NEWS
A10 • HERMISTONHERALD.COM
WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 13, 2021
Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church church plans grand opening
Public invited to service Oct. 16, open house Oct. 17
By ERICK PETERSON
Hermiston Herald
The Hermiston Sev-
enth-day Adventist Church
is back.
Having completed con-
struction on a new church
building at 855 W. High-
land Ave. following an
electrical fi re that destroyed
the old building three years
ago, church leaders are
welcoming people to a
grand opening and dedica-
tion. The celebration is Fri-
day and Saturday, Oct. 16
and 17.
Sid Rittenbach, chair
of the building commit-
tee and a church member,
recently recounted his feel-
ings about the fi re.
“It was a discouraging
time,” he said.
The old building was
“gutted,” blackened and
destroyed. Much of the
building was reduced to
rubble, he said.
Other people felt the
same way, Rittenbach said.
The fi re, though, was not
enough to break their spirit.
They kept meeting for ser-
vices, moving their usual
around 100-person services
to the gymnasium of their
school.
The
congregation
formed a committee in
response to their build-
ing’s destruction. They dis-
cussed, and they started
plans for a new building.
The new building, which
would end up costing
around $5 million, accord-
ing to Rittenbach, would be
larger and would include
addition features.
The new building, just
an organ, which was pres-
ent in the old building,
but the other upgrades are
more than worth that loss,
she said. Besides, the organ
was not often used.
This church building
is modern, light and airy,
standing in contrast to the
traditional and somewhat
dark old building, Karen
said. In her years as a Sev-
enth-day Adventist mem-
ber, she has seen more than
50 churches. She and her
husband were stationed at
some of these churches.
And while she said this
building may be nice even
in comparison to them, a
good church is not about
HERMISTON
SEVENTH-DAY
ADVENTIST
CHURCH GRAND
OPENING
Saturday, Oct. 16, 9:30-
10:30 a.m., is Sabbath
School. Worship service
is 10:40 a.m. to 12 p.m.
The guest speaker is the
president of the North
Pacifi c Union Confer-
ence of Seventh-day
Adventists. Fellowship
luncheon is 1 p.m., and a
concert and dedication is
3-4 p.m. p.m.
On Sunday, Oct. 17, there
is an open house and
tours, 1-4 p.m.
less than 24,000 square
feet, is an upgrade from
the old building’s 14,000
square feet. It also has LED
lighting that is programma-
ble, as are the heating and
security cameras.
“I’m sure that those who
built the old building do
miss it, but we are blessed
to have this one,” he said.
Dean and Karen Lifshay
have been with the church
more than fi ve years, Dean
as the pastor and Karen
as the communications
secretary.
Karen said the old build-
ing was nice and in the
style of other Seventh-day
Adventist churches. This
gave it a “familiar” feel, she
said, but there were draw-
backs, too. It did not have a
fellowship hall, and it gave
little space to the Span-
ish-speaking congregation,
which meets separately
the building. It is about the
people.
Fortunately, this church
is made of good people, she
said.
The church, according
to the pastor, is trying to
encourage people to return.
The pandemic, Dean said,
has been tough. Many peo-
ple are choosing to stay
home, either because they
are worried about COVID-
19 or because they are
turned off by the people
who wear masks.
Dean said he hopes he
can reach people and bring
them back to the church.
Maybe he can even attract
new people to the church.
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Karen and Dean Lifshay pose Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, in front of
the Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church. The church
building was rebuilt and is having a grand opening with
events Saturday and Sunday, Oct. 16 and 17.
from the English-language
services. There is a chapel
inside the new building,
whereas a classroom held
Spanish-language services
previously.
“We
planned
for
growth,” Karen said.
The chapel can accom-
modate 120 worshipers,
though there are only 40
Spanish-speakers in the
chapel group presently.
The main room of the old
church had capacity for
400, though this number
is misleading, she said. If
there were 400 people in
the service hall, they would
have been tightly packed
together. The new sanctu-
ary has space for 350 peo-
ple in much more comfort-
able seating, she said. There
also are rooms, where peo-
ple can also watch the
service.
“In theory, it’s around
1,000 people,” Karen said
of the potential total occu-
pancy of the church for a
worship service.
Karen said she likes
this “wider format” and
improved technology. The
new building is missing
Erick Peterson/Hermiston Herald
Karen and Dean Lifshay on Friday, Oct. 8, 2021, discuss the
newly built Hermiston Seventh-day Adventist Church.
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