Praying for Those in Authority: Linn County

 

Linn County, OR

Father, forgive them, for they do not know what they do.” Matthew 23:34

We are dropping down from the north coast counties for a bit this week and looking at Linn County. This is because the 82^nd Oregon Legislative Assembly began January 17^th  and there  is a great story about "praying for those in authority" I came across, and it has its roots in Linn County.

But first…Linn County was established in 1847 by the Provisional Government. At first what is now Brownsville (originally Calapooia) was the county seat, but in 1851 it was moved to Albany.  The county is 2,290 square miles with a population of 128,610. Some of the eastern portion of the county, including the town of Gates, was involved in the 2020 wildfires that came down Santiam Canyon. While much of Linn County is the southern portion of the Willamette Valley and home to larger communities like Albany, the eleventh largest city in the state, the eastern portion of the county leads into the Cascade Mountains and contains a large portion of the Willamette National Forest. Timber and agriculture have long been major economic forces in Linn County.

Linn County, OR

Located about ten miles east/northeast of Albany, Providence Pioneer Church is still in use, although the original building has been replaced. The original, built in 1854, was a log structure and built by the Missionary Baptists. Now it is Providence Vineyard Christian Fellowship.

One of the builders, Joab Powell, was a Baptist minister who had come to Oregon over the Oregon Trail with his large, mostly grown, family. Born in Tennessee in 1799, he married and moved to Missouri, raising his large family there as his wife ran the farm and he was a preacher and a circuit rider. He was illiterate, but had memorized whole books of the Bible as his wife read them to him.

He was a great bear of a man, over six feet tall and hefty with a loud, booming voice and a frontier sense of humor. He was a popular preacher both in Missouri and Oregon. Children often asked him to sing his favorite hymn, and he would break into a loud, off-key rendition of a song.

My daughter, who was researching this, did not recognize the hymn quoted - to her surprise. She and her husband are both worship leaders with degrees in music and rarely encounter a worship song they haven’t met. Deeper research revealed that “Uncle Joab,” as he was known, was singing old African American hymns. We discovered he was from a Quaker family in Tennessee, and had retained his Quaker aversion to slavery, and his respect for Native Americans and black people when he transferred to the Missionary Baptist denomination.

Uncle Joab Powell quickly became one of the most popular preachers in the state and traveled much of it as a circuit rider while his wife and grown children developed the farm on the Santiam River in Linn County. In 1859, Oregon became a state and convened their first legislature in Salem. Knowing of Uncle Joab’s fame, although perhaps not familiar with his style, the legislature invited him to be the first Chaplain of the Legislature with a stipend of $30. He accepted. On the opening day of the very first legislative session in the new state of Oregon, this bear of a man, dressed like a frontier farmer, took the podium and boomed out, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do.” That was his entire invocation.

He didn’t last long as Chaplain.

 His life is great reading, and you can read more here. While it makes for an interesting story, upon sober reflection it might be a good prayer to pray over our present legislative session as well. Not in a condemning way, but in humility. Mistakes will be made, I’m sure, and we can ask for God’s forgiveness for our only-too-human representatives. And if we – or they – can admit we “know not what we do,” it puts us in a position to receive God’s wisdom and direction rather than relying on our own limited knowledge and efforts. And I find it keeps me in a position of humility and grace to pray “Father, forgive them,” “Father, help them,” over the 2023 legislature.         

There are three Linn County Commissioners. Pray for wisdom and guidance over Roger Nyquist, Sherrie Springer, and William C. Tucker.

The 41^st Linn County Sheriff is Michelle Duncan who was appointed January, 2022. Recently, the Linn County Sheriff’s Mounted Posse celebrated its 75^th anniversary. Created in 1947, it supports the Sheriff’s Office on search and rescue missions. It also represents the office by appearing at the fair and several parades throughout the year. Keep the Sheriff, the Posse, and the officers and staff in prayer.

Pray for Oregon’s 82^nd Legislative Assembly.