NewsNuggets Page 25

Jana Thurber – Denver, Colorado … Many of us have been greatly blessed over the years by making friends within the church. Godly friendships formed out of fellowship, discipleship, outreach, Bible studies, or common interests that meet our soul’s deep needs.

While walking this earth, Jesus modeled His necessity for such associations with close friends. The friendships he formed helped refresh Him in His work between times of ministering to the needs of so many.

A good place to form or fortify friendships is at our annual RMC Women’s Ministries Retreat. It is a time for women to join with each other to be renewed through fellowship, encouraged through God’s word, and laugh a little with other women of faith as we unwind from the stress of everyday life.

The general session speaker for this year’s retreat, Dr. Yami Bazan, will be sharing Biblical insights on God’s surprises in the book of Ruth by uncovering hidden gems on love and relationships. We will explore questions such as What clues has God left behind to guide our way forward? What are practical ways to implement Godly ideals in building better friendships? And can those in the past relate to my present circumstance?

One of our attendees from last year’s RMC Women’s Ministries Retreat, Karen Warnick, shared her personal experience how God has blessed her in the church with friendships:

Over twenty years ago, at the time I met my friend, I was not attending a Seventh-day Adventist church, I was just going to a Bible Study. It was a few years later that I joined the church.

My friend and I shared similar interests and backgrounds and enjoyed being together. As time went on, we drew closer by sharing ideas, experiences, and became prayer partners. We studied God’s Word together and attended church. Through God’s goodness, we traveled as much as time would allow and enjoying each other’s company. We saw each other through many joys and sorrows of everyday life.

Then one day, she and I had a silly disagreement, and she decided not to be friends with me. There was no communication, and I never even saw her in town. It was like she just disappeared. That was the saddest and most painful situation I ever had to endure. I wasn’t angry, and I didn’t blame God. I just felt gut-wrenching grief. I bowed before God, and I poured out my heart to Him. 

God promises He will never leave us or forsake us (Heb. 13:5). He is always right beside us. I desperately sought His Peace (John 14:27), His Peace that passes all understanding. I prayed that we would be friends again.

After a year of no communication, and through God’s wonderful plan for our lives, we saw each in a shop and sat down to talk. Through forgiveness and reconciliation, God restored our relationship.

In the middle of all this, the Lord brought someone into my life I hadn’t seen for six years, and what a blessing it was to have her in my life! God is so full of mercy and love! Not only have my friend and I been reconciled, but my other friend and I are now enjoying a fulfilling friendship too. God is so good!

So, if you are struggling with a friendship, don’t give up. Give it all to God, draw close to Him, and know He is in control. He knows your heart.

This year’s RMC Women’s Ministry Retreat will be held at Glacier View Ranch September 29-October 1, 2023. Join us to build and renew the blessing that is friendship. I invite you to click here for more information and to register for this year’s retreat. We hope to see you there.

—Jana Thurber is the RMC women’s ministries and prayer ministries director as well as pastoral spouse support. Photos supplied.

Rajmund Dabrowski – Cañon City, Colorado … The third annual Southeast Camp Meeting convened June 16-18 under a theme of “Transforming Lives for Eternity.” It brought together some 200 believers to Cañon City, Colorado, from towns as diverse as Colorado Springs, Fairplay, and Lamar.

“We truly appreciate an occasion to meet with friends and make new friends whose faith in Jesus and his second coming unites us together,” commented a church member from Cañon City.

What was special about this year’s gathering, you may wonder? Firstly, the program featured an Adventist World Radio team together with a recording artist, Jennifer LaMountain. Secondly, we never had a baptism at previous meetings. “This year we will witness a baptism of five individuals prepared by pastors from Colorado Springs South and Fairplay,” announced Irwin Burton, head elder of the host congregation in Cañon City.

With the AWR team presenting their program, the camp meeting participants heard a variety of missionary endeavors sharing the Advent hope in Christ through an effective media to the people of the world in their own languages. Cami Oetman, AWR vice president, shared that, “people are more receptive than ever before.”

“I want the world to be inspired,” she declared. “You, too, can be involved. We must stand up and be different in the world … We are believers born for such a time as this. Jesus only saves lives,” she encouraged the congregation gathered in Cañon City.

The program featured effective evangelism of their ministry using digital ministry, including availability of a newly released “Digital Missionary” app made available for cell phone evangelism and showcased effectiveness of the so-called “God pods.”

Mickey Mallory, RMC ministerial director, remarked, “My heart was thrilled to hear stories of how God is using AWR to reach people around the world for Christ. The stories of what God is doing outside of the United States, helped us to remind us that we are indeed a world church.”

Duane McKey, AWR president, was enthusiastic to come to Colorado again after just a few short weeks ago from when an AWR Board Retreat met in Glenwood Springs. Being invited by a former Cañon City pastor to present at a camp meeting, McKey said, “we’ve never done that before, and this is a thrilling experience to be in the Rocky Mountain Conference.” He shared a mosaic of experiences the ministry had around the world, especially in areas where only a radio can reach populations by overcoming restrictions, cultural opposition, and geography.

The baptism included Leslie and Edward Hall, prepared through Bible studies by Marcos Melendez, elder from Fairplay, and as well as mother and daughter, Charlotte and Amy Mason, followed by Sylvia Jaramillo, a mother-in-law of Lucas Lujan, pastor at Colorado Springs.

For Pastor Lujan, this was a special camp meeting. He said, “it was to be in Cañon City, and it’s hard to find, at times, a fellowship even within the city. We do have many other brothers and sisters in the Adventist faith spread in a wide [area of] the state.”

He added that preparing and bringing three individuals to be baptized at this camp meeting was, “beyond the church or a person working. This is the working of God.” Introducing his mother-in-law, Lujan said that this baptism came three years after his wife, Asbury, was baptized.

—Rajmund Dabrowski is the RMC communication director and editor of NewsNuggets. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … The Pathfinder Teen Leaders in Training (TLTs) from the Cody Cowboys Pathfinder Club in Wyoming took a wonderful educational and spiritual trip from May 29-June 6, covering over 3,000 miles.

Led by Pastor Steve Nelson and his wife, Samantha, they visited several National Parks that showcase the geology of Creation and the Flood. These included Arches, Bryce, Canyonlands, and the Grand Canyon National Park, along with a couple side stops to explore local historical interests such as Moqui Cave in Kanab, Utah, Loretto Chapel in Santa Fe, New Mexico, and the Manitou Cliff Dwellings in Manitou Springs, Colorado.

All along the way, the teens read about the unique geological features of the various Parks from a Creation/Flood perspective, had daily devotionals, and played Bible trivia games. They had many deep and meaningful conversations about their walk with God, their church, how to reach the unchurched, and what they’d like to see in the future for their own church.

Dean Jeffers, a recent graduate of Cody High School who turned 18 a few days before the trip, has heeded the call to become a staff member of the Pathfinder Club. He remarked, “The Grand Canyon was amazing, and it shows God’s incredible power.” His sister, Cedar Jeffers, now the oldest Cody TLT at age 15, stated, “It was a wonderful trip, and it was so cool to see some of God’s amazing creations.”

—Samantha Nelson is from Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church in Wyoming. Photos by Samantha Nelson.

Anton Kapusi – Pueblo, Colorado … For the past few years, Pueblo-First Seventh-day Adventists (PFSDA) have been looking for innovative ways to fulfill the mission Jesus left for them and His church. By starting the Outreach and Education Center (OEC), every church department became part of the outreach planning and delivery.

On June 11, under the social outreach director Janet Vasquez’s leadership, the departments joined together and created “Fun Under the Sun,” a community event to present the neighborhood and Pueblo community with the benefits of being part of PFSDA. The church parking lot was transformed into a spiritual marketplace.

Under each canopy, a department gave out relevant information, gifts, and friendly invitations to upcoming programs and events. The departments represented included health, tutoring, Vacation Bible School, Hope Radio of Pueblo, Community Services, Angels of Kindness, the worship team, the prayer team, and Bible trivia.

The church also partnered with the local children’s library, The Raptor Center that brought five birds of prey, and the local Mexican Folklore Dance Group, OMAWARI, with their energetic dance program. Besides all the exciting events on the grounds, the two bouncy castles and Craft Corner were probably the biggest attractions for the kids. In addition, all visitors could enjoy healthy foods, snacks, and drinks for free. More than two hundred adults and their children enjoyed the good atmosphere, friendly hosts, and Christ-filled message.

Integrated for the event, all departments worked as one to show our community that we are here to be generous with our gifts and that we are here as part of them, not surrounded with walls of false religiosity but open to serve and share Jesus our Lord, Savior, and Coming King. He was the one who said: be wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt. 10:16).

Our event was an example of what it takes to follow Jesus. Jesus was unmistakable when he said, As long as I am in the world, I am the light of the world (John. 9:5). But he did not stop there. He also called Himself the one who takes away the sins of the world (John 1:29) while being recognized as the Savior of the world (John 4:42).

On the other hand, He made sure that his disciples and followers had the same attitude toward the world around them. He proclaimed: You are the light of the world (Matt. 5:14), but at the same time, this ministry of light reflection cannot be done if one is of this world (John 17:16).

—Anton Kapusi is the lead pastor at Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos by Larry Downing and Anton Kapusi.

Jasmine Miller – Ward, Colorado … Fifty-six staff members are preparing for their first set of campers next week at Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado. There are some returning staff members for this summer camp season but also plenty of new staff, some of whom are working at a summer camp for the first time. For the boy’s counselor staff, all are new to their positions.

Anton Kannenberg, a first-year assistant boys director, says he is “excited to train a new team of boys” and apply his experience as a boy’s counselor from a previous camp at Lake Whitney Ranch in Texas. Anton is also excited to be a part of the camp’s play telling the story of Joseph, exemplifying this year’s camp theme of “Elevate.”

This theme not only applies to the camper’s elevating their relationship with Jesus, but also, throughout the weeks, “how staff and the campers grow in their understanding of how much God actually loves them,” says Brandon Westgate, RMC youth director and pastor of GVR.

As Brandon prepares his staff for camp, one of the biggest challenges he sees is that “a lot of staff have had interrupted high school experiences because of Covid. It’s a challenge because the socialization with face-to-face learning was disrupted and some might not have had as much socialization.” Brandon assured that all staff members go through extensive training to be prepared for any experiences the summer might hold.

The staff have also been certified in first aid and CPR, completed background checks, learned about child abuse prevention, and completed Serve Safe training, the safety food handling course. They are also the only camp in Boulder that brings the Left Hand Fire Department to camp to talk about fire awareness to make sure the staff are prepared if there was ever a fire at camp.

This is Jade Teal’s, RMC assistant youth director, first year as the camp assistant director, and Jade expressed excitement about her first summer working at GVR. After working as year-round staff at several other summer camps in different states, Jade feels competent in her position and is “excited to get to see a different side of camp, spending more time focused on the staff and mentoring young adults,” which is what she is most passionate about. Her supportive husband Stefan will also volunteer around the camp, especially with archery.

The current camp season at GVR has many staff members from all over the U.S., including Texas, Tennessee, Nebraska, North Dakota, Wyoming, Georgia, and, of course, Colorado. They will look after nearly 500 campers who will be enjoying activities and meeting fellow campers in seven age-related groups. The first group, Explore Camp (age 8-10), is expected at GVR on June 18. They will enjoy their stay until June 23 when Adventure Camp will take over the GVR site.

Several of the staff from Colorado also attended GVR as campers and felt called to come back to work as a staff member. Jonah De Oliveira, a second-year media director at GVR, attended as a camper for two years and volunteered for two years before working as a paid staff member. Jonah explained how “camp friendships are great, but it’s only for a week. When you’re a staff member, you meet about sixty new people in eight weeks, and you get to know those people on a deeper level. I’ve made some of my best friends working here”.

As staff and directors prepare and pray over their areas, Brandon said working in the camp setting has given him “more hope for the future” and made him realize “youth are overlooked, undervalued, and underutilized in our churches especially.”

Summer camp is such a special place for young adults to elevate not only their spiritual growth but also their understanding of God’s purpose for their lives.

—Jasmine Miller is the marketing and communications consultant at GVR. Photos by Jonah De Oliveira and Jasmine Miller.

Amelia Zimmerman – Loveland, Colorado … Eating healthy is a common desire for many in the Northern Colorado area. Wholesome Bites* was created with this in mind.

“I feel very happy that we can be part of the Loveland community,” assistant manager Sarah Sykora commented. After six months of planning, preparing, and prayer, the store is open to the public.

Wholesome Bites offers a wide selection of plant-based grocery items including refrigerated and frozen foods. From hearty granolas to pizza and empanadas, instant soups, and ice cream, the store offers a variety of ready-to-eat sandwiches, salads, and desserts that are perfect for those looking for a quick meal on the go. The store also sells fresh produce from Eden Valley Farm.

Wholesome Bites opened its doors to the community on June 5. Opening day was a success with over 70 customers coming to visit the store. Community members shared their excitement for the store.

“I think this store is great, it’s so needed,” a customer remarked.

Grab-and-Go items were a popular choice for those who came on opening day.

“My favorite is the lemon bar,” a young customer shared. “I’m so happy that you guys have grab-and-go items because I always forget to pack my lunch!” another customer said.

Sykora stated one of the goals of Wholesome Bites is “to make healthy eating something that is quick and easy.” The staff of Wholesome Bites wants it to be a place where people can come to feel happy, healthy, and whole.

The newly opened store is located at 1213 West Eisenhower Boulevard in Loveland, Colorado. Their hours are 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 10:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. on Fridays.

The store strives to help people in their quest for physical, mental, and spiritual health. The staff of Wholesome Bites can’t wait to see you and solicit your prayers as they seek to serve God in the community.

—Amelia Zimmerman is a volunteer at Wholesome Bites. Photos supplied.

*Eden Valley Wholesome Bites is an independent service not endorsed by, directly affiliated with, maintained, authorized, or sponsored by the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists.