Elisabet Kirkland

12 Aug

FROM GANG MEMBER TO CHURCH MEMBER

Nathan Cranson – Montrose, Colorado … Eric Cervantes, a former gang member, was baptized at the Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church in Montrose, Colorado, July 20.

“This summer, I had the privilege of baptizing Eric Cervantes and welcoming him into membership at the Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church,” remarked Nathan Cranson, lead pastor at the Montrose Church.

Cervantes grew up in a Catholic family but explains that he doesn’t ever remember going to church. In his teen years, he joined a local gang. He did leave the gang some years later. Cervantes commented that most of his friends in the gang were not so fortunate and either ended up in prison or were killed.

Since then, Cervantes has been married and had two daughters. His wife returned to Mexico leaving him to parent alone for the last 15 years.

Cervantes explains that it was like his spirit awakened in 2020, and, for the first time, he wanted to know about God. One of his close friends had been listening to Three Angels Broadcasting Network (3ABN) radio and had attended Montrose Church a few times. His friend invited Cervantes to attend with him. He was apprehensive since he had never stepped foot in a church before, but he gathered courage knowing his friend would be there with him.

After church, Cervantes’s friend explained that he was going to be out of town the following Sabbath but that he should still attend. Cervantes said that he would just wait for him to come back and join him next time, but his friend insisted, explaining that it wasn’t about his friend it was about God.

The next week, Cervantes was sitting in his truck in the church parking lot deciding what to do: do I do what is comfortable and drive home, or do I do what I believe God wants me to do and walk into church? “By the grace of God, Eric walked into church that day and has seldom missed a Sabbath since,” reminisced Cranson. “His friend attended with him until his work began to occupy his Sabbaths. Now it is Eric who is encouraging his friend to come back to church. Please pray that God’s grace will prevail once more.”

Cervantes started attending a Bible study led by retired former pastor Fritz Krieger on Sunday nights. Cervantes also started bringing his younger daughter to church and Bible study. He then began to study with Cranson for baptism.

“It was purely by the grace of God that the former gang member has now become beloved member of the Adventist family of God,” Cranson commented. “What a glorious Sabbath morning it was to see Eric’s friend with his two kids, both Eric’s daughters, one of their boyfriend’s, and his mom, all there to witness Eric dedicating his life to Christ. God’s Spirit is truly still at work.”

—Nathan Cranson is the lead pastor for the Montrose, Gunnison, and Paonia Seventh-day Adventist Churches. Photos supplied.

12 Aug

YOUTH RUSH STUDENTS ON FIRE FOR JESUS AFTER SUMMER OF DIVINE APPOINTMENTS

Campion Academy News – Loveland, Colorado … The students in Youth Rush, the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Literature Ministry summer program, have been growing their faith while ministering to community members door-to-door. They spent their summer canvassing in several cities in Colorado and Wyoming and wrapped up by working at the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming.

A few students on the team from Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, explained how Youth Rush impacted them spiritually and shared a memorable experience from the summer.

“Working at Youth Rush has grown my spiritual life because it has made me realize how important prayer is,” commented Toby Q., an RMC Youth Rush participant. “Without prayer and being in constant contact with God, I would not have been able to make it through this summer or impact people’s lives and bring them closer to God.”

“There was a deaf lady checking out of a hotel I had gone to canvas at, so she could only communicate with sign language. My sister is currently learning sign language in college, so she taught me some. I was able to help this lady and was also able to connect with the lady who worked at the hotel’s front desk. She told me she only went to church during some of her life because she was in foster homes, and she got some devotional books. None of this would have been able to happen if anyone else had walked into the hotel because no one else on my team knew sign language. It’s crazy how God works.”

Liz M., also a participant, remarked, “Youth Rush helped me grow a lot with God. I had a lot of questions coming into the program. Every day we pray a lot, and I can see God working in people’s lives and it’s amazing to see how God is always there with us even if it doesn’t always feel like it. It’s amazing to see how God has been helping me.”

“At one door, a lady answered, and I showed her our healthy cooking book, but she wasn’t interested. So, I showed her our devotional books and suddenly she started crying,” she continued. “She told me that earlier that morning she had prayed to God to show her a sign that he was still there and that he was still working in her life. She was planning to kill herself on Saturday that week. She told me how crazy it was that I showed up that evening, and it showed her that God was still there and how he was working harder than ever. After sharing her story, she said, ‘Thank you for saving my life.’ I said, ‘Don’t thank me, thank God.’”

Keon P. commented, “Before Youth Rush, I knew God, but not on a personal level. And now, I have a fuller understanding of God and how he is my father. I met a chemical engineer at a door, and he was not Christian and never believed in the faith. He bought one of the books and told me that he usually never gets anything from people that come to his door. But he said he wanted to try it out and got two Bible books for his kids.”

“I was born in an atheist family, and I converted when I was eight years old. I have never been so close to the Bible and with God as I have this summer,” remarked Nicollas R. “Youth Rush has been such a blessing for my spiritual life. And it’s been good to see how God works when we are knocking on doors.”

He continued, “I met a woman while I was canvassing, and I told her I was from Brazil. She was shocked because she had lived in Brazil for seven years. We started to speak Portuguese, and I showed her our health and devotional books. She got a little bit mad because she said she didn’t believe in God or the Bible. She told me she did not want a book, but she wanted to donate. I left and went to the next street. But surprisingly, the lady came out to find me and told me she wanted to try new things, and she bought the devotional sets.”

Marc W. commented, “Working Youth Rush was a really great experience. I actually wanted to come to this program to get to know God better. Being here with all my leaders and all my friends who have the same beliefs as I do has really opened my eyes to what God has in store for me, and what my true identity is through him.”

“I met this really nice lady from Ukraine,” he remarked. “I showed her our health book and she really liked it. Then I showed her our spiritual books and I asked her what her spiritual background was. She started crying. She told me she used to be a very strong Christian, but she wasn’t anymore. She told me with the war and all the pain and suffering going on in her country, she couldn’t believe in God. She told me, ‘I want to help you. I am giving you a donation, but I don’t want any books.’ I left her with some books, and she ended up accepting the books.”

—Campion Academy News. Republished with permission from the Campion Academy weekly e-Newsletter. Photo supplied.

12 Aug

Mid-America Union Responds to False Reports of Accident Involving Pathfinders within the RMC

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The Mid-America Union (MAUC) has been made aware of circulating social media posts, specifically on Facebook, alleging that there has been an accident involving Pathfinders from a club within the Rocky Mountain Conference. After thorough investigation and verification with the North American Division, the Rocky Mountain Conference, and the Wyoming and Colorado state police, we can confirm that no such accident has occurred in our territory at this time.

We understand the concern and alarm that such reports can cause, especially within our Pathfinder community and among the families of those involved. It is important to note that the safety and well-being of our Pathfinders is our utmost priority, and any reports of incidents are taken seriously and thoroughly investigated.

We urge the public to refrain from sharing unverified information on social media platforms, as doing so can lead to unnecessary panic and distress.

We appreciate the prompt response from the North American Division, the Rocky Mountain Conference, and the state police in confirming that no such accident as described on social media has taken place.

The Mid-America Union remains committed to transparency and will continue to provide accurate information to our community. We encourage everyone to stay connected to our official channels for updates and verified information.

—Hugh Davis is the associate director of communication for the Mid-America Union Conference. Republished with permission from MAUC.

07 Aug

SEVERE STORMS COULD NOT DAMPEN THE CAMPOREE SPIRIT

RMCNews – Gillette, Wyoming … A severe thunderstorm tore through the Gillette area in Wyoming last night, August 6, putting activities at the 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee to a halt. Around 6:00 p.m. (MT), a severe storm watch was put into effect, and Camporee leadership took all precautions to keep people safe by moving them from the camp sites into CAM-PLEX facilities buildings as the storm passed through the area.

All activities have been suspended until noon, August 7, for clubs to rebuild their campsites and obtain new supplies and gear. No injuries from the storm have been reported as of now.

“The storm has passed, praise the Lord. Thank you for all your prayers! And we even have a rainbow here reminding us that God will take care of us,” commented Hugh Davis, Mid-America Union Conference associate director of communication.

Many Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Pathfinder club camp sites sustained damage from strong wind gusts and flooding. Brent Learned, RMC Youth assistant director and RMC Camporee operations manager, reported the camp site for the Cheyenne Seventh-day Adventist Church Pathfinders Club from Cheyenne, Wyoming, was completely flooded out with 4 inches of standing water. The Casper Seventh-day Adventist Church Pathfinders Club from Casper, Wyoming, had most of their tents collapse from tent poles snapping and had to return to Casper for the evening to regroup.

The Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church Pathfinders Club from Cody, Wyoming, and the Brixton Jays Pathfinder Club, an international club from the U.K. sponsored by the Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church Pathfinders Club from Denver, Colorado, were also flooded and were moved to the Gillette Seventh-day Adventist Church, the local church in Gillette, Wyoming, while their gear dries out and equipment replacements acquired.

“Cody, Denver South, and Cheyenne got it the worst,” remarked Learned. “It’s dried up a lot. They dug a trench to drain it, but it was, at one point, almost halfway up to the knee.” He wanted those affected by the storm to remember that the same God that saw us through the storm is going to help us rebuild what we lost.

Other local churches in Gillette opened their doors to house Pathfinder clubs displaced by the storms. Extra attention has been given to the international clubs as they do not have the option to head home early. In an article released by the NAD, “Storms Interrupts International Pathfinders Camporee, Displaces Some Campers,” it was also reported that a Gillette resident drove to the CAM-PLEX with a car full of sleeping bags, blankets, and camping supplies.

“Well, it is a mess,” reported Daniele Fantoni, lead pastor at the Alamosa Seventh-day Adventist Church in Alamosa, Colorado. “We will manage, [and] we will rearrange everything because we still have the canopy and the trailers. We also brought enough extra things, so we were pretty good. Other clubs are in a worse situation than us for sure. Someone came here asking for 20 sleeping bags, and some others drove two hours from here to get everything that was needed. Praise the Lord that we had big buildings that we could use.”

While this information has not been confirmed, several participant sources at Camporee did comment that the local Walmart in Gillette was cleaned out of supplies necessary to replace what was lost in the storm. It was reported that people were driving a few hours to other towns for supplies.

“Overall, for the spirit at Camporee is a plus,” remarked Eli Gonzales, co-executive coordinator of the RMC Club Ministries. “We’ve been blessed with the leadership that we have here at the Rocky Mountain Conference. Pastor Mic [Thurber] and his team provided us with transportation and buying some supplies from Walmart to take to the local church where some clubs were moved to.”

“It’s been rough after that storm. It damaged a lot of our tents and our belongings. But the spirit is really positive. We have never seen so many people come together to help each other,” Gonzales continued.

Mic Thurber, RMC president, has been at Camporee since before the event welcomed the first Pathfinder club. He commented, “I saw lots of smiling, happy faces as RMC’s ‘tent city’ was set up on Monday. After a night of a powerful storm in our path on Tuesday night, I wondered what I would see today on their faces. Guess what?! The same smiles and sense of joy!”

“Our Pathfinders and their leaders are the best, and our youth leadership are beyond incredible,” Thurber continued. “Their leadership in the aftermath of the storm was wonderful! And it was great to see the Gillette community rally to help our kids in so many ways! God is surely working here in Gillette. Please pray that every soul here will be touched for eternity.”

—RMCNews. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski and Ryan McCoy.

Camporee-Storms-by-Ryan-McCoy — Photo by Ryan McCoy

01 Aug

GILLETTE TO WELCOME 60,000 PATHFINDERS

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … There will be 60,000 people traveling to Gillette, Wyoming, for next week’s 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee, August 5-11. The Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) will be represented by over 900 people from Colorado, Wyoming, and a part of New Mexico including 34 local clubs.

The mission of International Camporees is to celebrate the importance and spiritual influence of the Pathfinder ministry. This will be the ninth gathering of the fraternity of Pathfinders. It all started in 1985 where over 16,000 filled up the mountainous valley at Camp Hale in Colorado. The program included BMX biking, rock climbing, and archery among other activities.

The 2024 Camporee theme is “Believe the Promise.” An evening production will feature the promise God had Moses repeat to the nation of Israel before the exodus. This promise was the promise of freedom from slavery. The attendees will be charged with believing God and His promise that Jesus would help to achieve quality of life for each of us.

The current activity program is larger than before with plans to beat world records in several activities including backpack packing with schools supplies for students in need, postcard collecting, tent set-up, and Lego Great Ball Contraption. There are over 50 community service projects in Gillette planned to be completed during the event. It is expected that a few new honors will be unveiled at this year’s event to expand Pathfinder skillsets.

A cooking competition will involve clubs vying for the top chef award. A few fun runs and a 5K race will also be held along with daily rodeos and MX Power Team motorcycle demos. Jade Teal, RMC Youth assistant director, will lead a rock-climbing event on Devils Tower National Monument for youth in the Teen Leadership Training (TLT) program.

What is of most importance is that we are all invited to pray for the safe travel of these Seventh-day Adventist Pathfinders, leaders, guardians, families, and fellow church members from over 100 countries.

As the CAM-PLEX facilities are being prepared to welcome thousands of participants and visitors to Camporee, Brandon Westgate, RMC Youth director, commented, “A group of RMC summer camp staff, a dedicated bunch of hard-working individuals, are currently working on an incredible number of projects in preparation for the 60,000 participants at Gillette 2024.”

“This group, referred to as the A-team, has been laboring long hours in the hot sun with smiles on their faces to ensure that the participants will enjoy a safe and meaningful experience. It’s incredible. It is inspiring to behold the accomplishments of a bunch of motivated young people. God is already doing great things here; we can’t wait to see how the Spirit moves once this epic event officially kicks off,” he continued.

Around 1,075 attendees have registered to be baptized at Camporee. This is regarded as an important spiritual journey present at every Camporee. “The water will not be still. We are going to have to make some waves,” says Camporee baptism coordinator Craig Carr, Ministerial Director for the Mid-America Union Conference.

The organizers are hoping that the Pathfinders’ presence will make a difference to the over 33,000 (2022) hosting residents of Gillette.

—RMCNews. Photo supplied.

30 Jul

COMMENTARY: MY ANOINTED YOUTH SUMMER CAMP EXPERIENCE

By Lucas Lujan

What is Jesus doing today in 2024? I would like to approach this idea with the understanding that He is constantly up to something and is always active in His connections with all His friends. However, I have one story out of the millions of His encounters that I would like to share. This was a special work with His young friends outside of Ward, Colorado, at a Christian resort called Glacier View Ranch (GVR), and I think it’s worth reading!

It was the 2024 summer camp put on by the Youth Ministries Department of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC), that had a special theme, “Anointed.” To assist in expressing this theme, I was invited to assist the GVR/Youth Ministries team to direct the campers, ages 13-18, to the experiences that King David had while he was anointed by the prophet Samuel (1 Samuel 16).

Now, I had never experienced any type of summer camp at all in my life, let alone a Christian camp. I am a Seventh-day Adventist convert who was raised Catholic with a heavy influence of secularism in my youth. At this summer camp, the action of love was made evident among the young adult camp leaders in their interactions with each other as well as with their coaches and leaders. I saw the intentional proactivity of a team who loves the young teenage friends of Jesus so much that they went out of their way to travel from all over the United States to coach and mentor the teens of our Conference in a way to cultivate a long-lasting relationship with Jesus, their best friend.

The time they spent was countless and meaningful. With such enthusiastic energy, this group welcomed my family and I to join them in guiding the teens to the anointing that God has for them. The goal was to show them that, even though God anoints us, we may still experience rough roads on the journey. Although we are not exempt from hardships in our anointing, God is still the same Promise Keeper today as He was for King David in biblical times. The young people learned that God will never leave us and that He will always fight for us (Matthew 28:18; Exodus 14:14).

While I mingled among the teens and young adult leaders, I began to see that every one of these young people are just starting life off. They are at a place in life where they are trying to figure out who they are. Many of the teenage campers that attended the GVR Summer Youth Camp are not Seventh-day Adventists and belong to other Christian denominations, while others simply do not profess to be followers of Jesus at all.

Like myself, there were a lot of teens that are being raised in secularism and look at God as aloof or distant. While there were many walks of life here, all were poured into with hope, acceptance, and love. This is showing them that God’s anointing is huge in revealing their identity in Christ and what they mean to God.

One thing about the next generation is they ask good questions because they want to know the “why” behind the idea. They crave “realness.” Young people can tell when something is not genuinely real. They desire real relationships because Jesus created them that way.

At GVR, this summer, I was able to witness Jesus presented in real ways. The young people saw Jesus not only in sermons and devotions but, more importantly, in everyday actions of love for each other. I even heard one teen say that she never understood much about who or what God is, but now she is closer to saying that Jesus is Him because of what she witnessed at the summer camp.

This camp was awesome in the sense that all the teens were introduced to the living God as being real and as existing to draw all humanity to Himself. This was executed by showing the young people that He has a plan and a purpose for them.

My wife and I even noticed our introverted sons come out of their shells and make connections with others. It brought a huge blessing to our hearts to see how the teens and young adults lived out the love of Jesus by bringing our boys into fellowship with them. Connections were made that can last a lifetime! It was in these interactions that we saw the anointing of God manifesting organically. Could it be that the teens may know more than we adults give them credit for?

I began asking two questions in my own mind that I would like to share with you: (1) Can Jesus’s work in the Heavenly Sanctuary today include not merely a pleading for His people, but also a pleading to His people? (2) Who exactly are His people? The Bible says that He is not willing that any perish (2 Peter 3:9). In my reading of this text, I can easily conclude that the word “any” in the text does in fact include the young people of today’s generation.

Every one of those young people are the aim of Jesus’s motive. They each matter to Him as if they were the only ones that existed. It is in their hearts that Jesus is appealing and pleading to them to trust Him for a meaningful relationship. He is reaching out from His Sanctuary in Heaven drawing the young hearts of teenage people in RMC like He is with teens around the whole world.

The young people we encountered at this year’s summer camp are the future of the Church and, to be real with you, they are the Church in action. Jesus called the RMCs Youth Ministries team to rally around them and pour into their lives the love and anointing that God has for them.

However, the call doesn’t stop there. Every one of our Churches should invest in the lives of our young people that God has entrusted us to disciple. It is now, while they are awaiting next year’s summer camp at GVR, that we should invest into them the anointing God. We can do this at our local churches by being supportive of youth ministries any way possible.

Many teens expressed desires for follow up Bible studies as well as a desire to be baptized. In fact, one teen and one young adult leader was baptized at GVR on the last day. Almost all the young people answered the appeal to allow Jesus to work in their hearts and in their families at home. It’s good for us to not assume that they don’t want anything to do with God. It is important to pour into those who are doing the work of getting the Gospel out to the world today, but it is just as important for us to pour into the ones who will be getting the Gospel out to the world tomorrow.

To summarize my paradigm shift of summer camp, I would say that you just have to be there to know what goes on and the hard work that is happening behind the scenes. Food was always provided for those who attended, meeting the physical needs, while love was magnified in action and word, meeting the spiritual needs.

RMC churches are very privileged to have Brandon Westgate, RMC Youth director, Jade Teal, RMC Youth assistant director, and the whole RMC Youth Ministries team to share the vision of Jesus’s love for young people. As we go to church next Sabbath to worship Jesus, let’s remember that He has young friends that may be in our congregations. We should be sure to encourage them that God has an anointing on their life.

And to answer the question of “what is Jesus doing today in 2024?”, He is showing the young people everywhere His anointing on their lives and appearing to them in their hearts that they may know the grace of God that brings salvation to all mankind (Titus 2:11). Will you join Jesus in this work that will strengthen the future of His church and pave the way for Him to return? After all, it may very well be their generation that finishes the work of spreading the Gospel so that the Alpha and Omega, Jesus, our best friend, will finally come to take us with Him!

—Lucas Lujan is head pastor at Colorado Springs South and Woodland Park Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.

29 Jul

FEATURE: FROM COMMUNISM TO CAMPOREE COSTUMES – DENVER SEAMSTRESS BRINGS NIGHT PROGRAM TO LIFE

By Vanya Kovacheva

Growing up in a Communist country caused my hunger for God. The silence about God was deafening. I was about five years old when I lifted my head toward the sky on the kindergarten playground and I knew there is God.

My grandmother and mother never told me anything about God. They were afraid that the Communists would extradite our family from our home or send us to work camp to die. Extradition had already happened to my grandmother before as my grandfather was a successful private businessman.

My great-grandmother told me once about “The Gospel.” I asked her “what is that?” and she said it was a book about God. I knew nothing about God. The world seemed dark and scary. I told myself, “When I grow up and learn to read, I will read that book.” Finally, I knew where to find information about the One who exists and who I cannot see.

Fast forward to when I was 12 years old, my mother started to go to a Bible study in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. After a year, she learned so much from the Bible that she started to talk to me about it and invited me to church. I loved every single moment of every sermon. I could finally learn about the invisible God I believed in. I studied the Bible every day. I read every book the church printing press printed.

Immediate after my baptism, the leaders invited me to be an adult Sabbath School teacher. I have been teaching Sabbath School lessons for many years for different age groups.

Later, I graduated with a master’s degree in textile engineering. My then-boyfriend became a pastor and we married, serving in Bulgaria for nine years. He wanted to study more, so we came to Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan, for our second master’s degrees.

While I was doing my master’s degree in Youth Ministry at Andrews University, I helped Betty Whitehead, costume coordinator at Andrews University and Bible Story producer for the International Pathfinder Camporee organization, make some costumes for the “Passion Play”—a youth ministry event that brings to life the final events of Jesus’s life. A few months later, Betty asked me to make some kilts for the drama production on the “Story of Joseph.” We were able to dress all the boys in the cast for 3 months with a few bolts of off-white fabric.

I had no clue what I was getting into.

Visiting the International Camporee in Oshkosh for the first time was an impressive sight. They had built a real size pyramid behind the stage to make Egypt look real. There were about 15,000 children watching the play. I was sold. Building a stage to tell a story, capturing the imagination of those youth for God, showing how God is present in human history and how He intervenes in human affairs, because he cares, is a cause worth working for.

It has now been 20 years during which we produced the stories of Esther, Daniel, David, and Moses, in which I am currently the costume designer and lead seamstress for 2024 Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming. I love designing every servant, slave, prophet, king, and pharaoh costume. God is the creator of our Earth and the God of all people. Being made in His image, we have creative abilities. I feel close to God when I create.

Often, when I come to a certain character that needs to be dressed, I pray, and, in the evening when my brain calms down, I see his costume in my head. Only if I see it, can I make it. My husband, Evgeni Kovachev, member of the Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denver, Colorado, asked me, “How can you make so many different costumes?” I don’t know. I just draw creativity from the Creator of all.

In preparation for this upcoming Camporee, I spent three weeks at Andrews University for rehearsals and to do costume fittings with the actors. We invited people to help us sew the costumes. Sometimes we had five ladies at a time helping us. Marilyn Oliver, an invited seamstress, has been with us the longest time. Marge Schwartz, also a seamstress, joined us during last Camporee in 2019 and has been doing an excellent job. Thank you, ladies, for all your help! We can’t accomplish the vision without you!

God loves all people, and every child deserves to hear God’s voice and see His presence. God sacrificed Himself to prove His love and convince all children of their great worth. That is what the Bible drama hopes to accomplish by seeing, hearing, and feeling God’s presence at the upcoming event in Wyoming.

—Vanya Kovacheva is the costume designer and lead seamstress for the International Pathfinder Camporee and member of the Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.

camporee-actors — 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee actors and lead costume designer, Vanya Kovacheva (standing, far left) with the truck of costumes loaded for Gillette, Wyoming.

25 Jul

SOME THINGS WE SHOULD NEVER OUTGROW: PART 5

While I genuinely loved when Jana’s and my children were small, I couldn’t help but say to myself “man, I’m glad those times are in the past” as I sat in a restaurant recently and saw a young mother skillfully handle her three children of different ages and help them navigate through their meal. I admit to getting a little tired just watching it all!

Of course, I miss knowing my children as little ones, when I could get hugs and share giggles with them every day. But they would eventually outgrow that, and Jana and I as parents were grateful to see our kids grow up to be wonderful adults.

I’ve buried the headline for this installment just a bit because I was concerned that if some might skip over this article completely if you knew what it was about right off the bat, and I was worried that still others would say, “I’m glad those days are behind me” without really listening to what I want to say. And what I want to say is very important.

What I desperately hope we never outgrow is our commitment to Christian education in the Rocky Mountain Conference.

I have heard people say, “I did my part for Adventist Education while my kids were in school. They’ve all graduated now, and it’s someone else’s turn now.”

If tuition alone is intended to cover the true costs of running a school, then very few of us would ever be able to have our own children in our own schools. The fact is that, in general, tuition only covers roughly half of the costs of running a school. Were it not for Conference appropriations in the form of a percentage of tithe, tuition assistance, and direct contributions from our churches, most of our schools would disappear rather quickly.

Humanly, it’s hard to feel the urgency to continue financially supporting our schools when your children no longer attend. I get it. You paid a lot in tuition, often putting aside other family needs or wishes to do so. And I confess to feeling that at times in my life when I was not well informed about the need for an unshakable commitment from the wider body of believers to help sustain our schools.

It wasn’t until I began to sit on our school boards and hear firsthand of the genuine needs and the surprising costs, did I begin to have a true appreciation for all those who came before who were willing to help even when their own children were no longer students. They became heroes to me because I saw that my own children benefited from their earlier determined sacrifice.

Some still wonder about the value of our efforts in our educational system. And I know there are lots of stories out there of our children who went through our schools and still didn’t choose to live a Christian life once they graduated. But as often as you hear those stories, they are still very much in the minority. Researched statistics show that 90.7% of students who spent 11 or more years in Adventist education are still regularly attending church. And Adventist academy graduates are two times more likely to stay in the church. Other than the family itself, Adventist education is the strongest factor for a person’s developing a strong religious faith. (For more detailed information about the impact of Seventh-day Adventist education, see the Role of Adventist Education)

I for one am very grateful for the teachers who teach with an evangelistic heart, who take seriously that they are evangelizing your children for some 180 days a school year while they teach them to read and write. I want to thank and salute them for their efforts.

I also want to thank and acknowledge our RMC Education Department leaders, Diane Harris, director, Paul Negrete, associate director, and Sandy Hodgson, assistant director, for their tireless efforts to continually equip and grow our teachers and schools.

So, let me be very direct with you. Our schools need your help. And while not one of us can meet all the needs in all our schools, I’m convinced that a lot of us doing what we can, will make a world of difference. Here are just a few ideas you might consider to support our schools:

Ask to speak to your church board about becoming a constituent member of the school closest to you. These associations are voluntary, and you can help your church take the needed steps to volunteer to do it. Be the amount you can pledge annually to the school large or small, it will matter—a lot—to the school. Don’t wait to be asked. Take the initiative. Help be the voice in your church that will make this critical connection and contribution.
If you are not near a school or have no children in your church who could attend, start a budget account to which members can donate. When you have saved up enough to be a nice gift, send it to the nearest school. I promise you they will be very grateful.
Speak encouragingly to families and students who are not yet students in our schools. Let them know that you think they would make a great addition to the student family of your school. There’s still time to enroll for the 2024-2025 school year!
Take the time to get to know the teacher or teachers in your school, if you have one connected with your church. You can do a lot to lift their spirits and their load by:
- Asking them out to lunch or home to a Sabbath meal sometime just to say “thank you” for their work and to encourage them. Our teachers are a dedicated bunch whose greatest joy comes in seeing their students flourish. But an occasional “thank you” from out of the blue will do wonders for a teacher’s sense of value and can provide an oft-needed pick-me-up as they work hard for our children.
- Take time to visit the classroom (make an appointment first!). Take notice of what the class or school has or doesn’t have, and then surprise the teacher or the principal with a special gift of supplies, equipment, or money to spend on such things that are just not otherwise in the budget.
- Make it a point to come to school programs. Your presence speaks volumes about your support, and it will thrill the students to see you there.
- Pray, pray, pray for our teachers, parents, and especially the students!
- Consider yourself a partner with the 59 teachers in the 19 RMC schools who look to be teaching hundreds of our children conference-wide in our schools this next year. We are what we are as a church today largely because of the symbiotic placement and growth of our schools.

It will take resolve and sacrifice to see our schools remain viable and accessible. We can’t all just depend on someone else to do it. If it’s to be done, it will be us together who will make it happen. By God’s grace, let us all commit to keeping our schools strong so that the love of Jesus will be instilled in all of our students. Let’s commit to never outgrow our support for God’s schools!

—Mic Thurber is RMC president.

25 Jul

STRING ART DESIGN TO FEATURE RMC ENTRANCE GATE AT CAMPOREE

RMCNews with Sue Nelson – Gillette, Wyoming … The International Pathfinder Camporee in Gillette, Wyoming, is only ten days away. Pathfinders from the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) and around the world are on the move! That’s right! Pathfinders are already leaving their homes to make the trip to the RMC to participate in the Gillette mega-event, August 5-11.

“Churches and schools, be ready to be contacted about places for the Pathfinders to stay overnight on their way to the Camporee, if you have not already been contacted. Several have been,” says Sue Nelson, executive coordinator of RMC Club Ministries.

Nelson adds, “we are so excited to have this Camporee finally happen!”

Much is happening behind the scenes in preparation, and the Rocky Mountain Conference has 36 clubs attending. According to information from the Camporee organizers on entry ticket sales, over 900 RMC Pathfinders, staff, and guests plan to attend. They will be a part of 60,000 Camporee participants. On Friday, August 9, a baptism service will include 23 participants from RMC Pathfinder Clubs.

Visitors to the Camporee will not be able to miss the presence of participants from the host region—the Rocky Mountain Conference. There will be patches and trading pins representing individual clubs, but the main entrance gate will offer itself for souvenir photographs. Eli Gonzales, an architect from Littleton, Colorado, who also serves as co-executive coordinator of the RMC Club Ministries, designed the entrance gate.

Based on the Camporee theme, “Believe the Promise,” Gonzales was motivated by the ministry of young people. “For me, they are the ministers of today and tomorrow. And my string art design included a theme of mountain peaks for which we are recognized in our part of the world,” he explained.

He shared that the design needed 2,800 pounds of iron elements, 600 feet of chain, and five miles of rope. Six emblems from Pathfinder and youth ministries are displayed as part of the artistic vision of the design. After the event, the designed sculpture will be moved to its permanent home at Glacier View Ranch in Ward, Colorado.

Several RMC clubs are hosting international clubs. Dr. David Smith, from the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church in Grand Junction, Colorado, is hosting about 100 Pathfinders from the German and Netherlands Unions. The Denver South Trailblazers Pathfinders Club is hosting some 20 Pathfinders from the London, U.K., area—the Brixton Jays.

“Please keep all our Pathfinders in your prayers. May they have a safe journey and that this experience will be ‘Making it easy to know God,’” comments Nelson.

—RMCNews with Sue Nelson, RMC Club Ministries executive coordinator. Photos supplied.

24 Jul

ROMAN ARMOR AND HORSES AT WYOMING CAMP MEETING

RMCNews – Casper, Wyoming … Mills Spring Ranch (MSR) in Casper, Wyoming, offers the ideal setting for the annual Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Wyoming Camp Meeting recently held, July 16-20. The ruggedness of the surrounding Rocky Mountain landscape was complimented with this year’s camp theme “Armor of God,” in which featured-speaker Dr. Dick Stenbakken showcased decades of knowledge and procurement of first-century Roman artifacts and relayed its Biblical significance.

Dr. Stenbakken served as a pastor for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wyoming as was an active-duty chaplain for the U.S. Army for 23 years before working for the General Conference (GC) of Seventh-day Adventists. He provided a five-part series at the camp meeting referencing the whole armor of God discussed in Ephesians 6:10-20 with purchased or hand-made examples of each element.

Dr. Stenbakken urged attendees, “You need to put on all of God’s pieces of armor. They are no good when not used. Every piece of the armor reminds me of who He is. And a good soldier is not ready last month, last week, but ready today.”

“Any time Dick Stenbakken is doing a presentation, it just helps bring alive so many things that happen in the Bible that, when you go back and read over those passages again, you see them in a way that you never did before. I’m so grateful he came to camp meeting this year,” remarked Doug Inglish, RMC vice president for administration.

Ardis Stenbakken, former GC Women’s Ministries director, joined her husband Dr. Stenbakken as a featured speaker and presented on the Book of Ruth for two of her afternoon programs. “Ruth, generally, is looked at as a love story, but you have to wonder why put a love story in Scripture?” she commented about her program. “But when you look at the Book of Ruth literarily, and [it as] a chiasm, you begin to see the importance of it. [It] has all kinds of levels and blessings that, in casual reading, you just don’t get.”

Ardis also led a program on how to study the Bible covering sections and authors, types and supplements, and literary aspects of the Bible. “My background was a major in English, and I taught English. And, so, I look at the Bible as literature as well as the spiritual and divine Word of God. When you look at it literarily, it’s beautiful. It’s artistic. The God of creation has made his word beautiful.”

Wyoming pastor Steve Nelson, pastor at the Cody, Worland, Powell, and Ten Sleep Seventh-day Adventist Churches in their respective cities, also presented on the United States in the Biblical prophecies of the book of Revelation. He explored the darker history and current affairs of our nation: “We aren’t against our nation; we are just against the direction it may head if we don’t keep it in check … How are we going to win people to Christ if we align our religion with our political views.”

Mic Thurber, RMC president, Doug Inglish, and Mickey Mallory, RMC Ministerial director, provided morning devotionals at the camp meeting. “I am going to take the stance that prayer is part of the armor. If you have a good prayer life, you are unstoppable,” remarked Thurber.

The Wyoming Camp Meeting also scheduled in plenty of free time amidst the busy programming schedule for attendees to relax in nature and connect as a community. Rhonda McDonald, Community Service staff and social and recreational assistant for Casper Seventh-day Adventist Church in Casper, Wyoming, has been coming to the Wyoming Camp Meeting since 1992.

When asked what brings her back every year, she commented, “It’s a long story and it’s a testimony, but it’s the first camp meeting I ever came to after I got baptized. My husband and I, Pat McDonald, were camp rangers for five years. We live in Casper, so we come back every year. I have to say [that] I appreciate all the speakers, but I really appreciate the friendships that I’ve made over the years.”

“The music has always been top notch, and it’s just good to spend time with the folks in Wyoming and connect with the people that we see when we go around to the different churches,” remarked Inglish on his experience at the camp meeting. “And there’s kind of an excitement this year with the International Camporee happening [in Wyoming] later in the summer. So, there’s a lot of buzz about that.”

Another bit of excitement at this year’s camp meeting was the convergence with the RMC Youth Summer Camp. The youth summer camp began July 21 at MSR, so the youth summer camp leaders and staff, and camp horses, came a few days early in preparation. The summer camp staff took the children attending the camp meeting out on horseback rides and evening rock climbing.

The next RMC Camp Meeting will be held in Montrose, Colorado, August 21-25. Keep watching for updated information at rmcsda.org

—RMCNews. Photos by Liz Kirkland.

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