It's been one hundred years! The week-end of celebrations were as stimulating as was the occasion auspicious. "I am still living in the glow of Aug. 19 and 20," wrote Les Jones, Silverton (Ore.) Church pastor, in retrospect, in an email to his congregation.
Though carefully planned in advance, the last few days before the event saw a lot of scrambling. Major changes had to be made, and it turned out providence provided for an even better program than was initially planned.
From the showing of the powerful DVD, The Midnight Cry, Friday evening, to the 30-minute slide presentation of the church's history on Sabbath morning, attendees became caught up in the history of the Adventist Church at its beginnings, and the sequence of events that brought the Silverton Church to the present day. Cathey De Fehr, church historian, now in her 80s, enthusiastically brought each picture to life from her wheelchair.
The congregation remembered with gratitude those that went before them, making the Silverton Church a reality in 1911. Oliver Hiesley and his wife, Etta, arrived in Silverton in 1910 with a goal for starting a church. Their ministry resulted in the organization of a congregation on Aug. 19, 1911, with 19 charter members.
The frosting on the "birthday cake" was the invitation by Al Reimche, Oregon Conference president, to remember God's leading through the years and His promise to be with the church as they face the future.
One hundred and seventy attendees enjoyed a great Sabbath lunch and fellowship.
In the afternoon, the His Praise Men's Chorus, evoked this comment from a former member, who summed up the celebrations so well, "All blended together ... [it was] one of the most memorable occasions I have ever attended since becoming an Adventist!"
