Page 8A
FAITH
East Oregonian
Friday, July 29, 2016
BOARDMAN’S LIMEY PASTOR
Doctor Nestingen at Rockin’ Roger’s
T
ime is accelerating. The
different former denominations
wedding hoofbeats draw
without creating barriers,
closer for my son and
boundaries or confusions. So I
“almost” daughter-in-law.
told the church council of my
They are in the tractor beam of
plan to meet with Dr. James
the tribe of mothers and older
Nestingen, my former professor
relatives who are most willing
and exemplar of orthodoxy
to fuel the mad excitement. My
who created so many teaching
role — that of performing the
books and guides for newbies
Colin
spiritual surgery of the wedding
and oldies alike. My idea is to
Brown
ceremony itself and providing
create a basic Lutheran 101
Faith
a sermon that will be little paid
class using some of Dr. Jim’s
attention to by the subjects of
teaching materials.
its message — trapped in a whirlwind
I have a meeting spot with my
of their own devising, is a negligible
master down in Salem at Rockin’
matter except to a God who loves this
Rogers, a 1950s-style diner that seems
kind of schmaltzy story, of another
a great place for theology. We met
new beginning of untold promise.
yesterday, just after he arrived back
My stand-in on Sunday, the
from a teaching tour in Australia.
redoubtable Pastor Paul, my
The diner no longer serves liver and
predecessor at the church, will pop
onions, to our chagrin, but they do a
out of retirement to enjoy the summer
tasty pot roast.
glow of the lock and stand in for me,
The danger to avoid, said
sharing the Word in its glory as he has
Nestingen, is to avoid legalism — that
so many times before.
is to say, prevent people from having
At church council last week we
access to the means of grace, the
had discussed our challenge at Good
sacraments, by statutes of complexity
Shepherd Lutheran Church of being
that raises the specter of putting
invitational to so many people of
law above the Gospel, and thus
thwarting God’s purpose of bringing
all the children of God to the table.
Lutheranism is not a works-based
religion and God intends his free gift
to be freely available.
So, we discussed what kind of
things a Lutheran 101 might look like.
Dr. Jim said that the best age for a
conirmation class is the ifth grade. At
this age, studies had shown, a young
person is more open to the holy. I have
adults in my church who have not been
oficially conirmed but are a very holy
people. I want to gift them with this
simple education. I want to help folks
feel that God himself wants to give
more of what he has to them.
Jim said that the parable of the
laborers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:
1- 16) is an excellent story to share,
which shows that the grace we receive
from God is equally the same whether
we have been working in the Kingdom
for a lifetime or whether we just began
yesterday.
■
Colin Brown is pastor of the of the
Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in
Boardman.
BRIEFLY
Outdoor church
service includes
Dutch oven meal
HEPPNER — An informal
camp-style worship service
is planned by the Shared
Ministry of Hope Lutheran
Church and All Saints
Episcopal Church.
The public is invited to
attend Sunday at 10 a.m.
at Hager Park, located on
Southeast Hager St., Heppner.
A meal featuring slow-cooked
Dutch-oven specialties will be
served afterward. Beverages,
plates and utensils will be
provided. If desired, those
attending may bring a salad or
dessert to share.
For more information, call
541-676-9970.
AP Photo/Alik Keplicz
Faithful participating in the World Youth Days greet Pope Francis as he rides in
his pope-mobile in Krakow, Poland, Thursday. The Pope is on a ive-day visit to
Poland which will culminate with the World Youth Day on Sunday.
Huge crowd at Polish shrine
hears pope hail their faith
C Z E S T O C H O WA ,
Poland (AP) — Pope
Francis blessed hundreds
of thousands of faithful
Thursday at a shrine in
Poland, paying tribute to
a beloved native son, St.
John Paul II, honoring
the countless “ordinary
yet remarkable” Poles
who deiantly clung to
their faith during Sovi-
et-bloc communism and
establishing this pontiff’s
drawing power in a country
where being Catholic is
often equated with being
Polish.
Francis, who had never
set foot in Eastern Europe
before this week’s ive-day
pilgrimage to Poland,
gazed in apparent awe
for several minutes as he
studied the Jasna Gora
monastery shrine’s iconic
image of the so-called
Black Madonna. The faces
of Mary and Baby Jesus
in the icon — an object
of veneration starting in
the 14th century — are
blackened by centuries of
varnish and candle soot.
Pilgrimages to Jasna
Gora, often by faithful
trekking long distances,
are part of many Polish
Catholics’ identity and
upbringing.
Polish church ofi-
cials said as many as
600,000 people locked
to the outdoor Mass at the
monastery. In the evening,
local church organizers
in Krakow said another
500,000 faithful, young
people from all around the
world cheered Francis at a
pep rally on a meadow in
the southern city.
Vatican oficials and
police declined to offer any
estimates.
During the pep rally,
people sang and danced to
lively tunes, waving lags
from places as different
as Tennessee and Turkey.
In a gesture to the Argen-
tine-born,
tango-loving
Francis, Poles devised a
tango number with Polish
lyrics.
“John Paul is no more,
but Francis means a contin-
uation of this great love for
God that our Polish pope
has given us,” Marcin
Fifth Sunday
potluck brunch
planned in Pendleton
PENDLETON — A Fifth
Sunday Potluck Brunch is
planned after the morning
worship service at Pendleton
First United Methodist
Church.
Everyone is invited to
attend the service Sunday at
9 a.m. at 352 S.E. Second St.,
Pendleton. The brunch will
follow in the church’s dining
hall. People are invited to
bring a dish to share and visit
with others.
For more information, call
541-276-2616 or visit www.
pendletonunitedmethodist.org.
Community
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
~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
Community
Presbyterian Churc h
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at
11:30
Stefano Rellandini/Pool photo via AP
Pope Francis waives to a cheering crowd of faithful
as he drives by in a public transportation tram he
used to reach the venue of the World Youth Days in
Krakow, Poland, Thursday.
Zbik, a student from the
northwestern town of
Police told The Associated
Press.
During the morning
Mass, a woman went
into labor and was taken
to a hospital where her
daughter was delivered,
said the town hall in
Czestochowa, the town
hosting the shrine.
At the start of the Jasna
Gora Mass, the 79-year-old
pope tripped and fell as he
walked to the altar, but
he rose quickly with help
from several priests and
showed no ill effects.
“There were no conse-
quences, the pope didn’t
suffer, he didn’t hurt
himself, there was no need
for a medical checkup,”
Vatican spokesman the
Rev, Federico Lombardi
said.
The Mass marked this
year’s 1,050th anniversary
of Poland’s acceptance of
the Roman Catholic faith,
a move that eventually
set it apart culturally from
Orthodox nations in the
region. Polish President
Andrzej Duda and other
political leaders sat in front
rows at the Mass.
“Our minds turn to so
many sons and daughters
of your own people, like
the martyrs who made the
defenseless power of the
Gospel shine forth, like
those ordinary yet remark-
able people who bore
witness to the Lord’s love
amid great trials,” Francis
said in his homily, speaking
in Italian and pausing for a
priest to translate his words
into Polish.
“Your own history,
shaped by the Gospel,
the cross and idelity to
the church, has seen the
contagious power of a
genuine faith, passed down
from family to family,
from fathers to sons and
above all from mothers and
grandmothers, whom we
need so much to thank,” he
said.
Francis urged Poles to
stay united even as their
nation is divided over
the issue of refugees and
migrants, especially those
who aren’t Christians.
At his evening pep rally,
he told the young people
he was conident they
would “join the adventure
of building bridges and
knocking down walls,
fences.”
Walls and barbed-wire
fences have sprung up in
eastern and central Europe
to keep those leeing wars
and hunger in the Middle
East, Asia and Africa from
penetrating into the heart
of the European continent.
After lunch in Krakow,
Francis
joined
some
disabled young people
aboard an electric tram,
painted in the Vatican’s
yellow and white colors,
for the ride to the park
where the youth rally was
held.
Security was tight
following a string of
attacks in Europe, and
people were warned over
loudspeakers not to leave
their bags unattended.
HERMISTON — Children
in kindergarten through sixth
grade are invited to participate
in vacation Bible school at
the Hermiston First Christian
Church.
With a theme of Barnyard
Roundup: Jesus Gathers Us
Together, the event includes
Bible stories, singing and a
light dinner. It begins Monday
from 5-8 p.m. at the church,
775 W. Highland Ave.,
Hermiston. It continues nightly
through Thursday, Aug. 4.
Children don’t have
to attend the church to
participate in the activities.
For more information, call
541-567-3013 or visit www.
hermistonirstchristian.org.
Heppner churches
invite kids to grow
HEPPNER — Several
Heppner churches are teaming
up to sponsor a vacation Bible
school.
Children ages 4-12 are
invited to participate in
Growing in God’s Garden.
The program starts Sunday,
Aug. 7 at 5 p.m. with a free
family barbecue on the lawn
at Hope Lutheran Church,
675 Alfalfa St., Heppner.
Parents can register during
their kids during dinner hour.
The program, which includes
music, art, Bible lessons,
science and games, runs from
6-8 p.m.
The sessions continue
Monday, Aug. 8 through
Wednesday, Aug. 10 with
a light supper at 5:30 p.m.,
followed by the program.
There is no cost to attend
and children aren’t required
to be afiliated with any
particular church. For more
information, call 541-676-
9970.
Worshiping God
Loving People
108 S. Main
541-276-9569
Summer Sunday Worship
10:00 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
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
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
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
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
Bible school rounds
up the kids
Faith Center Church
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
164 E. Main St. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
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
Advertise
your
Church
Here!
To share your worship times call
Terri Briggs
541-278-2678
