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About Heppner gazette-times. (Heppner, Or.) 1925-current | View Entire Issue (March 8, 2023)
Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, March 8, 2023 -- THREE ~ Letters to the Editor ~ Spiritually Speaking Father Thankachan Joseph The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the St. Patrick Catholic Church Heppner following criteria met: letters submitted to the newspaper will need to have the name of the sender along with a legible signature. We are also requesting that you provide your address and a phone number where you can be reached. The address and phone number will only be used for verification and will not be printed in the newspaper. Letters may not be libelous. The GT reserves the right to edit. The GT is not responsible In the first week of Lent, the Gospel reading revealed for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks the humanity of Jesus and human temptations. His desert will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $10. experience helps us leave behind all our comforts and asks Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net. Jesus reveals Himself to the Samaritan woman at the well Of Life and Legacy Nobody warned me what would happen when I got “this age.” One would think there should be some sort of warning system… “Warning! Memory lapse ahead!” or “Red alert! Neck wrinkles approaching!” And why doesn’t that guy that keeps bugging me about my car warranty ever call and say, “I’m calling to talk to you about your knees, which are about to expire”? As they say, old age is not for the weak. What I am learning about “old age” is that it’s a relative term. I recently described a patient as “el- derly,” and then found we were the same age. Eye opener. But then I just met a woman who thinks she may have hurt her shoulder haul- ing in wood. She’s 85…and my hero. I remember when I turned 30. I looked in the mirror and thought, “Wow. I don’t look like a teenager anymore.” Womanhood found me. Each additional decade brought its own enlightenment. Forty was “Ok, I should have my act together by now.” At 50, I decided everyone else should have their act together. At 60, “How the heck did this happen?” I would like to think I have my act together…some- where. Would be nice to find it while I still have my eyesight. I figure it’s prob- ably in a Rubbermaid tub somewhere, maybe with my skinny clothes or the extra Tupperware. Billy Graham was once asked “What was the big- gest surprise of your life?” His answer was “The brevi- ty of it.” I agree. The longer I live, the faster the sand slips through the glass, or so it seems. Sometimes I feel like time snuck by while I was doing dishes. Doesn’t seem very fair. But then, the fairness of life has never been guaranteed. I recently attended the Celebration of Life of a very special lady. I didn’t know her well, but I got to know her life as I watched those who loved her. Her love and compassion for those around her was evident in the way she lived. She was a doer and a giver of herself. Her death was untimely and devastating, but her legacy is the epitome of the Fruit of The Spirit of which her Lord Jesus spoke. I felt privileged to peek through the window of her life. Yes, she was special. Driving home, I thought of my life and the legacy I might leave. The inspiration of what I had just witnessed left me changed…and it left me unsatisfied with my status quo. She made a difference in her world. She did it quietly and without theatrics. That’s a valuable legacy. The sand will run out on every one of us. If you’re a believer and follower of Jesus, you know what He promised. Wrinkles, bad knees, and fading eyes and ears won’t follow us to heaven. But it’s up to us what we do in the mean- time. As the decades pile up…let’s make them count. Do I want to be re- membered? Yes, but much more than that, I’d like to be worth remembering. “Your life will be brighter than noonday; its darkness will be like the morning” (Job 11:17). Susie Crosby Heppner, OR Local jewelry store honored at Heritage Museum YOUR AD COULD BE HERE! Call 541-676-9228 Or Email The Morrow County F.A.R.M. Foundation is creating a new Heritage Museum exhibit for Peterson’s Jewelers, which will be opened to the public St. Patrick’s weekend. -Photo by Andrea Di Salvo The Morrow County Heritage Museum is putting together a gem of an exhibit and will pull back the cur- tain to the public for the first time on Friday, March 17. The new exhibit will feature a portion of Peter- son’s Jewelers, the jewelry store owned and operated by the Peterson family for almost 94 years in Heppner. A mannequin of Randal Peterson will normally man the work bench in the ex- hibit, but Peterson himself is scheduled to be there in person for an open house meet-and-greet from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. on March 17. The museum will serve punch, and a nostalgic bowl of wrapped cinnamon can- dies will also be there for us to take a quiet life during these forty days. Similarly, in the second week’s Gospel reading, Christ led us to Mount Tabor to be transformed like Him and to live a divine life. In this third week, in the Gospel of John, chapter four, He takes us to Jacob’s well, His gradual revelation of Himself to the Samaritan woman, and her conversion. Jesus calls us also to this conversion. The words that struck me most in going through this passage: “The wom- an put down her water jar and hurried back to the town to tell the people, ‘Come and see a man who has told me everything I have done; could this be the Christ?’ This brought people out of the town and they all made their way towards him” (v. 28-30). Jesus, an observant Jew of that time, was expected to avoid conversation with women in public. The animos- ity between the Jews and the Samaritans should have prevented the conversation as well. The woman herself mentions the break from tradition: “How can you, a Jew, ask me, a Samaritan woman, for a drink?” Yet Jesus not only converses with the woman, He also asks to share her drinking vessel, an action that makes Him unclean, according to Jewish law. The most surprising aspect of the conversation begins with His words: “Give me something to drink” (v. 9). Most probably He is repeating this to us the listeners. “Give....” He is inviting her to give up her sinfulness, shame, worries, fear, loneliness. What do we have to leave with Him? It is in giving that we can be filled with grace of the Lord and with living waters of life. The conversation between Jesus and the woman is better understood if we consider the importance of water, especially in the climate of Israel. At first, the woman understands Jesus’s promise of “living water” in a literal sense: “Sir, give me this water, so that I may not be thirsty or have to keep coming here to draw water.” With no running water, the daily trip to the well by the women of the community was of paramount importance. The town’s women would have traveled to the well in the early morning, but this woman came at noon, the hottest time of day. The timing of her visit is a clear sign that she is an outcast and doesn’t want to face other women who may humiliate her for her profession, which is prostitu- tion. She wants to escape from all their queries. We learn that she is an outcast because of her “many husbands.” The term “well” in the Old Testament is “a trusting place.” Isaac meets his wife Rebecca at the well. Jacob meets his wife Rachel at the well. Moses meets his wife Zipporah at the well. Jesus’s meeting the Samaritan woman at the well, some theologians would describe as the incarnation of His love towards us. He wants to marry us (the sinners). “For as a young man marries a young woman, so shall your builder marry you and as the bridegroom rejoices over the bride, so shall your God rejoice over you” (Isaiah 62: 5). After the lengthy conversation, the Samaritan wom- an becomes a disciple of Christ. Even though she is an outcast and not a Jew, she returns to her town to lead others to Jesus. The significance of the encounter between Jesus and the Samaritan woman has many levels. First, the personal: The woman is herself converted to belief in Jesus as Messiah because He knows her sin but speaks with her just the same. Second, the social level: Having come to know Jesus as the Messiah, the Samaritan woman becomes an evangelist to her own people. The third level of the story is educational: Jesus uses His encounter with the Samaritan woman to teach His disciples that God’s mercy is without limit. The disciples return quite confused to find Jesus talking with a Samaritan, and a woman at that! But the conversion of the Samaritan townspeople is a foretaste of the kind of open community that will be cre- ated among those who believe that Jesus is the Messiah. the taking. Also free while supplies last are the remain- ing copies of the last print- ing of Peterson’s annual calendar. Admission is free. The museum is located at 444 N Main St., Heppner. graphics@rapidserve.net We also offer design and printing services Heppner Gazette-Times Sykes Printing JVB Dairy awarded FFA Distinguished Service Award JVB Dairy and John and Jana VandenBrink will be awarded the Oregon FFA Distinguished Service Award at the Oregon FFA State Convention on Satur- day, March 18, at the De- schutes County Fairgrounds in Redmond. For more than 10 years, JVB Dairy and John and Jana VandenBrink have been a pillar at the Morrow County Livestock Auction supporting youth exhibitors in both 4-H and FFA. Their support for the FFA dona- tion animal each year is es- pecially impressive. One of the four chapters in Morrow County—Heppner, Ione, Irrigon and Riverside—will raise and contribute a dona- tion animal that sells at the very end of the livestock auction, all proceeds being split equally amongst the chapters to help facilitate the backpack program in their respective communi- ties. It is estimated that JVB Dairy has contributed more than $120,000 in support so FFA members can help fight food insecurity in their schools. “Each chapter operates its program differently, but the goal is to provide food for children who need it. In total, our county pro- grams support 415 food bags monthly at last count,” said Beth Dickenson, Ag Teacher and FFA advisor in Heppner. “Their persistent generosity for the past six years, especially, is what allows our backpack pro- grams to grow and continue to provide healthy meals to kids year-round.” “The contributions that JVB Dairy, John and Jana make to help support our communities are very gen- erous. Their support is not just limited to the county fair and the backpack pro- gram either,” said Ione FFA Advisor Erin Heideman. “The churches in Ione also benefit from their service.” The purpose of the dis- tinguished service award is to recognize outstand- ing contributions made to the Agricultural Educa- tion-FFA Program. FFA dis- tricts are asked to nominate organizations, agencies or other groups for outstand- ing contributions made to the Oregon FFA Associa- tion and the total program of agricultural education. JVB Dairy was nominated by Ione, Heppner, Irrigon and Riverside FFA pro- grams. Button, button, who’s got the buttons for sale? St. Patrick’s buttons are now available for purchase. The Morrow County Courthouse is being featured this year, thanks to Julie Proctor Baker for designing them. The buttons are $3 and can be purchased at Heppner Chamber of Commerce, Heppner City Hall and Murray’s Drug. Lunch & Dinner Menu Specials 3/9-3/15 Thursday- Chicken Alfredo, salad, and breadsticks for $9. Friday- Cinnamon swirl French toast, sausage, eggs, and 2 breakfast bars for $9. Friday night 630-9pm top sirloin steak dinner with bacon green beans, roll, choice of baked potato or fries, choice of salad or vegetable beef soup, and strawberry shortcake for $20. Saturday soup will be Chicken dumpling. Monday- steak nachos for $9 Tuesday- pork fajitas with tortilla chips and pineapple salsa for $9. Tuesday night from 6-9pm $2 hard shell tacos. Wednesday- Sesame Orange Chicken, fried rice and egg roll for $9. Katie Murray Heppner Community Foundation 503-504-8508 FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Chamber seeking new manager The Heppner Community Foundation (HCF), in partnership with the Heppner Chamber of Commerce, is now accepting applications for a Member Services and Events Manager. Current Events Coordinator, Shelby Matthews will be stepping down from her position on June 1, 2023. Shelby is still HCF’s Fitness Center Manager and plans to continue to support membership and class options for the community. Shelby has been a great asset and plans to continue to support chamber events and programs as a volunteer but cannot continue in her chamber role due to other time commitments at this time. The Member Services & Events Manager is employed by the Heppner Community Foundation (HCF) and provides services for the Heppner Chamber of Commerce. This role serves as the primary point of contact for both chamber members, and the public seeking information about Heppner events and services. The manager is responsible for coordinating and executing a variety of duties associated with member recruitment, retention, benefit fulfillment, and community events. By summer 2023, the position will work out of HCF’s new Arts & Business Innovation Center, located in the old Gazette Times building on Willow Street. In collaboration with HCF, WCVEDG, and other local and regional organizations, The Heppner Chamber of Commerce continues to work to expand its membership benefits and keep its popular events alive and well. This new manager will be a key collaborator in providing business resources and events to both chamber members and to the public. If you or someone you know is interested in applying, email ksirimurray@gmail.com or visit heppnerchamber.com/careers for a full job description and application requirements. The position is 32 hours/ week (4 days/week) with some commitment on weekends for events and conferences. A flexible work environment with employee wellness benefits. $24-26/hour or DOQ.
