AUTUMN LEAVES settled on the Umatilla River in downtown Pendleton, Oregon, as it rippled gently over rocks one October day. Up an embankment and across a quiet street rose the stone tower of the First Christian Church. “I see churches as being a positive thing for change,” said Bill Aney, a retired U.S. Forest Service employee and church member.
The river was placid that autumn day as Aney walked over the Main Street bridge. But in spring 2020, heavy rains and rapid snowmelt in the Blue Mountains caused a massive flood. A levee in downtown Pendleton broke, inundating nearby streets. Part of Interstate 84 and many local roads closed, homes were evacuated, and one woman died. Climate change is projected to cause
