Friday, July 28, 2017
LIMEY PASTOR
Down by
the riverside
G
reetings beloved friends of Eastern Oregon
and beyond. May God’s peace be dripping
on you like a spring rain in this warm
weather! May Christ be in each of your homes!
I missed you last week. I have been on
holiday, taking a bit of a break. This week I did
my 15th session of cardio-rehab and have another
15 to go. All is well.
Except I had a holiday from church and missed
my friends. Missing church is a sad gap. Reading
holy books doesn’t meet that
essential need. The living stones
of a church are its people in their
variety of personalities.
I really want you to consider
showing up at the marina in
Boardman at 10 a.m. on the
Sunday of the weekend after
Labor Day. I think Christians
are called to let their walls down
Colin
and let the spirit fl ow between
Brown
each person, reminded by the
Faith
water of our baptismal rejoicing.
Other pastors have been
invited, and I hope we can fi gure out how to
celebrate our life in Christ on this good earth
together. I have been fortunate enough to meet
Pastor Bill of the Baptist church and other pastors
of the LCMC who I understand will be coming.
Many years ago, when I was an pastoral
intern down the hill, I assisted in the concoction
of a celebration called, playfully, “Circus
Church-us” — and besides our church service,
we had afterwards a fair-like atmosphere with fi re
jugglers, hula hoops, a picnic, games and even
a dunk tank, which I had brought /in — in the
hope that my then Lutheran bishop, Bishop Dave,
would be lured into the trap.
Unfortunately Bishop Dave was smarter and
avoided taking the plunge — but many others
enjoyed the plunge into cold, cold Clackamas
water. It shook up the status quo and brought
some excitement — especially to the young.
Our plan on September 10 is to gather
together at 10 a.m., I believe, and I hope we
can rope many people into the event, making
Christianity the joy it really is for people. It will
be a celebration of the living Christ in a waterside
atmosphere not dissimilar from Capernaum, the
fi shing village on the northern shore of Galilee
where Peter is said to have lived and we know
where Jesus walked.
I am going to bring some drops of water I
gathered from the Jordan River in 2006, at the site
where it is thought Jesus was baptized by John,
and sprinkle them in our Boardman water to
mingle the rivers before we start our service.
In the 19th Century there were nationwide
revival meetings, where people were brought
into a milieu of Christ-loving people. In the
20th Century we had Billy Graham converting
millions. Talking we just have a tumult of bitter
voices fi lling the public air, and we need voices
of love, friendship and proclamation of salvation
instead.
In Eastern Oregon we have an opportunity
to breach divisions of class, race and language,
because Christians are in every segment of the
population.
We have the chance to make Boardman a
salvation city, and open hearts and unclasp hands
for each other’s holding. We have the chance of
being something new that wakes up a sleeping
giant, the giant of Christ’s Love and Peace.
Amen.
■
Colin Brown is the pastor of Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church in Boardman.
East Oregonian
Page 7A
FAITH
Working across faiths, churches shift beds for homeless
By RACHEL ALEXANDER
The Spokesman-Review
SPOKANE
VALLEY,
Wash. — What happens when
a Mormon, a Catholic and a
Seventh-day Adventist walk
into an apartment complex?
Last Thursday, the answer
was: Something good.
Members of the three
churches did some heavy
lifting, moving 200 bed frames
and mattresses into a new
50-unit apartment building for
homeless families in Spokane
Valley.
Teenagers, retirees and
plenty in between marched
lines of boxes and rolled-up
mattresses into apartments as
coordinators with clipboards
managed the chaos and tracked
the fl ow of furniture.
The project started when
Cheloye Penwell, commu-
nity service director for the
Spokane Valley Stake of the
Church of Jesus Christ of
Latter-day Saints, called Cath-
olic Charities in early June
asking how they could help
with that group’s latest effort
to build houses for homeless
people.
The project, Pope Francis
Haven, fi nished construc-
tion earlier in the summer
and Catholic Charities was
readying units for families to
move in.
“I said, here’s what we
“The most exciting part for me has been an
opportunity to work across faith boundaries.
That was what I really wanted to do.”
— Cheloye Penwell, community service director for
the Spokane Valley Stake of the Church of
Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints
don’t have. We don’t have
mattresses and we don’t have
bed frames,” said Monique
Kolonko, Catholic Charities’
executive vice president of
stabilization and housing.
Penwell decided she’d
take care of it. The local stake
applied for $50,200 through
the church’s humanitarian
fund in Salt Lake City. She
got word the request had been
approved one week ago, and
found out the following day
that the truck would be deliv-
ering the goods July 20.
“We had six days to put this
together,” she said.
Some of the volunteers were
young people participating as
part of their time as mission-
aries for the Mormon church.
Missionaries are expected to
complete a signifi cant amount
of community service.
Sister Litchford, 20, who
did not give her fi rst name in
keeping with LDS tradition
for missionaries, said most of
the community service work
she does is more solitary. She
liked the community aspect of
outfi tting the new apartments.
“It’s super fun,” she said.
The Pope Francis project,
built for $10.2 million, will be
the fourth apartment building
Catholic Charities has opened
in recent years for homeless
people in Spokane. Two more
projects are under construction
or in the permitting process,
Kolonko said.
Families will begin moving
into the two- and three-bed-
room units soon. Thirty-fi ve
have been approved so far, and
Kolonko expects the units to
be full by the end of summer.
This particular fl avor of
interfaith collaboration is
fairly regular. The Valley’s
Seventh-day Adventist church
runs a 2-acre garden near the
development to feed people in
poverty, and Mormon mission-
aries regularly volunteer there.
Church members have been
taking this season’s harvest,
the fi rst, to Catholic Charities
in downtown Spokane for
distribution. Rupert Salmon,
who runs the church’s men’s
ministry and the garden
project, said the hope is to offer
gardening classes for families
in Pope Francis Haven and let
them take the produce home in
exchange for helping out.
“It’d be an opportunity for
them to learn and give back,”
he said.
Geoff Julian, president of
the Spokane Valley Stake for
the LDS church, said helping
homeless families through
humanitarian efforts is part of
the church’s mission.
“It is set up to follow the
message of our savior, Jesus
Christ,” he said.
Penwell ran around the
complex with a clipboard
she’d carefully prepared, with
boxes to check for each unit
when the beds were carried in,
then assembled. Her thoughts
were interrupted half a dozen
times by volunteers with ques-
tions about which units still
needed what.
“I worked hard on these
lists and they’re completely
useless,” she laughed.
Helping vulnerable chil-
dren is a passion of hers, she
said.
“The most exciting part for
me has been an opportunity to
work across faith boundaries,”
she said. “That was what I
really wanted to do.”
———
Contact Rachel Alexander
at rachela@spokesman.com
or call 509-459-5406.
BRIEFLY
Trinity Lutheran invites
children to Bible school
Special lunch offers
support to widows
HERMISTON — Kids are invited to
learn about following Jesus as the light of
the world during Vacation Bible School at
Trinity Lutheran Church.
With a Cave Quest theme, children
ages 4 through fi fth grade will participate
in crafts, singing, games, Bible stories and
snack time. Children don’t have to belong
to the church to attend the sessions.
It runs Monday, July 31 through Friday,
Aug. 4 from 9 a.m. to noon at 485 W.
Locust Ave., Hermiston. There is no charge
to participate. In addition, a pool party is
planned Saturday, Aug. 5 at 11:10 a.m.
For more information, call Nancy
Carlson at 541-567-9660.
HERMISTON — Fellowship and
encouragement are featured during a
special luncheon for widows.
As part of the church’s women’s
ministry, the Merry Heart Widow’s Lunch
is Thursday, Aug. 3 at 11:30 a.m. at
Shari’s Restaurant, 800 S. Highway 395,
Hermiston. Women of all faiths are invited
to the no-host gathering. The group meets
the fi rst Thursday of each month.
For more information, contact 541-567-
3677 or hermistonnaz@gmail.com.
Methodist church hosts
Sunday brunch
PENDLETON — People are invited to
get their soul and stomachs fed during the
Fifth Sunday Potluck Brunch.
The public is invited to attend the
worship service Sunday at 9 a.m. at the
Pendleton First United Methodist Church,
352 S.E. Second St. The brunch will
follow in the church’s dining hall. People
are invited to bring a dish to share and visit
with others.
In addition, the next Family Night is
Wednesday, Aug. 9 at 6 p.m. Everyone is
welcome.
For more information, call
541-276-2616 or visit www.
pendletonunitedmethodist.org.
EU criticizes Russia over
Jehovah’s Witnesses ban
BRUSSELS (AP) — The European
Union is criticizing Russia over its
nationwide ban on the Jehovah’s Witnesses
religious denomination, saying all must
be able to practice their religion without
interference.
Tuesday’s EU comment follows the
ruling of the Russian Supreme Court,
which rejected an appeal against the ban.
The rejection of the religious group’s
appeal allows Russia to liquidate the 395
Jehovah’s Witnesses congregations and
seize their property. The group claims
about 170,000 adherents in Russia.
The EU said “Jehovah’s Witnesses,
like all other religious groups, must be
able to peacefully enjoy freedom of
assembly without interference.” Russia is
bound by its constitution and international
commitments to provide such guarantees.
Tennessee police
department’s Bible verse
plaque to be moved
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — A biblical
passage that has long been displayed at a
Tennessee city’s police headquarters will
be moved following a complaint from
an organization that advocates for the
separation of church and state.
The East Tennessee chapter of the
Freedom From Religion Foundation fi led a
complaint in February over the Knoxville
Police Department’s plaque, which is
located on a wall in a non-public area,
news outlets reported.
Mounted near an employee deli, the
plaque quotes Romans 8:31, “What shall
we then say to these things? If God be for
us then who can be against us?”
At a Wednesday news conference,
Knoxville Police Chief David Rausch said
the plaque would be moved to a new Hall
of Inspiration that the department will
create. It will be displayed alongside other
inspirational quotes, religious verses and
proverbs.
With the plaque, the police department
has been promoting Christianity over other
religions, argued FFRF chapter president
Aleta Ledendecker.
“Please see that the verse is removed so
that all who enter your police station may
feel equally treated,” Ledendecker wrote in
her February letter to the city’s police chief.
The city could have defended the plaque
in court against the group’s claim that it
violates the U.S. Constitution’s principle of
the separation of church and state.
Worship
Community
First United
Methodist
Church
Pendleton
352 SE 2nd Street, Pendleton OR
Sunday Worship 9am • 541-276-2616
Worship Broadcast on KUMA 1290 @ 11am
Worship Livestream at
www.facebook.com/FUMCPendleton/ Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
Come meet Jesus at
PENDLETON BAPTIST
CHURCH
3202 SW Nye Ave Pendleton, OR
541-276-7590
Sunday Morning Worship 11:00 AM
Sunday Bible Classes 9:45 AM
Sunday Youth Group 6:00 PM
Mon. Community Women’s Study
9:30 AM & 6 PM
Awana Kids Club (K-6th grade)
Wed Men’s Study 6 PM
MOPS meeting the 1st Thur of the Month 6 PM
P eace L utheran C hurch
210 NW 9th, Pendleton ELCA
Join us Sundays
9:30
Sunday
Worship
9:30
am am
Sunday
Worship
10:30 am Fellowship
11:00 am Sunday School
& Adult Class
~Come and be at Peace ~
on 1290 KUMA noon each Sunday
Grace Baptist Church
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”
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
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
To share your worship times
call 541-278-2678
Community
Presbyterian Church
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
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
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
Fr. Dan Lediard, Priest. PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
Center for Worship & Service
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
(First United Methodist Church)
191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
We offer: Sunday School • Sign Language
Interpreters • Nursery • Transportation • & more!
Pastor Dan Satterwhite
541.377.4252
417 NW 21st St. • Pendleton, OR 97801
www.facebook.com/
PendletonLighthouseChurch
Worshiping God
Sunday Worship Service
9:30 - Sunday School
10:30 - Worship Service
Wednesday Bible Study
5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study
541-289-4535
Sunday Service: 10am & 6pm
Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm
Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm
Faith Center Church
The Salvation Army
OPEN HEARTS – OPEN DOOR
www.graceandmercylutheran.org
Sunday Worship 8:45 a.m.
Sunday School 10:00 a.m. (Nursery Provided)
Fellowship, Refreshments & Sunday School
Check Out our Facebook Page or
Website for More Information
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
COME AS YOU ARE
150 SE Emigrant
(541) 276-3369
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
Sunday worship at
11:00 AM
LCMC
420 Locust St. • Boardman, OR
541-481-6132
Colin Brown, Pastor
Behind These Stone Walls Beat the Hearts
of Some of the Warmest Most Sincere,
Most Caring People in Pendleton.
We Invite You to Come Get Acquainted!
Summer Worship 9:40 am
Fellowship to follow
Office 541-276-5358 M-F, 8:30-12:30
www.fccpendleton.org
FIRST SERVICE 8:30 AM
SECOND SERVICE 10:30 AM
712 SW 27 TH ST.
541-276-1894
www.fcogpendleton.com
401 Northgate,
Northgate, Pendleton
401
Pendleton
Celebration
of
Worship
Celebration of Worship
Sundays 10:00am
Sundays
10:00 am
Youth: 0-6th
Youth:
0-6th grade
grade
Midweek Service
Midweek
Sevice
Wednesdays
6:00 pm
Wednesdays 6:00pm
Youth: 0-6th
0-6th grade
grade
Youth:
Overcomer’s
Outreach
Overcomer’s Outreach
Tuesday’s
6:00 pm
Tuesday’s 6:00pm
In the
the Annex
In
Annex
Christ Centered,
A A Christ
Centered, 12
12 Step
Step
Recovery Support
Support Group
Recovery
Group
Pastor Sharon Miller
Pastor Sharon Miller
541-278-8082
541-278-8082
www.livingwordcc.com
www.livingwordcc.com
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
Sunday Worship
10:00 am
Sr. Pastor,
Ray O’Grady
pendletonfaithcenter.org