NewsNuggets Page 21

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … With the youth camp season being over, Brandon Westgate, RMC youth director, reported to the August 22 Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Executive Committee on the camp program, which saw 362 campers at GVR and at MSR. “It was an impactful summer,” said Brandon.

Campers were looked after by 55 staff members, out of whom six requested baptism or re-baptism. Brandon also shared providing some redemptive discipline that was needed among the staff and how it can ultimately be a positive experience both for the program and for the affected staff.

“All research from summer camp data collected nationally indicated that 90+% of the campers who attend camp list one of their top reasons for attending summer camp is to deepen their walk with God. About half of our campers are not Seventh-day Adventist. Among the baptized 41 campers this year, several of them were not Adventist, and more than 100 campers requested baptism.”

“Our goal is not to convert them to Adventism, but to connect them with their Creator in a way that is meaningful to them. Our mission is ‘Making it easy for kids to know God,’ which dovetails nicely into the RMC idea of ‘Knowing Christ and making Him fully known’,” Brandon said.

Diane Harris, RMC director of education, reported on the new school year, with the personnel changes and the strong enrollment of 778 students for preschool through twelfth grade schools in RMC.

The current RMC financial situation was reviewed by Darin Gottfried, RMC vice president for finance.

Darin reported that RMC finances showed a decrease in gross tithe given through June of 2023 of -2.78% or -$255,698. When windfall tithe is removed from the equation, base tithe would be up by 4.34% or $371,297. With six months left for reporting, we are praying that the finances will end the year strong as the next year’s budget is built and inflation continues to increase expenses.

Rocky Mountain Advance showed a 5.73% increase over last year. “We are very blessed by this increased giving, and plans are being made to help our small schools with technology from the newly created Education Technology Assistance Fund that is made up of 5% of this offering,” said Darin.

The Conference showed a slight 0.65% gain through the first six months. The gain is mostly because of expenses being under budget by a significant amount.

Darin closed his presentation by expressing, “our gratitude for your continued support of your local church and the Rocky Mountain Conference.”

Doug Inglish, RMC vice president for administration, reported on pastoral openings filled in Hispanic Southwest district (Santos Valdez), Canon City (Joshua Sholock), Ft. Collings (Daniel Escalante), Campion Senior Pastor (Rodlie Ortiz), Boulder Associate Pastor (Mollie Duper), Littleton Associate Pastor (Logan Earles), and Grand Junction Senior Pastor (Steve Hamilton). Also, Eric Bahnmiller will be hired as a Bible Worker in the Carbon Valley/Ft. Lupton area.

Current church ministerial openings are in Colorado Springs (senior and associate), Campion Church (associate), Franktown (senior), and Ft. Morgan. He also informed that upcoming church openings will be in Gillette, Pueblo, and The Adventure in Greeley.

Due to ambiguity in Colorado law, which states that “church leadership” are mandatory reporters for sexual abuse, our attorney has advised that RMC set up a policy that defines the term “Church Leadership.” An advisory group will propose a policy to the Executive Committee at the next regularly scheduled meeting.

Alan Brass, who accepted an invitation from the Executive Committee to serve in a vacant position for a lay person from southeast Colorado, joined us for his first meeting.

The partnership between Western Adventist Foundation (WAF) and the Trust Department was enhanced by granting, to certain of their officers, the ability to sign transfer documents for matured trust assets. This will streamline operations and move RMC into line with other conferences who have a relationship with WAF.

The 2023 Town Hall schedule was announced to the committee.

• Northeast Colorado: September 21 at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Southeast Colorado: September 24 at Pueblo Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Denver Metro: September 24 at Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Wyoming: October 8 at Casper Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Southwest Colorado and New Mexico: October 14 at Pinon Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church
• Northwest Colorado: October 15 at Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church

The committee discussed the presentation of the goals and aspirations of the Conference as a follow-up to what the Executive Committee approved the last meeting. Mic Thurber, RMC president, informed they will be shared with a wider constituency at the upcoming Town Halls in September and October.

The next Executive Committee meeting is planned for October 17.

—RMCNews

By Rick Mautz

I find talking about the nutrients that we should add to our diet is much more palatable than talking about the foods that we should stop eating. Who likes to hear that the steak that you love may increase the risk of a heart attack. Wouldn’t you rather just add some more blueberries and flax seeds, or antioxidants, to your morning cereal and know that you are on the path towards a healthier and happier life?

So, let’s talk about the power of adding antioxidants to your diet and how they protect us from oxidative stress. Before you begin thinking, “this is just a little too scientific for me,” let me make it a little simpler. When a car burns fuel it produces exhaust, the byproduct of that combustion process. When the body burns food (fuel), its exhaust is something we call free radicals, the byproducts of metabolism.

The name itself almost gives a picture of dangerous criminals running free and causing all kinds of damage. That’s not too far off. These free radicals are missing an electron, and cells don’t like that. They like their electrons in pairs, so cells will go in search of another electron to make them happy again.

They will steal an electron from any cell they run into causing that cell to become damaged. They will even damage your DNA while trying to steal an electron. And DNA damage is what can lead to cancer. I am guessing that you didn’t know that something so dangerous was going on in your body. And you may ask, “why did God design an energy system that would result in so much damage?”

As in other aspects of life, there are those who take and there are those who give. The takers are the free radicals, and the givers are the antioxidants. Antioxidants have extra electrons, so when they see a greedy free radical trying to steal an electron from a cell, protein, or DNA, they rush in.

I don’t know if God designed it that way as an illustration of how we should live as givers rather than takers, but it certainly is a great analogy on how to live to help and not to harm.

Many aspects of modern life—our diet, lifestyle, environmental factors like pollution, etc.—can cause oxidative stress, or an imbalance between antioxidants and free radicals. Over time, oxidative stress weakens cells and tissues and can leave you more vulnerable to certain health issues, including Alzheimer’s disease, Parkinson’s disease, cancer, diabetes, and more. And, as beauty marketers are keenly aware, oxidative stress can also speed up the aging process.

Let me tie this into something that we all have seen. Rust is oxidation. When an apple turns brown when exposed to the air, that is oxidation. That happens in our body as well. God’s goal is to have no oxidation or oxidative stress in our body, so He gave us instructions to eat foods that are high in antioxidants, and to avoid foods that lack antioxidants.

As you can see, God’s plan involves us making a choice. Maybe you did not know that your choices would play a part in God’s plan to protect us. So, where do these antioxidants come from and how can I make sure I have lots of them to prevent the damage from the free radicals? Let’s discover how to cooperate with Him in this marvelous plan.

A diet comprised mainly of animal-based foods are low in antioxidant content while diets based mainly on a variety of plant-based foods are antioxidant rich. That is why God’s original diet of plants, high in antioxidants, reduces damage to the body’s natural “exhaust” created by the food we eat being converted into energy.

One easy way to find the best food for antioxidants is to find the brightest color foods, like purple cabbage is better than green cabbage, red onions versus yellow, and so on. So let your eyes do your shopping: find the darkest greens, the reddest apples, the brightest peppers. Also, berries have the most antioxidants, and the darker, the better. Spices are very high as well, so spice up your life and enjoy the protection from oxidative stress and great flavor.

For a list of foods that are high in antioxidants, do a Google search for antioxidant orac scale. Just don’t get too excited when you see dark chocolate high on the list, unless you plan to eat the unsweetened variety.

This topic is a great reminder for me that all God’s instructions are for our good. He designed our body and knows how to protect us as we follow His instructions. This should bring us joy and confidence that we don’t have to guess the best way to live!

—Rick Mautz, PT MS, is RMC director of the Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center. Photo by Unsplash.

No matter who you are or what your position is in the Church, there is a role for you in the mission for God. Here is what Richard Klebba from the Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Church in Trinidad, Colorado, experienced:

I’m the treasurer of our church, and, for the last several years, I’ve been using the bank’s drive-thru for all my banking. During my devotions one Monday morning, I was inspired to go into the bank that day and take the book The Pathway to Peace and give it to the person God would direct me to. This was totally new to me. I’m over 80 and in all my years nothing like this has ever happened to me.

I live in rural Colorado, and it takes about 20 minutes to get to town, so I try not to go every day. On that Monday, by the time I was ready to go, it was almost two hours past the time I had planned to leave. I considered postponing my trip to town until the next day, so I went. I parked next to the bank, picked up my bank bag and the book, said a short prayer, and went inside.

Not knowing who I should go to I went up to the first window. The clerk was busy and asked me to go to the next window, which I did. That teller was also busy, and I asked if I should go to the next window, she said no, she’d be right with me.

When she finished what she’d been doing she asked how she could help me. I told her I needed to make a deposit as I handed her my bank bag. I then handed her the book and said, “this is going to sound strange to you because it sounds strange to me as I say it. I usually go to the drive-thru bank but this morning the Lord told me to come into the bank and give this book called The Pathway to Peace to the person He’d direct me to, and He led me to you.”

She said, “He did?” and a tear trickled down her cheek. I said, “I think He showed me the right person,” and she nodded slightly. She finished the deposit and handed me back my bank bag and I left. I didn’t even get her name.

As I left the bank, I was praising the Lord for using me that afternoon. I was the only one who had that book and would have an opportunity to give it to her. I know God has a sense of humor because as I was feeling a slight sense of pride for being used by His Holy Spirit. He reminded me that He had also used a donkey to talk to someone when nothing else was available.

I’m praying for this woman and for a resolution to whatever had caused her such distress. Over the next few weeks, I found out that she is a single mom with two boys. After saying that she enjoyed the book, I asked her if she’d like to read another book. She said she would, so, the following week, I brought a copy of Desire of Ages for her.

All God wants is our willingness to be used by Him. When we’re willing, He’ll show us what He needs us to do, then He’ll help us accomplish the task.

Praise the Lord!

—Richard Klebba is the treasurer and head deacon at Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo by Flickr.

Richard Klebba – Trinidad, Colorado … A group of Literature Evangelists (LE’s) came to Trinidad, Colorado, July of 2021.

At one residence they visited during their canvasing, they spoke with a woman who was dog sitting while the owner was out of town. On the questionnaire, she had indicated that she wanted Bible Studies.

Several months later, two members from the Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Church called on the home to make a follow up visit. The dog sitter was no longer there, but the resident was. He introduced himself as Greg and invited them in.

During the conversation, he told them that he had been studying his Bible quite a bit and found that Christians were attending church on the wrong day and that the true Sabbath is actually Saturday. He had asked several pastors of churches he had been attending why they worshipped on Sunday when Saturday was the true Sabbath. They couldn’t give him a satisfactory answer.

One of Trinidad Adventist Church members asked him if he would like to attend a church that worshipped on Saturday. He seemed surprised to hear that there may be a church in Trinidad that actually worshiped on the true Sabbath. He said yes, but Greg wasn’t sure about this denomination he had never heard of, so he prayed and started attending the Trinidad Adventist Church.

Greg has rheumatoid arthritis which has prevented him from attending church on a regular basis, but he does attend as his health permits. He recently had one knee replaced, and, the following Sabbath, he was in church. Greg will soon have the other knee done giving him much more mobility and allowing him to attend more regularly. So far this year, Greg has read the Great Controversy and the Desire of Ages and is currently involved in Bible studies. He anticipates being baptized in the near future.

We are confident that God was at work during this whole process. Greg has continued studying the Bible and desires to get involved in telling others about Jesus and that He’s coming back soon, so get ready. Praise the Lord for the LE’s and the work they do.

—Richard Klebba is the treasurer and head deacon at Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo by Robert Koorenny on Unsplash.

Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Eight Campion Academy students spent their summer vacation knocking on doors throughout Colorado selling religious books, praying with people, and increasing their reliance on God as part of the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Literature Evangelism Program: Youth Rush.

Matt Hasty, RMC literature ministries director, led the group of 24 high school and college-age students. The group spent time working in Denver, Colorado Springs, and various smaller mountain towns in Colorado including Alamosa, Vail, and Aspen.

The students raised over $209,000 in book sales with an average of $6,000 per student. Seventy-five percent of the proceeds goes directly to the students to help pay for their school tuition. They ended their work by successfully campaigning to raise enough money to donate at least one book to each of the 7,000 households in Cañon City, Colorado.

Beyond the financial benefits, the students expressed how working through the program helped them grow closer to God. Below is each of the Campion Academy student’s short testimony from their experience:

Izuchi Nwankwo, sophomore:
“Youth rush was the best experience! I really enjoyed satellites (when we split into groups to visit smaller towns) because I had my highest books days and grew closer to God. Doing Youth Rush increased my faith!”

Samuel Walton, senior:
“I loved the experience at Youth Rush, and the most impactful moment for me was when I met a man who just recently started reading the Bible and he signed up for Bible studies. The spiritual environment is so rich, and we hit a world record for the highest summer in Youth Rush history. Ten out of 10. I highly recommend [doing Rush].”

Jayden Angormes, graduate:
“It was an amazing experience! As a former Campion [Academy] student who participated in literature evangelism during high school, I am grateful for the experience. My favorite part of the summer was van leading for the first time instead of canvassing. It was amazing being able to contribute to the spiritual environment and spending hours in prayer. God blessed greatly this summer and helped us make colporteur history. I recommend to everyone to try once!”

Gabriel Balbin, senior:
“Before Youth Rush started, I felt discouraged in my faith, and I didn’t want to go. However, I felt impressed to go and work for God, and ultimately, it was a huge blessing. The biggest experience that showed me God’s character was when I knocked on a door and the guy donated a large sum of money. Living in an environment like that with people who were genuinely close with God inspired me to get closer to God. I connected with one of our leaders, Nick Lesch, and he really helped me see God through the spiritual talks we had.”

Lillian Resz, sophomore:
“This summer I was amazed by all the people that God sent my way. While knocking door-to-door, a lot of people quickly say no without knowing what we are sharing. But I know, either way, the Holy Spirit was moving upon many hearts. One man quickly shut the door, but he still took one of our glow tracks.”

“After I had gone, the same man walked out and approached me and said that he had read the glow track I had left with him. He explained that his church had very similar beliefs and he wanted to help support what we were sharing. Being able to spend time with God at every door and feel His presence helped me to grow spiritually. Every person in program also encouraged great growth in my walk with God, and it was a powerful summer.”

Luca Lu, sophomore:
“I went from a shy person that didn’t dare to talk to anyone at the door to a colporteur that reached about 100 people every day. God really changed my heart through this program.”

EJ Woy, junior:
“I met so many interesting people. I had crazy experiences and many divine appointments. Doing Youth Rush helped me learn to just lean on God way more.”

Eva Resz, senior:
“This summer has truly been a blessing. It has helped me grow closer to God and realize the importance of talking to Him every day. While going door-to-door, you face many struggles, which can be discouraging. There were moments where I felt like I could no longer continue working, but every time I felt like giving up, I would turn to the Bible which always gave me encouragement. The Bible says in Joshua 1:9, Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be afraid; do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go.”

“Holding onto the promises God has given me in the Bible has helped me grow spiritually! One of my favorite experiences this summer was leaving Steps to Christ with a man that was longing to have a closer walk with Jesus. Overall, I would recommend Youth Rush to anyone who’s interested in doing ministry.”

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