WINNER OF THE 2020 ONPA GENERAL EXCELLENCE AWARD
WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 8, 2021
HermistonHerald.com
EasternOregonMarketplace.com
UPDATES
Wyden
touts
Boardman
child care
center as
model for
nation
Child care in U.S.
needs the physical
infrastructure
and people
By ERICK PETERSON
EDITOR/SENIOR REPORTER
The Families First
Childcare Center in
Boardman and the peo-
ple making it happen
impressed U.S. Sen. Ron
Wyden.
“This is just incredi-
ble,” Wyden said.
The Democrat visited
the center Tuesday, Aug.
31, and afterward prom-
ised to bring this success
story to Washington.
The center serves 53
children and has “maxed
out” its space at 255
Olson Road in Boardman.
It has four classrooms for
students, who are between
six weeks old to 12 years
old. It is open from
6:30 a.m. to 5 p.m., Mon-
day to Friday. It operates
on a $50,000 budget each
month. Sponsors provide
$30,000 of this budget.
The center fi lls a need
in its community to care
for children when their
parents are at work. This
is a local problem rec-
ognized in communities
throughout the country.
“We need more sup-
ply,” Wyden said, explain-
ing child care presents a
supply-side problem. This
need is particularly strong
among economically dis-
advantaged people.
“This need of child
care in our community has
been known for years,”
said Torrie Griggs, Board-
man Chamber of Com-
merce executive director.
See Care, Page A7
HERMISTON ASSEMBLY
looks to future with renovations
Kathy Aney/Hermiston Herald
Daniel Sandoval and Betsy Jones, of the Hermiston Assembly, cleans and shines a door on Tuesday, Sept. 6, 2021, during a work day at the church.
Church adapts to
pandemic, readies
itself for renewal
By ERICK PETERSON
EDITOR/SENIOR REPORTER
The people of Hermiston Assembly are work-
ing toward a renewal.
Terry Haight, lead pastor of the church, said
this renewal comes at a time when people are in
need.
Haight, who has been Assembly pastor for
more than 23 years, averages 120 attendees for
Sunday service in his Hermiston church. Last
week, he drew 150 worshipers. He also had a reg-
ular online viewing audience of 30 to 50 people.
Relaunching Sunday, Sept. 12, he said Herm-
iston Assembly has not actually ever been closed.
It had church services for fi ve months last year,
reopened for three weeks in June and then shut
down in-person services again during a new
spike in COVID-19 cases. While their in-person
services have been closed, they have broadcast
services online, including YouTube.
During the online days, the church shifted
from social media as a form of advertising to a
primary form of communication. Haight and his
team also developed a shorter, abbreviated ser-
vice, called Church on Demand, a 20-to-25-min-
ute church experience.
In October 2020, when the church brought
back its in-person congregation, Haight and
his team continued their work online, but they
believed more changes were necessary. So they
moved their congregation downstairs the follow-
ing month, which is where they have remained.
Downstairs, they could space their chairs as
needed. The pews upstairs could not, of course,
be moved, which made social distancing diffi cult.
The downstairs also is a smaller area, which was
more appropriate, Haight said, to a smaller con-
gregation. Fewer people had returned to church
since before the pandemic.
They were hopeful people would come back
but only half of people did, Haight said, adding
people probably were worried about COVID-19
infection.
He understands people’s worries. He has had
members of his church contract COVID-19. A
spouse of someone who attends, he said, died,
though Haight does not link the death to church
attendance. He said he does not know anyone
who died as a result of attending his church.
People on his ministerial team have contracted
COVID-19, he said.
He said he makes announcements to wear
masks, though he does not police the practice.
Maybe 25% of people wear masks, he said.
Starting Sept. 12, volunteers and staff are
working on a remodel of the church. Built in
1976, the remodel is not the fi rst or even the larg-
est. In 2004, new pews were installed and new
carpeting was placed. The latest revisions include
window coverings, which will block sunlight and
allow the church to control lighting. This will
be better for fi lming. Also, the church will have
improved sound-proofi ng.
And though the stage also is being renovated
— the iconic Jesus sign is being replaced — there
will be no change in theology. In fact, the church
is changing some of its language to clarify their
Jesus-centered beliefs. A new mission statement
proclaims, “We exist to make Jesus famous in our
lives, homes and cities.
He is planning a new sermon series. Start-
ing Sept. 12, the series will continue eight to 12
weeks with messages that follow one another.
A right time for renewal and house parties
During the pandemic, Haight said he has had
to “go back to the drawing board” to meeting
people’s needs. Online off erings were one major
change, which has been embraced.
His congregation has gotten younger, he said,
and their spirit is diff erent. Whereas prior to the
pandemic many people were going to church
out of habit or obligation, many people now are
appearing with greater interest. After having felt
loneliness and depression from the isolation of
lockdowns, they are returning to church with a
hunger. They want to worship and gather with
fellow believers.
See Church, Page A7
Saving Providence
Hermiston family races
to raise $400K to treat
daughter suff ering from
genetic disorder
By WIL PHINNEY
FOR THE HERMISTON HERALD
HERMISTON — The
hazel eyes of Providence
Grace Rector dart back and
forth behind thick lenses in
round red frames. Her face
constantly twitches, but oth-
erwise it is without expres-
sion. Her arms are constantly
moving, unintentionally. Her
little legs are strapped at the
ankle to the footrests on her
wheelchair.
Providence means “pro-
tective care of God,” which
is refl ected in the strong faith
of her parents, Miranda and
Jason Rector, but they know
INSIDE
a contribution from science
will be needed to fi nd the
medical miracle their daugh-
ter needs.
And now, two-and-half
years after their daughter
was diagnosed with Early
Infantile Epileptic Enceph-
alopathy-37 (EIEE-37), the
Rectors and other parents
like them are hopeful — and
optimistic — that a potential
study of gene replacement
therapy could one day lead
to a better quality of life for
their children.
In August, with the help
of Rare Village Founda-
tion, a fundraising platform
for families of children with
rare diseases, three moth-
ers — one from Croatia, one
living in the United King-
dom and one in Colorado —
established a nonprofi t called
“Finding Hope for FRRS1L”
(pronounced “frizzle”). In
less than 24 hours more than
$100,000 was raised, and
within fi ve days the total had
doubled.
Miranda, who is enrolled
Chippewa from the Turtle
Mountain Band of Chippewa
Indians of North Dakota and
also Puerto Rican. People
in Puerto Rico, where sev-
eral children with EIEE-37
live, have given more than
$50,000.
What FRRS1L is
FRRS1L is the name of a
protein-coding gene contained
in all cells of the brain. It helps
send messages between cells.
The gene disorder, which
results in loss of function for
that gene, is a mutation trig-
gered by the combination of
each parent’s damaged DNA.
The disorder produces epi-
Miranda Rector/Contributed Photo
See Providence, Page A7
Providence at 14 months old smiles with her dad, Jason Rector of Hermiston, a month before
her regression and excessive seizure activity starts.
A3  Series looks at where are the
workers
A3  Hermiston Parks director
retires
A5  The start of something
special
A6  SAGE Center receives ‘fan-
favorite’ designation