Heppner Gazette-Times, Heppner, Oregon Wednesday, November 20, 2024 -- THREE
~ Letters to the Editor ~
Free fishing, clam- Heppner Episcopal
ming and crabbing Church welcomes
weekend in Oregon Pastor Joann Dickson
Nov. 29 – 30
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SALEM, Ore.—Make
for accuracy of statements made in letters. Any letters expressing thanks fishing part of your Thanks-
will be placed in the classifieds under “Card of Thanks” at a cost of $15 giving weekend plans with
Email to editor@rapidserve.net or upload to Heppner.net.
friends and family. Every-
WHAT
HAPPENED?
This is kind of a con-
tinuation of my last letter. I
got to thinking that maybe
some clarification might be
in order. My perspective
may be a little different than
the gal with the election
tears due to the generation
in which I was raised. So
let me go back a bit. There
was a time when things
were quite different. There
was a definite moral code
most people lived by. Not
everyone went to church
but knew they probably
should. People believed in
God and the Bible and knew
the Ten Commandments
were something to take
seriously. Patriotism, hard
work, good grades, charity,
respect for parents and po-
lice were all standards to
strive for and be admired.
Bad guys were easy to
spot, and many were in jail
where they belonged. Par-
ents disciplined their kids
and teachers backed them
up…. but the last word be-
longed to the parents. Foul
language was usually mild
and reserved for smashed
thumbs. The F word would
get you grounded or fired.
We all knew the reality of
good vs evil and society
leaned toward the good
side.
Back then, you couldn’t
tell much difference be-
tween Democrats and Re-
publicans. There was no Far
Left or Far Right. We were
all closer to the middle.
We listened to the Nightly
News and had the privilege
of forming our own opin-
ions. No commentary….
no twisting of the facts to
promote an agenda…. just
the news.
So why the change?
What happened? Some-
where along the line we
decided to boot God out of
everything. Government,
schools, and media became
off limits. Separation of
Church and State went from
“Freedom OF Religion” to
“Freedom FROM Religion”
(not what they meant….
look it up). Bible thumpers
need to stay home. Oh, and
don’t pray on the street, un-
less you wanna go to prison
for 10 years…. true story.
But the God of Self is wel-
come and thriving, and the
Golden Rule is now “Love
yourself above all others”.
Let’s look at how that’s
working out for us. Hm-
mmm…. since we’ve de-
signed a society of man-
made morals aka do your
own thing (but make sure
everyone else agrees),
it’s been getting a little
rough…. especially for the
young. Celebrating the
slaughter of the unborn,
sexualization of little kids,
normalizing perversion,
excusing criminal behavior,
and promoting a bunch of
other idiotic ideas all in the
name of “self-expression”.
For those who love the
self-first idea…. I have a
question. What if pushing
you off a cliff works best for
me? Who are you to argue?
Ooops…you can’t now. So
sorry. My truth.
And now Trump is
gonna ruin it all…. bring-
ing back the old moral
code with secure borders,
freedom of speech, jus-
tice, self-defense, smaller
government, fiscal respon-
sibility, strong military,
protection of the unborn,
and maybe even letting God
back in where He belongs.
If this still brings you to
tears, you haven’t been
listening. Open your ears,
and your eyes and really
look at how our world has
been since we’ve put our
faith in everything but God.
The Creator of the universe
exists (look around you)
and made you for a reason.
I pray you put your faith
in the One who cares more
about your soul than your
carbon footprint.
“His divine power
has given us everything
we need for a godly life
through our knowledge of
him who called us by his
own glory and goodness.”
2 Peter 1:3
By Susie Crosby
Prinville
one can fish, clam and crab
for free in Oregon on Friday
and Saturday, Nov. 29-30,
2024.
No fishing/shellfish li-
censes or tags (including
a Combined Angling Tag,
Columbia River Basin En-
dorsement or Two-Rod Val-
idation) are required those
two days. Both Oregon
residents and nonresidents
can fish for free.
All other fishing reg-
ulations apply includ-
ing closures, bag limits
and size restrictions. See
the Oregon Sport Fish-
ing Regulations for rules
and remember to check
for any in-season regulation
updates too, especially
for salmon and steelhead
fishing. Click on the zone
where you want to fish to
see regulation updates.
The Recreation Re-
port is updated weekly and
features the best bests for
fishing for the upcoming
week. Depending on water
levels and conditions,
fishing could be good for
Chinook or coho salmon;
again be sure to check reg-
ulations first because not all
rivers are open. Trout will
also be stocked the week
before Thanksgiving at
several popular lakes in the
Willamette Valley.
For beginners, Easy
Angling Oregon is a great
guide to getting started
fishing in Oregon, https://
m y o d f w. c o m / a r t i c l e s /
easy-angling-oregon-in-
troduction. And if you live
near Portland, Bend, Med-
ford, Roseburg or in Lane
County, there are lots of
nearby options.
Prefer to crab or clam
instead? MyODFW.com
has all the information you
need to get started clam-
ming or crabbing. Re-
member to check ocean
conditions and take safety
precautions—always clam
with a friend and never turn
your back on the ocean.
Call the ODA Shellfish
safety hotline at 1-800-448-
2474 or check their Shell-
fish Closures page before
you go clamming or crab-
bing. The Oregon Depart-
ment of Agriculture reg-
ularly tests shellfish and
closes areas when naturally
occurring biotoxins get to
levels that make crabs and
clams unsafe to eat.
Currently, crabbing is
open in bays, beaches, es-
tuaries, tide pools, piers
and jetties along the entire
Oregon coast. Crabbing is
closed in the ocean due to
the annual closure from
Oct. 16-Nov. 30 each year.
As of mid-November,
razor clamming is closed
from Cascade Head to the
California border due to
high levels of the marine
biotoxin domoic acid, but
closures may change by
Thanksgiving Weekend so
check before you go.
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Joann Dickson
Heppner, OR — On
October 26, Joann Dickson,
pastor of Hopeful Saints
Episcopal Church, was
ordained as an Episcopal
minister. While already
serving as the congrega-
tion’s pastor, her ordination
officially authorizes her to
consecrate bread and wine
for communion, a key ele-
ment of Episcopal worship.
A Life of Service
Joann Dickson has a
longstanding connection to
faith and community ser-
vice. She grew up attending
Methodist church services
with her mother, which in-
stilled in her a desire to help
others through faith. Over
her career, she has worked
in various roles, includ-
ing managing two school
libraries and directing the
theater program.
Originally from South-
ern California, Dickson
moved to Bend, OR, in
1974. She later lived in
Lakeview for 30 years and
La Grande for five years be-
fore taking on the pastoral
role in Heppner.
Dickson has four adult
children—two sons and two
daughters—three grand-
children, and five “grand-
cats.” Her personal interests
include reading mysteries,
yoga, and travel. She also
enjoys discussing faith and
its practical application
in daily life and encour-
ages others to talk about
WWW.HEPPNER.NET
their faith in conversational
ways.
Pathway to Ministry
Dickson earned a
Bachelor of Science in En-
glish and Philosophy from
Eastern Oregon University
(EOU). She later received
a certification in spiritual
direction from the Aquinas
Institute of Theology in St.
Louis, where she learned
and continues to guide oth-
ers in their spiritual jour-
neys.
In 2022, Dickson com-
pleted the three-year forma-
tion program at The High
Desert School of Ministry
(HDSM) in Cove, Oregon,
part of the Iona Collab-
orative developed by the
Seminary of the Southwest.
The program, a joint effort
between the dioceses of
Eastern Oregon and Idaho,
prepares candidates for
ordained ministry.
Continuing in Her
Role
Now officially or-
dained, Dickson’s responsi-
bilities include performing
communion ceremonies,
among other pastoral du-
ties. She noted that becom-
ing ordained fulfills a goal
she has worked toward for
many years.
Moving Forward
Dickson’s move to
Heppner has been a posi-
tive experience, as she has
quickly developed a fond-
ness for the town. Her per-
manent role as an ordained
leader is an exciting mile-
stone for the congregation,
as Hopeful Saints Episcopal
Church has been awaiting
its own ordained pastor.
Dickson looks forward to
continuing her mission of
faith-based support and
connection, bringing her
passion and knowledge
to her role as pastor of
Hopeful Saints Episcopal
Church.
Deadline:
Monday 5pm
“FALL” IN LOVE WITH
HEPPNER MARKET FRESH
DEADLINE:
MONDAYS
AT 5PM
COME JOIN US FOR OUR OPEN HOUSE
NOVEMBER 22ND
5:30 TO 7:30
LOTS OF GREAT FOOD AND DRINKS
TO SAMPLE
A DRAWING WILL BE HELD THE SAME NIGHT
TO WIN ONE OF OUR HOLIDAY MEAL DEALS