SIUSLAW NEWS ❚ SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 2015
Buddhism topic of
next FUUF meeting
The guest speaker for
Sunday, Feb. 15, at the
Florence
Unitarian
Universalist Fellowship is
Buddhist Pip Cole.
Sunday service begins at 10
a.m. and ends at 11 a.m. with
refreshments and fellowship.
Cole has been involved
with most of the large protes-
tant denominations in his life
and then he began the study of
Buddhism.
Cole has practiced medita-
tion and looks forward to
sharing his experiences with
the FUUF congregation.
Cole will give a short histo-
ry of meditation as a
Buddhist practice and how
these practices are stressed in
Buddhism.
Cole started his practice of
meditation in 1967.
He has studied with
Meher Baba, Ram Dass, Yogi
Bhajan, Ch’an Master Hsuan
Hua and has been to
temples from Kamakura and
Kyoto Japan to pilgrimages in
India,
Korea,
China,
Thailand, Sri Lanka and
Cambodia.
The UU Fellowship is at
87738 Highway 101 at Heceta
Beach Road and is wheelchair
accessible.
For more information, visit
www.florenceuuf.org or call
541-997-2840.
Soups On to discuss
impact of kings, rulers
Monday, Feb 16, at 6:30
p.m., everyone is invited to
join a group from diverse spir-
itual paths who enjoy dis-
cussing a variety of spiritual
topics.
This week, they will study
kings and rulers.
There is a Baha’i quote, “O
kings of the earth! We see you
increasing every year your
expenditures, and laying the
burden thereof on your sub-
jects. This, verily, is wholly
and grossly unjust.”
The evening will begin with
bowls of Chunky Pasta Soup,
fruit, home-made warm bread
and vegetables followed by the
evening’s topic until 8:30 p.m.
The gathering will end with
prayers for the requests left in
the Prayer Pole in the garden
of the Florence Playhouse and
those shared by the group.
Everyone is invited to
attend.
The Heintz home is at 875
Seventh St.
For more information, call
Suzanne Mann-Heintz at 541-
590-0779.
5 A
You’re all right standing with God
We all have a deep need to
feel all right. And we can
spend a lot of time and energy
trying to do things that
make us feel like we’re okay
— okay with ourselves, with
others and even God.
But we don’t need to wear
ourselves out trying to be right
with God through our own
effort.
The truth is we can’t make
our lives right on our own, but
we can receive the righteous-
ness of God by putting our
faith in Christ.
Romans 3:20 (NLT) says,
“For no one can ever be made
right with God by doing what
the law commands. The law
simply shows us how sinful
we are.”
That means the reason God
established the law was to
show us how much we need a
Savior who can make us right-
eous before Him.
Self-righteousness is believ-
ing we are made right with
God through our own works.
For example, a person
might think, “Well, if I read
through my Bible every year,
then God will be pleased with
me.”
But the truth is we don’t
have to read our Bible to
please God; we read it be-
cause it helps us in our every-
day life.
It’s for our own good.
In the same way, my
preaching doesn’t make me a
righteous person.
The only way we are made
righteous (right with God) is
by having faith in Jesus Christ
— it’s not something we can
ever earn in our own effort.
I used to really struggle
with self-righteousness.
Many years ago somebody
came to the church I was
attending and suggested that
we all read through the
Bible in a year.
The pastor got on board,
and every Sunday he’d ask,
“Who’s been doing your Bible
reading?” Well, I didn’t want
to be the one not standing up,
so I got really serious about
it.
We all got a calendar so we
could check off the days we
read the chapters. I put it up on
the refrigerator so every-
body who came in would ask
me what it was, and I was so
proud.
As long as I had all my
checkmarks, I liked that
calendar.
But then I got 36 chapters
behind and had these big, gap-
ing holes!
It was like a nightmare for
me.
So one day I decided I was
going to catch up, and I zipped
right through the chapters.
And honestly, when I closed
my Bible I felt so relieved.
But then I almost immedi-
ately heard the Holy Spirit say
to me, “So, tell Me, what did
you learn?”
And I realized I could not
remember one thing!
God taught me an important
lesson that day.
He would rather we read
one verse and actually get
something out of it and con-
nect with Him than read 36
chapters and learn nothing.
The point is we need to have
the right motives for the things
we do and stop making laws
out of tasks that make us feel
better about ourselves but are
unfruitful.
In 2 Corinthians 5:21
(NLT), Paul writes, “For God
made Christ, who never
sinned, to be the offering for
our sin, so that we could be
made right with God through
Christ.”
Every day of my life I say,
“I am the righteousness of
God in Christ.”
Now, I’m not righteous
because I do everything right.
No one is perfect, and none
of us do everything right.
The Bible says in 1 John 1:8
(NLT), “If we claim we have
no sin, we are only fooling
ourselves and not living in the
truth.”
You might say, “Well,
Joyce, shouldn’t we try to do
what’s right?”
Absolutely! God wants us
to live through faith in Christ.
Then, as we have a per-
sonal relationship with Him,
we’ll do the right thing by His
grace because we want to do
the right thing.
He puts the desire in us to
do what’s right.
In Philippians 3:3 (NLT),
Paul explains that “we rely on
what Christ Jesus has done for
us. We put no confidence in
human effort.”
He says he obeyed the law
without fault, and if any per-
son had a reason to have
confidence in himself by the
law’s standard, he had more of
a reason than anyone.
In verses 7 through 9 (NLT)
of that chapter, Paul goes on to
say, “I once thought these
things were valuable, but now
I consider them worth-
less because of what Christ
has done. Yes, everything else
is worthless when com-
pared with the infinite value of
knowing Christ Jesus my
Lord. For his sake I have
discarded everything else,
counting it all as garbage, so
that I could gain Christ
and become one with him. I no
longer count on my own
righteousness through obeying
the law; rather, I become
righteous through faith in
Christ. For God’s way of
making us right with himself
depends on faith.”
Paul is saying in order to
have a relationship with
Christ, he had to be willing
to gather up all of his
accomplishments and the
things he had worked so
hard for and be willing to get
rid of them all.
That’s because it’s no-
thing but trash compared to
the priceless privilege of
knowing Christ as our Lord
and Savior.
Yes, what we do matters,
but our good works do
not make us acceptable to
God.
We are only made right with
Him by putting our faith in
Jesus Christ.
And when we put our faith
in Christ, we can rest in
knowing that everything is all
Time for a new direction?
Try ‘Ashes to Go’ during Lent
To be included in this directory contact the
Siuslaw News at 997-3441, or drop off
information at 148 Maple St., Old Town, Florence.
Join Us
WATCH! 3 ANGELS BROADCASTING NETWORK
(3ABN) TV UHF Channel 48.
24 hour Christian TV highlights Bible studies of prophecy, inspirational music, health lec-
tures, healthy cooking and more.
BAY BERRY CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
SINGSPIRATION
You are invited to come and sing your favorite old time gospel hymns
Every Friday night at 7pm • Non-denominational
Bay Berry Square; 101 at Sutton Lake Dr. /milepost 185 N.
For more information , please call 541-997-2681
COMMUNITY BAPTIST CHURCH
Join Us In Worship
4 lines, approx 15 words, $9 a week
4 week Minimum
Deadline 3 p.m. Mondays.
In Worship
FLORENCE UNITARIAN
UNIVERSALIST FELLOWSHIP
N.W. Corner of Heceta Beach Road & Hwy. 101
Every Sunday at 10 a.m.
All are welcome. (541) 997-2840
FLORENCE UNITED METHODIST CHURCH
Worship & Adult Sunday School 9:00
Worship & Kids Sunday School 10:30
located at 2nd & Kingwood (541) 997-6025
“Open Hearts, Open Minds, Open Doors”
FOURSQUARE CHURCH
4590 Hwy. 101, Across from Fred Meyer –- 997-7418
Sunday School, 9:30a.m. – Worship, 10:45
Wed. Prayer - 6:00 p.m. –Wed. Ministries 1-8 Grade 7 p.m.
1624 Highway 101 (next to A&W) –- 997-6337
Pastor George Pagel – Something for the entire family.
Sun. Services: 10:45 a.m., Wed. Bible Study 7 p.m. – Youth Group: Sat., 6 p.m.
Website:florence4square.com
CROSS ROAD ASSEMBLY OF GOD
FLORENCE VINEYARD (GOD'S POWER HOUSE)
Corner of 10th & Maple –- 997-3533
Bible Study at 9:00 A.M.
Services: Worship, 10:30 A.M.
florencecrossroad.org • office@florencecrossroad.org
FIRST BAPTIST CHURCH - SBC
1935 25th St. – 997-7660 • Pastor, Dr. Marvin Owen
Series ‘Through the Bible’ on Wednesdays 6 p.m.
A friendly place to worship, vacationers welcome.
Sun.; 11am & 6pm, Sunday school 9:45am.
FLORENCE CHRISTIAN CHURCH
2nd & Ivy – 997-2961 –Non-Denominational
Worship Service: 9:00 am & 10:30 am
Middle School and High School youth groups meet on Wednesday.
FLORENCE CHURCH OF CHRIST
1833 Tamarack Street (two blocks east of Hwy. 101 on 18th St.)
Bible Study: Sunday 10 a.m.
Worship: Sunday 11 a.m. and 2 p.m.
Marvin Aultman • www.churchofchristflorence.org
FLORENCE CHURCH OF THE NAZARENE
12th and Nopal –997-9020
Sunday school for all ages 9:15 a.m. • Worship Service 10:30 a.m.
Youth Group Wed. 7-8:30 p.m.
Sunday School (for all ages) 9:50 a.m.
FLORENCE EVANGELICAL CHURCH
1318 Rhododendron Dr. –- 997-2523 – Worship at 11:00 AM –- Sunday School
at 9:30 AM – Variety of Sunday evening activities - 5 PM
Wed. Bible & Children classes at 6:00 PM
Call for details.
2610 Kingwood, Florence • 541-268-2025
Sunday Worship @ 10:00 a.m., experience the Power of the Holy Spirit
Pastors: George & Beverly Sisemore
Intercessory Prayer & Worship, Thursday night @ 5:00 pm
florencevineyardchurch.com
NEW LIFE CHURCH-UPC
1525 12th St., Suite 24 •541-991-9398
Sunday Services: 10am and 6pm
Tues. Bible Study 7:00pm
NEW LIFE LUTHERAN CHURCH, E.L.C.A.
21st & Spruce Street – 997-8113
Adult Forum 9 a.m. – Sunday School 10:30 a.m.
Worship services; Sun. 10:30am & Wed. 6pm.
Pastor Lori Blake
www.lutheranchurchflorence.com
PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH OF THE SIUSLAW
Traditional Worship Service 10:00 a.m. , Pastor Steve Knowles
Sunday School and Nursery – Organ and Choir
All Welcome. Come as you are.
3996 N Hwy 101
997-7136
RESURRECTION LUTHERAN CHURCH, L.C.M.S.
Every Sun., Bible Class 9 a.m., Worship Service 10 a.m.
85294 Hwy. 101 S. – 997-8038
DVD of Weekly worship service available.
Dan Wurster, Pastor
ST. ANDREW’S EPISCOPAL CHURCH
FLORENCE SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTIST
2135 19th St. –- 997-6600
The Rev. Georgia C. DuBose, Vicar
Sunday Services: 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. - Wed, 11 a.m.
Everyone Welcome – Come walk our Labyrinth.
4445 Hwy 101 (South of Fred Meyer) – 997-3951
Worship on Saturday 10:30 A.M.
Adult/Children’s Sabbath School 9:15 A.M.
SAINT MARY, OUR LADY OF THE DUNES
CATHOLIC CHURCH
B Y R EV . G EORGIA C. D U B OSE
For the Siuslaw News
Ash Wednesday is coming.
“So?” say many people.
“What’s that?”
Ash Wednesday is, like
Yom Kippur, the Jewish Day
of Atonement, one of the most
spiritually healthy days of the
year. It prepares followers of
Jesus for the celebration of
Easter, inaugurating the 40 day
period known as Lent. During
the days of Lent, we pray, fast
and take on good deeds for the
betterment of humankind and
of our own spirits. Ash
Wednesday, in particular, is a
day for repentance.
“Repentance” means “turn-
ing around.” It means, “Going
in a new direction.” (It does
not mean beating myself up,
saying what a jerk I am, or
looking sad and grim.) It
recalls that I, and other
humans, are finite, and have
limited days here on earth, and
that we need, from time to
time, to make sure that we are
headed in a useful, gracious
and healthy direction.
To honor the spirit of repen-
tance, there is a church tradi-
tion of clergy marking the
heads of people with ashes in
the shape of a cross and say-
ing, “Remember that you are
dust, and to dust you shall
return.”
This year, the clergy of St.
Andrew’s Episcopal Church
will be offering “Ashes to Go”
near the boardwalk at the end
of Bay Street in Florence on
Wednesday, Feb. 18, from
noon until 1 p.m.
They also will offer a prayer
card to use during Lent, and
will have a box for prayer
requests. People can write
their requests on a slip of
paper, put them (anonymously,
if they choose) in the box, and
the clergy will pray for them
during the 40 days of Lent.
Regular Ash Wednesday
services at St. Andrew’s,
including an Ash Wednesday
litany with a new composition,
“Call to the Desert,” by
Florence composer Mary Ann
Eagle, will take place at 10
a.m. and 5:30 p.m. at 2135
19th St., at the corner of
Tamarack, one block east of
Spruce Street. Eagle’s setting
of music for the mass will be
used throughout Lent at St.
Andrew’s.
Other Lenten programming
will include Soup Supper on
the five Tuesdays in Lent, at 6
p.m. beginning Feb. 25, and
the evening service of
Compline with rosary and
intercessory prayer, at 5:30
p.m. every Thursday during
Lent.
If it seems to you that per-
haps turning in a new direction
could be useful, come to the
boardwalk Feb. 18 at noon.
For more information, call
St. Andrew’s at 541-997-6600
on Tuesday, Feb. 17, between
8 a.m. and noon.
Visit the Siuslaw News online at
WWW.THESIUSLAWNEWS.COM
Spruce Point Assisted Living & Memory Care
Living, Loving, & Thriving
T
g
Caring for a loved one with Alzheimer’s disease or other memory
related illnesses can be very overwhelming. We’re here to help.
WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 18, 2015, 2:00 PM
Dementia Drugs; Facts and Myths Exposed
Masses: Sat. 5:30 p.m., Sun. 11:00 a.m.
1.5 miles south of river on Hwy 101 – 997-2312
WEDNESDAY , MARCH 18, 2015, 2:00 PM
Successful Communication Tips & Strategies to
Communicate with Someone Affected by Memory Loss
Seminars are free and open to the public.Refreshments provided.
To register for these free events please call (541) 997-6111 or email
us at rkilfoy@prestigecare.com
Spruce Point Assisted Living
& Memory Care
375 9th Street
Florence, Oregon 97439
an assisted living and
memory care community
Prestige Senior Living