A2 Family Blue Mountain Eagle F ROM THE PULPIT Where have all God’s children gone? By the Rev. Al Altnow To the Blue Mountain Eagle I have to admit that I have fallen prey to a very common activity that we humans have a passion to do – that’s procrastination. I have been intending to sit down and write this for several months but have let other things get in the way of what I should have been doing. No excuses on my part as I’m truly guilty on all counts. %DFNLQWKHV±\HV,¶PGH¿QLWHO\ROGHQRXJKWRKDYHEHHQ there and young enough to be able to remember those days – there ZDV D VRQJ WKDW DVNHG WKH TXHVWLRQ ³:KHUH KDYH DOO WKH ÀRZHUV gone?” Now that I’ve admitted to my age, it’s time to get down to the reason for this message. I talk to people on a regular basis who claim to be Christian and have a relationship with God, but yet they haven’t been to church in years and have no intention of ever going back to church. Others that I visit with attend a couple times a year and feel that’s enough as they have done their duty and touched bases and made an appearance. Their responses and actions lead me to wonder if they ever pray, or even open up their Bibles during a year’s time. ,¶PQRWSRLQWLQJ¿QJHUVDV,ZULWHWKLVDV,¶YHGRQHWKHVDPH thing at times in my life, too. After a time of avoiding church, I re- DOL]HGWKDW,ZDVGH¿QLWHO\QRWKHDGHGLQWKHULJKWGLUHFWLRQZLWKP\ life and was truly living a double-minded life as I was making excus- es right and left why I didn’t need to be attending or involved with a church body. To those of you for whom this hits home, I urge you to attend a local congregation so you can receive the many blessings of sharing life and God with others. James 4:8 – “Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double minded.” The Rev. Al Altnow is the pastor at First Christian Church in John Day. Wednesday, April 8, 2015 OTEC names scholarship winners Local students make the list of 2015 recipients Blue Mountain Eagle Four Grant County stu- dents are among the 2015 Oregon Trail Electric Co- operative scholarship re- cipients. The winners include Gerald “Jerry” Carter and Adilene Olivera-Sanchez, currently seniors at Grant Union Junior-Senior High School, and Mikayla Lut- Adilene Oivera- Sanchez Gerald ‘Jerry’ Carter Mikayla Luttrell trell and Rayce Houser, both 2014 Grant Union gradu- ates. Winners from Harney County are Hailey Bodewig, Austin Feist, Jackson Thein, and Mattea Zabala. Raising money by turning pages Blue Mountain Eagle Local youth will soon have a turn to help raise money for a new library. And all they have to do is read. The Grant County Li- brary Foundation, the Grant County Library and local schools are participating in a Read-A-Thon next week, April 12-18. Mark E. Broemeling Oct. 18, 1933 – March 30, 2015 PRINEVILLE – Mark E. Broemel- ing, 81, of Prineville, died March 30. There will be no services at this time. Mr. Broemeling was born Oct. 18, 1933 in Uniontown, Wash., to Pete and Anna (Mareck) Broemeling. He received his high school diploma in 1951, and soon enlisted in the U.S. Army, serving from 1952 to 1955. He then became a member of the union, lo- cal 701, and worked as a heavy equip- ment operator. In June 1959, he married Sandra Howard, with whom he had three children. +H ORYHG ¿VKLQJ KXQWLQJ DQG PRVW RI DOO VSHQGLQJ WLPH with his family. Survivors include his daughter, Donna (Rick) Kriege; son Donald (Karen) Broemeling of John Day; sisters, Lucy, Marlene and Helen; brothers, Vincent and Louis; grandchildren, Hannah and her husband Tyler, R.J., Connor, Matthew and Aidan; and great-grandchildren, Kyanne, Hensley, Graysen and Sydney. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Denise; brothers, Melvin, Cletus and Donald; and sister Phyllis. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Charles Hos- pice in Prineville through Juniper Ridge Funeral Home, 678 N. Main, Prineville, OR 97754. About Obituaries News obituaries are a free service of the Blue Mountain Eagle. The paper accepts obituaries from the family or funeral home. Information submitted is subject to editing. Obituaries submitted to the Eagle with incorrect information may be corrected and republished as paid notices. Send obituaries by e-mail, cheryl@bmeagle.com; fax, 541-575-1244; or mail, 195 N. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. The deadline to submit an obituary is noon Monday for the Wednesday paper. For more informa- tion, or to inquire about a paid memorial, call 541-575-0710. Donna Mae Switzer Donna Mae Switzer, 82, formerly of Canyon City, died Feb. 17 in St. Helens. A memorial service will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, April 25, at Dayville Cemetery, and a reception at 1 p.m. at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Canyon City. A full obituary will follow. Arrangements are under the care of Gray’s West & Company Pioneer Chapel, 1500 Dewey Ave., Baker City, OR 97814. The Biennial Review of the North & Middle Fork John Day River Agricultural Water Quality Management Area Plan will be held on Thursday, April 16, 2015 at 4:00pm at the Monument Senior Center at 269 Main Street in Monument. 9 In all, OTEC awarded 28 scholarships of $5,000 each – 26 academic ones and two lineman scholarships – in Grant, Baker, Union and Harney counties. Werner Buehler, OTEC general manager, said, “It is always a pleasure to see O BITUARIES As students hit the books, they will also be looking for sponsors to donate to the Foundation, based on the number of pages the student reads during the week. Proceeds will go to the Foundation’s new library building fund. For more information, call Tracie Unterwegner at 541-575-1219. Contact Steve Ussery at 541-934-2141 with any questions. Rayce Houser many of our past scholar- ship recipients completing their education, and it is our hope they will return home to their Eastern Oregon roots to pursue careers, raise their families and contribute to their communities.” He added that’s a pos- itive return on the invest- ment which benefits the en- tire region. Current high school se- niors and college students who are members or depen- dents of OTEC members are eligible to apply. For more information, visit www.otecc.com. 01641 Lawrence Henry Grassl Dec. 18, 1940 – April 1, 2015 Lawrence Henry Grassl, 74, formerly of Grant County, died on April 1. Mr. Grassl was born Dec. 18, 1940, in Portland, to Henry and Elizabeth Grassl. Survivors include two brothers, seven children, 14 grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren. A full obituary will be in next week’s issue. Jearene Fay Kilmer 9LVLWRUV$UH&RPLQJ9LVLWRUV$UH&RPLQJ No, it’s not a warning, but it is time to get your business ready. One of the things we suggest for promoting your business or organization is joining the Grant County Chamber of Commerce. We are here to help get visitors into Grant County and into your business, club, church, or group. Thanks to Tammy Brenner for signing up these new members to the Chamber. We would like to extend a big WELCOME to the following new businesses and organizations: Dairy Queen, Figraro’s, Grubsteak Mining Company, Prime Time Video, Karen Barnish LTC, Kathy Can Do, John Day Valley Rentals, Canyon Mountain Center, Fossil Shift Bike Shop, Hair It Is, and the Grant County Genealogical Society. If your business or group is not a member or has not renewed your membership, call the Chamber office for more info. Also welcome back to these members which renewed: State Farm Insurance, The Corner Cup, City of Prairie City, Dewitt Museum and Depot Park. Coming soon GRANT COUNTY GREENBACKS! VALID AT PARTICIPATING GRANT COUNTY CHAMBER MEMBERS BUSINESSES. The Grant County Greenbacks is a shop local program being implemented through the Chamber of Commerce to benefit Chamber members and encourage spending locally. Greenbacks may be purchased at the Chamber office in increments of $15 or $25. They may only be spent at businesses that are Chamber members and have agreed to participate in the program. Greenbacks will be redeemed dollar for dollar. So for instance, if you are a business and reward employees or customers with an occasional gift, you can buy your Greenbacks from the Chamber and know your gifts will be spent locally and benefit everyone else here! Plans are already being made for the second CHAMBER RAFFLE to be held later this summer. This was a fun event last year and looks set to replace the old Grantski Auction, so we are looking to make it an annual event. Grant County has a lot to offer to our visitors. May we suggest that you stop by the Chamber office and read through some of the many pamphlets pointing out things of interest to most everyone? And when you come by, have a chat with one of our friendly volunteers. They are a huge asset for our visitors! Also, if you manufacture a product, have a book published, create artwork, and so on, talk to us about displaying your pride and joy in the Chamber office for free. We want to highlight Grant County’s accomplishments for our visitors. Your Chamber and its volunteers are here to promote Grant County! If you have an idea, let us know. Finally, a big thank you to the Board of Directors for their efforts, and WELCOME to these new directors: Scotta Callister, Boulder Creek Ranch http:// www.bouldercreekranch.net/ and Dave Driscoll, publisher of Grant County Gazette http:// grantcountygazette-oregon.com/ gazette_welcome.php. SMILES ARE CONTAGIOUS - TRY SPREADING THEM AROUND --Penned by Eddie Smith, for Craige McMillan, President Jearene Fay Kilmer, 69, died April 4 at her John Day home. A celebration of life will be at 1 p.m. Wednesday, April 8, at The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in John Day. Memorial contributions may be made to John Day River Veterinary Center through Driskill Memorial Chapel, 241 S. Canyon Blvd., John Day, OR 97845. JOHN DAY AUTO NAPA 721 W. Main St. John Day, OR 541-575-1850 Grant County Chamber Members W EATHER F ORECAST Chance of showers Wednesday 55/30 30% chance of rain Thursday 56/31 Mostly sunny Friday 65/37 Chance of showers Saturday 47/32 Slight chance of snow Sunday 48/24 Partly sunny Monday 59/24 A.M. rain, snow Tuesday 47/14 Advertise Here Contact the Grant County Chamber for more information 541-575-0547 L AST W EEK M ARCH 31 A PRIL 1 2 John Day 53/34 Sheep Rock 68/43 3 4 5 6 46/31 49/33 57/29 52/34 41/32 50/33 55/34 53/33 54/29 61/39 57/35 NA R IVER F LOWS Discharge Last Year Average % of Avg. John Day (Mainstem) 245 365 321 76 Ritter (MF) 393 810 727 54 Monument (NF) 1790 3390 3410 52 Service Creek (Mainstem) 2450 5360 4960 49 McDonald Ferry (Mainstem) 3020 5010 5240 58 9 24/7 F ORECAST A UTOMATED : 541-575-1122 R OAD CONDITIONS : 511; WWW . TRIPCHECK . COM WWW . BLUEMOUNTAINEAGLE . COM / INFO NOAA W EATHER R ADIO FOR J OHN D AY — 162.500 MHz