Show w Lutherans celebrate mortgage burning Members of oC Our Saviour Lutheran Church in Vernal observed an important day in inthe Inthe inthe the history of oC their congregation on Sept 11 when they burned the mortgage thereby signifying that their house of worship was free Cree and clear of oC all building costs Erected in 1966 ieee after several years of planning and and shall make Congress shall make no law lav respecting an establishment of or religion or prohibiting the Tree free exercise thereof or abridging the freedom of or speech or 01 oror of or the press or the right of or the people peaceably to assemble and to petition the Government for a redress of or vances First First Amendment US U.S. Constitution n The authors of or the First Amendment Amendment Amendment Amend Amend- ment knew that novel and unconventional unconventional unconventional Ideas might disturb the compla complacent cent but they chose to encourage e a a freedom which they believed essential if ir vigorous was ever ever to tc triumph over slothful ignorance Felix FranA r Our republic and its press will rise or fall rail together Joseph Joseph Pulitzer e eThe r The vital measure of or a newspaper is not its size but its spirit that is its responsibility to report the news fully rully accurately and fairly Arthur A Arthur hur Hays lays r preparation the church on Fifth West and Fourth South was paid for by the generous giving of Its own members and by the cooperation of Lutherans throughout the Rocky Mountain area ONLY A SMALL S handful of oC the original members are still sUII in Vernal and were able to take part in the special services of thankfulness Mr CP who had been the original Building Committee Chairman was asked to actually burn the mortgage to symbolize the payment of the building debt The Rev Leo Rubel now retired and living in Ogden who Bad riad served the local church churchon on numerous occasions in the Ule i I past was present with his wife I to join in the happy festivities The congregation has has been blessed mightily by the Lord Inthe in inthe inthe the years since it was begun in 1959 and it is looking forward to the next few decades with much anticipation and joy stated Rev Haight The Rev Elmer Haight Jr is pastor of Our Saviour which together with Faith in Roosevelt and Trinity in Rangely Colorado make up one parish and serves the Lutheran people in the Uintah Basin areas |