+HSSQHU*D]HWWH7LPHV+HSSQHU2UHJRQ Wednesday, March 27, 2024 7+5((
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Spiritually Speaking
Father Thankachan Joseph
The Heppner Gazette Times will print all letters to the Editor with the
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
As we celebrate Easter, I wish you all a “Happy
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Feast
of Easter!”
be libelous. The GT reserves the right to edit. The GT is not responsible
Easter’s
theme is “Peace” (shalom). Easter re-
for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks
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side; rather it is a blessing we can experience on the in-
Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net.
PEACE BE WITH YOU
TRUTH
Why is it that every
time I read the news these
days, I feel like I’m stand-
ing in the grocery checkout
line reading a glorified
version of The Enquir-
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the news folks. I don’t lay
awake at night worrying
about what Taylor Swift
said about her boyfriend.
And if I see her rosy, red
lips or Kamala’s pearly
whites one more time, I
may lose my lunch. I just
wonder, why is it so hard to
do a little research, get the
news, and then report it? I
don’t care what so-and-so
said about what’s-her-face.
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and tell me the truth about
it. And, like we learned in
kindergarten, half-truths are
no better than lies.
I recently did a little
jaunt down Liberal Lane
and looked at what’s up in
the mainstream news me-
dia. I don’t remember ever
seeing such an assault on
the truth, except for maybe
the one time I accidently
watched 30 seconds of The
View. No wonder people
have such ridiculous ideas.
If that’s their only source of
“news”, they might as well
stick to their video games,
Door Dash, and never leave
their basement.
It just makes me a lit-
tle nervous thinking about
what’s most likely going
on beneath the surface as
we hyperventilate over the
term “bloodbath”. Yes…
Trump used that word….
to describe what would
happen to our auto industry
if China got ahold of the
EV business. Liberal News
media, of course, took it
totally out of context and
has Trump wielding an ax
if he doesn’t get elected.
side. What we notice in all the post resurrection scenes
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ples are “peace be with you.” …Maybe something that
we and the world are looking for and longing to have.
As I was preparing my Easter-message, something from
the Bible struck me intensely from the Gospel of John,
an apt message for the occasion: “Jesus answered them,
‘Do you believe now? The time is coming and is already
here when all of you will be scattered, each of you to
your own home, and I will be left all alone. But I am not
really alone, because the father is with me. I have told
you this so that you will have peace by being united to
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have defeated the world!’” (John 16:31-33)
Easter reminds us that peace is available to us at
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gle one of us. We need to shout, “Alleluia, God is with
us!” Because Jesus declared, much before His death,
just as a movie director knows what is going to happen
or how things should happen in the next scene, Jesus
was able to predict about Himself and His life, what was
going to take place after His death: “In this world, you
will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the
world” (John 16:33).
In the Acts of the Apostles (10:34a, 37-43), we see
the continued work of Christ in His Church after His res-
urrection. This continued work of Christ was made pos-
sible as a result of the witnesses of the apostles. Peter’s
address to Cornelius and his household was preceded by
the baptism of Cornelius and his entire household, a wit-
ness made possible by the resurrection of Jesus. Peter
reminds them that “God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with
the Holy Spirit and with power; he went about doing
good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil,
for God was with him. We are witnesses to all that he
did both in Judea and in Jerusalem….” (Acts 10:38-39).
Witnessing comes as a result of experience. We are all
real witnesses of the Living Christ in our personal lives.
The letter of Paul to the Colossians (3:1-4) reminds
us of one thing: “Brothers and sisters: if then you were
raised with Christ, seek what is above” (3:1). When
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Francis tried to keep us focused on Christ and keep the
church united in Christ in a unique manner. His Urbit et
Orbi blessing was actually a moment of building peace
with Christ; this is what Christ reiterated to disciples
before His death and to us when we are caught in the
grief and loss of dear ones: “you will have peace by
being united to me.” It is very apt at this time. We can
really overcome fear, anxiety, nervousness, through the
support of our praying communities in which we take
part.
The risen Lord always greeted His disciples in all
the post resurrection scenes with these words: “peace
be with you” (John 20:19). He also mentions “Peace is
what I leave with you; it is my own peace that I give you.
I do not give it as the world does. Do not be worried
and upset; do not be afraid” (John 14:27). This Easter
season reminds us all to come closer to the Lord, who is
caring for us, who continues to protect us from all threat-
ing events. Instead of looking for comfort and pleasures
from material and worldly things, the Lord invites ev-
eryone to come closer to Him and trust Him more. Let
the words of Christ resonate in our minds and hearts. I
think that is the real message of Easter: “be brave I have
conquered the world.” If you remain in Him and His
remain in you, surely we can conquer with our
th words
faith anything and everything that challenges us every
day. The gift of peace is available to us because Christ
Lexington on May 4 th, the is the Prince of Peace. Jesus Christ is the light that dis-
Lodge will have a variety pels darkness and ushers lasting peace and joy.
of soups along with a din-
ner roll, cookie, and drink
available for $5 starting at
noon. BINGO will start at
3:30. Once again BINGO
is $5 for 10 games. All
of these events are fam-
ily-friendly and will be
held at the Odd Fellow
Hall at 135 Main Street in
Specials 3/28 - 4/3
Lexington.
Wait for it…. indictments
may follow.
Meanwhile, our coun-
try is being invaded (noth-
ing to see here folks), our
government is busy writing
a 1.2 trillion dollar check to
ensure Egypt’s borders are
secure, and, of course, make
sure our preschoolers are
adequately “trans-educat-
ed”. I feel like someone just
took my paycheck and used
it in the bottom of a bird
cage. But they’re telling us
they had to do something to
avoid a government shut-
down. My thoughts? Shut
it down….please. Maybe
then ‘We The People’ could
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our trucks, and head down
to defend our own borders.
So, who do we trust
these days? We could start
by doing some research
of our own. Find a good
resource, support it, and
become a trustworthy re-
source for others. I know
there’s One I trust. His
name is Jesus. As Easter
approaches, I think about
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ion. Some don’t believe it.
They call it an elaborate
scheme. But the validity of
the disciples claim that Je-
sus was the Son of God was
put to the ultimate test when
they died gruesome deaths
and became His martyrs.
Why didn’t they just change
their story and save their
own lives? Because they
lived with Jesus, saw his
miracles, his crucifixion,
and the empty tomb. They
were there. They did not die
for a lie or a scheme. They
knew the truth and the ONE
worth dying for. They knew
Jesus. “And ye shall know
the truth, and the truth shall
make you free”. John 8:32
Susie Crosby from
Prineville
Holly Rebekah
Lodge reschedules
BINGO to April 28
Holly Rebekah Lodge
is canceling their monthly
meal and BINGO on April
28 th due to it being Easter.
Mark your calendars for
April 28 th when the Lodge
will be offering a salad
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at 3 pm. BINGO will
follow at 3:30. The charge
for BINGO is $5 for 10
games. In conjunction with
the May Day Festivities in
Lunch
& Dinner
Menu
Son-Rise Service
The South Morrow
County Ministerial Associ-
ation invites you to attend a
Son-Rise Service on Easter
Morning at 7 am at the
Gilliam & Bisbee Building
in Heppner. Join us as we
celebrate the Risen Savior
as a community!
Thursday - Ham, mashed potatoes & gravy,
roll, and corn
Friday - Clam Chowder with a grilled
ham & cheese
Saturday - Baked potato soup with cheese
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Monday - Southwest grilled chicken salad
Tuesday - Reuben with mac n cheese
Tuesday night - 6-9 $2 hard shell tacos
Wednesday - Tuna wrap with a fruit parfait
YOUR AD
COULD
BE
HERE!
Call
Good News Only by Doris Brosnan
A weekend in beautiful weather is perfect when the
scattered family can get together: The Laughlin house
was full of family for the St. Patrick’s Day weekend.
Kirk and Lottie Holcomb came from Madras. Rod and
Tami Berthold came from Mosier, and two of their sons,
Nick, and Wes, were able to join them. Wes brought his
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Alma. Many toasts were made to Butch and Judie, Tami
and Lottie’s parents, and memories made. Bertholds
traveled “the back way home” and stopped at Cotton-
wood State Park for a camp-out in the beautiful weather,
so they didn’t get home until Tuesday.
A rare roll call: The Blackhorse Doherty families
gathered in Heppner to celebrate St Patrick’s Day. On
Saturday, Dennis and wife, Anne, came from Hermis-
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Denver to stay at the ranch with Tony (and Martha is
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when they left town); Martha and Maureen drove over
from the coast; Becky came from Ione; Dennis’s son
Ben, wife, Missy, and daughters Elizabeth and Cate and
Cate›s friends Kellen Young and Anna Hansell came
from Hermiston. Cate is a Umatilla County Fair Princess
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cooked a traditional Irish meal of corned beef, Con-
cannon (mashed potatoes and cabbage) and Irish Soda
Bread. Joining the group at Tony’s from Hermiston was
Dennis’s daughter Tess Neddo and her daughter Bryn.
Mike and Cindi Doherty joined the cousins, as well. The
only sibling missing was Nancy, who celebrated in Sac-
ramento.
Last weekend Damon Brosnan was put to work pre-
paring his mother’s 2024 tax returns – this in addition to
providing her room and board for two days – rewarded
with a steak dinner at a 10 Barrel. His Aunt Florence
Nolan, formerly of Heppner, lives in Brookdale Assisted
Living in Redmond, where she celebrated her 82 nd birth-
day last Sunday, which included a surprise visit from
her son, Mike. She asked that her friends in Heppner be
told that she thinks of everyone often, and she watches
for names she recognizes in the Heppner Gazette Times.
Wow! She did it again! Alison Ball, senior at Whit-
worth University in Spokane was again named “Athlete
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place in the 200 meters and in the 4/100 relay. Congrats,
Ali, granddaughter of Diana Ball.!
Service beyond expectations; A fellow went into
the bank, the teller could tell he seemed and looked
disheveled. His hair looked tussled, and his clothing
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out from behind her desk patted his hair into place and
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really needed and appreciated that.
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Come on, Spring!
Just a few minutes of your time can add to the plea-
sure the readers get from reading the “good news.” Easy
as sending to dbrosnan123@gmail.com or calling 541-
223-1490. Here’s hoping that good news comes to ev-
eryone reading this!
I nstallatIon of 2024/2025
l odge o ffIcers
Thursday, April 4th
Lasagna Dinner at 6:00 pm
prepared by Shelby Matthews
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,57+5,*+7
Birthright of Morrow County is seeking
monthly donors to support our work here in
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pregnant or thinks she may be pregnant. If
you are ableto donate $10, $20, or more per
month, please let us know! We also accept
one time donations as well. For more info,
call 541-676-0530. Thank you!
ATTENTION
COLUMBIA BASIN ELECTRIC’S OFFICE
HOURS ARE CHANGING
EFFECTIVE
APRIL 1st, 2024
HEPPNER’S
OFFICE HOURS WILL BE:
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9228
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Heppner Gazette-Times
Sykes Printing
Please call to schedule an appointment at
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STARTING FRIDAY APRIL 5TH, WE WILL
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PLEASE PLAN ACCORDINGLY!
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days a week
541-676-9146