. There also will be an online service for Ash Wednesday, Feb. 17, posted to St. Peter’s Facebook page on Tuesday. St. Peter’s does not plan to gather for in person worship until at least March. A mix of hope and dismay as religious leaders assess Biden By DAVID CRARY and ELANA SCHOR harmful changes” under Trump. Leaders of the Catholic bishops’ conference cheered Biden for shoring up DACA on his fi rst day in offi ce, while urging him to go fur- ther by creating a path to citizenship for its benefi cia- ries as a “fi rst step” toward a broader overhaul. More action is set to come from the White House as soon as this week, and lawmakers also vow to pursue it through legis- lation. Whether religious groups can maintain their support for future immigra- tion measures may depend on the specifi cs. Associated Press WASHINGTON — President Donald Trump’s departure from the White House and the start of Joe Biden’s presidency have stirred new hopes among many religious leaders in the United States, while causing dismay among others. Here’s a look at some of the issues that major faiths will be grappling with as the new administration takes shape. Abortion For leaders of the two largest Christian denomi- nations in the U.S. — the Roman Catholic Church and the Southern Baptist Convention — the para- mount concern about the Biden administration is its strong support for abortion rights. Biden, a practicing Cath- olic, already has rolled back some Trump policies aimed at curbing abortion access. On Jan. 22, the 48th anni- versary of the Supreme Court decision establishing a nationwide right to abor- tion, Biden and Vice Pres- ident Kamala Harris said they would seek to enshrine that right into federal law to protect it from court challenges. That stance was assailed by Archbishop Joseph Naumann of Kansas City, Kansas, who chairs the U.S. Conference of Cath- olic Bishops’ Committee on Pro-Life Activities. “It is deeply disturbing and tragic that any president would praise and commit to codifying a Supreme Court ruling that denies unborn children their most basic human and civil right,” he said. The Rev. Albert Mohler, president of the Southern Baptist Theological Semi- nary, said in a recent radio broadcast that Biden “is entirely, unquestionably sold out to the abortion rights movement.” Clergy of other denom- inations who support abor- tion rights, including from mainline Protestant Alex Brandon/Associated Press Doug Emhoff, left, Vice President Kamala Harris, President Joe Biden and fi rst lady Jill Biden stand during the national anthem Jan. 21, 2021, during a virtual Presidential Inau- gural Prayer Service at the White House. President Donald Trump’s departure and the start of Biden’s presidency have stirred new hopes among religious leaders in the United States, while causing dismay among others. churches and the Reform and Conservative branches of Judaism, will likely embrace the administra- tion’s efforts to expand access. “We’re not pro-choice in spite of our faith — we’re pro-choice because of our faith,” said the Very Rev. Katherine Han- cock Ragsdale, an Epis- copal priest and president of the National Abortion Federation. LGBTQ rights Another issue uniting Catholic and Southern Bap- tist leaders is concern about expanding nondiscrimina- tion protections for LGBTQ people. They say such measures — some already taken and others expected later — could infringe on religious freedom for faiths that oppose same-sex marriage and question the inclusion of gender identity in non- discrimination policies. In a recent statement, fi ve prominent bishops warned about “the impo- sition of new attitudes and false theories on human sexuality which can pro- duce social harms.” Massimo Faggioli, a Vil- lanova University theology professor who authored a book about Biden and U.S. Catholicism, said these issues will fuel serious ten- sions. The bishops, he said, fear Catholic institutions will lose their right to pro- vide government-subsidized social services if they do not abide by certain nondis- criminatory policies. Francis DeBernardo of New Ways Ministry, which advocates for LGBTQ Cath- olics, predicted that Biden will fi nd a balance even as he bolsters LBGTQ rights. “As a person deeply committed to his church, he is not likely to trample on the religious liberties of faith institutions,” DeBer- nardo said. Leaders of The Church of Jesus Christ of Lat- ter-day Saints, another conservative denomina- tion, may be relieved at Trump’s departure and willing to work with Biden on some issues, said Mat- thew Bowman, chair of Mormon studies at Clare- mont Graduate University in California. Bowman said they would ask that any nondis- crimination initiatives pro- vide exemptions for reli- gious institutions, including faith-based schools such as Brigham Young University. Immigration Faith-based groups have called for raising the annual cap on refugee admis- sions to the U.S. and relief for benefi ciaries of the Deferred Action for Child- hood Arrivals program, or DACA, which shields some young immigrants from deportation. Evangelical organiza- tions that assist refugees offered advance praise for Biden’s expected raising of the admissions ceiling after what one called “numerous Racial inequality Many denominations in the U.S. have committed to combating racial injustice. Their leaders were critical of Trump’s divisive rhet- oric and expect Biden and Harris to make substan- tive efforts to reduce racial inequality. “It’s my hope that the administration will do everything they can to pro- mote racial justice, truth- telling and healing,” said Michael Curry, the fi rst African American to serve as presiding bishop of the Episcopal Church. He added that criminal jus- tice and education are areas where racial disparities must be addressed. The Rev. Terri Hord Owens, the fi rst African American to lead the Disciples of Christ, was encouraged by the Biden transition team’s extensive outreach to faith leaders and hopes the adminis- tration can address eco- nomic inequality in ways that will simultaneously combat racial injustice. The chairman of the Catholic bishops’ Com- mittee on Racism, Bishop Shelton Fabre of the Hou- ma-Thibodaux diocese in Louisiana, said differences with Biden over abortion won’t prevent cooperation on race-related matters. “While we have strong disagreements regarding abortion and other issues … I nonetheless look for- ward to working together to address racism as it impacts society and individuals,” Fabre said. The Rev. Russell Moore, head of the Southern Bap- tists’ public policy arm, acknowledged that some white evangelicals don’t consider racial inequality a high-priority issue. But he argued that it’s crucial to develop a “Christian vision of racial justice” and said an increasing number of multi- ethnic evangelical churches share his view. Domestic security The Jan. 6 insurrection at the U.S. Capitol lent fresh urgency to the debate over combatting domestic secu- rity threats, including hate crimes targeting houses of worship in recent years. Faith-based groups such as the Jewish Orthodox Union lauded an increase in federal grant money for protection at reli- gious institutions, aid that’s distributed through a program Biden vows to strengthen. But discussion of expanding legal authority to prosecute alleged domestic terrorists has raised alarms among civil rights groups, including Muslim organi- zations that fear it could be unduly deployed against minority communities. NO MORE GUTTER CLEANING, OR YOUR MONEY BACK GUARANTEED! CALL US TODAY FOR A FREE ESTIMATE 15 % AND! 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CSLB# 1035795 DOPL #10783658-5501 License# 7656 License# 50145 License# 41354 License# 99338 License# 128344 License# 218294 License# 603 233 977 License# 2102212986 License# 2106212946 License# 2705132153A License# LEAFFNW822JZ License# WV056912 License# WC-29998-H17 Nassau HIC License# H01067000 Registration# 176447 Registration# HIC.0649905 Registration# C127229 Registration# C127230 Registration# 366920918 Registration# PC6475 Registration# IR731804 Registration# 13VH09953900 Registration# PA069383 Suffolk HIC License# 52229-H Northeast Oregon Directory of Churches Cove United Methodist Church 1708 Jasper St., Cove, OR North Powder United Methodist Church 390 E. St., North Powder, OR JOIN US... Catch the Spirit! First Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) 901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 lgdisciples@gmail.com Worship 10:00 a.m. Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder ~Join us at The Lord’s Table~ SUMMERVILLE BAPTIST CHURCH LA GRANDE UNITED METHODIST 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 “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 Zion Lutheran Church (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 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 Services This Week La Grande Seventh-day FIRST LANDMARK MISSIONARY BAPTIST CHURCH 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 1812 1st St. La Grande Pastor Dave Tierce • 541-605-0215 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 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