Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, December 23, 2021
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
Upcoming weekly lessons
focus on Old Testament
NORTHEASTERN OREGON
— On Sunday, Dec. 26, the
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints’ worship services
will be limited to a Sacrament
Meeting, thus meeting times may
be impacted. Starting Jan. 2,
2022, the meeting times for wards
sharing the same building will
rotate. Members are reminded to
check with their ward’s leadership
with questions about schedule
changes.
Starting with the week of Dec.
27, the study of the Old Testa-
ment will be the focus of the
“Come, Follow Me” curriculum.
Moses 1 and Abraham 3 (found
in the Pearl of Great Price) are
the scriptures covered in the fi rst
week, as they provide greater
insight into the life of Moses and
the creation of this world we live
in. All lesson materials are avail-
able from the free Gospel Library
mobile app and on the church’s
website.
Ecumenical Christmas Eve
service available online
LA GRANDE — Zion
Lutheran Church’s Christmas Eve
service, on Friday, Dec. 24, will
be held at 4 p.m. A prerecorded
ecumenical Christmas Eve ser-
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).
vice will be available on Zion’s
website and Facebook page by
Friday morning. On Sunday, Dec.
26, Zion Lutheran will meet for
worship at 9 a.m. Fellowship time
will follow the service. Masks
and social distancing are required
at all in-person gatherings. The
Sunday service will not be live-
streamed or recorded.
Sunday sermon
based on Luke 22
Morning Prayer service
planned for Dec. 26
LA GRANDE — Faith
Lutheran Church will lead a
Christmas Eve Candlelight Ser-
vice at 7 p.m. Friday, Dec. 24,
and a Divine Service at 10 a.m.
on Sunday, Dec. 26. Sunday’s
sermon will be based on Luke
2:22-40. In these verses, two
dear souls in the house of the
Lord celebrated being with Jesus
Christ. One of them sang, “My
eyes have seen Your salvation.”
Jesus Christ is the Savior, and we
are welcomed and encouraged to
worship him.
— The Observer
LA GRANDE — St. Peter’s
Episcopal Church will have an
in-person Christmas Eve ser-
vice on Friday, Dec. 24, at 6 p.m.
A pre-recorded ecumenical
Christmas Eve service will also
be available on St. Peter’s Face-
book page by Friday morning. A
Morning Prayer service begins
at 11 a.m. on Sunday, Dec. 26.
That service will not be live-
streamed or recorded. In-person
services require masks and social
distancing.
They are our neighbors
STEVEN
KOSKI
OTHER VIEWS
A
wrong idea has
taken root in the
world — that some
lives are less valuable than
other lives. There’s a lot of
concern regarding fi nding
good solutions for those
who are houseless in our
community. It’s interesting
to have these conversations
at a time when Christians
remember Mary and Joseph
about to give birth to Jesus
seeking shelter and being
told there was no room for
them.
We need to have healthy
debates about the best solu-
tions for our houseless
neighbors and for our com-
munity — just as we would
about education choices for
our children, open space
protection for our parks,
and aff ordable housing that
might help prevent house-
lessness in the fi rst place.
What we ask our com-
munity to change is the way
we talk about our houseless
neighbors in demeaning
and dehumanizing ways.
We ask you, our com-
munity, to change seeing
and treating our houseless
neighbors as if their lives
are less important than our
lives — as if houseless-
ness is the only thing that
defi nes them.
A question we keep
hearing is “What do we do
about homeless people?” as
if they are a problem to be
solved and not people who
deserve love and respect.
What if we asked, “How
can we fi nd solutions where
everyone has a chance to
fl ourish?”
An underlying assump-
tion lurks in this rhetoric,
implying that some people
choose to be homeless.
Roughly 90% of those expe-
riencing homelessness fi nd
our compassion and not our
judgment.
Many who are chron-
ically houseless suff er
from post-traumatic stress
because of repeated trau-
matic events in their lives.
Trauma is not a choice.
Imagine if we had the kind
of compassion that stood
in awe at the trauma and
burdens that those who are
houseless have to carry,
rather than standing in judg-
ment over how they carry it.
Substance abuse is often
“Imagine if we had the kind of compassion
that stood in awe at the trauma and
burdens that those who are houseless have
to carry, rather than standing in judgment
over how they carry it.”
— Rev. Steven Koski, First Presbyterian Church, Bend
themselves in that situation
due to unforeseen life cir-
cumstances. They are typi-
cally houseless for less than
a year and then thrive again
through access to avail-
able supports. Roughly 10%
experience homelessness as
a chronic condition.
The chronically house-
less are often talked about
in dehumanizing ways.
Many are living with a
mental illness. A person
struggling with schizo-
phrenia, for example,
doesn’t choose to live with
that illness and deserves
a factor. Some will argue
that’s a choice, but sub-
stance abuse is often an
attempt to cope with dev-
astating mental illness
or trauma. Dealing with
mental health issues or
sobriety is hard enough
when you are not living
on the streets and next
to impossible when you
lack support, stability and
resources.
The answer to the ques-
tion, “What do we do about
this?” is easy. We off er as
much compassion as pos-
sible. Everyone deserves
All God has ever
wanted is our heart
By WILLIAM F. “BILLY”
HOLLAND JR.
a warm and safe place to
sleep. Mahatma Gandhi
reminds us, “The true mea-
sure of any society can be
found in how it treats its
most vulnerable members.”
Father Greg Boyle
founded Homeboy indus-
tries, which is the largest
and most successful gang
intervention and rehabilita-
tion program in the world.
Father Boyle believes what
changes people is not eff orts
to rescue or save, but kin-
ship. He said, “The measure
of our compassion is our
willingness to see ourselves
in kinship with others.”
As we continue
searching for good solutions
and sharing valid concerns,
we ask our community to
remember that those experi-
encing homelessness are not
a problem to be solved but
our neighbors whose lives
are just as important as each
of ours.
———
This piece was written by
Steven Koski, lead pastor
of the First Presbyterian
Church in Bend. Signing on
to the letter were Rev. Chris
Kramer, Nativity Lutheran;
Rev. Jen Stuart, Bend
Church; Rev. Jed Holdorph,
Trinity Episcopal Church;
Rev. Jane Hiatt, Unity Com-
munity of Central Oregon;
Rev. Andrew Bansemer,
Grace First Lutheran; Rev.
Scott Rudolph, UU Fellow-
ship of Central Oregon;
and Rev. Erika Spaet,
Storydwelling.
The holiday season
is called the most won-
derful time of the year,
but between buying gifts,
hosting parties, trying
not to break your healthy
habits (or the bank) and
attending family gath-
erings, it can also be the
most stressful time of
the year. Once again, we
are trying to fi gure out
what to give people who
already have everything
they need.
I’m trying to under-
stand how we went from
the wise men bringing
gifts to Christ as an act
of worship to the ritual of
giving gifts to each other.
I don’t remember Mary
and Joseph exchanging
presents with the shep-
herds, or Bethlehem being
decorated with tinsel
and ribbons. Yes, there
is widespread aff ection
for the magical stories
and traditions that we are
accustomed to, but we also
understand that much of
our holiday festivities have
little to do with Christ.
So what does Christ
want for Christmas?
Among the fl ying rein-
deer, the abominable
snowman and magical
elves, may we humbly
realize that all God
has ever wanted is our
heart. Galatians 4:19 is
not usually considered a
Christmas text, but the
Apostle Paul makes a very
interesting statement, “My
dear children, for whom
I am again in the pains
of childbirth until Christ
is formed in you.” Is this
not an appropriate time
to declare our need for
Jesus to be born into our
lives? This holy truth is
as life changing today as
it was the moment Jesus
appeared.
— Read more at www.
billyhollandministries.com.
Elgin Baptist Church
Welcomes new Pastor
It is with great pleasure that Elgin Baptist Church,
1325 Hartford Street, Elgin, OR, welcomes Pastor Bobby
Johnson as the new Pastor of our congregation. His first
service with us was the beginning of Advent, Sunday, No-
vember 28th. He is coming from Valley Baptist Church
in McMinnville, OR with his wife, Priscilla, and their five
children. Pastor Johnson is the son-in-law of our former
Pastor Brad Richmond, who was called home to be with
the Lord in 2016.
We would be delighted to have you come and meet and
learn all about the Johnsons at our Christmas Eve service,
6:00 p.m. at Elgin Baptist Church. Our regular services
are 10:00 a.m. adult Sunday School and 11:00 a.m. wor-
ship service. We welcome all who choose to attend.
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Top left: Josiah, Pastor, Amelia Lower row: Jesse, Mom
Priscilla, Justice & Abigail
43 N. 8th Elgin, OR 541-437-2054
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)
Worship
10:00 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
SUMMERVILLE
BAPTIST CHURCH
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
A church for your whole family
Visit us at summervillebaptistchurch.org
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623 “We are called to Serve”
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
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
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
www.lagrandeumc.org
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
La Grande Seventh-day
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
1612 4th Street – 963-2498
For service information go to
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
Pastor Taylor Gould
Imbler
Christian
Church
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:15 a.m.
Sunday Worship 10:30 a.m.
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
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
Services
This
Week