8A COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL October 5, 2016
COMMUNITY BRIEFS
Classes available
for teen parents
Teen parents who are inter-
ested in positive family relation-
ships are invited to participate
in a series of free classes that
get underway in mid-October.
The class series — Secure Kids,
Successful Futures — features
Circle of Security, an interna-
tionally recognized program
that aims to help parents and
caregivers understand and meet
their child’s needs in a healthy,
loving way.
Classes will be Tuesdays from
4 to 6 p.m. starting Oct. 18 at Al
Kennedy High School, 1310 S.
Eighth St. in Cottage Grove.
The classes are open to all
South Lane County area fami-
lies with parents under 21 and
are free of charge. Free dinner
and childcare are also provided.
The program is a collaboration
of South Lane School District’s
Teen Parenting Program, South
Lane Mental Health, Parent
Partnership, and Peggy’s Pri-
mary Connection.
Those seeking to pre-register
can contact Brandi Baker Ru-
dicel at brandi.bakerrudicel@
slane.k12.or.us or at (541) 942-
2104. Class sizes are limited, so
early registration is encouraged.
The classes are offered for
free courtesy of a grant from the
Children’s Trust Fund of Ore-
gon, a Portland-based nonprofi t
organization with a mission to
foster healthy child develop-
ment and to support caregivers
in becoming the best parent pos-
sible.
CG Community
Foundation grants
The Cottage Grove Com-
munity Foundation 2017 grant
application is now available;
applications must be completed
and in the foundation offi ce by
4 p.m., on Tuesday, Nov. 22.
Grants are made annually to
applicants who are non-profi t
organizations or government
organizations in Cottage Grove
or servicing Cottage Grove who
are engaged in educational,
medical, cultural, social and
civic projects or activities. Ap-
plications are available online at
www.cgcfoundation.org.
The Cottage Grove Commu-
nity Foundation Community
grant awards will be announced
before the end of February,
2017. For additional informa-
tion, contact the Cottage Grove
Community Foundation offi ce
at 541-942-0014.
Couples’ check-in
South Lane Mental Health
will hold a free event on Satur-
day, Oct. 15 entitled the “Sweet-
est Day,” which originated in
Cleveland, Ohio in the 1920s. On
this day, thousands of boxes of
candy were distributed to news-
boys, orphans, the elderly, and
the poor as a gesture of love and
kindness. This year, South Lane
Mental Health will be offering a
free couples’ check-in. During
their “Recharge Your Relation-
ship” event, SLMH will open
its doors to the community and
provide a free hour of strengths-
based relationship counseling as
a way to “help people see what
they are doing right as well as
get a few tips on how to make
things even better.” Any rela-
tionship type is welcome, and
guests do not need to be an ex-
isting client to attend. Anyone
can call 942-3939 to set up an
appointment, though walk-ins
are also welcome.
Home wood
heating season be-
gins; open burning
season delayed
tection Agency (LRAPA) an-
nounced the beginning of daily
home wood heating advisory on
Oct. 1. The start of open burn-
ing, or backyard burning, has
been delayed until Oct. 15.
Home wood heating refers to
indoor residential wood heating
in fi replaces, woodstoves or pel-
let stoves. Residents in Eugene
city limits and Urban Growth
Boundary; Springfi eld city lim-
its and Urban Growth Bound-
ary; and Oakridge city limits
must follow the daily burn ad-
visories. People outside of these
areas are also encouraged to fol-
low the advisories.
The home wood heating
season produces daily adviso-
ries from Oct. 1 until May 31.
These daily burn advisories are
determined by weather fore-
casts, analysis of real-time and
predicted air quality data from
monitoring sites, and weather
inversion patterns.
The advisory is posted at 2
p.m. every day and goes into
effect at 4 p.m. that day for 24
hours. LRAPA asks that the
public check the advisory be-
fore using a wood stove or fi re-
place by going online to www.
lrapa.org or calling the hotline
at 541-746-4328.
Volunteers to
beautify Gateway
Park and sections
of Row River Trail
Community volunteers aged
14 years and older are needed to
help clean up and improve trail-
side conditions in Gateway Park
and sections of the Row River
Trail in Cottage Grove, Ore. be-
ginning at Gateway Park on Sat-
urday, Oct. 15 from 9-11 a.m.
Volunteers will assist with
removing ivy and blackber-
ries from trees and picking up
trash. Education about invasive
plant identifi cation and proper
removal techniques will also be
provided.
Coffee and pastries from lo-
cal businesses will be available
at the start and all volunteers
will be entered into a gift card
raffl e.
The event is sponsored by
SOLVE Oregon, City of Cottage
Grove Public Works, and the
Coast Fork Willamette Water-
shed Council. Former Cottage
Grove resident Gabriel Wihtol,
a senior Nursing student and
representative of the University
of Portland’s Presidential Advi-
sory Committee on Sustainabil-
ity, is organizing the event.
Interested volunteers can reg-
ister in advance at the following
link:
http://solveoregon.org/get-
involved/events/row-river-trail-
clean
LWV discussing
ballot measures
Cottage Grove League of
Women Voters will be meeting
Wednesday, Oct. 12 at 1 p.m.
at Lane Community College in
Cottage Grove in Room 139.
The discussion will be on ballot
measures that will be on the Or-
egon ballots in November. Any-
one is welcome to attend.
ORDER TODAY!
Many styles, sizes and
Colors to choose from
The Lane Regional Air Pro-
J OYCE
Continued from page 2A
means that before you ever
get a problem, you already
know that whatever problem
comes your way, you can over-
come it through Christ. You live
with confi dence that God loves
you no matter what and He will
never leave you nor forsake
you. And when you have this
kind of relationship with Christ,
you aren’t constantly afraid of
bad news or of things that may
happen that aren’t in your plan.
When the unexpected happens
or you’re disappointed, you
won’t be devastated by it.
See, when you get a revela-
tion of who you are in Christ,
you know that with Christ on the
inside of you, there is nothing
that can happen that’s more than
you are because there’s nothing
that’s too much for Him! First
John 4:4 confi rms it: “Little
children, you are of God [you
belong to Him] and have [al-
ready] defeated and overcome
them [the agents of the anti-
christ], because He Who lives in
you is greater (mightier) than he
who is in the world” (AMP).
It’s so important for us to get
this truth down in our hearts
and see ourselves as more than
conquerors through Christ Jesus
because if we don’t, then our
enemy, Satan, will be able to
confuse us and keep us from vic-
tory. And all the enemy wants to
do is kill, steal and destroy what
God wants us to have (see John
10:10). He wants to diminish
you – make you small-minded
and small in spirit so you’ll live
a small, frustrated life.
But we don’t have to live that
way. Every person who con-
fesses that Christ Jesus is Lord,
repents of their sin and gives
their heart to God is a child of
God and belongs to Him. And in
Christ, we are made right with
God, we are His righteousness,
and we have the power of Christ
in us to live right.
Do you realize what this
means? It means that as we
spend time with God in prayer
and studying the Bible, we can
access the wisdom and strength
we need to make right choices
and behave right. It doesn’t hap-
pen all at once or overnight, but
we will make progress every
day that we seek God this way.
I really want you to get this
revelation of who you are in
Christ as a born-again believer
so you won’t be frustrated or
discouraged or feel like you’re
always under attack and just try-
ing to get through the day. God
has more for us than that!
When you make a mistake
and the devil comes and tells
you “You’re no good,” you
don’t have to take on the guilt
and condemnation he wants to
put on you. No! You can imme-
diately confess your mistake to
God, thank Him for forgiving
you and cleansing you with the
blood of Jesus, and move for-
ward in the victory of His grace
and forgiveness.
Here’s a scripture that has
helped me take hold of who I am
in Christ and live with victory
over the hardships of this world:
“In this [union and communion
with Him] love is brought to
completion and attains perfec-
tion with us…because as He is,
so are we in this world” (1 John
4:17 AMP).
I encourage you to learn who
God really is. Get a deeper un-
derstanding of His character and
His heart for you. Spend time
with Him, read His Word, and
let Him love you. Know that He
loves you unconditionally. He is
good. He wants to bless you and
help you. When we know this
truth, we don’t have to be tor-
mented by doubts about wheth-
er God cares or whether He will
take care of us.
Whatever your situation is
today, God knows about it. He
sees you and hears the cry of
your heart. And if you will give
Him your problems and do what
He tells you to do, you will ac-
cess His overcoming love, grace
and power and be more than a
conqueror. Because in Christ, as
He is, so are we in this world!
Another dental visit?
Turns out, you have better things to do with
your time.
Joyce Meyer is a New York
Times bestselling author and
founder of Joyce Meyer Min-
istries, Inc. She has authored
nearly 100 books, including
Battlefi eld of the Mind and Mak-
ing Good Habits, Breaking Bad
Habits (Hachette). She hosts the
Enjoying Everyday Life radio
and TV programs, which air on
hundreds of stations worldwide.
For more information, visit
www.joycemeyer.org.
Family owned and operated for over 47 years.
LANDSCAPE AND
BUILDING MATERIALS
Open 7 days a week!
79149 N. River Road
541-942-4664
NEWSPAPER MEDIA
HAS THE POWER TO
INFORM, ENTERTAIN
AND CONNECT.
When you hold your local newspaper
in your hands – whether in print or on
a mobile device – you hold a powerful
tool to inform and inspire.
For centuries in towns and cities across
North America, local newspapers have
served as the voice for the public good
and as a powerful connection between
citizens and the communities around
them.
Oct. 2-8, 2016, is National Newspaper
Week, a time to salute the dedicated
professionals who work hard to bring
you the news.
We know your time is valuable. That's why we've invested in CEREC
technology that allows for a faster experience when you need crowns,
fillings or veneers. With CEREC, there's usually no need for a temporary
and return visit. Everything is done in one visit, in about an hour -
In this digital age, the newspaper
audience has never been greater, with
millions reading in print, online or via
mobile. No matter the medium, those
millions of readers rely on their local
newspaper as the “Way to Know!”
leaving more time for whatever is important to you.
Implants · Teeth Whitening · New State-of-the-Art Building
Dr. Brent Bitner, DDS
350 Washington, Cottage Grove
(behind Better Bodies)
942-7934
CEREC® is a registered trademark of Sirona Dental Systems.
NATIONAL NEWSPAPER WEEK
Oct. 2-8, 2016