FAITH
Friday, April 13, 2018
LIMEY PASTOR
Baptism
and blessing
L
ast Easter
that scandalize
Sunday my
congregations,
young friend,
then God himself
Deeandra, was
intervenes to bring
baptized. A month
about healing
away from being
and renewal. In
16 years of age, this
this case the old
was a mountaintop
church shriveled
Colin
moment in her life.
— its congregation
Brown
A more diligent,
evaporated — and
Faith
more valiant child
a new church was
you could not wish
formed that was
to meet. She is inflamed by centered around Christ’s
the spirit.
love and healing spirit
She is filled with joy.
that did not deny God’s
She is filled with a divine
profound love for the little
companionship. She had
ones and the innocent. It
sought out this sacrament
still lives.
herself. She had been
There is a profound
called by God and in his
grace in the sacraments
name. Deeandra received
of the church, but Jesus
the gift of baptism and
trumps all — and Jesus is
rejoiced.
not constrained. He is the
I love baptism. I love
great liberator of all of us.
how it feels like being
He is the son of Love.
hugged by Christ himself,
My baptism was in
and being raised up in that
1993. I was baptized as an
amazing joy. Each baptism adult at St. Clare’s Catholic
is a resounding yes to life
Church in Portland. It
and to Christ.
was a full immersion. A
I remember being
great water tank had been
godfather to Baby Tara,
provided and steps led to
years ago. Her mother had
the top for those of us who
borne her out of wedlock
were the candidates for
after I had helped counsel
that season. I had taken
her not to go ahead with
the RCIA program given
an abortion. It was the best to those who wished to
and most happy decision
enter the church. I wore
Tara’s mother had ever
the radiant white baptismal
made.
garment. My wife and son
Being a Lutheran, our
were in the congregation.
denomination performs
As I rose to the top of
both adult and infant
the tank, my leg caught
baptisms, wherever people in my garment and I
seek to receive Christ’s gift dove head first into the
for themselves or for their
cold water in a massive
children. It binds us as one
splash and wave. The
family of God. It makes us congregation laughed and
one with him.
cheered and I received my
There was a story I
baptism to the hooting of
had once heard of a small
the priest and the people.
community church in
I did not know then that
Eastern Oregon. A young
the gift I once received
couple lost their baby
would begin to stretch me
suddenly — and when they and deepen the ministry
went to the leaders of their
that has taken me to
church asking them of their my role as a pastor. My
baby’s destiny, the elders
baptism lives in me as a
told them that because their wave that continues to take
child had died before being me deeper into the love of
baptized, they would never Jesus and my trust in God’s
see their baby again. There call.
was no place for their baby
Please pray for me. I
in heaven with them. Such
pray for you in all your
terrible nonsense!
churches and that the Lord
The consequence of
will continue to work
this grotesque statement
miracles and wonders in all
was that the church
your lives.
itself imploded, and split
Amen.
asunder with this lie.
■
When a church turns away
Colin Brown is the
from love and mercy and
former pastor of Good
makes really stupid and
Shepherd Lutheran Church
heartbreaking statements
in Boardman.
WORSHIP
C O MMUNIT Y
By VANESSA GERA
Associated Press
WARSAW, Poland — The
presidents of Israel and Poland
joined thousands of others
Thursday for a Holocaust
remembrance event at the
former Nazi death camps of
Auschwitz and Birkenau,
hoping to put recent tensions
behind them.
Presidents Reuven Rivlin
of Israel and Andrzej Duda
of Poland lit candles, bowed
their heads and pressed their
hands on the Death Wall, a site
at Auschwitz where inmates,
chiefly Polish resistance
fighters, were executed by
Nazi German forces during
World War II.
They then led thousands,
including many young Jews
from around the world, in the
March of the Living, which
takes place each year on Isra-
el’s Holocaust Remembrance
Day.
The solemn march began
at the main gate of Auschwitz
and ended 2 miles away at
Birkenau, where Jews from
across Europe were trans-
ported by train and murdered
in gas chambers.
Duda said he and Rivlin
were there to give testimony
to the destruction of the Jewish
people and warn about where
anti-Semitism, xenophobia
and racism can lead.
“Our common presence
here shows the world: Never
again anti-Semitism, never
again genocide, never again
Holocaust,” Duda said during
a joint news conference.
Rivlin recalled how Poland
was the cradle of Jewish
culture before the Holocaust.
But he also referred to the
“deep disagreement” his
country has had with Poland
over its passage earlier this
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
LCMC
Sunday worship at
11:00 AM
~Come and be at Peace ~
420 Locust St. • Boardman, OR
on 1290 KUMA noon each Sunday
541-481-6132
Colin Brown, Pastor
Faith Center Church
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
Seventh-Day
Adventist
Church
Saturday Services
Pendleton
1401 SW Goodwin Place
276-0882
Sabbath School 9:20 am
Worship Service 10:45 am
Worshiping God
Loving People
108 S. Main • 276-9569
Worship Service: 10:30am
Sunday School: 9:30am
pendletonfaithcenter.org
AP Photo/Czarek Sokolowski
People take part in the annual “March of the Living” to commemorate the Holo-
caust, a yearly Holocaust remembrance march between the former death camps of
Auschwitz and Birkenau, in Oswiecim, Poland, on Thursday.
year of a Holocaust speech
law.
The law criminalizes
blaming Poland for crimes
committed by Nazi German
forces during their wartime
occupation.
The
Polish
government says its aim is to
prevent Poland from unfairly
being blamed for Germany’s
crimes.
Israel fears the law’s true
intent is to whitewash Polish
sins by repressing discussion
about those Poles who helped
the Germans kill Jews.
Duda, whose wife has a
Jewish father, insisted the
disputed law never aimed to
“block testimony” about the
Holocaust.
“Just the opposite. We want
to defend historical truth,”
Duda said. “I as Polish presi-
dent want to defend this truth
with all my power, including
those elements that are diffi-
cult for Poles.”
The Jews of Europe and
ethnic Poles were two of the
Baptist church offers
services, activities
PENDLETON — People are invited
to meet Jesus at the Pendleton Baptist
Church.
A variety of faith-based services
and activities are offered at the church,
3202 S.W. Nye Ave., Pendleton.
Sunday Bible classes meet at 9:45
a.m., followed by the morning worship
service at 11 a.m.
Also, there are several small group
studies that meet on a regular basis and
an Awana Kids Club for children in
kindergarten through sixth grade.
Everyone is welcome to participate.
The church’s mission is to guide people
of all backgrounds into a personal
relationship with Jesus Christ. For more
information, call 541-276-7590 or visit
www.pendletonbaptist.com.
Pastor’s wife encourages
regular attendance
HERMISTON — Rev. David
Dever and his wife, Debbie, welcome
everyone to Hermiston Landmark
Missionary Baptist Church.
Some people, Debbie said, only
SUNDAYS
Celebration
of Worship
Pendleton
Sundays 10:00am
CELEBRATION
Youth: 0-6th grade OF
Morning Celebration - 10am
Morning Kids Place - 10am
Evening - 6pm
Adult - Study
Youth - Small Group
Kids - Rangers & Girl’s Ministries
401 Northgate,
WORSHIP
Midweek 10:00
Service am
Sundays
Youth:
Wednesdays
6:00pm
0-6th
grade
Youth:
0-6th
grade
THURSDAYS
Celebrate Recovery - 6pm
Celebration Place - Kids - 6pm
The Landing - Teens - 6pm
Recovery Support Group
WEEKLY
Pastor
Sharon Miller
Pastor Sharon Miller
541-278-8082
541-278-8082
Groups For All Ages
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”
AN ASSEMBLY OF GOD CHURCH
1911 SE Court Ave.
541.276.6417 • pendletonfi rst.com
Community
Presbyterian Church
14 Martin Drive,
Umatilla, OR
922-3250
Worship: 10 AM
Sunday School at 11:30
PENDLETON
LIGHTHOUSE CHURCH
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
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
Open Hearted...
Open Minded
attend church around Easter and
Christmas. She encourages community
members to participate in services and
activities throughout the year.
Each week, the church offers
Sunday school at 10 a.m. and worship
at 11 a.m. The church is located at
125 E. Beech Ave., Hermiston. In
addition, mid-week activities include a
Creation Club for youths (Wednesdays,
5:30-7 p.m.) and an adult Bible study
(Wednesdays, 6 p.m.)
For more information, contact
debdever@yahoo.com, 541-567-3232,
visit www.hermistonlmbc.com or
search Facebook.
Center for Worship & Service
Sunday Worship Service
9:30 - Sunday School
10:30 - Worship Service
Wednesday Bible Study
5:30 Family Fellowship Meal • 6:00 Bible Study
COME AS YOU ARE
150 SE Emigrant • (541) 276-3369
To share your worship times
call 541-278-2678
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
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
BAHA’I FAITH
IN PENDLETON
“See ye no strangers, rather see all men
as friends, for love and unity come hard
when ye fi x your gaze on otherness.”
– Abdu’l Baha
Please come visit with us at
The Baha’i Center:
FAITH LUTHERAN
CHURCH
in Mission for Christ LCMC
Sunday Worship.........9:00 AM
Bible Study......10:00 AM
Red Lion Hotel
( Oregon Trail Room )
www.faithpendleton.org
1015 SE Court Place
Everyone invited!
Sunday Devotions @ 11:00am
Sunday “Pure Prayer” (no talk, just prayer) @ 6:30pm
Wednesday “Discover the Baha’i Faith” @ 6:30pm,
Thursday Seminars on World Religions @ 7pm
(541) 276-9360 or visit us at
www.pendletonbahais.com
www.facebook.com/pendletonoregonbahais/
First United
Methodist
Church
FIRST PRESBYTERIAN
CHURCH
Service of Worship - 10:00 am
Children’s Sunday School -
10:20 am
Fellowship - 11:00 am
www.pendletonpresbyterian.com
vowing that Israel would
“honor them forever.”
But he also recalled how
Jews were murdered during
the war not only by Germans,
but also by Lithuanians,
Belgians and others, including
Poles.
Duda recalled Polish
wartime heroes who struggled
to save Jews and said Poland
fulfills its duty to remember
the Holocaust by preserving
sites like Auschwitz.
Poland’s chief rabbi,
Michael Schudrich, said he
was convinced the efforts by
the two presidents moved their
countries closer to reconcili-
ation. He described them as
“two friends working hard to
resolve a serious and difficult
problem.”
Nazi Germany killed
some 1.1 million people in
the Auschwitz and Birkenau
camps. The victims were
mostly Jews, but also included
Poles, Roma and Soviet
POWs.
The Salvation Army
401 Northgate, Pendleton
All Are Welcome
-Presbyterian Church (USA)-
201 SW Dorion Ave.
Pendleton
groups who suffered most
during the German wartime
occupation, with Jews targeted
for total elimination and Poles
considered a slave race. Many
Poles were killed, tortured or
forced into slave labor.
Yet many bitter feelings
remain today between Jews
and Poles, as Jews remember
Polish anti-Semitism that in
some cases turned deadly.
Many Poles, meanwhile,
feel the extent of Polish
anti-Semitism is often exag-
gerated and that wartime
Polish efforts to help Jews are
being forgotten. Many bristle
that their own tragedy is not as
well known as that of the Jews.
At Birkenau, the leaders
paid tribute to the immense
suffering that Germany
inflicted both on Jews and
Poles.
Rivlin noted that Poland
barely survived as a nation and
acknowledged the thousands
of Poles who put their own
lives at risk to help Jews,
BRIEFLY
www.livingwordcc.com
www.livingwordcc.com
P eace L utheran C hurch
Page 7A
Israeli, Polish presidents join
Holocaust remembrance march
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
Good Shepherd
Lutheran Church
East Oregonian
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
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.