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About The independent. (Vernonia, Or.) 1986-current | View Entire Issue (Nov. 21, 2001)
The INDEPENDENT, November 21, 2001 History and conjecture about Thanksgiving customs I America's first Thanksgiving, in 1621, was a three-day cele bration of feasting and recre ation. The prior year was the Pilgrims’ first winter at Ply mouth, a winter so harsh near ly half of the colonists perished. By the second harvest, there was reason to rejoice. A peace treaty was signed with the Wampanoag, the Pilgrims’ Native American neighbors, and Massasoit, their leader, shared his agricultural expert ise, which resulted in a bumper crop. As was common in Eng land, the Pilgrims commemo rated their bounty with a har vest festival. Accounts of the event men- Church Bnll»tin Bloopers 22 members were present at the church meeting held at the home of Mrs. Marsha Crutch field last evening. Mrs. Crutch field and Mrs. Rankin sang a duet, The Lord Knows Why. tion neither turkey nor pumpkin, our modern Thanksgiving sta ples. Indian corn was plentiful, however, and four Pilgrim women supervised the feast that Massasoit and 90 of his people attended, bringing five deer as their contribution. Presumably, the Pilgrims fol lowed English custom and served their neighbors buffet- style; dishes were placed on the table and guests helped themselves. There were no forks, only knives, spoons, and large napkins that were used to pick up hot foods and to tidy the face and fingers. Food could be eaten directly from the serving dish or you could share a trencher (wooden plate). No meal began without saying grace, because the Pilgrims believed their good fortune was due to their relationship to God. Similar New England har vest festivals evolved into an annual tradition, officially acknowledged in 1777, when the Continental Congress declared the first national Thanksgiving. President Lin coln established Thanksgiving as a national holiday in 1863, after 23 years of lobbying by Sara Josepha Hale, an acclaimed author and editor. In the Service Megan Sleezer Army Pvt. Megan Sleezer has graduated from Basic Training at Ft. Jackson, S.C., and Advanced Individual Train ing at Ft. Gordon, Georgia, where, as second in her class, she was an Honor Graduate. She also earned the Sharp shooter badge. She will be stationed at Ft. Lewis, Wash, for four years. Sleezer is the daughter of Jerry and Kimberly Sleezer, both of Beaverton. She attend ed school in Vernonia. Church Directory V ernonia F oursquare C hurch A ssembly of G od C hurch of J esus C hrist of L atter D ay S aints Pastor Paul Pastor 850 Madison Avenue Vernonia, 503 429-1103 Darwin Harvey, Pastor 662 Jefferson Vernonia, 503 429-4615 Sunday Worship Service: 10:30 a.m. Children’s Sunday School Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Evening Worship 6:00 p.m. Sacrament Meeting, Sunday 10 a.m. Sunday School & Primary 11:20 a.m. Thursdays 7:00 p.m. Family Night Relief Society, Priesthood and Young Women, Sunday 12:10 p.m. F irst B aptist C hurch S eventh D ay A dventist Men’s Ministry 7:45 a.m. 3rd Saturday each month John Cahill, Pastor 359 “A” Street Vernonia, 503 429-1161 Kevin Reiner, Pastor, 543-2254 2nd Ave. and Nehalem St. Vernonia, 503 429-8301 V ernonia C ommunity C hurch Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Sabbath School 9:15 a.m. Morning Worship, 11:00 a.m. Prayer Meeting, Wed. 7:00 p.m. Wednesdays 7:00 p.m. Evening Service Youth Ministry Children’s Ministry • Nursery Available Grant Williams, Pastor 957 State Avenue Vernonia, 503 429-6790 Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Children's Church w/Nursery Evening Fellowship 6:00 p.m. Nursery Care AWANA, Wednesday 3:15 p.m. Prayer Meeting, Wed. 7:00 p.m. Men’s Group, Thursday 7:30 p.m. G race R eformed B aptist C hurch D.J. Dickey, Pastor Grant & North Streets Vernonia, 503 429-3110 Sunday Services: Adult Prayer & Children’s Sunday School 9:45 a.m. Morning Worship 11:15 a.m. Evening Worship 5:00 p.m. Wednesday Service: All Family Bible Study, 7:00 p.m. Evening Worship Saturday, 6:00 p.m. N ehalem V alley B ible C hurch Lee Knowlton, Branch President 1350 E. Knott Street Vernonia, 503 429-7151 S t . A ugustine (C anterbury ) E piscopal C hurch Jerry James, Pastor 500 California Ave Vernonia, 503 429-5378 The Rev. Robert Grafe, Pastor 375 North St. (Vernonia Grange Hall) Vernonia, 503 429-3700 Sunday School 10:00 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Nursery available Wednesday Service 7:00 p.m. Sunday Services 10:00 a.m. S t . M ary ' s C atholic C hurch Pastoral Associate Juanita Dennis 960 Missouri Avenue Vernonia, 503 429-8841 F irst C hristian C hurch Joel Stith, Pastor 410 North Street Vernonia, 503 429-6522 Sunday School 9:30 a.m. Morning Worship 11:00 a.m. Mass Schedule Sunday 12 Noon Every Wednesday: Ladies' Bible Study 9:15 a.m. Children’s Choir 3:00 p.m. Family Bible Study 6:30 p.m. Religious Education Sunday 10:30 a.m. Women's Fellowship, 2nd & 4th Wednesdays, 1:30 p.m. Page 7 Bsaltb Notes » .............— ByAudeen Wagner Health Partnership The “Community Health Improvement Partnership” is a com mittee of residents from all areas of Columbia County who are working together to address issues facing health care services in Columbia County. Sponsored by Columbia Health District, the committee has spent several months holding meetings and forums, and individual members have conducted interviews with community leaders and citizens. They have also conducted coun ty-wide surveys, including a physician-need analysis and an employer study. These activities have produced a wealth of infor mation regarding health care in our area. The Partnership’s over all goal is to identify health care issues, develop alternative solu tions, and look at social and economic impacts of those alterna tives. Pam Rahn, the facilitator of the Partnership, is very pleased with the results so far. From these assessments, much informa tion has been gained which will help in planning future strategies for delivering improved health care to our communities. The com mittee will pick six issues to work on for realistic solutions. During the next phase, each of the members will choose one of the areas to zero in on in subcommittees. Health care for the elderly, rural health, prevention, health care for children, and urgent care are just a few of the areas of interest that were identified. Much more could be said about this new alliance for improving the health care status of our rural communities, but the bottom line is that some pretty dynamic, forward-thinking individuals are work ing hard to bring about improvements in our health care system. Laura Nichols, Carolyn Keasey and Mario Leonetti are members of the Health Partnership from Vernonia, and they are very enthu siastic about the results so far and future plans that the commit tee is addressing now. The expectation is that some very positive results will be forthcoming from this effort. The Columbia Health District, which is also the public health agency for Columbia County, has produced an attractive brochure describing their goals and information, with the slogan on the front saying "Partnering to create a healthier Columbia County.” We wish them much success in this work. New Clinic Hours The clinic has decided to make a slight change in its hours of operation. It will now be open at 8:00 a.m. and will close at 5:00 p.m. It has become apparent that there is a definite need to have the clinic open earlier in the day, and the 5:00 closure still leaves time to pick up prescriptions and to complete appointments in the afternoon. The new schedule is effective immediately, but it will be on a tri al basis. If it works out better for patients, it will become a perma nent schedule. The staff hopes that this new schedule will prove helpful to all patients. Please feel free to call the office at 503-429- 9191 with any questions or comments. Jeiii'»' B orn eo« Bazaar Quilts - Dolls - Decor - Food o Gifts - Jewelry a il C ookies a n d Much, M uch More 7 D ec. 1 & 2 , 9 am - 5 pm V ern o n ia S e n io r C en ter Coffee, Tea & Juice
