COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL SEPTEMBER 27, 2017
Library celebrates Muslim culture
There are 1.8 billion Muslims in the
world but the most recent data—mined
cmay@cgsentinel.com
by the Pew Research Center—notes that
only 38 percent of Americans report
knowing someone who practices Islam. In Cottage Grove, that
number may increase with help from the local library.
“We can open our horizons,” Pete Barrell, community services
director for the city, said. Barrell, along with Friends of the Library
President Bruce Kelsh, are inviting residents to visit the Cottage
Grove Library during the month of October to mark 30 days of
exhibits, displays and special events focused on the Muslim culture.
The celebration will include an ongoing display for the month
featuring the library’s Muslim-centered collection which began in
1995 with the help of a grant from the National Endowment for the
Arts. Since then, the collection of fi lm, books and music has dou-
bled with the help of donors and fundraisers.
“The library has a history of looking at different cultures,” Barrell
said.
The library traditionally starts the year in January with a Native
American celebration but has explored other cultures and topics
including Smithsonian exhibits “A Place for all People” which
focused on African-American history and “Exploring Human Or-
igins,” an exhibition that asked what it meant to be human. Later
this year, the Obon Society—charged with returning personal items
taken during World War II back to Japanese families—will visit the
library as part of its Bridging Cultures efforts.
“This is an opportunity to know the world a little bit better and
we’re going to have real, local people.”
Every Monday of the month beginning October 2, the library will
welcome a guest speaker and facilitate an activity followed by an
open conversation with community members. First on the schedule
is a fi lm and a conversation with Ibrahim Hamide, a longtime res-
ident of Eugene. Born in Bethlehem in 1950, Hamide left with his
By Caitlyn May
Fire season proves
profi table for SLFR
By Caitlyn May
cmay@cgsentinel.com
PHOTO BY CAITLYN MAY/COTTAGE GROVE SENTINEL
The Cottage Grove Library is offering a month-long exhibit centering around
Muslim culture and featuring books from its collection, seen above.
family during the Six Day War of 1967, eventually opening four
restaurants in the Eugene area.
“The say that 15 percent of the Muslim population lives in the
Middle East so this is an opportunity to connect with people that
they don’t usually connect with,” Barrell said.
October will also see a showing of the 2002 documentary, “Mu-
hammad: Legacy of a Prophet” and a Skype conversation with
Mansoor Shams, a U.S. Marine veteran and local business owner.
“It’s unusual for a small, rural library to pull something like this
off,” Kelsh said.
Muslim Culture Celebration will kick-off on October 2 in the
Shepherd Room at 6 p.m.
Parent Partnership starts off the year
Community Foundation and Rotary grants go far
Parent Partnership received grants from
Cottage Grove Rotary and Cottage Grove
Community Foundation, which allowed for
the purchase of school supplies for South
Lane School District students.
The supplies were packed in to 250 back-
packs by volunteers from our Board of
Directors, Cottage Grove Rotary and First
Presbyterian Earth and Social Justice mem-
bers at Cottage Grove High School.
3A
A give-away was held at Community
Sharing who provided shoe vouchers for
clients and set out tables full of gently used
clothes for the participants to choose from.
The Cottage Grove Rotary canceled their
normal meeting that day so members could
be on hand to help distribute backpacks and
school supplies to 224 students.
The success of the event is due to the
generosity of the Cottage Grove Rotary,
Cottage Grove Community Foundation,
Parent Partnership's McKinney Vento staff
and Board, First Presbyterian Church and
Parent Partnership's volunteer Executive
Director, Karol Kuhn.
If any family with students in a South
Lane school still needs help with school
supplies they can contact Parent Partnership
at 541.942.2104.
Find where you belong.
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bannerbank.com/home-loans
Everyone is back home safe. That’s the wildfi re update given to
the South Lane Fire Board by Division Chief John Wooten during
the September 21 board meeting.
Dozens of wildfi res have been burning around the state of Oregon
over the summer with the closest blaze located in Lowell. South
Lane County Fire and Rescue, under in place agreements with sur-
rounding areas and the state, has sent equipment and personnel to a
handful of fi res including the Jones Fire in Lowell, the Chetco Bar
Fire near Brookings and the Milli Fire located in Sisters. According
to Wooten, a medic unit will continue to support the Jones Fire and
in the end, the service will help pad the fi re district’s budget.
“We sent a partial billing through September 14 to the forest ser-
vice,” Wooten said. “It’s close to $50,000.” Wooten said the money
would take approximately 30 days to reach Cottage Grove and half
would go to recouping overtime costs.
Both Wooten and Division Chief Joe Raade made trips across
the state to help in the fi refi ghting efforts. Raade was dispatched to
the Milli Fire for seven days, had two days at home and returned
to the fi eld at the Chetco Bar Fire for another 10 days. Wooten was
dispatched to Chetco Bar as well before Raade headed out again to
the Eagle Creek Fire.
“I’m in the process of preparing those billing packets,” Wooten
told the board. “It will be signifi cantly more than what was in 2015.
It’s not costing the district any money, we’re actually making rev-
enue on these fi res.”
On September 18, state authorities announced that the wildfi re
season had consumed 678,000 acres and cost approximately $340
million.
Joyce Meyers
Continued from A2
selves, we can no longer hide from it. The Bible tells us the Holy
Spirit leads us into all truth. He knows just how and when to guide
us, and He is gentle and always does what is best for us.
It’s not always easy, but I want to encourage you not to reject
God’s guidance just because it may not feel good in the moment.
Just because something doesn’t feel good doesn’t mean it’s not
good for you. Remember, God always has His best plan for your
life in mind.
I remember when God prompted me to give away a dress a long
time ago. It was a brand-new red
dress that I’d bought and hadn’t
worn yet. I really liked it. I was
praying for a friend of mine one
day and asked God what I could
do to bless her, and He spoke
to my heart to give her the red
dress. Well, I didn’t want to give
away my dress.
Immediately, I began to rea-
son with God, “But it’s new!”
He told me once more to give
her the dress. I tried again, “But
God, I bought these really nice
earrings to go with it.” He said
to give her the earrings too! So
I prayed, “God if this is really
You…” Finally, I realized that
red dress was too important to
me. I had to face truth in that
moment: Did I want to obey God
or be selfi sh? I humbled myself
and gave my friend the dress.
You know, it really wasn’t
about the dress…it was more
about my heart. God was teach-
ing me how to be a steward and
not an owner of things. God may
want to use you to bless someone
else. If you are not so attached to
things, it won’t be hard to give
away something if He asks you
to.
We all have times like this in
our relationship with God if we
are willing to be completely hon-
est with Him and let Him search
our hearts. When we do, the best
thing we can do is embrace the
truth and let it set us free!
Remember, we are created
in the image of God. To be like
Him, we must learn to examine
our motives and be honest with
ourselves when God shows us
something that needs to change,
because it is always for our good.
Pray that you will know the
truth so you can be set free from
deception. And then face the
truth God shows you—about
you. Use each opportunity to
grow and become more like
Him.
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