NEWS
WEDNESDAY, JULY 1, 2020
HERMISTONHERALD.COM • A3
Church leaders respond to mask requirement
By NADA SEWIDAN
STAFF WRITER
Some
Hermiston
churches have ramped up
their church service pro-
tocols following rising
COVID-19 numbers in
Umatilla County.
In light of increasing
COVID-19 cases and the
recent Lighthouse Pente-
costal Church outbreak in
Island City, some churches
said they have been pro-
ceeding with more caution.
Pastor Patty Nance at
Hermiston First United
Methodist said the church
is not open for service cur-
rently and that it does not
feel safe to reopen anytime
soon.
“I don’t think we’re
going to reopen anytime
soon,” she said. “COVID-
19 is rising every day.
Everybody should want to
keep people safe. We have
to be responsible for mak-
ing that happen.”
In response to rising
COVID-19 cases in Ore-
gon, Gov. Kate Brown’s
new guidelines released on
Monday, June 29, require
all Oregonians statewide
to wear a face covering in
indoor public spaces start-
ing Wednesday, July 1.
Kay Edwards, offi ce
administrator at Our Lady
of Angels Catholic Church
Hermiston church will
provide virtual services
HERMISTON HERALD
Staff photo by Ben Lonergan
A bird rests atop the steeple at Gospel Home Church in
Hermiston on Friday.
in Hermiston, stated the
church will work with wor-
shipers to comply with the
new restrictions.
“We will post the gov-
ernor’s restrictions on the
doors and we will work to
be in compliance with those
restrictions,” she said.
Edwards said they have
also modifi ed their services
and traditions since reopen-
ing to ensure safety, such
as the way they receive
communion.
She said that prior to
COVID-19, churchgoers
received communion in
two lines. Now it’s a sin-
gle-fi le line, 6 feet apart,
to maintain social distanc-
ing. They’ve also elimi-
nated singing and the sign
of peace, a time during ser-
vice when everyone shakes
each other’s hand as a
greeting. Services are also
much shorter now.
“We are taking every
major precaution to be
socially responsible in pro-
tecting anyone that’s com-
ing to one of our services,”
she said.
The church also keeps
exterior and interior doors
propped open so people
don’t have to reach for the
handles. They have marked
seating that is 6 feet apart,
with every other pew
blocked off. Hand sanitizer
is also available throughout
the church.
According to Edwards,
50% of attendees are back
Due to the COVID-
19 pandemic, Grace and
Mercy Lutheran Church
ELCA of Hermiston
is meeting virtually at
this time and believing,
“When two or three are
gathered together in My
name, I am there in the
midst of them.” (Mat-
thew 18:20).
Two services, led by
Pastor Weston Walker,
are available weekly on
attending
Mass
since
reopening, while others
remain watching the lives-
tream version.
Our Lady of Angels
Catholic Church at full
capacity can hold 850 peo-
ple total, but with social
distancing restrictions, the
church can hold approx-
imately 150 people — a
combination of individ-
uals, couples and family
units. Edwards said ushers
seat and direct everyone to
make sure people are dis-
tancing safely.
The Lighthouse Pen-
tecostal Church in Island
City outside of La Grande
Facebook, Zoom and
YouTube. Sunday morn-
ing services are live
at 9 a.m., and Holden
Evening Prayer is live
Wednesday nights at
7 p.m. and can be viewed
at your convenience. All
are welcome.
Grace and Mercy is a
member of the Hermiston
Chamber of Commerce.
For more information,
call 541-289-6543 or
email gandmlutheran@
gmail.com.
is now the site of the largest
outbreak in Oregon since
the pandemic began. The
church is linked to at least
236 people who have tested
positive for COVID-19.
Hermiston
Assembly
Associate Pastor Alex Val-
le-Lopez said since the
Union County outbreak, his
church has been debating if
they should remain open or
temporarily close.
“As we’ve seen cases go
up, there have been conver-
sations among our staff,”
he said. “We are thinking
of closing as a preventative
measure.”
Valle-Lopez said that
conversations with other
members of the church
have ramped up and that
although views may be
polarizing on whether to
go to church or stay home,
there is no denying that
cases are spiking.
He said that although
the church is following the
CDC-recommended guide-
lines, including social dis-
tancing measures, section-
ing off pews and limiting
the number of families in
the church, he is still unsure
if they’ll remain open.
“We want to be proac-
tive in ensuring health and
safety in our building and
staff,” he said. “We do not
want that to be our case
here.”
A since-deleted video
of a church service in the
Lighthouse
Pentecostal
Church showed members
worshiping in close prox-
imity to one another.
Valle-Lopez said one
way to help mitigate close
contact in his congrega-
tion is to limit the number
of people who can be in the
church building. While the
space can usually house
about 500 people, they are
now limiting it to 60 people
at a time.
“For us, it’s whatever
keeps people safe is what
we’re going to do,” he
said.
Migrant Education Program honors 2020 graduates
The InterMountain
Education Service District
celebrated 51 students
on June 27
By ALEX CASTLE
STAFF WRITER
Already facing educa-
tional disadvantages and
hurdles to begin with, not
even the COVID-19 pan-
demic could stop 51 stu-
dents graduating from this
year’s Migrant Education
Program in the InterMoun-
tain Education Service
District.
Unable to hold a large
celebration due to the virus
that already altered high
school graduation around
the country, the program
held a small celebration at
Umatilla’s West Park on
Saturday, June 27, to honor
the Class of 2020’s success
in wake of unprecedented
challenges.
“Usually other stu-
dents have their parents to
do their FAFSA for them
and all the other paper-
work,” said Brenda Flores,
the program’s gradua-
tion specialist, who previ-
ously graduated from Stan-
fi eld High School in 2014
and became a fi rst-gener-
ation college graduate at
Western Oregon Univer-
sity. “But for me and for
others, we have to do it all
ourselves.”
Migrant students are
youths whose parents
move between school dis-
tricts and throughout the
country for seasonal work,
often either in the agricul-
tural or fi sheries indus-
tries, and many are looking
to become fi rst-generation
high school and/or college
Staff photo by Alex Castle
Rosy Madrigal (from left), Lisette Sanchez, Elizabeth Andrade, Kimberly Renteria, Eliana
Esparza and Briana Duron pose for a picture during a celebration for graduating members of
the InterMountain Education Service District’s Migrant Education Program on Saturday, June
27, 2020, in Umatilla.
“THEY REALLY HELPED ME
EXPLORE MY OPTIONS AND
BECOME AWARE THAT THEY
WEREN’T LIMITED.”
Elizabeth Andrade, Irrigon High School graduate
graduates.
Flores said locally that
can mean many students
whose parents are gener-
ally unfamiliar with the
American education sys-
tem and can be challenged
by how to fi ll out col-
lege admissions, fi nan-
cial aid and scholarship
applications. While par-
ents are generally support-
ive of their kids pursuing a
diploma and a higher edu-
cation, Flores said, these
challenges can leave many
migrant students trying to
fi gure things out on their
own.
“As a graduation spe-
cialist, I help them nav-
igate that,” Flores said.
“And I help the parents
understand the importance
and what steps they need to
take so they also can start
learning about the system.”
Elizabeth Andrade was
one of the students hon-
ored June 27 after grad-
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uating from Irrigon High
School this year. She plans
on attending Eastern Ore-
gon University in the fall
to study business admin-
istration and credited the
Migrant Education Pro-
gram for both helping her
realize what opportunities
were available to her and
helping her take advantage
of them.
“They really helped me
explore my options and
become aware that they
weren’t limited,” Andrade
said.
Rosy Madrigal gradu-
ated as a co-valedictorian
of Umatilla High School
and is headed to the Col-
lege of Idaho, where she’s
entering as a psychology
major though she’s not set-
tled on it quite yet.
“I think it was really
helpful to have their sup-
port,” Madrigal said of
the Migrant Education
Program.
Briana Duron, also a
graduate from Umatilla
High School, spent some
of her high school educa-
tion enrolled in classes at
Blue Mountain Commu-
nity College and already
earned an associates degree
to go with her diploma.
“It was really stress-
ful at times and took a
lot of patience,” Duron
said while highlighting
how Flores and the dis-
trict helped by establish-
ing study groups for her to
attend.
After her intensive stud-
ies these past years, Duron
is taking some time off
before attending a college
or university in hopes of
exploring the rest of the
country fi rst.
“I want to travel and
do things that I didn’t do
when I was so focused on
school,” she said.
For Flores, it’s a joy to
return to the area and help
students achieve similar
success that she did just
years ago.
“With everything that
I’ve learned through my
experience, it’s nice to be
able to help them to suc-
ceed,” Flores said. “I tell
the students my story so
they know what they can
achieve as well.”
541-567-0272
2150 N. First St., Hermiston
June 30th-July 5th
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Neighborhood
Books & Gifts
• Used books
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279 E. Main Street • Hermiston, OR 97838
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JUNE 16 - JULY 19
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• The public can use access code 7777#, daily 7am to 7pm.
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