Elisabet Kirkland Page 11

Kenneth Mambo – Commerce City, Colorado … Herol Ngongoloy and his wife, Hetty, made a life-changing decision to accept Jesus as their personal Savior through baptism at the First Denver Indonesian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Commerce City, Colorado, December 7.

The couple had been deeply involved in Protestant church life for many years, dating back to the time they lived in Indonesia. They served in the church where they played a pivotal role in fostering unity and growth among the congregation. Their dedication and influence were key in bringing new members into the church.

In addition to their church leadership, Herol held high political standing having served as the head of the local municipality for an extended period. His involvement in both the church and the community was vital, and his leadership in both spheres had a lasting impact on those around him.

Since their arrival in the United States, the Ngongoloy family was introduced to the Seventh-day Adventist Church as their family has been actively involved at First Denver Indonesian Church. They were deeply influenced by their family’s commitment to the church and the warm, accepting atmosphere they experienced.

Benny Lumowa, the Ngongoloy family’s brother-in-law, shared, “I didn’t have any influence over their decision to join the Seventh-day Adventist Church. They made that decision on their own, and I am blessed to see my extended family become part of this movement.”

The Ngongoloy family was extremely grateful for the support they received from both their family and the First Denver Indonesian Church, which warmly welcomed them as part of the church family. Through Bible studies with Widy Gara, the First Denver Indonesian Church lead pastor, they spent time deepening their understanding of Scripture and their faith. After a period of study and reflection, they made the heartfelt decision to accept Jesus as their personal Savior and were baptized into the church.

“Mr. Herol and Mrs. Hetty Ngongoloy have accepted Jesus as their personal Savior through baptism,” Gara expressed. “We wish them the best as they begin their new life in Jesus Christ.”

—Kenneth Mambo is a member of the First Denver Indonesian Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo supplied.

Jonathan Carlson – Ward, Colorado … The annual Association of Adventist Camp Professionals (AACP) conference took place this year in the scenic surroundings near Idyllwild, California, December 3- 7. This year’s event proved to be another fantastic opportunity for camp professionals to connect and grow, leveraging the many resources available within the Adventist and Non-Adventist camp community.

One of the highlights of the conference was the meaningful connections made with volunteer resources provided through organizations like the North American Division (NAD) Office of Volunteers, Maranatha, and HeSaidGo.org. These partnerships are instrumental in empowering the work done at camps across the country but especially at Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Youth camps, Mill Springs Ranch (MSR) in Casper, Wyoming, and Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado.

A particularly striking statistic revealed during the event was that 80% of all Seventh-day Adventist Conference employees have worked at summer camp at some point in their lives. This highlights the significant impact that summer camps have, not just on the lives of the campers but also on the individuals who serve there.

Additionally, a large percentage of youth baptisms within the Seventh-day Adventist Church occur at camp settings, further emphasizing the spiritual importance of the programs. In the RMC in 2024 alone, there were over 30 baptisms at MSR and GVR.

This insight serves as a powerful testament to the vital work carried out by the youth department at camps like GVR and MSR. These camps provide transformative experiences where young people can encounter Christ and make life-changing decisions.

Stefan Teal, GVR Food Service manager, remarked, “The coolest aspect was meeting all of the other people that had similar experiences that they encountered while serving groups in the kitchen.”

RMC also celebrated the leadership contributions in the Conference. Jade Teal, RMC Youth assistant director, was elected as the vice president of Communications for the AACP, while Brandon Westgate, RMC Youth director, was voted to serve as President-Elect. These appointments are a recognition of their dedication and passion for youth ministry.

“The 2024 AACP Conference was an incredible experience that brought together Christ-centered servants committed to making a difference in the lives of young people,” reflected Jonathan Carlson, RMC Camp Ministries director. “It was a reminder of the profound impact of camp ministry and the ongoing collaboration that fuels its success.”

—Jonathan Carlson is the RMC Camp Ministries director. Photo capture from Pine Springs Ranch.

Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Kaleb Leeper has been announced as the incoming principal for Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, beginning in July 2025. Leeper will be coming to Campion from Shenandoah Valley Academy in New Market, Virginia, where he has been serving as the vice principal for Spiritual Life.

Diane Harris, the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Education director, commented, “We see God’s hand at work in bringing him to our community, and we are excited about the vision and leadership he will bring to Campion Academy.”

Leeper began his educational ministry after he graduated from Southern Adventist University with a B.A. in Religious Education. Over the last 12 years, Kaleb has worked at two different boarding academies in various roles: Bible teacher, math teacher, coach, vice principal for Student Life, guidance counselor, recruiter, and vice principal for Spiritual Life, and head of Campus Ministries.

He has a passion for Adventist Education and believes that boarding schoolwork holds a unique opportunity to develop students in body, mind, and soul. Through his role as principal, Kaleb plans to come alongside the students, faculty, and staff, and empower them to aim high and achieve great things for the glory of God.

The Leeper family looks forward to meeting new people, joining an active church community, experiencing more snow, traveling to some of the amazing nature sights in the region, and Kaleb is also very excited that he won’t have to stay up as late to watch his favorite baseball team, the Los Angeles Dodgers.

Campion staff and students look forward to welcoming the Leeper family to campus next summer.

Harris furthered, “We are also profoundly thankful for the faithful leadership of Dr. Allison, who has served Campion Academy with dedication and grace throughout this year. His guidance has been a blessing, providing stability and direction as we await this next chapter.”

—Jill Harlow is the Campion Academy communication director. Photo supplied.

RMCNews with Doug Inglish – Denver, Colorado … The final Executive Committee Meeting of 2024 for the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) was held December 10. Much of the meeting was centered on electing individuals to fill vacancies and reviewing the budget for the upcoming year.

The first item on the agenda was the voting in of Hugo Guillen, currently the lead pastor at the Denver Central and South Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Churches, as the new RMC Ministerial associate director and lead in Multicultural Ministries starting January 1. This position replaces and expands upon the former role of the RMC Hispanic coordinator.

“Hugo Guillen will do an excellent job in his new position,” remarked Mic Thurber, RMC president. “Though some aspects of his new position will be new to him, his leadership skills and spiritual heart will give him the right foundation to step into this role. We will be praying for him as he leads our Spanish work and workers along with other language groups as needed.”

It was formally announced that Rajmund Dabrowski, currently the RMC communication director, will be retiring at the end of the year. Liz Kirkland was voted in as the new department director, also starting January 1.

Thurber continued, “It was wonderful to welcome two new departmental leaders and to bid farewell to another one. Rajmund Dabrowski will be deeply missed, and we are grateful that his plans are to remain here in our territory. Thanks for a job well done, Ray! Liz Kirkland brings new skills and ideas to the communication department along with an in-depth knowledge of current communication trends and tools. Her past couple of years working with Ray makes her the ideal person to carry on this important work.”

A significant topic for discussion in the meeting was the review and approval of the preliminary 2025 RMC budget. The budget will be revised after the closing of the 2024 books and presented again in the first committee meeting of the new year. The treasurer’s report was approved, subject to audit.

The budget review led to a lengthy discussion identifying the need to address tithe giving and offerings. One member urged the committee for the need to go beyond just discussing the issue and develop a practical approach to spending tithe money in support of the mission of the church.

It was noted by committee member David VandeVere, vice president for finance for the Mid-America Union Conference, that the tithe deficit is being experienced by many conferences in North America and is a reflection on spiritual temperature of the church members. The challenge was posed on how to find new ways to encourage members who are not contributing financially to do so.

“The committee’s hard work on the tentative budget for next year and brainstorming on ways to address the tithe shortfall will provide some sharper focus in several areas which we pray will place the Conference in a stronger position to execute our mission here in the RMC,” concluded Thurber.

It was noted in the meeting that there are currently three pastoral positions open, with an additional one opening pending.

Fred Harding, elder and member of the Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church, was accepted to fill a vacancy on the Bylaws Committee for the southwest Colorado and New Mexico region. There is still an opening to fill for the Denver Metro area. The Property and Trust Committee also accepted Melody Pickett to fill a vacancy in the Denver metro area.

The Audit Review Committee presented their findings in the meeting, which were accepted into review. And the Executive Committee voted to continue meeting bimonthly for a total of six meetings in 2025.

—Doug Inglish is the RMC vice president for administration. Photo by Liz Kirkland.

Mic Thurber – Denver, Colorado … Hugo Guillen was voted by the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Executive Committee, December 10, to be the new Ministerial associate director and lead of Multicultural Ministries. He has accepted the invitation and will begin working in his new role January 1.

Though most of his focus will be on the growing Hispanic ministries in RMC, Guillen will be supporting the other cultural ministries in the Conference. As the Ministerial associate director, he will work closely with Mickey Mallery, RMC Ministerial director.

Guillen brings a rich background in pastoral ministry to his new position and is a respected colleague among the Spanish-speaking pastors of the Conference. He will convene the RMC Hispanic pastors for regular meetings to help facilitate the plans for the Spanish-speaking work, as well be the lead in planning special programs including the RMC Hispanic Camp Meeting and the 100-year celebration of the establishment of Hispanic Ministry in the Rocky Mountain Conference.

In preparing to undertake this new position, Guillen commented, “As we continue to move closer to the second advent of our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, we must grow in our dependence of the Holy Spirit. I’m honored to have the opportunity to advance my professional and ministerial growth here in the Rocky Mountain Conference. My prayer is that I may contribute, with God’s help, in a significant way to what we, as a Conference, are seeking to accomplish. And as long as we allow the Lord to build the house, we will not labor in vain.”

“The selection process was carefully and prayerfully undertaken,” recalled Mic Thurber, RMC president. “We started with about nine or ten applicants for the position. About half from within the Conference and about half from outside. After doing initial interviews, we narrowed the field down to four individuals: two from inside and two from outside the conference, which was further narrowed down to one person from within and one person from outside the conference.”

“The process was difficult because virtually all the applicants had gifts or experiences that would easily qualify them for this position,” Thurber continued. “After one last round of interviews and prayers, the RMC [Administrative Committee] (AdCom) voted to recommend Elder Guillen to the Executive Committee. I have no doubt, but that Elder Guillen will become an outstanding leader and representative for our Hispanic and other cultural churches.”

“Speaking for all of us on the Conference AdCom,” he concluded, “we are excited to have Hugo on board and are looking forward to the positive mark he will make on our conference.”

—Mic Thurber is the RMC president. Photo supplied.

Mic Thurber – Denver, Colorado … Rajmund Dabrowski will be retiring from his work as the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) communication director January 1. Dabrowski has acted as director for nearly 10 years, joining RMC in 2015.

“A major page is turning at the end of this year—our longtime friend and colleague, Elder Rajmund Dabrowski, will be retiring. Ray has given many years of faithful service to our Conference ever since his first retirement. He leaves an important legacy of excellent work for which I am deeply grateful,” says Mic Thurber, RMC president.

“Having served the Church over decades, I have completed my formal service with the local level of church organization. It was a learning curve, and I will be forever grateful to our Church to see communication as one of the primary ministries,” reflected Dabrowski.

“Ray’s ability to size up a situation or event and write a story or report about it is among the best I’ve seen,” Thurber continued. “His passion for Mountain Views produced so many thought-provoking articles, often tackling difficult issues. His international experience and time at the General Conference gave him many contacts around the world church, which enabled him to write with a perspective not often available at a local conference.”

“I am deeply grateful for his work and dedication, and we all wish him nothing but God’s richest blessings as he and his wife Grazyna enjoy more together. And I’m grateful he has offered to continue to consult with us as needed after his retirement,” Thurber concluded.

The RMC Executive Committee voted December 10 to accept the RMC AdCom’s recommendation to invite Liz Kirkland, having served as the RMC communication assistant, to take over as full-time Conference Communication Department director starting January 1, which she has accepted.

“Thinking ahead strategically,” Thurber recalled, “Ray recommended to bring in Liz, a member of the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church, to join him in the department as his assistant two years ago.”

Thurber continues, “Liz has some wonderful gifts in design, computer applications related to electronic media and is a wordsmith in her own right. She will bring many new and fresh ideas and approaches to the wide array of modern media channels that are available today. We have every confidence that Liz will build on Ray’s strong foundation and take us to the next level. We are fortunate she has joined our leadership team.”

“I have been so blessed to have worked with Ray in this ministry. His experience in the field of Adventist Communication is second to none, and I just enjoy the person he is. I will miss him!” remarked Kirkland.

“But I am grateful for the opportunity to better serve my Conference, and I look forward to having more devoted time to working with RMC’s wonderful members and leaders to share Adventist hope in the community.”

—Mic Thurber is the RMC president. Photo by Rajmund Dabrowski.