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By Brenda Dickerson with Rajmund Dabrowski – Denver, Colorado … Delegates to the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists second quinquennial session met on Aug. 21, 2022, for the purpose of electing leadership, receiving reports, and conducting other church business. Five-hundred-ten registered delegates representing local Adventist churches in Wyoming, Colorado, and part of New Mexico convened at LifeSource Adventist Fellowship in Denver, Colorado, under the theme “Longing, Loving, Leading.”

After due consideration, delegates voted by a strong majority to elect Mic Thurber as president, Doug Inglish as vice president for administration, and Darin Gottfried as vice president for finance for the next five years.

Praise, prayers, and procedures

During the devotional time that followed the musical praise, conference president Mic Thurber explored the Longing, Loving, Leading theme by referencing Jesus’ words: “‘By this everyone will know that you are my disciples if you love one another.’ The quality and focus of our longings inform how well we love one another,” said Thurber.

His specific challenge to the delegates as local leaders was to “Be faithful and be alert for opportunities to speak into someone’s life…Let’s say gracious words that will bring hope, restoration, and grace.”

As the session was called to order, president Mic Thurber offered explanatory remarks regarding the procedures of the day. Thurber urged decorum and the following of standard procedures. “The purpose of procedures is to let the minority have their say, and to let the majority have their way,” said Thurber.

The General Conference Rules of Order, sixth edition, was followed diligently under the watchful eye of Darrell Huenergardt, MAUC legal counsel, who was voted by the delegates to serve as parliamentarian for the session.

Several motions made from the floor by delegates, passed, adding additional items to the day’s agenda including allowance for discussion of the composition of RMC’s Nominating Committee and Executive Committee, to be addressed in the bylaws. Other additional items were more representation from minority churches on committees and allocation of financial resources to Hispanic youth ministries.

One of the most celebrated votes was accepting nine new churches and companies established in 2017 into the sisterhood of RMC churches.

The auditor’s report was presented by Paula Aughenbaugh, representing the General Conference Auditing Service. Their unconsolidated financial statement received an “unmodified” opinion, the best possible opinion that can be given.

Election of officers and committees

A motion to refer the report for president back to the Nominating Committee was defeated by approximately a two-thirds majority. The vote for president was 71% in support of Mic Thurber to serve as president for the coming quinquennium. Following the vote Thurber said, “We are honored to serve, not by might, nor by power, but by the Spirit. Thank you so much for your trust.”

After 64% voted against sending back the report for vice president for administration, 68% of delegates voted in favor of Doug Inglish for vice president for administration. “Thank you for your confidence. I’d also like to say a word of thanks to my predecessor Eric Nelson for his guidance,” said Inglish.

Darrin Gottfried was elected by 97% to serve as vice president for finance. “This is a very exciting conference to work in. I’m looking forward to finding ways we can grow as a conference,” Gottfried said.

After a haystack lunch hosted by local Pathfinders, delegates resumed the business session by approving the Nominating Committee reports recommending names for the following committees: Constitution and Bylaws Committee, Executive Committee, Education Committee, and Property and Trust Committee.

Ordination of men and women pastors

Hubert J. Morel Jr., vice president of administration for the Mid-America Union Conference, gave introductory remarks prefacing the ordination discussion. Morel reminded delegates of the fact that the Adventist Church is comprised of nearly 22 million members around the globe. Yet we are all called to the same mission of spreading the gospel of Jesus Christ. Morel then gave some historical background from the Adventist Church’s actions in the 1920s to the 1970s regarding the role of women in gospel ministry. “What do we do in our own territory about this of women’s ordination?” Morel asked.

The motion brought to delegates was: “The Rocky Mountain Conference may submit names of all qualified men and women for ordination to the Mid-America Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.”

Nine delegates immediately stood to speak at the “Against” microphone, while 13 lined up for the “Pro” microphone. Others joined both lines, but time did not allow for everyone to speak since the body voted against extending the time frame

In summary, the arguments focused on words and phrases such as equality, gender confusion, headship theology, church authority, the Holy Spirit’s calling on pastors, generational and cultural divides, financial ramifications, the role of missions, allowing women to attend seminary, the three angels’ messages in social equality, opposing the world church’s vote, following the voice of God, church levels and structure, competition, recognition, rejection, ordination at baptism, striking ordination completely, insubordination, angels tabulating the results of voting devices, Old Testament offerings, preaching for God, gender role clarification, circumcision as a rite, the message being sent to youth, compliance, rebellion and anarchy, biased presentations, fact versus opinion, divisions in the church, respect, women who followed Jesus, complementary roles, definition of ordination, biblical examples of “laying on of hands,” the role of women in ministry, definition of “harmony,” delegation of authority, fundamentalism, Ellen White, traditions, equal pay for equal work, policy vs doctrine, Theology of Ordination Study Committee, discrimination, God’s best choices for us, scriptural authority, variances (exceptions) to policy.

Fifty-nine percent of delegates voted in favor of the motion.

A lengthy discussion followed regarding protecting personal convictions toward women’s ordination and that they should not be used in a discriminatory manner for hiring, firing or prevention of promotion for employees within the Rocky Mountain Conference. The body voted to refer this to the RMC Executive Committee.

For Brooke Melendez, associate pastor from The Adventure Church in Greeley, Colorado, attending the RMC constituency session was her first in the conference. She remarked that August 21 “was a day I have been waiting for [for] seven years–since I became a pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. I am so grateful to have had the opportunity to be a part of it.”

She added, “however, I continue to hold heavy in my heart my female colleagues & friends in other conferences and unions who continue to serve in a different reality. I am praying and waiting with great anticipation for the day that I’m able to attend their ordination services and see them receive the full recognition from their church for what God has already called and ordained them to do.”

Bylaws discussion and changes

As delegates reviewed a 17-page-front-and-back document outlining the bylaws, several minor editorial changes were voted as a block. All changes to the bylaws require a two-thirds majority vote. Additional changes clarified wording and intent. Substantive changes were voted on individually. The wording regarding relationships between various levels of the Adventist Church was discussed several times throughout the day. Several items were referred to the bylaws committee for further revisions.

President Thurber thanked delegates for the consistent decorum exhibited by all who spoke, even as the hours passed.

Remarking on the “very full day” of deliberations, Dr. Mark Johnson, a delegate from Boulder, Colorado said that “attending the RMC Constituency Meeting this year was a bittersweet experience.  It was nice to see old classmates and fellow church members from the past, but disturbing, and somewhat alarming, to find that our basic beliefs and views on truth have become so divergent.  While the meeting was cordial and amicable, for the most part, the underlying tensions and religious zeal occasionally broke through.  Unfortunately, as one delegate brought to our attention, the intensity seemed to be based on both theological interpretation and civic political fervor.”

Leaving the quinquennial meeting, Johnson commented that “the great challenge for the leaders will be holding the church together in some semblance of unity, given such fundamental diversity among the members.”

Samantha Nelson from Clark, Wyoming, commented on the length of the meeting. “I wish the meeting had not taken so very long and that some of the agenda items that were added could have been sent in advance to be addressed and dealt with prior to reaching the body for a vote. Many of them failed because there was so much going on and people were exhausted. All in all, things went well, and we have much work to do moving forward.”

That notwithstanding, random comments overheard in the church lobby as delegates were eager to go home, indicated that they seemed to be in a great mood and happy to be there. After all, each such convocation allows friends to meet friends whenever such events allow them to come together. “I wish we could meet more often,” one delegate from Colorado remarked.

Ron Price, a delegate from Farmington, New Mexico, summed up his experience at the session. He said, “I was well impressed with the overall tenor of the conversations, some of which verged on being debates. While many held strong values and beliefs, these seemed, for the most part, to be subjugated to the overreaching presence of love for our Lord and each other.”

–Brenda Dickerson is OUTLOOK editor and Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Campion Academy welcomed 125 students to campus with worship, games, and handshakes on Sunday, August 14.

Donning black plastic trash bags and downcast faces, the Student Association (SA) officers kicked off the event by transforming into bright and energetic leaders, introducing the theme for the school year: ‘Renewed’. After leading worship songs, Spiritual Vice-President Tiffany Mogaka shared insights on how God can renew each of our lives.

Students were then divided into their class groups for classic competitions such as a human knot and hula-hoop pass. Toby Quillin, returning sophomore, mentioned, “The games were a really good way to get to know our classes better, both for those returning and those joining for the first time. The friendly competition really brought all of us closer together.”

For the main event, students and staff members lined up to shake hands and introduce themselves. Ana Segawa, a new senior student, hadn’t experienced this type of welcome at a school before. “As a new student coming from Brazil, it can be very intimidating to go to a boarding school in a different country, but the handshakes were a great icebreaker and a nice way of getting to know the other students and staff,” she explained. “I got to meet amazing people and the whole experience made me feel very welcome.”

The evening ended with a prayer of dedication from Pastor Micheal Goetz and a round of high fives for Principal Don Reeder.

Four-year senior, Haley Beckermeyer, still found herself caught up in the excitement and positivity that Handshake brings to the start of the year. She reflected, “I am excited to watch the school grow closer as a student body and closer to God throughout this year.”

–Jill Harlow, communication director; photo by Campion Academy Newsletter

Ardis Stenbakken – Loveland, Colorado … Enditnow, the Seventh-day Adventist program to stop abuse in all its forms, is listed on the world church calendar for the fourth Sabbath of August; it is observed worldwide.

When Women’s Ministries began, and even before it became a full church department, Rose Otis, the first director, chose six challenge issues women around the world face: abuse, poverty, health, illiteracy, mentoring, and workload. But in many parts of the world, no one wanted to talk about abuse, and even refused to admit that it could happen in the church.

In 2001, when all church ministry directors at the division level met with their counterparts at the General Conference to lay plans, the 13 Women’s Ministries division directors met with Ardis Stenbakken, GC WM director, to discuss what could be done about abuse. The women decided to ask the church leadership to designate a specific Sabbath as the Abuse Prevention Emphasis Sabbath. The Annual Council that year voted to place it on the world church calendar. It broke the silence. Around the world, Women’s Ministries started talking about the issue in sermons, seminars, brochures, parades, and schools, and lobbying governments.

In 2010, the Adventist Development and Relief Agency (ADRA), under the leadership of Chuck Sandefur, asked that ADRA partner with Women’s Ministries as abuse is a major problem that ADRA faces in its work. At that time, the name of the program was changed to enditnow. When new leadership took over ADRA, they dissolved the partnership, yet Women’s Ministries continues to promote enditnow as abuse still happens in and out of the church. In fact, statistics indicate that the numbers are about the same for the church as for society as a whole.

The Campion Church Women’s Ministries, under the leadership of Jeanette Fortner, planned and observed the enditnow worship service on Sabbath, August 6 with a special service and an afternoon seminar. This was planned in cooperation with Family Ministries, led by Sandy Eickmann.

Referring to the topic chosen for the day, Ardis Stenbakken, author of this report, said, “Almost all abuse is the result of a power issue.” The presenters were Campion Church members, Sandy Eickmann, Master of Arts, Master of Public Health, and a licensed professional counselor who worked closely for 15 years with Dawson County domestic violence in Montana and treated abuse victims; and Mark Herber, JD, managing member of the law firm of Flanders, Elsberg, Herber & Dunn, in Longmont. Mark graduated with a BA in Criminal Justice in 1997 and a Juris Doctorate from the University of Oklahoma in 2000. Herber has prosecuted and defended to trial criminal abuse cases in Oklahoma and Colorado courts. These two worked together presenting the abuse and power topic to Campion Academy students earlier in the year, and it was felt that church members needed to hear the same information.

Eickmann has reported that response has been very positive with such comments as, “I needed to hear this,” and “Our church needed to hear this.” One woman who was unable to attend in person, watched the service later from the church archives and reported that she “bawled all the way through,” it touched her life so directly. A non-member wrote, “I just want to thank you for the excellent presentation today. I am sure many people learned things they did not know. . . a wonderful opportunity to increase awareness.”

One young adult woman wrote to the Women’s Ministries team, “I want to thank you for being one of the coordinators of the EndItNow Sabbath at church. Today’s service was very helpful, Christ-centered, and needed in our church and community! I appreciated the clear message sent out from the church! I have seen that pretty much everyone (me included) will be/has been abused by someone at some time, and so the different types of abuse need to be talked about so people know what to do. If abuse is ignored in our church and community, super events hosted by our church and detailed sermons cannot fully reach the pain abuse has brought to people and heal it (which is, yes, ultimately, Jesus’ work).”

–Ardis Stenbakken is a member of the Campion Church; she is involved with Women’s and Family Ministries and leads Communications. Photo was by Catherine Chamberlain.

Matt Hasty – Loveland, Colorado … Nicholas Hold, one of three theology majors on the Literature Ministry team, began his summer knocking on doors in Powell, Wyoming. One of the first people he met was an individual known in the neighborhood. Learning that Nick was a Seventh-day Adventist, he commented on how he appreciates the Adventist view of prophecy, and that he had heard of the Great Controversy and wanted to read it. He gave a higher-than-expected donation for the book.

Next door, Nick met a family who knew their neighbor. Introducing them to the Great Controversy, he mentioned that their neighbor had just got it. “Well, if [he] wants to read this book, then we should get all of your books!” they remarked.

For Nick, meeting this individual in the first few minutes of knocking on doors in Powell was no coincidence. God led his team leader to drop the canvassers at the right place at the right time to make an impact on that community for eternity! Close to 500 books were shared, sales largely impacted by the influence of one man.

This was just one testimony of many during the summer canvassing program in Colorado and Wyoming. The result of the weeks between June 5 and August 1 was not only literature being shared, but our canvassers met several former church members and local pastors are now giving them Bible studies.

This summer, our nineteen literature evangelists distributed about fourteen thousand pounds of books, and yes, we had sore backs at times. They knocked on around 200,000 doors. Considering the average family size of 3.15 persons, we could say we reached an audience of 630,000 people. We might not know the true impact of our canvassing this summer, but we heard that in Laramie, Wyoming, a young man skate-boarded up to the church asking for Bible studies and expressing a desire to keep the Sabbath! In his hand was one of the books that our students left with him.

Arguably the greatest impact of the literature ministry program is what it does to our own young people. One of the team members, Jacob Rodriguez, was rebaptized last weekend. Three others, including the parent of one of our students, have started studying toward the same decision.

Bayli Graybill, commenting on her experience this summer said, “This program was a growing experience in my social life, physical life, and especially in my spiritual life. I was challenged in a good way to be bold with my faith and not afraid of my fears.”

Thank you to our amazing Rocky Mountain Conference churches in Colorado and Wyoming where our team worked this year, for their support of our young people. Your food, your homes, your prayers and even that stack of water bottles you hand delivered while we were knocking on doors, encouraged us to keep at our work of bringing the gospel to the people! Thank you, RMC!

–Matt Hasty is RMC literature ministry director. Photos supplied.

Rajmund Dabrowski – Montrose, Colorado … “As we have been driving up and down the mountain, as we have spent time here at the Mountain Top Retreat, we have seen the wonders of the world You have made….” The Sabbath morning prayer offered by Pastor Steve Schwartz, pastor of Delta and Cedaredge churches, bridged a reflection of God’s creation, visible and enjoyable, at the Uncompahgre National Forest where the 7th Annual Western Slope Camp Meeting took place August 3-7. Over 200 church members from local congregations participated in the gathering.

The venue was appropriate for several presentations on “Sabbath: Day of Exquisite Delight” by Dr. Jo Ann and Dr. Richard Davidson, theology professors from the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary in Berrien Springs, Michigan.

“When I look at the Bible, I see how many things of salvation history happened on the mountains. So, I was tickled to know that this camp meeting was on the mountainside. It’s been a blessed experience to be here, to be away from the city noise and city stress, and be up here, for God’s glory in nature is all around us. I don’t want it to be over,” said Dr. Jo Ann Davidson.

Similarly, Dr. Richard Davidson recalled being at a camp meeting in downtown Los Angeles, crowded with people, and “to be here on the mountain top with people who love nature and who love each other, who come together to study about the Sabbath and about God’s wonders and created works, my soul has been filled this week.”

Both presenters saw camp meeting participants engaged and challenged to go beyond understanding the correctness of Shabbat as a seventh day. “Think of the Sabbath not only as a right day but as a living experience. … Sabbath is a gift for the human race,” said Richard Davidson.

Both lecturers shared eight presentations, covering Old and New Testament times, as well as the need to “live the Sabbath” today. Referring to herself as a “militant Seventh-day Adventist,” Jo Ann Davidson explained that “we [as Seventh-day Adventists] give a wrong impression about the Sabbath. … We teach about the day itself, but not how to live it.”

Conversations among the camp meeting participants were full of positive comments and how they were affected by the presentations. They enjoyed meeting fellow believers and re-kindling friendships with the added challenge for the church to learn the rules of nature.

Two workshops covered the FARM STEW, a program referred to as a “recipe for an abundant life.” According to presenters, Pastor Fritz Krieger and Dan Golden from Montrose, “families who struggled with food insecurity, depression, exhaustion, poor nutrition, disease, addictions, poverty, and dehydration have found hope in the ingredients of the FARM STEW.” They shared the recipe, which relates to the name itself: Farming, Attitude, Rest, Meals, Sanitation, Temperance, Enterprise, and Water. The program, as an independent ministry, has been available to internationally since 2015 and has affected many communities, positively changing their lifestyle.

Sonia Ball from Montrose said she “enjoyed the fellowship with members from different churches, a good, old Adventist family. Plus, the surroundings are so serene and peaceful.” She singled out the music of the weekend. “The Heavenly Father inhabits our praises,” she said.

Don and Donna Mohl, a Folk Mountain Gospel group from Tennessee, led the music with local talent joining them enthusiastically. A camp meeting women’s choir added their talents in a Sabbath worship performance.

Steve Schwartz expressed that the nature of a camp meeting gathering is friends meeting friends, new friendships being formed, and a family of God enjoying their fellowship. He watched church members come to the gathering, with “a few people to start with, and more joining in. Some [of them] wander outside, some come inside into the hall, both blessed. It tells me that God is in both places,” he commented.

–Text and photos by Rajmund Dabrowski