Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, April 28, 2021 -- THREE
Spiritually Speaking
Remain in Christ’s
Love
By Fr. Thankachan Joseph SDB, St. Patrick Church
On this fifth Sunday of Easter, Jesus tells us that He is
the true vine and we the branches. Thus,
we must remain in Him if we wish to
bear much fruit, as the branches have no
existence if they don’t remain with the
main stem. He is inviting every one of
us to remain in His love and prepares
everyone to go through the difficulties
of life with patience and endurance. As Fr. Thankachan
branches crafted on the true vine, we Joseph
are expected to bear positive and good
fruits in Christ.
As I was reflecting on the writing of this article, my
thoughts turned to the pandemic and especially how in
my home country it is very alarming and threatening at
the moment. People are in the Indian capital city dy-
ing without oxygen. Until a few weeks ago, the situa-
tion was rather normal – of course, with the usual ups
and downs. Then all of a sudden, we were hit with the
second wave of COVID-19. Now the whole country is
reeling under the blow of this unforeseen infectious dis-
ease. The latest news is that this virus is taking thou-
sands of people’s lives daily. There is lot of panic, fear,
and anxiety. The Lord Jesus is inviting every one of us
to remain/stay with him and have faith. Words like “Do
not be afraid,” “Fear not,” and “Be courageous” appear
a few hundred times in the Bible and they are meant for
us, to strengthen us and comfort us. As Jesus says, “Fear
is useless; what is needed is faith” (Mark 5:36). What
is needed is trust in his providence and the surrender of
our lives into his hands. In the book of Deuteronomy we
read, “There you saw how the Lord your God carried
you, as a father carries his son, all the way you went
until you reached this place.” (Deuteronomy 1:31)
The first reading of the day is the part that follows im-
mediately after the call of Saul on his mission to Da-
mascus. In the Book of Acts of the Apostles (9: 26-31),
one remarkable thing we see about Paul is that after his
dramatic conversion, his life changed completely. Im-
mediately, he was transformed from Saul the persecutor,
to Paul the preacher of the good news. He wasted no
time in bearing fruit in Christ. This is because, his con-
version was true and genuine. The consequence of his
true conversion and belief in Jesus Christ was a great
harvest of souls which continues today. He bore good
fruits, abundant and lasting fruit through his works and
charitable deeds, because he was a “deeply crafted and
rooted branch” in Christ, the true vine.
The second reading, from the first letter of John
(3:18-24), reminds us that: “…our love is not to be just
word or mere talk, but something real and active. Only
through this can we be certain that we are the children
of truth….” John seems to remind us of the saying, “Ac-
tion speaks louder than words.” The word of God trans-
forms us because it is real and active. So, we cannot
love God or keep His commandments without concrete
works of charity and mercy. Also, we cannot remain in
Christ without bearing fruits as a mark of our union with
him.
The Gospel of St. John (15:1-8) is a call to strength-
en our relationship with Christ in order to continue to
live in Him. Through the parable of the vine and the
branches, Jesus tries to emphasis the type of relation-
ship that should exist between us and Christ. That is, the
relationship between a vine and its branches. No branch
can have life or bear fruit on its own, unless it is firm-
ly attached to a tree. Likewise, in our spiritual life and
journey as Christians, we cannot do without being firm-
ly attached to Christ the vine, in whose name we were
baptized. We are created and called to remain in Christ
for a purpose, and this purpose is to bear durable fruits
in Him. So, instead of a passive life, “to be in Christ”
means to live an active and positive life characterized
by charity, peace, holiness, pure reverence and love for
God and for our neighbors. In other words, it is possible
to bear good fruits in Christ through a good and virtuous
life.
If we go through the gospel passage carefully, we
come across the invitation of the Lord to stay/remain/
abide in him. At least eight times these words occur.
That shows the importance of our stay with Him. We
need to take this call seriously as we face the situations
of uncertainty, the hazardous time of our life, to remain
in Him and enjoy the serenity and peace that He offers
to the world.
God’s constant invitation to us is to keep moving
forward in faith with Him, trusting His graces, freeing
our own hearts so that we can free the hearts of others.
How is my relationship with Christ, the true vine? Am I
still living in him? Have I born any good fruit in Christ?
Bearing fruit in Christ means growing spiritually and
affecting others positively.
We cannot be in Christ for years and still suffer
from spiritual lethargy or dwarfism. No, there must be
progress in our union with Him. This progress must be
expressed in our trust in Him, in our better knowledge
of Him, and in our love for Him and for others. The
pandemic is an occasion God gives to every one of us
to examine one’s own life and return to Him. Finally,
when like Paul, we become branches of the true vine,
Jesus Christ, then with the psalmist, we can confidently
sing: “You, Lord are my praise in the great assembly.”
Alleluia!
Good News Only
By Doris Brosnan
Another ex-Heppner-
ite reached out last week.
Doris Schaefer Clerf is
93 years old, was raised
on the “Freeze-out Ridge
Ranch (above Hislers),
has been gone from Hep-
pner for 70 years, but still
feels connected and con-
tinues to receive the Hep-
pner Gazette Times. (She
reports that it is newsier
than a nearby newspaper.)
Doris lives at Kittitas, WA,
where a “Clerf Road” runs.
Her son now lives on the
homestead on which she
lived for several years.
Kittitas is about nine miles
northwest of Ellensburg
and only about 300-people
larger than her hometown.
Laurie Hire has sold her
house, so no more inqui-
ries, please.
Good news for fishing
enthusiasts: The ODFW
fish-tankers have been here
to stock some of your fa-
vorite fishing spots. But be
forewarned that these fish
might be especially tired. I
base this possibility on the
report from a young, un-
successful fisherman who
reported that “They were
sleeping.”
Willow Creek is up, and
its banks are looking soooo
much more inviting. Ex-
cept for a few more pieces
of debris, the spaces are
luscious green and invit-
ing! Kudos to who are re-
sponsible for this change.
Sharon Harrison reports
their Good News is that
“We now have a new pa-
tio, thanks to our family –
Travis, Tiffany, and Tony
– and to kind, hardworking
people like Josh and Katie
Henricks and Eric Imes,
who did the cement work
A View from the Green
Over the Tee Cup
The Willow Creek La-
dies enjoyed a cool, sunny
day for their Tuesday golf.
Low Gross of the Field
was Virginia Grant; Low
Net was a tie between Kar-
en Haguewood and Betty
Carter; and least Putts was
Sharon Harrison,
Low Gross for Flight B
was Tiffany Clemet, Low
Net was Judy Harris and
Least Putts was Pat Ed-
mundson. Low Gross for
Flight C was Pat Dough-
erty, Low Net was Jeanne
Creswick and Least Putts
was Karen Smith-Griffith.
internship program that is
open to Morrow County
businesses.
The luncheon meeting
will be held in the Gil-
liam and Bisbee Building.
Lunch expense is $10, re-
quired no later than Tues-
Special Event winners
were: Longest Putt on
#14, by Flights, A to Vir-
ginia Grant, B, to Karen
Haguewood, and C to Pat
Dougherty. Closest to the
Pin, second shot, on #13
was Pat Edmundson.
Surprise awards went to
Karen Smith-Griffith and
Jeanne Creswick.
The next Tuesday La-
dies Golf was held April
27 with tee-off at 10 a.m.
Golfers were asked to ar-
rive a half hour before tee-
off to get registered to play.
WCCC Sunday
Men’s Play
Nine participated on
Sunday, April 25, for the
Willow Creek Country
Club men’s play. The re-
sults are as follows:
Net: 1st/2nd tie with
Steve Marlatt and Gene
Orwick, 60; 3rd John Ed-
mundson, 63.
Gross: 1st David Alls-
tott,67; 2nd Charlie Fergu-
son, 69; 3rd Dennis Peck,
72
The shootout is the next
event on Sunday May 2.
This is a two-man event
consisting of nine holes
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
scramble, nine holes mod-
ified chapman, and nine
holes alternate shot. “Get
a partner and hope to see
you there,” said a WCCC
spokesman.
There will be no play on
May 9, as we celebrate our
mothers. May 15 and 16 is
the two-man Quad classic.
Josh Coiner is the contact
person for this event.
My name is Kelly
Kuenzi. I’m a public com-
munication representative
for Jehovah’s Witnesses.
I cover eastern and cen-
tral Oregon. I reside in
central Oregon. Attached
is a short article that our
writing team has compiled
addressing the suspension
of our door-to-door minis-
try this past year. Also, we
continue to meet virtually
instead of in our Kingdom
Halls. This article will an-
swer some of the questions
your readers may have
about why they haven’t
seen us publicly this past
year. Please feel free to use
it in your publication if you
desire. Also, I’m attaching
a photo of Trish McCauley,
one of those quoted from
Oregon.
Please feel free to con-
tact me if you have any
questions or would like us
to pursue any other angles
that would be of interest
to your readers, including
interviews from local or
national spokesmen.Kind
regards, -Kelly L. Kuenzi
In March 2020, some
1.3 million Witnesses in
the United States suspend-
ed their door-to-door and
face-to-face forms of pub-
lic ministry and moved
congregation meetings to
video conferencing.
It’s now been over a
year since Jehovah’s Wit-
nesses worldwide adjusted
their hallmark methods of
sharing comfort and hope
from the scriptures due to
the pandemic.
For many, the change
from ringing doorbells and
knocking on doors to mak-
ing phone calls and writing
letters expanded and invig-
orated their ministry.
“Witnesses have em-
braced this shift, finding
the good in these trying
times,” said Joseph Casta-
no, who reports a 30 per-
cent increase in the Wit-
nesses’ preaching activity
in his region of northern
Virginia and nearby parts
of West Virginia. “In fact,
I hear many saying, ‘I’m
able to do more now.’”
“It has been a very de-
liberate decision based on
two principles: our respect
for life and love of neigh-
bor,” said Robert Hen-
driks, U.S. spokesman for
Jehovah’s Witnesses. “But
we are still witnesses and,
as such, we must testify
about our faith. So, it was
inevitable that we would
find a way to continue our
work.”
It was 33 years ago
that Trish McCauley of
central Oregon dedicated
herself to do God’s will
and was baptized as one
of Jehovah’s Witnesses.
She enjoyed spending full
days preaching from door
to door and conducting in-
home Bible studies. Then
a health crisis changed her
life dramatically. “My en-
ergy level was so low, it
took all I had just to use
my walker to get to the
door,” said McCauley.
But during the pan-
demic, she has regular-
ly participated in virtual
ministry groups, making
dozens of phone calls and
writing letters. “By staying
in my own home, I feel less
draw on my energy.” She
said, “I truly enjoy talking
with others on the phone
and receiving encourage-
ment.”
McCauley said after
our door-to-door ministry
resumes, she won’t stop
writing letters and calling
people. “I feel this is truly
a great way to reach peo-
ple, it’s helped me think
outside the box.”
Robin Kuenzi, also of
central Oregon, began her
full-time volunteer work
nearly 38 years ago. She
enjoyed preaching from
door to door, conducting
in-home Bible studies, and
standing at cart displays in
city parks.
During the pandemic she
had to learn new ways to
reach people. “At first I was
apprehensive. However, my
experience has been over-
whelmingly positive. Many
express appreciation for the
interest shown to them and are
clearly relaxed speaking with
me on the phone. Some say
they prefer it. I feel I have built
friendships with several in my
community by our phone vis-
its. We talk about the day we
can finally meet face to face,
when it’s safe to do so,” she
said. “I feel like I have learned
new skills that I will continue
to use even when we are able
to resume the public ministry.”
Nearly 51,000 peo-
ple in the United States
last year made a request
for a Witness to contact
them, either through a lo-
cal congregation or jw.org,
the organization’s official
website, according to Hen-
driks. Since the outbreak,
the Witnesses have fol-
lowed up on these requests
via letters and phone calls
instead of in-person visits.
“Our love for our
neighbors is stronger
than ever,” said Hendriks.
“In fact, I think we have
needed each other more
than ever. We are finding
that people are perplexed,
stressed, and feeling iso-
lated. Our work has helped
many regain a sense of
footing – even normalcy –
at a very unsettled time.”
Witnesses have also
made a concerted effort to
check on distant friends
and family—sometimes
texting links to Bible-based
articles on jw.org that cov-
er timely topics, such as
isolation, depression, and
how to beat pandemic fa-
tigue.
For more information
on the activities of Jehovah’s
Witnesses, visit their website
jw.org, with content available
in over 1,000 languages.
ALL NEWS AND ADVERTISEMENT DEADLINE:
MONDAYS AT 5:00 P.M.
The Country Rose
Now taking orders for Mother’s Day!
541-676-9426
Wedding Tables
Chamber lunch
meeting May 6
The next Heppner Cham-
ber of Commerce lunch
meeting set for Thursday,
May 6, from noon to 1
p.m. will be an "All Enti-
ties Reports" with a short
presentation from Kalie
Davis about the student
for our new patio.” Also,
“Thanks” to Charlie Harri-
son for the finishing touch.
We certainly appreciated
everyone. (Inviting space
for many enjoyable mo-
ments this summer.)
Thoughts of many are
turning to coloring up their
yards with shrubs, trees,
and flowering plants, so
we are happy to see plants
available at a couple of
retailers and pleased that
the HHS FFA group are
again holding a plant sale,
starting tomorrow and last-
ing through Saturday. The
young horticulturalists ap-
preciate community sup-
port of their efforts as they
learn about planting and
caring for the plants, about
the business features of the
experience, and about the
interaction with the public.
We have an opportunity
to pose questions on line
– via People’s Town Hall –
to our Senator Ron Wyden
this Saturday, starting at 3
p.m. We can tune in by go-
ing to www.wyden.senate.
gov or by going to the Peo-
ple’s Town Hall Facebook
page. Haven’t seen how
long the “town hall” will
last, so assume it will last
as long as participants ask
questions of the senator.
Good things continue to
happen around our towns,
and we continue to appre-
ciate reading about them.
Anyone who has a tidbit is
invited to email it to dbros-
nan123@gmail.com or to
call 541-223-1490 (can
leave a message if nec-
essary) or stop me on the
street.
As always, hoping some
good news comes to every-
one reading this.
A year without
knocking on doors
day, May 4, to accommo-
date for enough lunches
and seating.
Tacos Hometown will be
catering lunch and will be
serving a choice of chicken
or beef small burrito, chips
and salsa and dessert.
Mekayla Kindle & Bailey Haguewood
May 29, 2021
Torri Lovgren & Kyle Nicol
June 12, 2021
217 North Main St.,
Heppner, OR
Phone 676-9158 Floral 676-9426
murraysdrug.com