A4 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, JANUARY 17, 2018
NEWS
Faith-based conference set at Assembly of God church
By TAMMY MALGESINI
COMMUNITY EDITOR
Live music, top-notch
performances and inspira-
tional speakers are featured
during a faith-based confer-
ence in Hermiston.
In its sixth year, the focus
of the event is “Revival
in Now.” Pursuit Confer-
ence 2018 is Friday, Jan. 19
at 7 p.m. at the Hermiston
Assembly of God Church,
730 E. Hurlburt Ave. It con-
tinues Saturday, Jan. 20
with sessions at 10 a.m., 2
p.m. and 7 p.m. There is no
admission charge.
Rev. Terry Haight said the
event sprouted at the urging
of his son, Clayton, who was
a junior in high school at the
time, and some of his bud-
dies. The teens, Haight said,
were wanting events that
were geared more toward
the younger generations.
Despite the initial focus,
Youth, college students invited
to free luncheon at local church
CONTRIBUTED PHOTO
A group of local musicians perform during a past Pursuit
Conference. This year’s free faith-based event is Jan. 19-20 at
the Hermiston Assembly of God Church.
Haight said the conference
continues to draw people of
all ages who are hungering
for more. People are inter-
ested in a deeper connec-
tion with their faith, he said,
and are looking for addi-
tional ways to worship God
beyond attending church
and being good people.
BTW
BTW
continued from Page A1
For a full story on the
council race and details
about how to file, see next
week’s Hermiston Herald.
• • •
The Hermiston
School District joined
the other 196 school dis-
tricts throughout Oregon
to celebrate January as
“School Board Recogni-
tion Month.”
School board mem-
bers include Dave Smith,
Karen Sherman, Jason
Middleton, Mark Gomol-
ski, Ginny Holthus, Josh
Goller and Bonnie Luisi.
Interim superintendent
Tricia Mooney said school
board members spend
countless hours of unpaid
time working to support
educational opportunities
for the district’s students.
• • •
The Hermiston Lions
Club recently made a $500
donation to Veterans of
Foreign Wars Post 4750
in Hermiston.
While the Hermiston
Lions Club’s main mis-
sion is to help provide eye-
glasses and hearing aids
to those in need, they also
contribute to other import-
ant organizations or proj-
ects within the Hermis-
ton community, said Phil
Hamm. The local VFW
group will utilize the dona-
tion through its emergency
fund or for other needs
“The name of the confer-
ence came from the idea of
pursuing God,” Haight said.
Among the special guests
are Jeremy Johnson, lead
pastor with Fearless LA, a
ministry in southern Cali-
fornia; Jesse Rodriguez of
Together Church in Yakima;
Derek Johnson of Jesus Cul-
Area business and youth leaders, college students and high school juniors
and seniors are invited to a free luncheon sponsored by the Hermiston
School of Urban Missions Bible College & Theological Seminary.
The free meal is Saturday, Jan. 20 at noon at the Hermiston Assembly of
God Church, 730 E. Hurlburt Ave. To ensure there’s enough food, those
interested in attending are asked to send an email to terry@hermistonas-
sembly.com.
Vladimir Savchuk of Pasco’s Good News Church and the Hungry Generation
ministry is the speaker. Born in Ukraine, Savchuk immigrated to the United
States at age 13 and became a youth pastor four years later.
“I am a nobody trying to tell everybody about somebody who can save
anybody,” the pastor often says.
The Hermiston cohort, a fully accredited school, started in 2010 at the Liv-
ing Faith Church, but moved to Assembly of God in its third year. For more
information, visit www.facebook.com/hermistonsum.
ture, a community of wor-
ship leaders and musicians
based around Sacramento,
California;
Vladimir
Savchuk of Good News
Church and Hungry Gen-
eration in Pasco; and Aus-
tin Molt of New Vintage
Church of Tri-Cities.
A number of the spe-
cial guests have participated
in previous Pursuit con-
ferences, Haight said. The
goal, he said, is to bring in
dynamic speakers and musi-
cians that can help in fur-
thering the kingdom of God.
Geared as a city-wide
event, Haight invites every-
one to attend. He, too, enjoys
taking a seat in the audience
to gain inspiration.
“I’m
looking
for
answers,” he said. “I want
to hear what God has to say
through people as they share
their gifts.”
In addition to the regular
Pursuit activities, Johnson
will lead a Conference Sun-
day event Jan. 21 at 10:30
a.m. A taco truck lunch will
be available following the
service.
For those unable to
attend, the sessions will be
available on livestream.
For more information, visit
w w w. p u r s u i t c o n f . c o m ,
www.facebook.com/pursuit-
conf or call 541-567-5831.
IN BRIEF
within the post.
• • •
The latest Umatilla
School District students
featured in “The Promise
of Oregon” public educa-
tion support campaign are
Tristan Cole and Loreli
Ortiz.
Both Umatilla High
School students, they
completed the sentence
beginning with, “I am the
Promise of Oregon and
staying on track to gradu-
ate because…” Cole said
he wants to earn a bach-
elor’s degree from Ore-
gon State University and
change lives through his
passion for art. Ortiz is
interested in pursuing fur-
ther education to become
a dentist to help people
maintain healthy dental
hygiene.
The statewide public
education support cam-
paign officially debuted
in November 2014. It
aims to create public sup-
port to help meet the
state’s 40-40-20 goals and
increase student achieve-
ment and graduation rates.
To view photos and infor-
mation about the students
and more about the Prom-
ise campaign, visit www.
promiseoregon.org.
———
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for our weekly By The Way
column by emailing your
tips to editor@hermiston-
herald.com or share them
on social media using the
hashtag #HHBTW.
Dinner will benefit community services
Band boosters serve dinner, dancing
A mouth-watering meal of Polish dumplings, meatballs,
mashed potatoes, Polish sausage and sauerkraut will be
served during a fundraiser in Hermiston.
While pleasing the palate, the event also raises money
for community services through Our Lady of Angels Cath-
olic Church. In its second year, the Traditional Polish Din-
ner is Saturday, Jan. 20 from 5:30-7 p.m. in the church’s par-
ish hall, 565 W. Hermiston Ave., Hermiston. The meal also
includes soup, salads and desserts.
“Come join us for a great meal and fellowship,” said
Mark Gomolski. “If you never had Polish food, come and
try it. You will be surprised.”
With limited seats available, Gomolski encourages peo-
ple to buy tickets early as the inaugural event sold out in
advance. They are $15 each and are available by calling 541-
567-5812 or stopping by the church office.
A fundraiser benefiting the Hermiston High School band
program features dinner and dancing.The Hermiston Band
Boosters is hosting the event Saturday from 6-10 p.m. at Herm-
iston High School, 600 S. First St. Tickets are $25 each or a
table of six for $135. In addition to a tri-tip dinner, the event
features a silent auction and music by the HHS jazz band and
Brass Fire, a regional horn band. Tickets are available at the
high school or the Hermiston Chamber of Commerce, located
at Cornerstone Plaza, 1055 S. Highway 395, Suite 111.
For more information, contact Carrie Ferguson at 541-
571-6532 or Sean McClanahan at sean.mcclanahan@herm-
iston.k12.or.us or 541-667-6100.
Photo club snaps up January exhibit
In celebration of the second anniversary of the Photogra-
phy Club, a January display features pictures taken over the
past year by club members.
The club activities include picture field trips and working
on new photography skills. It meets monthly at the Hermiston
Public Library, 235 E. Gladys Ave. There is no fee to partici-
pate in the club’s activities.
To view the photography display, stop by the library Mon-
day through Thursdays from 11 a.m. to 7 p.m. or Friday/Sat-
urdays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. For more information about the
club, call 541-567-2882 or visit hermistonlibrary.us.
TruCare welcomes pro-life speaker to event
The author of a book that offers hope and vision in regards
to reducing the abortion rate is the guest speaker for a Tru-
Care Pregnancy Resource Center banquet event.
With more than 30 years experience in the pro-life move-
ment, Kirk Walden wrote “The Wall.” With the subtitle
“Rebuilding a culture of LIFE in America and ending abor-
tion as we know it,” the author indicates ordinary people can
make a difference.
The Hermiston pregnancy center is located in the Gra-
nary Square, 105 S.W. Second St. It’s open Monday, Tues-
day and Thursday from 12:30-5 p.m. For more information
or to register for the banquet, contact 541-567-2393, info@
trucareprc.com or visit www.trucareprc.com.
STUDENT
OF THE
WEEK
Giovani Armenta-Garcilazo
Senior - Umatilla High School
In June he will be graduating with his high
school diploma along with his AAOT. He
is also involved in tennis and basketball
all while working full time. He has a 3.76
cumulative GPA and will be attending
Oregon State University majoring in
construction engineering management.
Proudly Sponsored By:
Proudly Sponsored By:
1411 6th Street, Umatilla, OR • 541-922-3001