A6 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
SATURDAY, APRIL 18, 2015
COMMUNITY
POWER:
continued from page A1
that God cannot do is love
you anymore than he al-
ready does.”
He said the Power Team
is a faith-based ministry
that performs throughout
the country, and, during
this trip back to the Herm-
iston area, he said the group
already visited six schools,
performing in assemblies .
The Power Team will visit
600 schools in the United
States this year, he said,
while also putting on eve-
ning performances, like the
shows that the team is do-
ing in Irrigon that continue
through Sunday.
Kopta said the show al-
lows the group to connect
with the audience to deliver
a powerful message.
“We realized a long time
ago, if we can get their at-
tention, we can get into
their hearts,” he said.
After a show, a girl ap-
proached him and said she
had been sexually abused,
beaten and was in multiple
foster care homes. She told
him she had been cutting
herself to see if she could
still feel anything and was
searching for a better path.
“There’s a thousand
ways to be scarred, but
there’s only one way to be
healed, and that’s through
the power of Jesus Christ,”
Kopta said.
Rev. Rick Yardley of
Columbia View Communi-
ty Church, who introduced
Kopta before the Power
Team took the stage, said
the group inspires and en-
courages children.
“It’s all about our kids
and trying to inspire and
motive our kids to make the
right choices and the right
decisions,” he said. “It’s
not just the churches. The
communities, the business-
es, the schools, they want
the same thing for our kids.
We’re talking about the
next generation here, and
anything we can do to en-
courage them is worth ev-
ery amount of energy I can
put in and every dollar I can
spend.”
Yardley said a variety of
local businesses stepped up
to sponsor the event, and he
encourages everyone to see
the performance.
The Power Team will
perform at 7 p.m. today and
at 4 p.m. Sunday at Irrigon
High School, 315 S.E. Wy-
oming Ave. A $2 donation
at the door is suggested.
For more information, call
Yardley, 541-571-2673.
SEAN HART PHOTO
John Kopta, who attended school in Hermiston, holds a phone book he tore
apart during a performance by the Power Team Thursday in Irrigon. The
faith-based ministry will offer daily performances there through Sunday.
Church
Directory
W o r
The Full Gospel
Home Church
continued from page A1
Power Team, with which he
would establish a 30-year
career. A youth pastor asked
Kopta if he could acquire
some props for a ministry
performance, and when he
saw it, he was hooked.
“I got some weights
from the weight room and
took them there that night
and watched,” he said. “I
couldn’t believe these guys
were using their athletic tal-
ent to show their faith.”
Kopta joined the Power
Team that same year and
has since shown off his
strength and spoken about
God in all 50 states and 22
different countries. He has
spoken at more than 2,000
schools and to more than 1
million people.
“It’s been incredible,”
he said. “I actually met my
wife on the Power Team in
PARK:
continued from page A1
long-awaited projects out
there (at Victory Square
Park),” he said. “... I think
we’re going to be OK and
get the $149,000 that was
promised to us.”
Fetter said the restroom
at the park has been closed
EHFDXVHRIJUDI¿WLDQGRWK-
er problems, and the new
cement structure — simi-
lar to one outside of Rocky
Heights Elementary School
— will be closer to the pe-
rimeter of the park for eas-
ier surveillance. The bulk
of the funding, $115,000,
will go toward the parking
lot construction, however,
he said.
The city also plans to
extend the parking area at
Butte Park and is consid-
ering a new picnic shelter,
trails and relocating the
power line to make the site
more attractive, Fetter said.
The large grass area could
also be used as a soccer
¿HOGRUDGRJSDUNKHVDLG
“It’s a big space that
needs a purpose,” he said.
“It’s something I’d like us
to consider.”
Fetter said he is also
considering Theater Sports
Park as a possible location
for a dog park, but the wa-
ter department expressed
concerns because of a near-
by well.
Committee member Car-
lisle Harrison said someone
who lived near Butte Park
suggested installing a Fris-
bee golf course there, and
Fetter said some of the un-
developed property on the
butte might be suitable for
such a use.
Fetter said he is encour-
aged by the new city ordi-
nance that allows police
RI¿FHUVWREDQSHRSOHIURP
the park for up to 30 days
for misusing park equip-
ment. He said several peo-
ple have been temporarily
banned, and vandalism has
decreased.
“It seems like it’s having
an impact,” he said.
Fetter said he would also
like to update the park plan,
and he plans to solicit feed-
back through a survey and
public planning meetings.
“I think it’s going to
take all winter long, so we
would have a fresh park
plan in the spring,” he
said.
700 West Orchard Avenue
P.O. Box 933
Hermiston, Oregon
541-289-4774
1255 Hwy. 395 S. • 567-5834
oasisvineyard.us
Worship 10:00 AM
First United
Methodist
Church Of
Hermiston
Rev. Dr. James T. Pierce, Pastor
Open Hearts, Open minds,
Open doors
"Casting all your care upon him;
for he careth for you."
1 Pet. 5:7
191 E. Gladys Ave.
Sunday Worship at 11am
(541) 567-3002
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church
Grace Baptist Church
Allan Payne, Pastor
567-8241
855 W. Highland • Hermiston
DAILY MASS: Monday-Friday
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English 7:00 am
THURSDAY . . . . . . . . . Spanish 6:00 pm
SATURDAY: . . . . . . . . . English 5:00 pm
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spanish 7:00 pm
SUNDAY: . . . . . . . . . . . . . . English 9:00 am
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Bilingual 11:00 am
. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Spanish 1:00 pm
OFFICE . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 567-5812
First Christian
Church
"Proclaiming the Message of
St. Johns
Episcopal Church
Hope, Living the Gospel of Love"
All People
Are Welcome
SUNDAY WORSHIP 10:45 AM
SUNDAY SCHOOL 9:30 AM
CHILDREN'S CHURCH 11:00 AM
Nursery Provided
Scripture, Tradition
and Reason
Family service 9am Sunday
Gladys Ave & 7th Hermiston
Fr. Dan Lediard, Priest. PH: 567-6672
567-3013
775 W. Highland Ave., Hermiston
LANDMARK BAPTIST
CHURCH
555 SW 11th, Hermiston
567-9497
565 W. HERMISTON AVE.
KOPTA:
Pastor J.C. Barnett
Children's Church
& Nursery Available
"come as you are"
Sunday: Sunday School . . . . . 10:00 am
Worship . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 am
Evening Service . . . . . . 7:00 pm
Wednesday Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7:00 pm
1987,” he said. “She was
Miss Oklahoma. We’ve
been married 27 years and
have three kids.”
At 51, Kopta said he
continues to perform with
the Power Team because
of the impact it has on peo-
ple’s lives.
He now resides in Fay-
etteville, Arkansas, but
enjoys returning to Herm-
iston.
“This is like my sixth
time coming back to the
Hermiston area doing
shows,” he said. “It’s so
awesome. I stand on stage
and look out into the au-
dience and see people I
went to school with in high
school. I’ve not lived here
for 30-plus years, but ev-
ery time I come home here,
it’s such a warm feeling. I
love Hermiston. I love the
people here. I love com-
ing home. I just wish I was
home when the watermel-
ons were ripe.”
CHRISTIAN FELLOWSHIP
Worship Service 10:30 AM
Sunday School 9:00 AM
Saturdays
Sabbath School . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9:30 a.m.
Worship Service . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11:00 a.m.
s h i p w i t h u s !
Rev. Ed Baker - Rev. Nina Baker
Hermiston High School graduate John Kopta, right, cheers on
another member of the Power Team as he bends a steel rod
during a performance Thursday at Irrigon High School. The
Power Team will perform at 7 p.m. today and at 4 p.m. Sunday
at Irrigon High School.
NEW BEGINNINGS
Seventh-day
Adventist Church
235 SW 3rd
Phone 567-7678
SEAN HART PHOTO
John Kopta, right, speaks to a large group of peo-
ple at the end of a performance by the Power Team
Thursday in Irrigon. The group members show their
strength and talk about the strength of God.
SEAN HART PHOTO
125 E. Beech Ave. • 567-3232
Pastor David Dever
Nursery provided for all services
Sunday School - 9:30 AM
Worship - 10:45 AM
6:00 pm
Wed Prayer & Worship - 7:00 PM
“Proclaiming God’s word,
growing in God’s grace”
NEW HOPE
COMMUNITY CHURCH
1350 S. Hwy. 395, Hermiston
"People Making A Difference"
Sunday Worship Services
9:00 am, 10:45 am
Classes for kids during both
Services en Español
Dave Andrus, Pastor
For more information call
567-8441
Sun. Bible Classes . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10:00am
Sun. Worship Service . . . . . . . . . . 11:00am
Sun. Evening Worship . . . . . . . . . . 6:00pm
Wed. Prayer & Bible Study . . . 6:00pm
www.hermistonlmbc.com
To share your worship times
call Amanda Jacobs
541-278-2683
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