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08 Sep

EVIDENCE FOR CREATION PRESENTED AT CODY, WYOMING CHURCH

Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … On August 7-9 the Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church hosted a series by Dr. Robert Carter, a scientist with a Ph.D. in Marine Biology from Creation Ministries International (CMI)—a nonprofit organization not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference—at the local Cody Auditorium.

Carter presented several topics such as, The Alternative: Creation’s Competitive Edge; Dinosaurs & Fossils: Amazing Evidence for Creation; Genetics According to Jesus; Ancient DNA & the Bible; and Coral Reefs & Noah’s Flood.

Attendees expressed their commitment to learning more about Creation from a scientific perspective that supports the biblical truth about Creation. Several of the attendees were present at a series held last year by another organization the church hosted.

“It was encouraging for church members to learn that every single method of advertising—word of mouth, posters, Facebook ads, literature evangelists passing out invitations, and direct email to last year’s attendees, seemed to work,” reported Samantha Nelson, whose husband, Steve, pastors Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church.

She added, “We even had one attendee from the community offer to help us spread the word to other churches for our next meetings. Another attendee drove up from Colorado to see Dr. Carter’s lectures and provided a generous donation to the church to help offset some of the expenses.”

The belief in biblical Creation is among our church’s core beliefs. “The series aimed at bringing people back to the foundation of God’s Word to understand it better and have a firm trust in God’s Word and His promises,” Samantha explained.

–Reported by Samantha Nelson from Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church, Wyoming. Photos supplied.

01 Sep

PRAYER CHANGES EVERYTHING

Jana Thurber – Denver, Colorado … Jesus never tires of us coming to him in prayer. Hebrews 4:16 assures us, “Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in time of need.”

The August 26-27 Prayer Summit at LifeSource Fellowship, presented by Rick and Cindy Mercer, proved the Hebrews text to be trustworthy and true! The Mercer’s shared their personal his-and-her stories of how God dramatically saved their crumbling marriage by performing miracles in answer to their cries for his help.

Rick commented that from his personal experience, “Prayer is probably one of the most important things we can do in our Christian life. Prayer connects us with God. I know where I was before I began praying and where I am now. The way I look at it is, when we pray, we open a channel that gives God permission to come into our life and do what He wants to do.”

The Mercers are both in Christian ministry today because of their decision to pray BIG prayers. They didn’t have anything to lose. As Cindy began to pray, God put it on her heart to fast and pray. Rick worked hard, but he also played hard. In his words, he admitted that “he had tried many times on his own to be good. But he was addicted to alcohol, cocaine, crystal meth, lust, and pornography.”

But as Cindy began to pray BIG, God put it on her heart to ask God to change her. Things were still broken between them, but her husband began noticing a change in her. So much so, that he wanted to begin praying with her!

One evening, she asked him to join her in prayer. It was a pivotal moment in their marriage. They felt God’s physical presence as they knelt beside their bed and prayed for each other! God had been invited, and God responded. He came near. A new life’s journey together with God had begun while on their knees. They give their BIG God all the glory and praise for the transformation He accomplished in their marriage, removing addictions and mending broken relationships too.

After the last session finished Sabbath afternoon and the cameras were turned off, Rick led those in attendance in intercessory prayer for each other, along with special requests from the audience.

“God’s spirit was present. Hearts were encouraged, and God was invited to enter the stories of those present,” shared Jana Thurber, RMC prayer ministry director.

“God does not leave us where he found us when we come to him in prayer asking for help. What an exhilarating adventure God promises and delivers. Though the path is not always smooth, I like to say that God changes us on the inside so we can deal with what’s on the outside,” she continued.

The prayer ministries department of the Rocky Mountain Conference plans to make an edited version of the Mercer’s presentations available soon, as well as add resources for your personal prayer walk or in church prayer ministries. An online participant in the summit remarked that, “this was God’s perfect timing to hear their presentations.”

Jana added, “I praise God with you that he does not turn away from our persevering prayers.”

–Reported by Jana Thurber, RMC prayer ministry director. Photos supplied.

01 Sep

WHEN GOD LEADS THE WAY…

Nathan Cranson – Montrose, Colorado … It is with a heart of worship and thanksgiving that I sit down to record what God has so beautifully orchestrated over this last month in the Montrose Adventist churches, shared Nathan Cranson, pastor of the Montrose Church.

It started with a retired pastor kneeling down to pray one Sunday morning.

“Lord,” he prayed, “what would you have us do with our school property?” The 20,000 sq. ft. building sits on 4 1/2 acres. It had served as an Adventist school for many years and was currently being rented out to another ministry.

Now, the local Adventist Hispanic church was interested in renting or buying it, because they had outgrown the chapel, they’d used for 10 years.

As this pastor prayed, a strong impression settled on him: “We should give them the property. His next thought was: Well, that’s a crazy idea! But the thought persisted.”

In obedience to this prompting, he took the idea to the next church board meeting. Discussions concerning the school property were not uncommon during these meetings, but not once had anyone presented the idea of giving away property that would likely be valued at one million dollars! There was talk of selling it and putting the money toward a new church building. There was talk of renovating it and moving our church out there… But giving it away? To our amazement, one board member after another spoke out in favor of this “crazy idea.”

It became apparent that if this were brought to a vote, it would pass. But this was way too big of a decision for a board meeting to make. We decided to take it to a business meeting.

Nearly a month later, the business meeting ensued with 35 church members showing up to discuss whether we should sell, give, or continue forward with the plan to rent the school building to the Hispanic church. Some members imagined that this would be one of many business meetings as every possible outcome would be discussed.

To our shock and amazement, an hour and a half into our discussion, someone called to question the motion that was made to give the school and property in its entirety to the Hispanic church. A two-thirds vote was needed to end discussion with the main motion to be taken to vote. The vote passed and just like that, the “crazy idea,” planted into the mind of a retired pastor had been set into motion.

Pastor Cranson remembers thinking, “We have just given away a million-dollar asset.”

I didn’t sleep much that night, he recalls. I knew that well-meaning congregations had split over much less. Expecting his phone to be blowing up the next morning with high intensity conversations, to his surprise, there were none. Oh, how little faith I have, he pondered. My insecurities were soon replaced with joy as the head elder of the Hispanic church hugged me and told me about the tears and rejoicing that were taking place as they enthusiastically made plans for their new mission headquarters.

It was a joy to come together the very next Sabbath for communion service. “Rather than a divided church, we witnessed perhaps the greatest communion attendance ever in church. It seemed that the familiar tunes of ‘And Can It Be’ and ‘Amazing Grace’ were carried with a sweeter spirit,” Nathan commented.

“God reminded me of the Bible text in 2 Corinthians 9:6 — ‘The point is this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows bountifully will also reap bountifully.’”

He added, “It is time we start acting on more of these ‘crazy ideas.’”

The RMC Property department is working with both churches to prepare a document that formalizes the gift and establishes the conditions for the transfer. According to the Hispanic leadership, the intent of the gift is that the building will always be used by the Hispanic congregation. Because they (as well as the English congregation) are growing both sides believe that is what the future holds. However, if unforeseen circumstances arise, there is a desire to have mutual agreement on how or if to return the property.

–Shared by Nathan Cranson, pastor of the Montrose Adventist Church. Photos supplied.

01 Sep

RELIGIOUS LIBERY AND THE LOCAL CHURCH

By Nathaniel Gamble

As the new Public Affairs and Religious Liberty Director for the Rocky Mountain Conference, the question that has already been posed to me is, “Why is religious liberty important to the local church?” After all, not many congregations in our Conference have a religious liberty leader in their local churches, and many Adventists see religious liberty as exclusively a defense of Sabbath.

The matter of religious liberty has long been a priority to Seventh-day Adventists. Those who observe Sabbath are a minority throughout the world, and we have always valued the freedom to worship God according to our consciences. The ability to practice Sabbath observance is regularly challenged, so its grace-filled defense by Adventists continues to be important and necessary. But just as important to Adventists has been the freedom for others to worship God according to their consciences, to belong to the religion of their choice, and even to refrain from worshiping God (or any god) if they choose.

Seventh-day Adventists believe God is love–and in that love, God gives us freedom to choose to worship Him or not. God, we maintain, does not force the conscience, because love cannot be coerced: it can only be freely accepted by us as it is freely given by God. Because God created everyone in His image (Genesis 1) and because Jesus’ death demonstrates the worth God puts on every life (Hebrews 2), Seventh-day Adventists believe everyone is entitled to enjoy the God-given dignity of religious freedom.

Consequently, Seventh-day Adventists view the defense of religious liberty for others as not only a part of our overall mission, but as an integral part of the Three Angels’ Messages. I look forward to pursuing religious liberty initiatives together and thereby, re-emphasizing this focus on Adventist mission in our local church contexts. Our next Religious Liberty Sabbath will be on January 21, 2023. God bless.

–Nathaniel Gamble is RMC religious liberty & public affairs director. Photo by Mateus Maia on Unspash.

01 Sep

MOUNTAINS, MOOSE AND HAIL DON’T HOLD BACK CAMPION’S OUTDOOR CLUB OUTING

Toby Quillin – Loveland, Colorado … While enjoying the scenery and the company, twenty-three Campion Academy students backpacked a total of twelve miles, reaching American Lakes and Lulu Mountain in Jackson County during the last weekend of August.

On Friday afternoon, August 26, the outdoor club hiked four miles up the steep side of a mountain to reach their campsite. Sophomore Marcela Zuniga commented, “I loved hiking even though it was hard, and I thought I wasn’t going to make it to the campsite. As I was walking up the mountain, I asked God to help me and he did!”

Along the way, a few of the students got a surprise visit by a mother and baby moose that temporarily blocked the trail. Haley Beckermeyer, senior, commented, “I thought it was cool seeing them that close. Even though she kind of halted our hiking process a bit, it was spectacular.”

On Sabbath, the group made their way up a steep trail to Snow Lake. Some chose to spend most of the day at the lake. “It was awesome getting to climb on the rocks, play in the water, and look at the scenery. The view of the forest and valley was honestly incredible,” sophomore Keaton Drake reflected.

The second option or students was to hike up the 12,002 ft. peak of Lulu Mountain. Keon Paez, sophomore, said, “At first, I didn’t think I would make it up because it’s super tall and my legs got [super] tired, mostly because I didn’t get a lot of oxygen up there. But, once I got to the top, I felt very relieved because I didn’t have to climb anymore. … The hike was hard but worth it.”

The weather in the mountains was constantly changing, explained Dwayne Rey, junior. “The weather was crazy–at times the sun would be out, and it was chill; but then, like two seconds later, it disappeared. It was super windy; then it would stop. It was raining; then the hail came. It was CRAZY!”

After breakfast on Sunday, the group hiked back down to the vehicles. “The hike down was a whole lot faster and more fun,” said Zuniga, “because of the steepness of the trail. It was such a relief to make it back to Campion after having many challenges and many good times.”

For the students who hadn’t camped or backpacked before, there were new skills to learn, including filtering water for the whole campsite, cooking food on a tiny stove, and even fitting a sleeping bag into its sleeve. “We all were working together to stay alive. We got water together for the entire camp. We bonded by experiencing the same struggles and the same laughs,” Sergio Enriquez, freshman, reflected.

–Toby Quillin, Campion News Team. Photos supplied.

01 Sep

MOBILE HEALTH CLINICS IN PROVIDES CARE IN UKRAINE

Courtney Haas – Denver Colorado … Through support and donations from Colorado-based Global Health Initiatives and AdventHealth, in partnership had been growing with Clinica Angelia, an Adventist clinic in Kyiv, Ukraine. This allows purchase of medical supplies and vehicles to serve as mobile health clinics, providing care to Ukrainians that have been impacted since the start of the conflict between Russia and Ukraine.

Since 2020, the growing partnership with Clinica Angelia, provided resources and inpatient service upgrades throughout the pandemic, allowing Clinica Angelia to care for COVID-19 patients.

The mobile health clinics have been essential in providing care to hundreds of Ukrainians that have been impacted and displaced since the start of the military conflict between Russia and Ukraine in February 2022.

The mobile clinics can support various specialties and care services including, a family practice doctor, ultrasound specialist, cardiologist, dermatologist, gastroenterologist, Psychotherapist, Chiropractor, ENT physician, and laboratory – for blood and urine tests.

Additionally, the Clinica Angelia personnel tell us that thanks to our assistance, they were able to purchase a portable ultrasound machine in June 2022 for an additional OB/GYN mobile unit. In the last two months, the new ultrasound machine has been able to help physicians detect early signs of cancer in more than 10 patients!

Clinica Angelia plans to convert additional vehicles into a dental mobile office and a mobile pharmacy van, further extending the care to patients throughout the country.

“In this time of conflict in Ukraine, the ability to provide mobile clinics and services is incredibly powerful, and we continue to provide resources and support to our partners at Clinica Angelia as they serve the needs of the Ukrainian people,” explains Greg Hodgson, GHI director.

In addition to the support in Ukraine, the GHI team continues to support partners around the world and will be leading clinical mission trips again in 2023.

Global Health Initiatives (GHI) works to improve lives around the world by providing high quality health care in collaboration with international partners to strengthen health systems in developing countries.

—Courtney Haas is development officer for Rocky Mountain Adventist Healthcare Foundation, at [email protected].

01 Sep

REFLECTION: WITH SHOES FULL OF WATER

By Brook Melendez

22 Immediately Jesus made the disciples get into the boat and go on ahead of him to the other side, while he dismissed the crowd.
23 After he had dismissed them, he went up on a mountainside by himself to pray. Later that night, he was there alone,
24 and the boat was already a considerable distance from land, buffeted by the waves because the wind was against it.
25 Shortly before dawn Jesus went out to them, walking on the lake.
26 When the disciples saw him walking on the lake, they were terrified. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear.
27 But Jesus immediately said to them: “Take courage! It is I. Don’t be afraid.”
28 “Lord, if it’s you,” Peter replied, “tell me to come to you on the water.”
29 “Come,” he said. Then Peter got down out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus.
30 But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and, beginning to sink, cried out, “Lord, save me!”
31 Immediately Jesus reached out his hand and caught him. “You of little faith,” he said, “why did you doubt?”
32 And when they climbed into the boat, the wind died down.
33 Then those who were in the boat worshiped him, saying, “Truly you are the Son of God.” (Matt 9: 22-32)

Every time I read this passage from Matthew, it strikes me in a new and more challenging way. I see myself in the story – “YOU of little faith, why did YOU doubt?” Why did you think that I lost sight of you in this storm? Why did you doubt My faithfulness, My commitment to come to you in the chaos? Why did you doubt your power to walk on top of the tumultuous waves, through the wind, when your eyes were fixed on Me?

If we recall, this wasn’t the first time Jesus stilled the sea. Back in Matthew 9, Jesus and His disciples had been in a boat on the lake when a furious storm came up on it – a storm in which the waves nearly overtook the boat. When they awakened Jesus in their fearful state, he replied, “You of little faith, why are you so afraid?”

Sounds pretty familiar, right?

So, by the time we get to Matthew 14, the disciples had already seen Jesus rescue them from a storm. And they had seen Him heal lepers, paralytics, the blind and mute, cast out demons, and literally raise the dead back to life. They had seen Jesus do the impossible – repeatedly. Yet there they were, during their storm, thinking they were completely alone, believing they were left to their own devices to survive.

After nearly an entire night of being pounded by this storm, the disciples see what they identify as a ghost walking out to them on the lake; they see their Rabbi, their Friend, their great I AM, their Peace, the Son of God Himself – walking out to them on the lake. In the midst of their storm and chaos and battle and sheer exhaustion, they see the man they know so personally – Jesus. And in that moment, they can’t identify Him – they become afraid.

I have this problem, too – I have this problem with my need for immediate results. I treat my God as though He has a timeline – and when I don’t see the solution instantly, I don’t recognize Him. I don’t expect Him.

Jesus responds to them in this situation in the same way He did when He calmed the storm the last time – “Don’t be afraid.” And I believe He responds to me in the same way. He has responded to me in my doubt and fear each and every time before.

In order to get his proof, Peter demands that Jesus have him walk on water. Peter climbs out of the boat and begins to walk to Jesus. I can’t say just how far Peter walked, but I can say that he didn’t start sinking until he was within an arm’s reach of Jesus. Because when Peter began to sink, Jesus immediately reached out his hand and caught him. He was right there.

I can tell you again that I see myself in this story. I can tell you that in the storms of my life, in the chaos of my life, in the battle and the sheer exhaustion I experience, I am just like the disciples. At times, I am so frozen in my fear that I am not the one to call out to Jesus, but instead the one to stay in my already sinking boat. On other occasions, I am the one to demand my proof, being called to exactly what I asked for, only to find that I can’t take unfamiliar steps in the midst of terrifying troubles.

I know that most often, though, I survive the storm, the darkness, the chaos, the battle, and the exhaustion, only to start sinking at the last second – when I am faced with my Solution, within an arm’s reach of Christ Himself. I don’t start sinking until I am called to trust in God to do the absolute impossible. I think I just may be more afraid of the solution and what that will require of me than I am of the storm itself. I am afraid of what it could mean for me to extend my hand with fearless confidence and join in the act of the impossible. I am afraid to go beyond the comfort and commonness of fear and doubt.

Yet even there, His grace pulls me up from the deep. His grace is in His hand that reaches out and catches me with fear in my eyes and water in my shoes. His grace is in His nearness to me, even when I begin to sink. His grace is in that moment and every other moment that we both find me believing I am left to my own devices to survive. He reaches out a hand to sustain me in my imperfect pursuit of Him. Dispelling my doubt and fear and fixating my eyes on the God I serve who consistently does the impossible could change my whole story.

And it could change yours, too.

Let it be so.

–Brook Melendez is pastor of youth and young adult ministry at The Adventure Adventist Church in Greeley, Colorado. Photo by Jason Hinrichsen on Unspash

25 Aug

MEDALS AWARDED AT 2022 CAMPOREE FOR TOP RMC PATHFINDER CAMPSITES

By Sue Nelson – Ward, Colorado … Nearly 200 Pathfinders and staff attended the 2022 Pathfinder Camporee held at Glacier View Ranch August 4-7. The theme was “Through the Storm” and the stage was decorated with a boat “in the storm.” Each club campsite was graded on how well their campsite demonstrated the theme in their unique entrance, cooking area, campsite, uniforms, and having their flags in order. The top campsites received medals.

“It was incredible to see the commitment and dedication of our Pathfinder clubs. They demonstrated kindness and graciousness towards one another as they engaged in a variety of activities. I am super impressed by our leadership staff and am grateful that I had the opportunity to mix it up with our Pathfinders,” said Brandon Westgate, RMC youth director. The speaker for the event, he brought thought-provoking messages to the kids at vespers and during the church service.

Clemente Lopez, Jr. from the Aurora Las Aguilas club and RMC senior teen rep, encouraged involvement in the Pathfinder Bible Experience study. Jodie Gage, Pathfinder co-coordinator commented: “I am so proud of our teen rep and the awesome job he did giving Sabbath school this morning.”

Praise music was led by different RMC teen representatives–Carter Smith (Grand Valley Prospectors), Yamiley Gonzalez (Aurora Las Aguilas) and Hannah Lechleitner (Louisville Miners). Contributing to special music were three Pathfinders–Travis Plack (Longmont Thunder), Isabel Doffing and Abby Shull (Golden Mighty Warriors of the Cross).

Friday morning activities included crafts and honors, such as tug-o-war, march & drill, wind chimes, star study, table tennis, soccer, and shelter building. In the afternoon during the Camporee, each club participated in lashing a raft meant to float their director on the lake! The rain didn’t affect that activity, as most directors either sank to the bottom of the lake (waist deep) or got wet anyway! Medals were awarded for “floatability” and “creativity.” Jodie Gage commented, that “even though it rained, I enjoyed how excited the Pathfinders and staff were building rafts and trying to float them.”

The Orienteering courses (easy, medium, and hard) involved the Pathfinders on Sabbath afternoon and sent the Pathfinders on Orienteering courses led by Dwight Laubscher, Pathfinder co-coordinator.

During Saturday night’s “Afterglow,” the teens, led by teen coordinators Roberto and Adriana Mira, enjoyed playing loud games in the teen tent and Capture the Flag outdoors in the dark, using glow sticks around their necks or on their wrists/ankles.

For morning and evening flag raising and lowering, the clubs were given an opportunity to put together a “color guard” of six Pathfinders. Practicing ahead of time, they learned about the steps in folding a flag and raising it properly.

–Sue Nelson is Club Ministries executive coordinator. Photos supplied.

25 Aug

RMC PATHFINDERS JOIN GILLETTE PUBLIC TOUR AHEAD OF 2024 INTERNATIONAL PATHFINDER CAMPOREE

Sue Nelson – Denver, Colorado … In preparation for the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee, 22 delegates from the RMC club ministries joined on August 15 with visitors from Texas, Florida, and other states, in one of the summer tours to Gillette, Wyoming. Tours are being given in cooperation with the Center for Youth Evangelism, camporee organizers.

Ron Whitehead, the center’s director said, “It was great to see so many RMC club ministry lay leaders at the August 15, 2022, public tour. This will be the third time that RMC has hosted an NAD or International camporee. Those three camporees include 1985 (Camp Hale); 1994 (Dare to Care); and 2024 (Believe the Promise). Everyone is invited to one of the five tours in 2023.”

The Camporee, better known as the “Oshkosh Camporee,” comes to Gillette, Wyoming, right in our Rocky Mountain Conference territory. “How exciting it is to think of our Conference ‘hosting the world’ with an anticipated 60,000 Pathfinders,” said Sue Nelson, RMC club ministries executive coordinator.

These tours are giving us an insight into the possibilities that are being opened due to this move. “The town of Gillette is opening its arms to all needed to host a camporee of this size, and we in return, are showing them the love Pathfinders have for Jesus,” Nelson added.

The Rocky Mountain Pathfinder staff have already been scheduled to be part of the 2023 and 2024 4^thof July parades in Gillette. The town knows about the thousands of Pathfinders who will be coming as they have videos of past camporees but have not seen any of them in person. “We aim to rectify that, as we set out to make this opportunity an outreach into the community,” Nelson said

The next tour is being planned for Monday, September 12, 2022. It is free to anyone who wants to participate, including lunch. There will also be five more tours in 2023. For more information, contact Sue Nelson at [email protected] Sign up with 22,000 other BTP International Camporee newsletter subscribers at camporee.org.

–Sue Nelson is RMC club ministries executive coordinator. Photo supplied.

25 Aug

BAPTISMS CONTINUE IN THE GREELEY HISPANIC CHURCH

Ruben Balaguer – Greeley, Colorado … An outreach program based on the Book of Revelation was conducted at the Greeley Hispanic church August 6 to 13. Twelve visitors attended the meetings. “Several individuals are now taking Bible studies with members of the church,” said Pastor Balaguer, who conducted the outreach.

“After each presentation, attendees received a syllabus covering the topic of the evening. The meeting concluded with the baptism of Abner Hernández. Abner made his decision convinced that he wants to serve the Lord, not just become a member of the church. He said, “I know that I can do much more for the Lord now using my talents in the church for him”. Six more persons made decisions to be baptized as well.

For attending church members, the outreach was a refresher in understanding the messages of the Book of Revelation.

“After each presentation, those who attended left revived and with the desire to return the next evening. The most surprising thing for them was to learn so much more about the main character of the Book of Revelation–Jesus,” Balaguer commented.

–Ruben Balaguer is pastor of the Hispanic Greeley Adventist Church. Photos suppled.

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