OPINION/NEWS
Wednesday, OctOber 9, 2019
Celebrate Recovery
provides outreach
ministry, support
By TAMMY MALGESINI
cOMMUnIty edItOr
A faith-based support pro-
gram launched a year ago at
Stanfield Baptist Church
is providing a valuable
resource to people that may
be struggling.
Celebrate Recovery is a
Christ-centered 12-step pro-
gram for people dealing with
hurts, pain and a variety of
addictions. It started with 43
attendees in 1991 at Saddle-
back Church in Lake Forest,
California. Since then, more
than 35,000 churches across
the globe offer the ministry
as a way to facilitate healing
through the power of God.
Based on the 12 steps of
Alcoholics Anonymous, Cel-
ebrate Recovery highlights a
personal relationship with
Jesus Christ. Scott Zielke,
associate pastor of congre-
gational care at Stanfield
Baptist, said the program
provides a path to healing
for everything from anger
and money issues to sexual
addictions and alcohol or
drug abuse.
“There is no sin too big or
too small,” said Lisha Foster,
who attends the group.
Rev. John Hurty, the
church’s senior pastor, said
the decision to start a Cele-
brate Recovery group grew
organically. After becom-
ing aware of several people
who were struggling with
substance abuse issues, they
wanted to find ways to min-
ister to them
Lacking specific tools,
Hurty said they began to
investigate ways to address
the needs of those struggling.
One of the focal points, he
said, was how to really pro-
vide help. People in the com-
munity, he said, wrestle with
how to respond when they
see someone standing out-
side Walmart with a sign ask-
ing for money.
“They question, ‘Am
I helping or an I hurting?’
A ministry like Celebrate
Recovery allows us to do
something that’s compassion
based … but it’s not reac-
tionary,” Hurty said. “We are
offering a ministry that can
really help.”
Hurty called Celebrate
Recovery “a solid evangel-
ical Bible-based program.”
It provides a framework to
assist people in making sig-
nificant life changes. In addi-
tion, Zielke said it follows
the example set by Jesus.
“We’re in a society where
we need to minister to hurt-
ing people,” he said. “And I
think that’s what Jesus tells
us to do — to reach out to
those that are lost.”
Foster, who was first intro-
duced to Celebrate Recov-
ery about 10 years ago, con-
nected with the Stanfield
group while at The Power
House, a residential treat-
ment center in Hermiston.
After completing the pro-
gram, Foster felt God lead-
ing her to remain in Eastern
Oregon where she developed
a solid support network.
“I learned it is a disease
but after you have some clean
time, it becomes a choice,”
she said. “And for me it all
comes back to Jesus and my
relationship with him.”
Ken Freeman, too, feels
the faith-based focus is
important. The Hermiston
man was ecstatic when he
discovered the Stanfield pro-
gram a couple of months
ago.
After losing his son to
drugs and suffering a stroke
in 2010, Freeman felt his
world crashing down on him.
“I lived in darkness way
too long,” he said. “I’ve
always had the knowl-
edge but not always the
relationship.”
Celebrate Recovery, Free-
man said, not only provides
him with a circle of support,
but also allows him to be
there for others.
“You don’t feel so iso-
lated,” he said. “You will find
a group of people who aren’t
here to judge — we all cele-
brate step-by-step victories.”
Zielke stressed that the
focus in Celebrate Recovery
isn’t on a person’s particular
struggle.
“It’s not always what
we’re using but the why,”
Zielke said. “If they can
figure out why they are
doing what they are doing,
why they are involved in a
destructive behavior or rela-
tionship … that’s really the
key for people.”
Celebrate
Recov-
ery meets Monday from
6-8 p.m. at Stanfield Bap-
tist Church, 310 E. Wheeler
Ave. For more information,
call Zielke at 541-571-6886
or 541-449-3313.
HerMIstOnHeraLd.cOM • A7
COLUMN
Time to pursue a new adventure
or the past 17 years,
it has been my honor
and privilege to
lead Eastern Oregon Mis-
sion and its two outreaches
Agape House and Martha’s
House. It is now time for
me to turn over the reins
and begin a new adventure.
As I reflect on the past
years, I cannot help but see
God’s hand in all that has
been accomplished. These
accomplishments are not
mine but His and would
not have happened if you,
our supporters, had not
provided prayers, vision
and funding.
I want to give a brief
recap of the major high-
lights of what God and this
community have accom-
plished during my ten-
ure here. At my first board
meeting, I was presented
with a challenge: Bring
to reality the vision of
the board for a new facil-
ity. After three years of
planning and fundraising,
Agape House moved into
its current home at 500
Harper Road, and was able
to expand services to those
in need in our community.
Also during this time,
Agape House partnered
with Blue Mountain Com-
munity College to open and
operate a thrift store. We
expanded our Harper Road
location with the purchase
F
Hermiston Herald file photo
Agape House Executive Director Dave Hughes, left, and volunteer Pat Wood prepare a box
of food to be given away in 2014.
of two additional acres to
provide space for current
and future programs. Seven
years ago with the encour-
agement of the late mayor
Bob Severson, our board
developed Martha’s House,
a homeless family transi-
tional program.
These are your accom-
plishments. I was only the
catalyst. A very special
thank you goes to my wife,
Jodene, who is a prayer
warrior, confidant and
encourager.
So what is your role in
the future of Eastern Ore-
gon Mission? First and
foremost, your prayers
are needed to ensure the
organization continues
to look to God for direc-
tion. Pray specifically that
God provides a new execu-
tive director. Second, your
financial support is needed
to allow Eastern Ore-
gon Mission to continue
to provide services to our
community.
So what is up for Dave
and Jodene?
I had a plan to enjoy
retirement here in the
Hermiston area but God
had a different plan. The
one major lesson I learned
during my time here is to
follow God’s leading. We
will be moving to Ari-
zona and beginning a new
journey.
In closing I would like
to personally thank each
and every one who has
supported Eastern Oregon
Mission during my time
here. So please join me on
Oct. 12 from 2-5 p.m. at
First Christian Church and
allow me to thank you in
person. Cake and punch
will be provided.
Dave Hughes is retiring
as director of Eastern Ore-
gon Mission after 17 years.
High schools ready to ramp up completion rates
By JESSICA POLLARD
staFF WrIter
October isn’t just for
Halloween, it also means
filing for financial aid.
The Free Application for
Federal Student Aid is offi-
cially open for high school
seniors considering going
to college next year. And
this time around, Oregon is
hoping to boost completion
numbers.
In August, the Oregon
Department of Education
and other partners rolled out
a challenge for high schools
to try and get as many stu-
dents to fill out the FAFSA
— or the ORSAA for
undocumented or deferred
action students — as possi-
ble. The goal is to increase
completion rates by 5%.
“This can be a really
stressful time for students
and their parents,” said Liz
Marvin, who is the College
Bound coordinator at Herm-
iston High School. “I would
recommend they have con-
versations about who is
going to pay and how.”
Hermiston High School
and other area schools are
participating in the state-
wide challenge.
A press release from the
ODE states that Oregon’s
class of 2019 had a com-
bined completion rate of
almost 60%, which lags
behind other states. The
state education department
hopes to bump that number
to 64% of the class of 2020
filling out one of the forms.
According
to
data
released in August from the
National College Access
Network, the number of
completed FAFSA appli-
cations in Oregon for the
2019-20 school year was
just over 26,000, up by
1.3% from the year prior.
The network also stated
that seniors who fill out
FAFSA are 84% more
likely to immediately enter
college. Completion of
the form is also associated
with a 100% increase in the
amount of lowest income
students who enroll into col-
lege out of high school.
Marvin said parents who
worry they won’t qualify
for aid should fill out the
application, which is often
required for application to
other scholarships.
At Hermiston High
School, a financial aid day
will be hosted on campus
on Oct. 19. Marvin said the
school usually has financial
aid experts on hand and opens
up computer labs so students
will have support filling out
their aid applications.
“We would like every-
body to do everything they
can so they have options
after high school. We’re
busy all throughout that
day,” she said.
Filling out the FAFSA
application can be com-
pleted online at studentaid.
gov/fafsa or via the myStu-
dentAid app released last
year. Students and their
families will need Social
Security numbers, recent
tax returns, some basic
financial information, as
well as a list of schools they
are interested in and other
basic information.
Marvin said although
she’s not a fan of student
loans, filling out the federal
application is the only way
to become eligible for many
of them, if that’s how a stu-
dent has to pay for college.
School bond tax rate
lower than expected
HerMIstOn HeraLd
Taxpayers in Hermiston
got good news this week
when the Umatilla County
Assessor’s Office reported
that the school bond tax rate
for Hermiston School Dis-
trict is going down to less
than $3.60 per $1,000 of
assessed value.
The school district had
previously told taxpayers the
bond was going to go down
from $4.09 to $3.65 after the
district paid off its pre-2008
bonds this summer. But the
assessor’s office determined
that property values in
Hermiston have risen faster
than expected.
Property values within
the boundaries of Hermis-
ton School District grew by
4.66% in 2018, according to
a news release by the school
district.
The new rate will be
reflected in property tax
statements the county will
begin sending out this week.
The school district is going
out for a bond during the
November election, prom-
ising that the bond will not
raise taxes above the new,
lower rate. Hermiston’s
school bonds are expected
to be paid off in 2029, but if
the bond passes in Novem-
ber it will be paid off over a
25-year period.
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