Spiritual Life
A6
Thursday, July 7, 2022
SPIRITUAL LIFE HIGHLIGHTS
All are welcome
at the Lord’s table
SUBMISSIONS
LA GRANDE — Pastor
Archie Hook’s message on
Sunday, July 10, at First Chris-
tian Church (Disciples of Christ),
will ask “Whom Do We Serve?”
His message will be drawn from 2
Samuel 23:15-17. Worship begins
at 10:30 a.m. and will include
Communion. All are welcome to
partake at the Lord’s table.
Mother-daughter stake
activities held this week
NORTHEASTERN OREGON
Churches and faith-based groups are
encouraged to submit Highlights for the
Spiritual Life page by noon Tuesday for
publication Thursday. Submit by email
to news@lagrandeobserver.com (with
Highlights in the subject line).
— The La Grande Stake of the
Church of Jesus Christ of Lat-
ter-day Saints will hold moth-
er-daughter activities this week
for girls and women of all ages in
both Baker City (Friday, July 8,
5-8 p.m. at the church’s pavilion)
and La Grande (Saturday, July 9,
11 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Island City
pavilion). Check your stake cal-
endar and/or with ward leaders for
more details.
On Sunday, July 10, members
of the congregation will speak
during the Sacrament service,
and Priesthood, Relief Society
and youth meetings will be held
during the second hour.
The “Come, Follow Me” lesson
for the week of July 11 is based
on 2 Kings 17-25 during the time
when the 10 tribes of Israel were
scattered by the Assyrian Empire,
followed by the fall of Judah to
Babylon.
The annual Pioneer Day stake
celebration will be held July 16
from 5-8 p.m. at the Island City
pavilion and ball fi eld. Dinner is
from 5-6 p.m. with activities to
follow.
The Observer wants to hear
from you on spiritual matters
LA GRANDE — The
Observer welcomes thoughts
and comments from community
members on spiritual matters. If
you would like to share how you
experience spirituality, email
lkelly@lagrandeobserver.com
or leave a message at 541-624-
6019. Ongoing monthly columns
and one-time submissions will be
considered. Columns are gener-
ally 500-600 words and include a
photo of the writer.
Also, we invite announce-
ments and photographs of local
faith-based events and activities
for inclusion on the Spiritual Life
page.
— The Observer
Loaves and fi shes: Cross the Divide has successful transition
By BILL BRADSHAW
Wallowa County Chieftain
WALLOWA LAKE —
Cross the Divide in June put
on its fi rst local event since
it transitioned Dec. 31 from
the longtime veterans-sup-
port organization Divide
Camp into one that has a
stronger focus on the Gospel
message.
“The cross (in the name)
reminds of Jesus — our
Creator, our Savior, the
Author and Finisher of our
faith and the only One who
can provide true power for
real inner change,” Emile
“Mo” Moured, the new
executive director of Cross
the Divide, wrote in a
newsletter announcing the
change.
He emphasized that the
change was a subtle one
from Divide Camp Director
Julie Wheeler’s direction for
that organization.
“Julie’s deepest convic-
tion has been that Divide
Camp focus more and more
Bill Bradshaw/Wallowa County Chieftain
Cross the Divide Executive Director Emile “Mo” Moured addresses
those attending a fundraiser dinner at Enterprise Christian Church,
while Outdoor Director Andy Marcum listens Friday, June 10, 2022.
on God in its ongoing future
growth,” Moured said. “My
goals and desire are abso-
lutely aligned with hers.”
He noted that the Gospel
message is more integrated
into the program now.
“It’s incorporated in each
of our programs,” he said.
Moured said Cross
the Divide has held two
other events outside of
Eastern Oregon. Ear-
lier this year, two outdoor
events were held in Western
Washington.
He said there will be four
to six events held in Wal-
lowa County this year, the
next being in September.
The fi rst offi cial Cross the
Divide event in the county
was a kokanee fi shing derby
on Wallowa Lake on Friday
and Saturday, June 10-11.
About 45 competitors took
part, but there were many
more in support.
A fundraiser dinner that
included a raffl e and silent
auction took place at the end
of the fi rst day at Enterprise
Christian Church. Moured
said more than 120 people
attended — and there was
plenty of food. A smoked
brisket prepared by Tyrell
Burns was the entree, with
side dishes donated by a
wide variety of those in
attendance.
“The most important
thing is people had fun,”
Moured said. “It was a real
loaves-and-fi shes-type of
moment. We did not run out
of food.”
Kris Crowley, pastor of
Tenderfoot Christian Fel-
lowship in Joseph, serves
as vice president of the
Cross the Divide board of
directors.
“I thought it was a huge
success for our fi rst year.
We exceeded the expecta-
tions we had for the amount
of people who came to the
dinner and the participa-
tion we got there,” he said.
“People were in really good
spirits, considering the
weather.”
Crowley said his main
role with Cross the Divide
is to off er spiritual guidance
and direction.
The nonprofi t remains
committed to veterans, but
unlike Divide Camp, which
catered solely to post-9/11
veterans, Cross the Divide
addresses the needs of all
veterans and their families.
Moured said that
between the fundraiser and
the fi shing derby, just over
$6,000 was raised.
“We defi nitely covered
our costs,” he said.
Plans for the funds raised
are primarily to boost Cross
the Divide programs in Wal-
lowa County, Moured said.
The resident of Western
Washington said he was
pleased to get to put faces
on names he’s become
familiar with in the area. He
was already familiar with
Crowley and Andy Marcum,
the outdoor director, as well
as Jan Goertzen, who runs
the group’s lodge in Joseph,
and spoke highly of each.
Becoming acquainted with
people at Viridian Prop-
erty Management, Umpqua
Bank and other businesses
around the county that
donated prizes for the derby
and the fundraiser was
meaningful.
“We’ve got a great team
here who are riding herd
on things,” he said. “Our
goal is to step up and make
the Eastern Oregon part of
Divide a really solid part of
our program as we expand
into Western Washington
and other places.”
But, he said, Wallowa
County remains the heart of
Cross the Divide.
“I told them, kind of
jokingly, that if you’re not
careful, you’re going to
make people want to move
down to Wallowa County,”
he said. “All those folks
care deeply for veterans and
the ministry of Cross the
Divide. They motivate me.”
We have the means and responsibility to work toward peace
“T
he earth is but
one country
and mankind
its citizens.” Baha’u’llah
wrote these words in the
19th century, calling for all
peoples to put aside their
perceived diff erences and
recognize the essential one-
ness of humanity. The gen-
eral consensus of the world
has taken some time to
catch up to that vision, but
here in 2022, many people
throughout the world — and
I optimistically might even
say most — recognize that
someone living halfway
around the globe is not only
equal in essence, but genu-
inely connected in spirit.
Long before the creation
of the League of Nations,
much less the United
Nations, the EU or NATO,
Baha’u’llah also called for
“an all-embracing assem-
blage” that all the rulers of
the earth must attend “and
participating in its deliber-
ations, must consider such
ways and means as will
lay the foundations of the
world’s great peace among
men.”
SARAH
HAUG
LIGHT OF UNITY
Rather than turning the
world into a homogenous
whole, this assemblage was
to create a sense of “unity
in diversity” and most
important, establish peace
as a central operating prin-
ciple of the entire planet.
Even then, however, the
Baha’i Writings acknowl-
edge that the road toward
peace might be rocky — as
we have witnessed since
March with the invasion of
Ukraine — and provides a
means to deal with such an
occurrence. We are taught
that if one ruler decides to
take up arms against his
neighbor, “all should unit-
edly arise and prevent him.”
Popping up in my Face-
book feed since the inva-
sion was a rerecording by
Sting of his song Russians,
which came out in 1985
and everyone hoped would
never become relevant
again. The line that keeps
coming back to me, day
after day, goes, “What will
save us, me and you, is that
the Russians love their chil-
dren too.”
Back in 1985, maybe we
weren’t entirely sure the
Russians did love their chil-
dren. After 40 years of the
Cold War, we didn’t know
enough about them. But
that’s not the case anymore.
And maybe that knowledge
can be a source of hope
moving forward.
Baha’u’llah writes fur-
ther: “Compose your dif-
ferences and reduce your
armaments that the burden
of your expenditures may
be lightened, and that your
minds and hearts may be
tranquillized. Heal the dis-
sensions that divide you,
and ye will no longer be
in need of any armaments
except what the protection
of your cities and territories
demandeth. Fear ye God,
and take heed not to out-
strip the bounds of mod-
eration, and be numbered
among the extravagant.”
The Baha’i Writings
don’t promise there will be
no more war or won’t be
failures. The assurance is
that we have the means, and
the responsibility, to always
work toward peace.
█
Sarah Haug, of Pendleton, is a
member of the Baha’i Faith.
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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!
Worship: 9:00 a.m. Cove
Worship: 10:00 a.m. N. Powder
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
First Christian
Church
(Disciples of Christ)
901 Penn Avenue 963-2623
lgdisciples@gmail.com
Bible Study
9:00 a.m.
Worship
10:30 a.m.
~Join us at The Lord’s Table~
Imbler
Christian
Church
www.imblercc@gmail.com
Sunday Services
9:00 a.m.
10:00 a.m.
Sunday School
Worship Service
Phone: 541-568-4230
grace.lutherancove@gmail.com
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
www.lagrandeumc.org
Sunday School for all ages - 9:00 am
Sunday Worship 10:00 am
Adventist Church
“OPEN HEARTS, OPEN MINDS, OPEN DOORS”
For service information go to
The Place
62848 Philynda Loop in Island City
440 Ruckman, Imbler 534-2201 “We are called to Serve”
LA GRANDE UNITED
METHODIST CHURCH
Pastor Roberta Smythe
GRACE COMMUNITY
LUTHERAN CHURCH
2702 Adams Avenue, La Grande
963-4018
109 18th Street • 963-3402
Sunday School 9:30 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
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