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
»
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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