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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (Dec. 7, 2022)
TWO - Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, December 7 , 2022 The Official Newspaper of the City of Heppner and the County of Morrow Good News Only by Doris Brosnan Heppner Anyone who missed the holiday lighting at Heritage Plaza last Thursday, missed the singing inside the ag museum by the preschools and the schools’ choirs, as well as the hot chocolate and chance to visit with Santa. The Good News is that the spectacular lighting of the trees and vintage equipment accomplished by the city maintenance crew will shine throughout the holiday season. When cruising about to see the lights throughout Heppner, a drive by cheerful, uplifting Heritage Park will be a pleasant addition. Last Thursday, Nancy Anderson hosted the Ione Topic Club’s Christmas Luncheon Party. Of particular interest to the group was a report of the funds for the Ione teachers that they raised when they held the Scholastic book sale. Congratulations go out to two HHS volleyball players who were named to Blue Mountain Conference Second Team, Hallee Hisler and Morgan Cutsforth, and Honor- able Mention included Hailey Wenberg. Named to the Big Sky Volleyball League First Team, from Ione, is Madison Orem. Kudos! The schools have started their basketball seasons, so spectators can enjoy following their teams while inside and warm. Ione-Arlington kicked off their season last weekend with a “Basketball Bonanza” that included Irrigon and Joseph. A fourth invited team had to cancel. A busy month in Ione is going to feature a caroling party, a movie night, a trip to Elgin on the 17 th to attend “The Christmas Carol” on stage, and a trip on the 20 th , compliments of Deacon and Erin Heidemann, to see their “Blown Away Ranch.” Good News also from Ione: After a few months’ clo- sure, Perks and Brews is again open for business. Terry and Sierra have completed some facelifting inside and changed their hours. If you ever need a lift, a reason to smile, watch a puppy in the snow. Lily sniffs and jumps and dives, and latest funniest was when, on our walk, she noticed a large (10-12 inches?) chunk of ice that had apparently fallen from a vehicle, misshapen and dirty. She screeched to a halt. Stretched toward it but did not move closer. And growled. She was glued to the spot, growling until pulled by the leash to move on. Obviously saved us from poten- tial attack by that mysterious alien object! Apparently, some readers are enjoying our tidbits of pleasant news, so to keep them happy, we need to share by sending our reasons to smile to dbrosnan123@gmail. com or calling 541-223-1490. Here’s hoping that some good news comes to every- one reading this! GAZETTE-TIMES U.S.P.S. 240-420 Morrow County’s Home-Owned Weekly Newspaper SEARCH OLD COPIES OF THE HEPPNER GAZETTE-TIMES ON-LINE: http://oregonnews.uoregon.edu/ 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. Chris Sykes ...............................................................................................Publisher Andrea Di Salvo ............................................................................................ Editor ..................................................................................................................Advertising All News and Advertising Deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. For Advertising: advertising deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Cost for a display ad is $5.25 per column inch. Cost for classified ad is 50¢ per word. Cost for Card of Thanks is $10 up to 100 words. Cost for a classified display ad is $6.05 per column inch. For Public/Legal Notices: public/legal notices deadline is Monday at 5 p.m. Dates for publi- cation must be specified. Affidavits must be requested at the time of submission. Affidavits require three weeks to process after last date of publication (a sooner return date must be specified if required). For Obituaries: Obituaries are published in the Heppner GT at no charge and are edited to meet news guidelines. Families wishing to include information not included in the guidelines or who wish to have the obituary written in a certain way must purchase advertising space for the obituary. For Letters to the Editor: Letters to the Editor MUST be signed by the author. The Heppner GT will not publish unsigned letters. All letters MUST include the author’s address and phone number for use by the GT office. The GT reserves the right to edit letters. The GT is not responsible for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. Christmas scavenger hunt back for second year Area pastors invited to submit Christmas messages Participants in last year’s Searching for Christ in Christmas scavenger hunt. -Contributed photos Everyone is invited to join Heppner-area churches for a fun, interactive adventure during the second annual Searching for Christ in Christmas scavenger hunt. On Sunday, Dec. 18, from 5-7 p.m., participating congregations invite groups of “travelers”—that is, the public—to their locations to discover the religious meaning behind Christmas. After a five- to 10-minute presentation about the birth of Christ, it’s off to follow the stars to the next loca- tion where they will learn about another piece of the nativity. JoAnna Lamb of Hep- pner, who organized the first event last year, is again heading up the event plan- ning. She says she got the idea from an event in Ir- rigon, but Heppner’s has more participation so far. She said she wants to do the event because it brings the community closer together. “Even though I’m not a Christian, a lot of my friends are, a lot of the com- munity is,” she said. “Hep- pner has a lot of that feeling of community spirit, so it’s just bringing that feeling together. It’s important to people.” Each of the seven churches will have a dif- ferent activity specially designed to bring to life the meaning of Christmas for area families. Most activities will be hands-on and will include topics like the three wise men and the meaning of Christmas trees. One church even plans a puppet show. Each location will also have a place for families to take selfies, which can be posted on the event’s Face- book page for a chance to win a gift basket. The evening will wrap up at Murray’s Garden at 7 p.m. Morrow County Home Health and Hospice Chaplain Jerry Conklin will share a short mes- sage. Participants will sing Christmas songs, and hot cocoa and cookies will be available to spread the Christmas cheer. A map of participating churches is available on the event’s Facebook page. TOM & JERRY PARTY With Live Music Friday Dec.16th Tom & Jerry Drinks at 5 p.m. Steak Dinner at 6 p.m. Music by Frank Carlson 7 p.m. Members & their Guest HEPPNER ELKS 358 “WHERE FRIENDS MEET” 541-676-9181 142 N MAIN ST Businesses, individuals also invited to send in Christmas greetings The Heppner Ga- zette-Times will publish its annual Christmas edition on Dec. 21. Area pastors are invited to submit Christmas mes- sages to be published in the Dec. 21 edition. The dead- line is Monday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. Messages can be dropped off at the Gazette office, emailed to editor@ rapidserve.net, or submitted through Heppner.net. Any businesses or in- dividuals who would like to purchase space on our special Christmas greeting page in the Dec. 21 Gazette should call 541-676-9228 or email graphics@rapid- serve.net by Monday, Dec. 19, at 5 p.m. Print & Mailing Services *Design *Print Sykes Publishing *Mail 541-676-9228 Spiritually Speaking Father Thankachan Joseph St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner Be Strong: Fear Not! Usually, the third Sunday of Advent is known as the Gaudete Sunday. In Latin, Gaudete would mean “Rejoice,” because our salvation is very close at hand. On this third Sunday of Advent, we see Jesus at work, giving sight to the blind, hearing to the deaf, healing to lepers, and so on. It is a marvelous display of empathy and compassion for the suffering. In every Eucharistic celebration we encounter the same empathetic Christ. Let us not be afraid to show Him the various handicaps, disabilities and wounds that we suffer; may the Babe of Bethlehem heal us from all these disabilities. The Prophet Isaiah (35:1-6) delivers the thrilling message of hope for all who may be feeling down. Isaiah says, “Cheer up! Do not be afraid. God himself is coming to save you.” The prophet tries to bring back hope and expectations to the people of Israel. The words of the prophet that give courage and assurance are these: “Here is your God, he comes with vindication; with divine rec- ompense he comes to save you” (v4). This gives assurance of divine intervention to those who were suffering from various disabilities and deformities. In the letter of St. James (5:7-10), the writer urges us to be patient with one another because only in patience can we wait for the world to be transformed into God’s own image. He brings the imagery of the farmer patiently waiting for the precious fruit of his labor. James tells us to take the prophets as our models. The prophets were able to wait for the world in which everything would be perfect and people would live in peace with one another. Matthew’s Gospel for the third Sunday (11: 2-11) echoes the longing of the prophets in the longing of the people of Jesus’s own time. They go out to see John the Baptist, hoping for a Messiah who will save them from the oppression of the Romans. John the Baptist hears in prison about Jesus and His great miracles. He himself seems hesitant to accept that Jesus is the Messiah and so, sends his followers to Jesus to ask Him. Jesus does not give a direct answer. This happens so often in the Gospels that we have become used to this style of thinking and writing. What happens here is that Jesus wants John the Baptist (and us) to discover whether He is really the Mes- siah. So, Jesus tells John the Baptist to look for himself, see and understand that the blind regain their sight, the lame walk, lepers are cleansed, the deaf hear, the dead are raised, and the poor have the good news proclaimed to them. “And blessed is the one who takes no offense at me. What do these things mean to you? Who can perform such great things amongst you?” In this context, John the Baptist stands for us. John worked hard and all the time he knew what his job was. It was to prepare the way for someone else, someone greater than he. That someone was Christ. When Christ appeared, John slipped into the shadows. John believed he had been called by God to do something great – to prepare the way for the coming of the long-awaited Messiah. He knew exactly what his role was. He was only the messenger who announced the king. But he was happy to fulfill this role, and fulfill it he did, to the very best of his ability. He lived for it, seeking nothing for himself—neither an easy life, the flattery of the people, nor the favor of the powers that were. We have to ask ourselves today about what signs are given to us. Jesus tells us that the only sign is the sign of Jonah the Prophet. So, we are left to make a decision about whether we believe in the Resurrection of Jesus or not. If we don’t, then any kind of faith in Jesus is just foolishness. If we do believe, then our actions must begin to echo our faith. The life of John the Baptist leaves this message for us all: The greatest achievement of the human spirit is to make the best of one’s abilities and to try to win the approval of the Almighty. That’s what John the Baptist tried to do. We will never be able to please everyone, but we can please the One who matters most, our God. Keep your eyes on Him, and you can’t fail.
