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FAITH
East Oregonian
Friday, May 6, 2016
HERMISTON
Day of Prayer a public profession of faith
By JADE MCDOWELL
East Oregonian
Polls on church attendance
show America is becoming
increasingly secular, but
Hermiston’s National Day
of Prayer event showed how
deeply faith is still woven
into the fabric of the nation.
Many of the “seven pillars
of society” prayed for at
the event — pillars such as
government and education
— showed how the First
Amendment simultaneously
creates a separation of
church and state while also
protecting the private reli-
gious expressions of citizens.
State Representative Greg
Smith, representing the pillar
of government at the event,
told attendees that he turns
to prayer when he feels the
weight of the decisions he is
making and the millions of
lives he is affecting.
“I genuinely believe in
prayer as a time to talk to my
Heavenly Father and ask him
for guidance,” Smith said.
Kathryn Youngman, a
Spanish teacher at Pendleton
Community
FIRST CHRISTIAN CHURCH
(Disciples of Christ)
215 N Main • Pendleton
Sunday Worship: 10:40am
Bible Class: 9:30am
Office: 278-5358
M-F, 8:30am - 12:30pm
WWW.FCCPENDLETON.ORG
P eace L utheran C hurch
210 NW 9th, Pendleton ELCA
Join us Sundays
9:30 am Sunday Worship
9:30
Worship
10:30 am
am Sunday
Fellowship
11:00 am Sunday School
& Adult Class
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Pendleton High School teacher Kathryn Youngman offers a prayer for education
during Hermiston’s National Day of Prayer event Thursday.
High School, is not allowed
to teach her personal reli-
gious views in the classroom.
But on Thursday night as
she represented the pillar of
Staff photo by Jade McDowell
Jacob Looper, left, leads a praise team in a worship
song Thursday.
education she prayed that the
children in the community
would learn and grow and
reach the potential that God
gave them.
“We must also pray to
God to inspire educators to
be the best role models,” she
told the group.
Aaron Palmquist serves
as the city manager of Irrigon
but was at the National Day
of Prayer event in a different
capacity, representing the
military in his role as a
Sergeant Major in the Army.
He spoke of the strength that
members of the military and
their family receive through
prayer.
Those who were attending
the event shared those views,
and said those who work too
hard to push religion out of
public view forget that the
Founding Fathers sought to
protect everyone’s right to
free speech.
Sue Stibor said the
National Day of Prayer illus-
trated that principal is still at
work today.
“We’re here to pray and
no one’s taking names, no
one’s taking driver’s licenses
— that’s the greatest freedom
you can have,” she said.
Elaine Couch said she
“very much” believed that
God heard peoples’ prayers
on behalf of the country and
answered them.
“We need to pray that
Americans can be united,”
she said.
Josue Arenas said that the
Day of Prayer, and personal
prayers, need to be about
more than just praying for a
speciic candidate. They need
to be for America to ind its
moral compass.
BRIEFLY
A LIMEY PASTOR IN BOARDMAN
Church Women United
meet today
Cats from heaven
MILTON-FREEWATER — In
celebration of May Fellowship Day,
the Milton-Freewater Church Women
United are having a salad luncheon.
Everyone is invited to attend
Friday at noon at the First Christian
Church, 618 S. Main St., Milton-
Freewater. The guest speakers are
a former missionary couple that
served as translators in Indonesia for
more than 30 years.
For more information, contact
Helen Richartz at helen_jack@
columbiainet.com, 541-558-3969 or
Judy at 509-520-8497.
Baptist church
plans movie night
BOARDMAN — A good laugh
and a message of hope is featured
during the upcoming Free Movie
Night at the Church.
“Mom’s Night Out” will be
screened Saturday, May 14 at 6
p.m. at the First Baptist Church, at
200 Willow Fork Drive, Boardman.
There is no admission charge.
Refreshments and popcorn will be
available for purchase.
The 2014 release is rated PG.
Among the cast are country/gospel
musician Trace Adkins, Sean Astin,
Sarah Drew and Patricia Heaton.
For more information, call
541-481-9437.
Church offers
disaster training
LA GRANDE — The United
Methodist Volunteer in Mission is
hosting a training on how to respond
to local or personal disasters.
Becky Platt will make the
presentation, which includes
information about how to develop
a disaster response ministry, how
to prepare for a disaster and how to
respond in helping the community.
The disaster of poverty and illness,
as well as from lood or ires, will be
discussed.
Preparing our Churches
and Communities for Disaster:
Connecting Neighbors is Saturday,
May 21 from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. at
the United Methodist Church, 612
Fourth St., La Grande. Materials
will be available for people to
take back to their communities for
further implementation.
The event is free and lunch will
be provided. Donations will be
accepted for those who would like
to support the ministry.
People are asked to pre-register
by contacting 541-963-2498 or
LGUMC@eoni.com. For more
information, contact Platt at
beckyplatt1@peoplepc.com or
503-680-5015.
———
Send information about local
faith-related news and events to
community@eastoregonian.com.
M
y wife and I had a
before I was baptized in my
big scare this week.
early 30s. In those days, my
Gracie, our oldest cat,
wife and I had adopted a stray
went missing. This was a cat
cat called KitKit, who was a
that never went missing. We
wanderer of sorts.
knocked at all the neighbors’
One day KitKit disappeared
houses, we papered liers on
— for several days, to our
mailboxes. As the next day
great distress. I spent the nights
came, uncertainty turned to
outside our house, meowing
Colin
fear, terrible fear that gnawed
human-style for her return.
Brown
like a beaver on a log. My
Towards the end of the
Comment
wife’s demeanor began to
third evening. I heard a distant,
descend dramatically, with
sad mewing. It seemed to be
fears of coyotes or, worse, terrible
coming from the basement of the
people. When she was younger
Lutheran church next door. I had no
someone had shot and killed her
access to the church, so I called the
darling Persian cat. All of these buried listed caretaker and out into the night
memories resurfaced like an ugly
came Barb, who had the keys of the
war memory and she began to weep
church. We went into the building, and
pitifully.
from the deep bowels of the church, we
I went into woods in the back of
heard the pitiful cries. On descending
our house, striding down to a brambly
into the depths of the church we found
area that was safe for cats. But — no
a closed basement door and creaked it
Gracie. I realized that this may be the
open. A sad mournful face gazed out.
way God hunts us down to rescue
It was beloved KitKit, who had been
us amidst thickets of darkness and
looking for God in all the wrong places.
sin, desperately and hopefully. I was
The humming of the boiler purred in
comforted briely by the absence of
tune with her squeaks of relief and
evidence — then discomited by Gracie pleasure. Her love meows rang out like
hairs on a fence.
bells.
At the end of the day, after much
KitKit, dear little thing, passed
anguish. I found her patiently waiting
away some while ago. But I began
outside the front door, with no
going to the Lutheran church as my
explanation. I embraced her as if she
way of saying thank you for the good
might ly away, with her feathery limbs. Lutherans who had helped save my cat.
I took her quickly inside and showed
Then another cat entered the picture.
my wife, who melted in tears and held
Grace, a grey kitty, a Maine Coon
her tight, burying her face in her living
cat with inely feathered hair like a
luff. A God ire moment no less.
four-legged angel, who lived behind the
At Paciic Lutheran Theological
same Lutheran church, liked to attend
Seminary, as part of a talent contest,
service. She would walk down the aisle
I made up a story about a cat that
when the service began and sit in front
belonged to Jesus (“Behold, the Cat
of the altar. There was no question in
of the Lord” it was called). Of course,
my mind that she possessed religious
anyone knows that this story is totally
sensibilities. Her name, Grace, relected
made up. However, in my heart of
her sublime theology.
hearts I truly believe that the fact such a
Grace lived in the house behind
cat had never been mentioned is just an me, with a young family. I told them
oversight, an omission by an editor that that if they ever needed to ind a home
knew that such an entry of a cat would
for Gracie (as we call her now) that
have somewhat changed the whole
we would be up for the task. Several
tenor of the Gospel. Yet, it is impossible years later, when we had moved to
to think of a Lord who loved small
Woodburn, we got a call — the young
things not having a cat — quite
family had moved to live next to
unrealistic in fact.
dangerous Highway 99 E. They wanted
Much as cat pictures have now
Grace to be safe. So Gracie came to my
dominated Facebook, I think that
house, where she learned to listen to
biblical texts involving Jesus’ cat would me practice sermons — although she
soon confuse the story and distract
makes no comment.
from the point. Artists through history
Now I have another cat, called
would paint pictures of Jesus and the
Darko, named after the ilm character,
ishermen, with an abundance of cats.
time-traveling Donnie Darko. Black as
Mary would have pictures entitled
midnight, he likes to sleep under sheets
Madonna and Cat — and Child. You
with his head on a pillow, and has a
can see that the balance would be
fondness for pouncing on Gracie from
maladjusted.
time to time, causing Gracie to slap him
But cats and Christianity are for
for his impertinence. He had a rough
me tied together, in the story of three
beginning in life.
of my cats. Without them, my story of
I will tell you his special story if
becoming a limey pastor in Boardman
you come to Good Shepherd in the
would be entirely different. I doubt
Boardman church on Locust Road,
that I would be here. When I lived
where I am its pastor, on Sunday at 11
in Aurora, I moved next door to a
a.m. and ask me.
Lutheran church. I was, however, at
■
that time a Catholic and had been a
Colin Brown is pastor of Good Shep-
Catechumen (a beginner) in that faith
herd Lutheran Church in Boardman.
~Come and be at Peace ~
on 1290 KUMA noon each Sunday
NEW HOPE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
1350 S. Highway 395,
Hermiston
Sunday Worship Services
English- Pastor Dave Andrus
9:00 & 10:45 am
Spanish- Pastor Genaro Loredo
9:00 & 10:15 am
Classes for kids during all
services
For more information call
541-567-8441
Faith Center Church
Worshiping God
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
Sunday Worship
10:30 am
Sr. Pastor,
Ray O’Grady
pendletonfaithcenter.org
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
Community
Presbyterian Churc h
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at
11:30
www.graceandmercylutheran.org
Sunday Worship 9:00 a.m.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery
Provided)
Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School
Check Out our Facebook Page or Website
for More Information
541-289-4535
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
164 E. Main St. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
Grace Baptist Church
585 SW Birch,
Pilot Rock, OR 97868
(541) 443-2500
prbconline.blogspot.com
Sunday School: 9:30 am
Worship Service: 10:45 am
Kids’ Club: 6:00 pm
Wednesday Services:
Youth Group: 7:00 pm
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
Nursery provided for all
services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship -
7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
All People
Are Welcome
Scripture, Tradition
and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
Gladys Ave & 7th Hermiston
Fr. Dan Lediard, Priest. PH: 567-6672
First United
Methodist
Church
352 SE 2nd Street
Pendleton, OR
541-276-2616
Sunday Worship 9am
Open Hearts, Open Hands, Open Doors
Facebook: www.facebook.com/
FUMCPendleton
Services are broadcast every Sunday
on KUMA-1290 AM @ 11am
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
-Presbyterian Church (USA)-
201 SW Dorion Ave.
Pendleton
Service of Worship - 10:00 am
Children’s Sunday School -
10:20 am
Fellowship - 11:00 am
www.pendletonpresbyterian.com
Open Hearted...
Open Minded
Redeemer
Episcopal
Church
241 SE Second St. Pendleton
(541)276-3809
www.pendletonepiscopal.org
Sunday Holy Communion 9:00 a.m.
Wednesday Holy Communion Noon
Weekly Adults Spiritual Life Group
All Are Welcome
Com e m eet Jesus a t
PEN D LETO N BAPTIST
C HU RC H
3202 SW N ye Ave Pen d leton , O R
541-276-7590
Su n d a y M orn in g W orship 11:00 AM
Su n d a y Bible Cla sses 9:45 AM
Su n d a y Y ou th Grou p 6:00 PM
M on . Com m u n ity W om en ’s Stu d y
9:30 AM & 6 PM
Aw a n a K id s Clu b (K -6th gra d e)
W ed M en ’s Stu d y 6 PM
M O PS m eetin g the 1st Thu r of the M on th 6 PM
FIRST SERVICE 8:30 AM
SECOND SERVICE 10:30 AM
712 SW 27 TH ST.
541-276-1894
www.fcogpendleton.com
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
in Mission for Christ LCMC
Bible Study . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:00 AM
Sunday Worship . . . 10:30 AM
Red Lion Hotel
( Oregon Trail Room )
www.faithpendleton.org
BAHA’I FAITH
“The Unity of All Mankind”
Pendleton Baha’i Center at
1015 SE Court Place
Devotions Sundays @
11:00am; Everyone
invited!
(541) 276-9360 visit us at
www.pendletonbahais.org
To share your worship times call
Terri Briggs
541-278-2678
