TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, September 23, 2020
The Official Newspaper
of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow
Heppner
GAZETTE-TIMES
U.S.P.S. 240-420
Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper
AWANA Club
to begin
Virtual format offers new club
experience
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Published weekly by Sykes Publishing and entered as periodical matter at the Post
Office at Heppner, Oregon under the Act of March 3, 1879. Periodical postage paid
at Heppner, Oregon. Office at 188 W. Willow Street. Telephone (541) 676-9228. Fax
(541) 676-9211. E-mail: editor@rapidserve.net or david@rapidserve.net. Web site:
www.heppner.net. Postmaster send address changes to the Heppner Gazette-Times,
P.O. Box 337, Heppner, Oregon 97836. Subscriptions: $31 in Morrow County; $25
senior rate (in Morrow County only; 65 years or older); $37 elsewhere; $31 student
subscriptions.
David Sykes ..............................................................................................Publisher
Bobbi Gordon................................................................................................ Editor
Giselle Moses.........................................................................................Advertising
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Barb Collin and Dennis Wiser discuss the details of how to lead
AWANA club in front of a camera at a recent leader meeting.
The bulk of the club meetings will be filmed live at Heppner
Christian Church while members interact from home via
Zoom. –Photo by Andrea Di Salvo.
Heppner AWANA Club
is returning next week with
a new, virtual format to
accommodate COVID-19
restrictions. AWANA Com-
mander Dale Bates says
volunteers are working to
finalize the details for on-
line club meetings, which
will be held via Zoom.
Meetings for club
members will begin Tues-
day, Sept. 29. Sparks (kin-
dergarten through second
grade) will have their own
Zoom meeting beginning at
6:30 p.m. Truth and Train-
ing members (third through
sixth grade) will begin their
meeting at 7:30 p.m. Meet-
ings are planned to last
Father Thankachan works on around 45 minutes.
the yard of a local citizen with
In-person club meet-
his weed eater.
ings will resume when
Church members do
good deeds
COVID-19 restrictions are
lightened.
The Heppner AWANA
program is the combined
effort of local churches to
teach children what the
Bible is all about. AWANA
stands for “Approved Work-
men Are Not Ashamed,”
based on II Timothy 2:15.
Games, songs and a Bible
lesson are included during
a typical club meeting.
Preregistration is re-
quired so parents can re-
ceive member supplies and
access to the Zoom meet-
ings. To register or for more
information, contact AWA-
NA secretary Andrea Di
Salvo at awana.heppner@
gmail.com, 757-285-5792,
or via Facebook Messenger.
Led by Father Thank-
achan Joseph of St. Pat-
rick’s Church, community
and church members have
been doing good deeds
this summer by cleaning
up the yards of some local
citizens. The volunteers
bring their own tools, work
gloves and weed eaters. A
spokesperson states that
after their initial shock, the
recipients are very appre-
ciative.
Plans are to continue Contact the church office
tidying yards as long as they for additional information
are needed to do so. Volun- at 541-676-9462.
Morrow County Justice of the Peace, Glen Diehl, has
teers are always welcome.
released the following Justice Court report:
-Aaron B. Moreno, 59, Heppner, was convicted of
DWS, fine, $440.
-Brandy R. Thomas, 24, Kermit, TX, was convicted
of violation of basic rule, fine $265.
-George W. Duffield, 18, West Richland, WA, was
convicted of DWS, fine $440 and driving uninsured,
Nancy Prophetor and Virginia Grant were the only fine $265.
two ladies to show up for the Willow Creek Ladies play-
-Nicholas D. Henderson, 39, Heppner, was convicted
day held September 15 due to the hazardous and smoky of No Ops, fine $265 and driving uninsured, fine $265.
environment.
-Jasen T. Wallace, 37, Portland, OR, was convicted of
Propheter took low gross of the field and Grant took DWS, fine $440 and failure to carry proof of insurance,
low net of the field.
fine $265.
Justice Court Report
A View from the Green
Over the Tee Cup
Morrow County returns to Phase Two
Governor Kate Brown
announced that Morrow
County was allowed to
re-enter Phase Two on Sep-
tember 18, after receiving a
letter from Morrow County
Commissioners asking her
to consider their request.
Brown stated in her letter,
“Morrow County remains
on the cusp of a case count
low enough to allow mov-
ing into Phase Two of re-
opening.” She continued,
“I want to be very clear
that reopening does not
come without risks. With
every restriction lifted, we
know transmission of the
virus has the potential to
increase.”
In the letter sent to
Governor Brown, coun-
ty commissioners stated,
“Morrow County continues
to do amazing work with
our COVID-19 efforts. By
collaborating and partner-
ing with our local commu-
nities, we have successful-
ly assisted in slowing the
curve and creating stronger
partnerships.” The letter
continued to say, “Keep-
ing a positive momentum
forward will allow us to
continue to work our focus
on encouraging mask use,
physical distancing and
educating best practices.
Commission Chair
Melissa Lindsay told the
Gazette, “The citizens of
Morrow County have done
a great job to help slow
the spread in our commu-
nities. By wearing masks,
physically distancing and
working with our home
team of tracers to connect
cases and isolate away from
one another if exposed, we
have gotten ourselves into
a better position. The home
stretch to the finish line of
getting our schools back
to in-person learning will
be the hardest and biggest
commitment. I hope that
we keep our guard up and
continue to do the work.
Our Emergency Command
Team, working with Public
Health, is doing big work
to keep up with the state
metrics and guidance so
we can navigate the system
and move our economies
forward. Phase Two was a
team effort of communica-
tion and helping the state
to understand our county’s
individuality, work and
needs. They heard our mes-
sage and moved us forward
but now it is our job to keep
the momentum going so
we don’t have a back slide.
Our schools and in-person
learning have to be a strong
focus as we work to keep
our citizens safe.”
Masks are still a State
mandate for Phase Two,
with the policy stating,
“Masks, face coverings or
face shields are currently
required statewide for offic-
es and indoor public spac-
es (for example, grocery
stores, pharmacies, public
transit, personal services
providers, restaurants, bars,
retail stores, and more).
Masks, face coverings or
face shields are required
in outdoor public spaces
when physical distancing
of at least six feet is not
possible. Children age five
and up are required to wear
a face covering. People with
a disability or medical con-
dition may request accom-
modation from the business
if they cannot wear one.”
Counties that meet
specific prerequisites are
allowed to enter Phase Two
after 21 days in Phase One.
Case counts must be re-
duced to 100 cases or less
per 100,000 people per
week. The wider reopen-
ing includes recreational
sports, venues like movie
theaters, bowling alleys
and arcades, and increased
in-office work. Indoor
social get-togethers are
capped at 10 people with
physical distancing. Some
venues, such as restau-
rants, theatres, churches
and gyms, may have up
to 250 people if COVID
occupancy allows. COVID
occupancy is the ability to
physically distance people
not in the same party at a
minimum of six feet.
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Spiritually Speaking
Yes sir
By Fr. Thankachan Jo-
seph SDB, St. Patrick
Church
We are used to say-
ing “Yes” to please others,
fearing rejection or just
the uncertainty of what the
other person’s response will
be if we say “No.” How do
we respond? When we say
“Yes” to someone’s request, Fr. Thankachan Joseph
we need to take the respon-
sibility that demands. Do we mean what we say? Can
someone take our word, trust our response? So often, it
is easy to escape from the request of someone who needs
our helping hand. Are we people of our word, or are we
merely yes men and women? Are we ready to substan-
tiate our word with deeds? Today’s scripture readings
challenge us to be people of our word.
A beautiful “Christological hymn” of Paul to Christ is
narrated in Philippians (2: 1-11). Paul exhorts all to be like
Christ and admonishes us all to practice the Christ-like
qualities endorsed in verses 2: 1-5. All pride and rivalry
must go and we have to become like Christ, who humbled
himself like a slave totally obedient to God. Because of
his humility and obedience, he was exalted. In fact, St
Paul is actually insisting with all the Christians to have
the mentality or attitude of Christ. If we put on the mind
of Christ and let God take over our lives through total
obedience, we too will draw close to God and our word,
too, can be trusted.
Matthew 21: 28-32 narrates a parable found only in
Matthew. With the parable of the two sons, the evangelist
is trying to explain the different modus operandi of these
two sons towards their father. To drive the point home, he
poses the dilemma of the two sons, who are called upon
by their father to work in his vineyard. One responds,
“No, I will not go!” but afterwards thinks about it and
changes his mind and goes to work in the vineyard. The
other immediately says, “Yes, I will go,” but does not.
Jesus now poses the question: “Which of the two sons
did the will of the father?” (Jesus was not holding either
of the two sons up as an ideal.) The Pharisees admit that
the first son was the obedient one. Jesus then applies it
bluntly to their own response to God. “Tax collectors
and prostitutes are making their way into the kingdom
before you.”
The parables of Jesus were meant to instruct his
listeners and make them think about their lives. Jesus
wanted to confront the Jewish religious leaders and accuse
them of not doing God’s will. He further enraged them by
saying that John the Baptist, whom they would not accept,
was an example of true righteousness or conformity to
God’s will. We are called to be sons and daughters of the
Father who immediately respond with a “Yes” to God’s
call and immediately do what he asks of us. Christianity
is not a matter of saying the right prayers or following
the precepts of the Law. Our actions have to witness to
the God in whom we believe and the faith we profess.
Sin does not necessarily imply doing something wrong;
the greatest sin is not to do good: the sin of inactivity, of
doing nothing. This parable teaches us that promises can
never take the place of performance, and fine words can
never take the place of fine deeds. Jesus was always upset
with the Pharisees because of their favorite defense system
of the law. They always had some particular precepts, or
other principles could always be found to justify escaping
the painful demands of reaching out to the needy/doing
charity. The Lord’s parable continues to probe the Pharisee
in our hearts today. Would we have to admit using some
excuse or another to justify our actions? “I am too busy
right now, come another time…; we are not allowed to do
that…; the boss is out at the moment and I cannot make
a decision…; that’s not my responsibility…; what would
others think…? this is a dangerous precedent…; we don’t
know where this will end.”
God is looking for a change within ourselves that
leads to obedience. As Christians we have said “Yes” to
God, and so we are reminded in this parable that we need
to come through on our commitment. We need to make
sure we are working in his vineyard, using our gifts and
doing all that God tells us to do, not just doing it to please
others. Jesus wants us to realize that what we do is more
important than what we say we will do. Jesus wants us to
answer, “Yes,” when he tells us to “Love one another,” but
what he really wants is for us to truly love one another.
Let our answer to Jesus’s requests be always, “Yes sir.”
Have a news story or photo for the Gazette? e-mail editor@rapidserve.net
call 541-676-9228 or stop by the office on Willow St., Heppner Today