community news
Church News and Events
By Mark Brown
Why is There So Much Suffering in the World?
Insight from Pastor Greg Allen
Pastor Greg Allen is the senior pastor at the
Bethany Bible Church, a small, non-denominational
church located just west of beautiful Portland, Oregon.
This will be a two, maybe three part series. I believe
you will enjoy both the insight and Biblical teaching. I
have included the link to the church so you can visit.
http://bethanybible.org/new/
Dear friend,
First of all, thanks for writing. And I appreciate
that you’re a believer with questions. It’s probably
not surprising to you that you’re not the first sincere
Christian with questions like these. I deeply respect you
for asking them. What’s more, I respect the sincerity with
which they’re asked. It’s easy to detect the frustration
you feel in the way you ask them; and I suspect that--
to some degree--they involve some personal pain. But
perhaps it may help if I share the things I have learned
to do to keep my bearings in this world of suffering.
(1) KEEP IN MIND THE BIBLICAL
REALITY OF THE FALL. People often ask, “If there
is a God, then why is there so much suffering and evil
in the world?” And although folks don’t always like
to admit it, the reason there’s so much suffering and
evil in the world is because we fell in sin, and brought
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ruin on the perfect creation that God made (see Genesis
3:1-19). All creation was affected when Adam and Eve
sinned (see Romans 8:18-22); and we were all in them
when they fell. I remember someone once asking Billy
Graham, “If God is all powerful, then why couldn’t
He create a perfect world?” And Dr. Graham wisely
answered, “He DID create a perfect world. But we
brought ruin upon it by our sin.” I believe that if we
always remember that this is a fallen world, we won’t
be caught by surprise by the reality of suffering and evil
that is in it. (With this, though, we also need to remember
that God has done something about it through the cross!)
(2) KEEP THE STORIES OF THE BIBLE
IN PROPER BALANCE. Sometimes people say,
“I thought the Bible teaches that only good happens
to God’s people.” And when they say this, they’re
mistaken. Some preachers and Bible teachers have
given this false impression; but the Bible doesn’t teach
that only good things will happen to God’s people.
And when Christians hold to the expectation that
only good things should happen to them, they expect
something from God that He never promised--and
thus set themselves up for a disappointment. Taken as
a whole, the Bible tells quite a mix of stories. Good
things and blessings DO often come upon godly
people. But so does suffering. Naboth got murdered
and his vineyard got stolen (1 Kings 21:1-16).
Uriah’s wife was stolen from him and he was left to
die (2 Samuel 11:1-27). The apostle Paul asked God
Senior Center Activities
5-Area Luncheon: There are no
luncheons scheduled for Novem-
ber and December.
Connie’s Fabulous Breakfasts:
Fabulous breakfasts are available
to the public on Fridays for a cost
of only $3.50. The event happens
at the Senior Center (446 Bridge
Street) from 7:30 to 9:00 AM each
Friday. Meal price includes a bev-
erage, too. Enter through the side,
parking lot door. What a deal!
Week Day Lunches: The Verno-
nia Senior Center offers nutritious
and tasty lunches each weekday
for a $4 donation for seniors over
60; cost is $5 for anyone under 60.
To-go meals are available for $5.
These are available to the public,
not just Senior Citizens. (Meal-
time is noon; late arrivals may not
be served.) You can reserve your
lunch by calling by 11:15 AM, or
further in advance if possible, to
assist the cooks as they prepare
the day’s meals. Meals on Wheels
are available for a $4 donations
for seniors over 60. Please con-
tact the Senior Center for an ap-
plication.
Maple Bars available locally!
Connie King, the cook at the Se-
nior Center, is making maple
bars each day. The maple bars are
available to the public, too, and
only cost $1 each. Availability is
subject to quantity on hand. You
can assure yourself of a good sup-
ply by pre-ordering them directly
from Connie by calling the Senior
Center (503-429-3912) any week
day, from 7:00 AM-3:00 PM.
Please allow one day lead time for
larger orders. The Center’s front
door opens at 9:00, but the side
parking lot door opens at 7:00.
Ah, sweet treats!
Thrift Store: Bargain prices
can be found in Vernonia’s Se-
nior Center in their Thrift Store.
The retail store is open Monday
through Friday, from 9:00 AM
until 3:00 PM. The Thrift Store
provides funds for the Senior
Center’s facility and its many
activities. Donations can also be
october23
dropped off during those same
hours, and donated clothes need
to be clean and in good condition
so they are “sales ready”. We are
offering half off during the first
week of each month. Buy local-
ly and support your local Senior
Center.
For after hours drop-offs please
contact Pauline 503-429-5810.
Special Days:
On the last
Wednesday of the month Wauna
Credit Union will be serving ice
cream. On the last Friday of the
month we will serve birthday cake
and ice cream to celebrate that
month’s birthdays.
Membership Dues:
Another
way to support Vernonia’s Senior
Center is to pay the $15 annual
membership dues. Checks may be
mailed or dropped off at the Se-
nior Center. Anyone 50 and older
may join.
Questions?
3912
Call:
(503) 429-
17
to remove his physical ailment three times, and God
said no (2 Corinthians 12:7-10). We’re not treating the
Bible right when we only emphasize the blessings of
its saints--and not also accept the reality of their trials.
Stay tuned, more to come…Thank you again Pastor
Greg.
Vernonia Community Church:
New Web-site: vernoniacommunitychurch.org
Annual Harvest Hot Dog Feed: We will feed hotdogs
to the kids and families going out around the neigh-
borhoods again this year. Join us starts at 5:00 PM on
October 31, 2012.
The Nehalem Valley Bible Church will hold a Bible
Conference on November 9-11 with Dr. Roy Sprague
and his wife from the Tacoma area ministering. Dr.
Sprague has preached and taught for over 50 years and
has a wealth of Bible knowledge. His texts will be the
books of 1&2 Peter. Following is the schedule and top-
ics for the meetings:
Friday 7:00 PM: “God’s Call To Salvation”
Sat Men’s Breakfast 8:00 AM: “God’s Call To Growth”
Saturday Ladies Luncheon with Elvia Sprague at Noon
Sat 7:00 PM: “God’s Call To Separation”
Sun 11:00 AM: “God’s Call To Service”
Sun 6:00 PM: “God’s Call To Satisfaction”
All meetings are at the church.
We would like to invite everyone to attend a
new Bible study begun this year entitled “Putting on
the Armor” which explores the book of Ephesians,
especially the passage from 6:10-20. It is held at the
church on Sunday evenings (except for the 3rd Sun-
day) at 6:00 PM
Pastor Taylor has begun a study of the books
of 1&2 Thessalonians for the morning service held at
11:00 AM
For further information on any of these events,
you may call Pastor Taylor at the church office at 503-
429-5378.
Contact us: www.christiannews.com or saltn_light@
hotmail.com with any faith based news .
Vernonia’s Voice is
published twice each
month on the
2nd and 4th Tuesday.
Look for our next issue
November 13th.
Church Directory (in alphabetical order)
Assembly of God
Sunday School: 9:45 AM
Morning Worship: 11:00 AM
Wayne Marr, Pastor
662 Jefferson Avenue
503-429-0373
Church of Jesus Christ
of Latter Day Saints
Sunday Schedule:
Sacrament Meeting: 10:00 AM
Sunday School & Primary: 11:20 AM
Relief Society, Priesthood and
Young Women: 12:10 PM
Marc Farmer, Branch President
1350 E. Knott Street
503-429-7151
Covenant Church Vernonia
Sunday School: 9:45 AM
Worship Service: 11:00 AM
Wednesday Prayer Meeting: 7:00 PM
John D, Murray, Pastor
359 “A” Street
503-860-3860
Nehalem Valley Bible Church
Sunday School: 9:45 AM
Worship Service: 10:45 AM
Wed. Ladies Bible Study: 10:00 AM
Wednesday Service: 7:00 PM
Sat. Men’s Prayer Meeting: 6:30 AM
Gary Taylor, Pastor
Grant & North Streets
503-429-5378
Pioneer Baptist Fellowship
Worship Service: 6:00 PM
www.pbfalive.com
John Cahill, Pastor
850 Madison Ave.
503-429-1161
St. Mary’s Catholic Church
Wednesday Religious Education: 3:15-
4:30 PM
Sunday Mass: 12:00 PM
Rev. Luan Tran, Administrator
960 Missouri Avenue
503-429-8841
Vernonia Christian Church
Sunday School: 9:45 AM
Worship Service in Youth &
Family Center: 11:00 AM
www.VernoniaChristianChurch.org
Sam Hough, Pastor
410 North Street
503-429-6522
Vernonia Community Church
Sunday School: 9:00 AM
Worship Service: 10:30 AM
Wednesday Prayer: 6:30 PM
Ralph Young, Interim Pastor
957 State Avenue
503-429-6790
Vernonia Foursquare Church
Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 AM
Children’s Sunday School
Carl Pense, Pastor
850 Madison Avenue
503-429-1103
Vernonia Seventh-day Adventist
Church
Sabbath (Saturday) Services
Sabbath School: 9:30 AM
Worship Service: 11:00 AM
www.VernoniaSDAC.org
Larry Gibson, Pastor
2nd Ave. and Nehalem St.
503-429-8301