FAITH
Friday, October 6, 2017
East Oregonian
Page 7A
LIMEY PASTOR
Next generation brings new energy
Light still shines
in this dark week to ongoing U.S. abortion debate
I
wanted to write about the shocking events in
Nevada, where the commandment “Thou shalt
not kill” was broken again and again this week.
No constitutional privilege is provided for that
purpose. Our founders would be spinning in their
graves if they thought that this was a consequence
of their words. Enough!
The New Testament provides us another way, a
bright model of stepping forward to give up one’s
own life for one’s friends, to show Jesus’ example
of the cross as a new guide for our behavior. Jesus
chose his own way of sacrifice, to demonstrate
love and a total wish for freedom for all people by
allowing himself to be subject to an execution of
immense cruelty. This is his way.
The early Christians such as the
Apostle Paul, or Stephen the first
martyr, followed the way of Jesus
to show Jesus’ journey through
the darkness by surrendering their
own selfhoods.
In our modern times, Abraham
Lincoln, for instance, must have
Colin
known that his path would one
Brown
day cross with that of his ultimate
Faith
assassin, that his own blood would
be the seal for the peace that had to
come into being. His Christianity was realistic and
his ambition was for the wholeness and goodness of
his country. He knew what was waiting for him if
he pursued his goal with firm intent. He made that
commitment.
Lincoln’s example has been followed in modern
day life by the likes of the assassinated Martin
Luther King in our own country, who foresaw
his destiny as a vanguard of liberty, and in South
America by the Catholic Archbishop Oscar
Romero, a defender of the poor and their rights in
El Salvador who was martyred for his little ones.
From my own religious tradition, the Lutheran,
Pastor Dietrich Bonheoffer — implicated in a
failed plot against Adolf Hitler — was hung for
his knowledge and complicity in that plot. He
struggled enormously with a choice to participate in
Hitler’s overthrow, a government overthrow, which
ultimately failed. Lutherans are very ambiguous
about this effort because of their discipline in
obeying law but most of us see the challenge that
Bonheoffer had to deal with.
But what we saw happen this week was so very
different — it was a martyrdom of the everyday
person, where hundreds and hundreds of people
came under fire from the tower above.
Yet, we saw men and women laying their own
bodies, many wounded in their bodies, over the
bodies of strangers simply because the love in
them overflowed to the point at which they would
and did in many instances give their life for these
strangers. This was the distillation of the Jesus
spirit! It was something extraordinary to behold.
As I write these words, a sudden realization
grips me: this vast act of visible self-sacrifice was
something radically new to us here, something very
new to our televised world, that humans would so
willingly die themselves to protect the women, men
and children who were on the ground under them.
It was so much so, that it was a demonstration that
something wonderful has taken effective root in
the souls of our people. It was a God-moment of
enormous import to our country.
This may be the ugliest event you will ever see,
but its beauty in the human spiritual life will be
eternal. Things are changed. May these martyrs
of love for their brothers and sisters be forever
remembered!
Amen.
■
Colin Brown is the former pastor of Good Shep-
herd Lutheran Church in Boardman.
By JILL SCRAMM
Minot Daily News
MINOT, N.D. — McKenna Beeter and
Sommer Bradley soaked up the atmosphere
at the annual March for Life in Washington,
D.C., last January. The experience of
associating with more than 20,000 people
who shared their pro-life interests was
confidence building, the Bishop Ryan High
School seniors said.
“They were passionate about what they
were marching for. It definitely changed
my perspective about how many people are
aware of it and have the same beliefs as we
do,” Bradley said. “Now our mission is just
raising awareness.”
A separate Women’s March also took
place in January in Washington and other
communities around the country. A family
event kept Kayla Schmidt, 27, a Minot
native now of Bismarck, from participating,
but she held her own personal march with
her family as a show of support for women
and their right to make choices, including
reproductive choices, the Minot Daily
News reported .
“You have to find what’s the right choice
for you. It’s all about gaining knowledge,
gaining self respect, being in a healthy
place,” she said.
Young people are stepping up and
speaking up when it comes to abortion and
picking up a torch lit in America in the 1970s
by, more often than not, their grandparents’
generation. This past year’s election of
Donald Trump as president, appointment
of a new Supreme Court Justice and talk
of eliminating federal dollars for women’s
services at Planned Parenthood clinics have
prodded activism on both sides.
Planned Parenthood sees young people
knocking on its door and asking what they
can do to help, said state director Amy
Jacobson, Fargo.
“We have seen a real surgence of folks,
young people, reaching out — like the
Women’s March,” she said. “For us in
North Dakota, it’s traditionally college age
that becomes more active in the movement.
That’s when they want to learn more about
their rights and gain a desire to stand up for
them.”
Through an internship program, Planned
Parenthood has engaged college students in
reaching out to peers on and off campus via
meet-ups, rallies or film screenings.
“We really leave the design of it to the
students,” Jacobson said. “One of the things
we want to do at Planned Parenthood is really
empower people to be their own advocate.
With young people it’s about mentorship
and really supporting them in their ideas so if
they have something they want to do around
reproductive rights in their community, we
really want to shore that up.”
Schmidt, a 2013 graduate of Minot
State University, connected with the North
Dakota Women’s Network while in college.
She coordinated the Women’s Network’s
weekly Feminist First Friday conversations
on campus.
“I was still pretty young and not sure
how outspoken I wanted to be, but I knew I
felt very strong about the issues,” she said.
She continues to volunteer her time to
the Women’s Network and its Feminist
First Friday events. For Schmidt, the real
topic is women’s rights, of which reproduc-
tive choice is just part of the discussion. She
credits her interest in women’s rights to a
collective of experiences and the influences
of other women on her life. Her generation
also grew up very much in charge of
their bodies with tattoos, piercing and
hair coloring. So the idea of choice when
discussing reproduction was not a big deal,
Schmidt said.
“For many, it’s about trusting a woman
with her own choice and what she wants to
do. I believe women are smart,” she said.
“It’s allowing us the voice to say we are
competent to make these decisions.”
Beeter and Bradley said pro-life values
underlie what they are taught in religion
classes at school, but that isn’t necessarily
the foundation of their beliefs. Aside from
their faith-based beliefs, they said they feel
a sense inside themselves that the unborn
have a right to life.
“It’s about your inner feeling — your
right from wrong,” Bradley said.
Beeter said her adoption and opportu-
nity to meet her birth father fed her interest.
Knowing abortion was an option her birth
parents could have selected motivates
her to promote a pro-life message. Beeter
walked with March for Life the past two
years, assisted with the N.D. Right to Life
entry in the State Fair Parade and worked at
the Right to Life booth at the fair this year.
Beeter and Bradley credit their activism
to an early awareness of the abortion issue.
That’s driven them to do their own research,
which has helped shape their views. They
are familiar with women’s abortion stories
and are concerned about the psychological
consequences of abortion. They also are
concerned that so many young people don’t
have good information and view abortion as
an easy way out of an unwanted pregnancy.
Medora Nagle, executive director
of North Dakota Right to Life, said the
chapter doesn’t specifically target infor-
mation to young people.
“What we focus on is changing the
hearts and minds of everyone,” she said.
“The biggest way for us to do that is to
provide them with information.”
However, she added young people
are the future of the organization.
Membership numbers have held steady in
Chapters of Collegians for Life and Teens
for Life around the state over the past five
years, she said.
BRIEFLY
Church serves up Sunday
breakfast
MILTON-FREEWATER — The
Milton-Freewater First Christan Church
will be feeding the soul and stomach
during the next few months.
People are invited to enjoy breakfast
Sundays from 8:30-9:15 a.m. at the
church, 518 S. Main St., Milton-
Freewater. While there is no charge,
donations will be accepted.
Bible classes for all ages and Kids
Klub for children begins at 9:30 a.m. The
worship service and junior church starts
at 10:45 a.m.
Valet parking and entry via a ramp
are available on the side of the building.
Also, there’s an elevator at the north
entrance. For more information, call
541-938-3854.
Bible-based recovery
program offered
IRRIGON — A 12-step addiction
recovery program taking a biblical
approach to restoring people to sanity is
planned beginning Oct. 12.
Celebrating Life in Recovery, a
14-week program based on the 3ABN
TV program hosted by Cheri Peters, will
The Salvation Army
Center for Worship & Service
Sunday Worship Service
9:30 - Sunday School
10:30 - Worship Service
be offered Thursdays from 7-9 p.m. at the
Irrigon Seventh-day Adventist Church,
205 Tumbleweed Blvd. It uses powerful
real-life stories from the TV series to help
you learn to surrender to God and let Him
guide you through the process of recovery.
Peters, the founder of True Stop
Ministries, speaks to audiences around
the world sharing that God is crazy
about you, He longs to heal you, and He
delights in your recovery. Her journey
from abused and unwanted child, to
heroin addict desperate to end the pain, to
celebrating life in recovery shows what
God wants to do for every one of us.
The program is free. For more
information, call Linda Bolen at
541-371-1518.
International peacemaker
to visit Pendleton
PENDLETON — Rev. Delia Leal of
Guatemala and Leslie Vogel will speak
during a Guatemalan dinner event in
Pendleton.
The women’s ministry program
regional coordinator in Mexico and
Central America with the Protestant
Center for Pastoral Studies in Central
America, Leal focuses on female
empowerment and income inequality.
Vogel is the facilitator for the
Intercultural Encounters Program. Both
women live in Guatemala, where during
the last 36 years there has been internal
armed conflict between guerrilla factions
and the government. The challenge in
Guatemala, the women said, is to give
hope during despair.
The free event is Sunday at 4 p.m. at
the First Presbyterian Church, 201 S.W.
Dorion Ave., Pendleton. Donations will
be accepted.
The International Peacemaking
Program of the Presbyterian Church
makes it possible for leaders from partner
denominations and partner organizations
around the world to visit the Presbyterian
Church U.S.A. each year to interpret
issues of peace and justice. By sharing
stories of their work, visitors bring
understanding of concerns around the
world and provide insights that can
inspire and help to build a culture of
peace and nonviolence.
Leal said the Guatemalan government
has poorly enforced laws, which wears
people down. However, she said, it’s
important to build spaces of justice and
peace.
For more information, contact fpcp@
pendletonpresbyterian.com or 541-276-
7681.
Worship
Community
Wednesday Bible Study
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
541-289-4535
Tom Inch, Pastor
Grace and Mercy Lutheran Church, ELCA
(First United Methodist Church)
191 E. Gladys Ave. / P.O. Box 1108
Hermiston, Oregon 97838
5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study
COME AS YOU ARE
150 SE Emigrant • (541) 276-3369
P eace L utheran C hurch
210 NW 9th, Pendleton ELCA
Join us Sundays
9:30 am Sunday Worship
9:30 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
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
Community
Presbyterian Church
401 Northgate, Pendleton
401 Northgate,
Celebration
of Worship
Pendleton
Sundays 10:00am
CELEBRATION
Youth: 0-6th grade OF
WORSHIP
Midweek 10:00
Service am
Sundays
Youth:
Wednesdays
6:00pm
0-6th
grade
Youth:
0-6th
grade
Overcomer’s Outreach
MIDWEEK
SEVICE
Tuesday’s 6:00pm
Wednesdays
6:00 pm
In the
Annex
Youth:
A Christ
Centered,
12 Step
0-6th
grade
Recovery Support Group
Pastor
Sharon Miller
Pastor Sharon Miller
541-278-8082
541-278-8082
www.livingwordcc.com
www.livingwordcc.com
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
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”
To share your worship times
call 541-278-2678
Worshiping God
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship Service: 10:30am
Sunday School: 9:30am
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
First United
Methodist
Church
Sr. Pastor,
Ray O’Grady
pendletonfaithcenter.org
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Join Us
Join
On Our Journey
With Jesus.
Scripture, Tradition and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
N.E. Gladys Ave & 7th, Hermiston
PH: 567-6672
We are an all inclusive Church
who welcomes all.
Pendleton
Sunday worship at
11:00 AM
Worship Livestream at
www.facebook.com/FUMCPendleton/
Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors
Rev. Dr. Jim Pierce, pastor
420 Locust St. • Boardman, OR
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
541-481-6132
Colin Brown, Pastor
-Presbyterian Church (USA)-
201 SW Dorion Ave.
Pendleton
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
Service of Worship - 10:00 am
Children’s Sunday School -
10:20 am
Fellowship - 11:00 am
www.pendletonpresbyterian.com
Open Hearted...
Open Minded
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!
Sunday School: 9:30am
Worship: 10:40am
Fellowship to follow
Offi ce 541-276-5358 M-F, 8:30-12:30
www.fccpendleton.org
Sunday Service: 10am & 6pm
Tuesday Kingdom Seekers: 7pm
Wednesday Bible Study: 7pm
We off er: 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
PENDLETON BAPTIST
CHURCH
LCMC
Sunday Worship 9am • 541-276-2616
Worship Broadcast on KUMA 1290 @ 11am
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
Come meet Jesus at
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
352 SE 2nd Street, Pendleton OR
Redeemer
Episcopal
Church
Faith Center Church
FIRST SERVICE 8:30 AM
SECOND SERVICE 10:30 AM
712 SW 27 TH ST.
541-276-1894
www.fcogpendleton.com
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