NewsNuggets – Page 74 – Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

19 Apr

GRAND JUNCTION COMMUNITY JOINS ELEVATE KIDS FUN RUN

By Sandi Adcox with Rajmund Dabrowski – Grand Junction, Colorado … Elevate Kids (EK), a non-profit organization whose motto is “Helping Kids One Step at a Time,” was created by a couple of members of the Grand Junction Seventh-day Adventist Church. Doug McCaw II, board chairman of Intermountain Adventist Academy (IAA), and his wife, Melinda, are dedicated to raising money to benefit children, specifically, IAA (which is expanding to grades 9 and 10 next school year) and Kids Aid. This backpack-for-kids program feeds hungry children.

On Sunday, April 10, the McCaws hosted the first annual Elevate Kids Fun Run for the community, with proceeds going to IAA and Kids Aid. The event, which included 2.5K, 5K, and 10K routes, was a huge success, with 255 registrants, dozens of volunteers from the church and community, and many sponsors. Registrants received Elevate Kids T-shirts, swag bags, professional timing, online photographs, awards for all finishers, and special awards for each category and overall winners. The EK team is already planning a Second Fun Run for April 2023.

Naturally, the event had a special significance for Joel Reyes, principal of IAA, who volunteered at the run. For him, Elevate Kids Fun Run meant that “the community [was brought] together for an event like this, and the name of the school was associated with this.”

“It also meant support. I have a very supportive board chair this time, and this was very much his idea. The purpose of this is to start a junior academy in the Western Slope. That’s what we are fundraising and running and working for,” Joel added.

Representing Kids Aid was Tessa Kaiser, executive director. “The run shows the community support for Kids Aid. Doug and Melinda wanted to do something to challenge themselves and make it about more than just themselves. They put this together to support Kids Aid and their child’s school,” she commented.

“We are really grateful for that. And it really shows how much the community understands the need [to address] childhood hunger,” she added.

The Fun Run was not the first fundraiser the McCaws have organized. In July 2020, the McCaws ran the entire Colorado Trail (490 miles from Durango to Denver) in 18 days. A documentary movie, “Chasing the Sky,” was created and seen by hundreds of people in local theaters. Proceeds from the film were split between IAA and Kids Aid.

In July 2022, the couple plans to rerun the Colorado Trail, attempting to break the fastest known time. Another documentary of the run will be created, which will be shown in theaters, with proceeds going to IAA and Kids Aid.

“Helping the kids in our community is why we work so hard to raise funds and awareness for the kids in the Grand Valley. We want to give everyone in the community an opportunity to support the kids through our events,” Doug and Melinda said.

Dana Ñkaña is a member of the Grand Junction Adventist Church. For him, joining the run is supporting children’s education. “You know, we have two children, and I’m always looking for ways to where our children can be better than us,” he explained.

“I grew up in Africa [and] there was nothing like this to help us when I was a kid. And so, with the opportunities that I have being here in this country, I feel that I am basically able to help other people to get to where they want to be,” he shared.

After completing his 10K run, Dana put his award around the neck of David Klemm. A medical condition put David into a wheelchair. “I did this because David is a very good friend and I know his heart and his heart is with children. I know he currently volunteers to help children read. If he were able to be on two feet like I am, he would have been running,” Dana explained.

“And so, I run, and I gave him my award.”

If you are interested in supporting Elevate Kids and learning more about the organization or receiving updates on future events, sign up at elevatekids.org.

–Sandi Adcox is Grand Junction Adventist Church team member with Elevate Kids Run; Rajmund Dabrowski is editor of NewsNuggets. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski and supplied

INTERVIEW WITH MELINDA AND DOUG McCAW,

ORGANIZERS OF ELEVATE KIDS FUN RUN

NewsNuggets: What does this event mean to you?

Doug McCaw: It means many different things and it is fun also. First, [it gives us the opportunity] to help the school [Intermountain Adventist Academy] and Kids Aid. But also, it’s a wonderful thing to be able to help the community, and also help grow Adventist education.

NN: What motivated you to do this event?

DMC: My wife and I have done the Colorado trail several different times. Um, actually three times, four times now. She was in a networking meeting and the guy was talking about not letting your butt get in the way of achieving your goals. After he said it several times, she made a decision. She came and told me, “Hey, I’d like to try to run the entire trail. Do you want to run this? And I said, “Sure, let’s do it.” We went out and started training and getting ready. And one of the things in our hearts was helping Intermountain Adventist Academy expand and grow. We’d like to see it have a 9th and 10th-grade program. And so, we said, “Hey, let’s, raise some money around that.”

NN: Did you expect this event to have such an impact and participation?

Melinda McCaw: I expected that for this event. Doug and I thought we wanted to go big and so we set the goal of 200 to 300 people [to participate]. It was hard, at the beginning, to trust God that that was going to happen, but He definitely came through. At first, when we started, it was just the goal that we set.

We wanted to run the Colorado Trail because we biked it and ran it. Then I had the idea that I’d like to support the school and help them. We’re already running it. Why not make it about something bigger than us?

NN: What does the success of this event give you?

MCC: It makes me excited for the future. This project has grown way bigger than I ever expected it to. When we started out doing the run, we’re like, “We’ll just send out a letter campaign to friends and family and we’ll raise some money, and then we’ll be done.”

It turned out way bigger than that. If you could raise $20,000 or $25,000 in donations, just from that run. And then we made the movie and made money off of the showings. Our accountant said this is getting big enough. You need to make it a non-profit. We filed for that and we just got non-profit status two weeks ago. That was amazing and it was a God thing, too, because it [was granted] in three months.

NN: And you linked it with Kid’s Aid?

MMC: Originally, we were going to just support the school and then, when we hired our videographer, he asked if we could find something bigger, and [perhaps] national that would draw more attention to the cause. We started looking around and we didn’t find anything that really touched our hearts nationally. And then we asked our coach that we were trying to find something else to support. He used to be a teacher in public schools, so he told us about the backpack program.

He told us a story about one child. It was a Wednesday or Thursday and the kids would get the bags on Friday. If you’re not at school, you don’t get a bag. And this kid got sick and was super distraught and upset because he knew if he wasn’t back at school on Friday, he wasn’t eating that weekend. That’s how we found Kids Aid program and the story really touched our hearts. That’s how we decided we wanted to raise money for them.

NN: How do you find the church supporting these causes?

Doug McCaw: The church does a wonderful job with the community service center. And there are a lot of different [service] organizations by churches. But I don’t know of a church organization that does exactly what Kids Aid does.

19 Apr

CONSTITUENCY AGENDA APPROVED AT APRIL EXECUTIVE SESSION

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … The second quinquennial constituency session agenda was approved by the Rocky Mountain Conference Executive Committee at their April 12 meeting.

Most of the general agenda items were related to RMC finances. Darin Gottfried, vice president of finance, presented financial numbers for the first two months of 2022. “The financial report for February showed a base tithe decrease of .79%. However, the churches have sent the Conference almost $180,000 in windfall tithe this year, which gives us an increase in total tithe of 3.19% from 2021. Conference Advance giving is down slightly from the year before; I am hopeful that this offering will start to increase,” he explained.

He added, “Working capital is currently at 4.9 months of reserves on hand. The target/requirement is six months on hand. There are ongoing challenges with inflation at a 40-year high and the pressure that puts on our employees and employment costs. We are blessed, as a conference, with the amazing, ongoing support of the members and pray that God continues to guide us in all financial decisions that are made.”

Doug Inglish presented an update on open pastor positions. They include Littleton associate, Greeley/Windsor Elmhaven lead, Franktown assistant, and Colorado Springs Central senior. Inglish also advised the committee that Mark Phillips has accepted the lead pastor position at the Pinon Hills church district.

The committee voted to send to the Mid-America Union Conference for ordination approval, the names of Shayne Vincent, lead pastor at the Casper, Wyoming district; and Mikey Archibeque, associate pastor at Denver South.

The meeting also discussed RMC’s lay pastor program and voted to approve granting recognition to those who have completed the Lay Pastor Training program requirements. A detailed program was approved that includes completion of the classes, endorsement of the local pastor, approval of the local board, and vote of the Executive Committee to receive a one-year renewable recognition. The members also voted to approve recognition of the following persons under the Lay Pastor Training program, pending approval of local boards and pastors: Patrick Williams, Cedaredge Adventist Church; Paul Willis, Campion Adventist Church; Emmanuel Jean, Agape Haitian Adventist Church; Sandy Carosella, Grand Junction Adventist Church.

Together, with approval of the agenda for the second quinquennial session, the committee voted that the session will be held on August 21, 2022, at LifeSource Adventist Fellowship in Denver, Colorado, and to ask Patty Rivera to serve as prayer advisor at the session.

The constituency agenda includes elections of RMC administration, a k-12 board of education, and membership of the executive committee. Prior to the session delegates will receive administrative and departmental reports. Changes to the Constitution and By-Laws recommendations will be voted. The session will also discuss and vote on the issue of the ordination of women. Delegates will be given the option of attending departmental break-out sessions to discuss the mission of the church.

Meeting in Executive Session, the committee discussed the RMC Literature Ministries program. Following recommendations made by the Executive Committee in an Executive Session in February, the LM program was paused until an independent investigation of public accusations was completed. The investigation found that RMC had taken appropriate actions on information they had at the time and that no workplace violations had occurred. The Committee voted to resume the LM program immediately under the direction of Matt Hasty.

The LM program is ramping up for the summer, and Hasty is asking RMC members to pray for the LM leadership team of James Park, Jake Graybill, John Felix, Alexis Rains, and Kassidi Clark.

The next Executive Committee is scheduled for June 14.

–RMCNews; photo by Rajmund Dabrowski

18 Apr

Listening for God in the cafeteria

Union College News – Lincoln, Nebraska … If you’ve eaten at Union Market in the last four years, you’ve probably seen Jefferson Gibson, son of RMC Planned Giving and Trust associate director Chanelle Watson. The senior theology major serves meals, stocks shelves, and rings up purchases, all with his characteristic easygoing smile. If you ask him what his plans for the future are, he’ll answer quickly and confidently: “I know what my calling is because God has directed me to pastoral ministry.”

Gibson wasn’t always so sure of his path. When he started working at the cafeteria during his freshman year, he was a general biology major. Although he had a passion for biblical studies and ministry, he felt that theology was too big of a task for him to do. However, his roommate, his friends, and even his pastor seemed to think it would be a good fit for him.

Feeling conflicted about his career choices, Gibson decided to ask God for a sign. “At the time, I liked this girl,” he said. “She was really busy and never came to the deli at Union Market, so I would never get to see her. Early one morning I prayed, ‘God, if you really want me to study theology, as a sign I ask that she come to the cafeteria and order something at the deli.’”

Gibson didn’t take his prayer too seriously, and he forgot about it as he began his day. But while he was working in the deli that afternoon, one of his friends pulled him aside. “My friend said, ‘Okay Jeff, don’t freak out, but the girl you like is right behind you, and she’s ordering something from the deli,’” said Gibson. “I was really upset and frustrated because now I knew what God wanted me to do, but I didn’t want to do it. It was such a big step.”

Gibson switched his major to psychology as a sort of compromise. “I kept hearing this small voice trying to tell me, ‘Jeff, you should do theology,’” he said. “So I went up to the Religion Program office, took a leap of faith, and switched my major. Since then, my whole path here at Union has been so peaceful, and I know that this is the right direction for me.”

One of Gibson’s favorite classes is Church Leadership, taught by Dr. Thomas Toews. “We learn about the rules of how a church is operated, how to run a church business meeting, and what to do if there are problems in the church,” Gibson said. He put these lessons to use during his practicum at Allon Chapel. “I got to do what a pastor would do under a senior pastor. I saw what ministry is like with real people, and because of that, I think I’m prepared to do well at my job when I graduate.”

Following graduation, Gibson will begin serving full-time as a pastor. “I got a job at Omaha Memorial Seventh-day Adventist Church,” he said. “I will be an associate pastor for two to three years and then I will be shipped off to seminary at Andrews. That’s my plan for the future so far, and we’ll see what God has in store.” Even though God’s signs may not always be as clear as it was in the cafeteria, Gibson has his eyes open for whatever form His guidance might take.

–Union College News; photo supplied

This article was originally published in the Union College e-newsletter.

14 Apr

RMC PRESIDENT’S EASTER MESSAGE

The satirical site The Onion ran a humorous (note: fictional) article with a biting truth. The article was titled “World Death Rate Holding Steady at 100 Percent.”

The article reported: “World Health Organization officials expressed disappointment Monday at the group’s finding that, despite the enormous efforts of doctors, rescue workers, and other medical professionals worldwide, the global death rate remains constant at 100 percent.

Death, a metabolic affliction, causing total shutdown of all life functions, has long been considered humanity’s number one health concern. Responsible for 100 percent of all recorded fatalities worldwide, the condition has no cure.”

No cure. Really?

Too bad they never heard the great news that Jesus broke death!

Pilate allowed for the guards to be posted at Jesus’ tomb because the worried priests were afraid some of His disciples would come and steal His body and then claim He had arisen. It never occurred to them that Jesus might actually live again. Their defense was not against a truly resurrected Christ, but of an earthly plot to make them look bad.

What a tragic loss for them to not see the resurrected Christ! For in that resurrection is the power to save, to heal, to let us know that our death is not final and that in the end, He will eternally triumph over all death, disease, and sin.

The Christian’s joy is that Jesus turned the world of cause and effect on its head. Death caused life, and all efforts to repress this great truth only serve to spread it farther and wider.

The next time someone says the global death rate remains constant at 100 percent, remind them of another 100 percent reality: Jesus is alive, and so one day shall all those be who have died in Him and given their hearts to Him.

Jesus Christ is risen – He is risen indeed!

–Mic Thurber is RMC president; photo supplied

14 Apr

REMEMBERING GARY FORCE – LONGTIME PASTOR AND TEACHER IN RMC

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Gary Force, longtime pastor and teacher in the Rocky Mountain Conference, fell asleep in Jesus on April 5, 2022, at the age of 71.

He was born to Clifford Clyde and Doris Naomi (Cartwright) Force on March 5, 1951, in Walla Walla, Washington.

He dedicated his life to service, spending more than 40 years in education before transitioning to the ministry. Force taught at numerous Adventist schools, including Mile High Academy and Vista Ridge Academy.

In 2012 Force was called into the ministry when the Rocky Mountain Conference selected him to pastor a five-church district in Buffalo, Wyoming. In 2015, he transitioned to the Pinon Hills and Durango church district. In 2017, he was named the lead pastor at the newly-formed Durango district, including the Durango and Pagosa Springs church.

Eric Nelson, former RMC vice-president of administration, reflected on Gary Force, his friend and colleague, “Gary has been a good friend since just after college days at Walla Walla College. Although Gary served in the teaching ministry and I in pastoral ministry, we have encouraged, supported, and uplifted each other in God’s service. In the latter years of working in the Rocky Mountain Conference, it was a joy to see him transition from teaching to pastoral ministry and talk often of God’s work in his life and churches.”

Nelson added, “His spiritual strength and dedication will be missed. But his legacy of faithful service to God will continue to inspire all of us who knew him.”

Force retired from full-time ministry in August 2021 when he moved to Lincoln, Nebraska to be closer to family and grandchildren. He returned to teaching at College View Academy and Union College for the first semester of the 2021 – 2022 school year.

He is survived by his children Darcy (Russell) Force, Angela (Seth) Ellis, and Daniel (Roxanne) Force; grandchildren Aaron, Peyton, Enoch, Gwendolen, and Lincoln; brothers Michael (Marsha) Force; Tom (Carolyn) Force; sister Kathy (Greg) Saunders; and numerous in-laws, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents and his wife, Marirose Stanley Force.

A service will be held on April 23, 2022, at 4:30 p.m. at the College View Church in Lincoln, Nebraska. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that his love of education be honored by giving to a school of the giver’s choice.

–RMCNews; photo supplied

14 Apr

CODY COWBOYS GO TO NEW HEIGHTS TO EARN HONOR

By Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … Members of the Cody Cowboys Pathfinder Club experienced a seven-mile excursion in the wild to help them achieve the hiking honor on April 9.

The wildness journey was a seven-mile round-trip hike through the Elk Fork Canyon outside of Cody along the North Fork.

The group hiked along the river and up the mountainside, enjoying the fresh, cool air and fellowship and watching for bears beginning to emerge from their winter hibernation.

Steve and Samantha Nelson, Cody district pastor, surprised the group by showing up at the starting point to celebrate their achievement and providing much-appreciated refreshments.

–Samantha Nelson is wife of Steve Nelson, pastor of Cody, Wyoming district.

13 Apr

GC Executive Committee Votes to Temporarily Attach Ukrainian Union to the General Conference

By Adventist News Network and Adventist Review – Silver Spring, Maryland … During its annual Spring Meeting, the Executive Committee of the General Conference (GC) of Seventh-day Adventists voted unanimously on April 12 to attach the Ukrainian Union Conference (UUC), the church’s administrative region covering the country of Ukraine, directly to the GC, until other comprehensive arrangements can be made. The GC is the administrative body located in Silver Spring, Maryland, United States, that oversees the world church.

Previously, the UUC was part of the General Conference’s Euro-Asia Division (ESD).

According to the action voted by the GC Executive Committee, the attachment of the UUC to the GC is effective immediately and comes as a result of the “current geopolitical matters [that] are causing administrative and mission challenges for the Ukrainian Union Conference and the Euro-Asia Division.”

“In the context of current events,” Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the GC, said, “it has become very apparent that the Ukrainian Union Conference of Seventh-day Adventists should be detached from the Euro-Asia Division and temporarily attached directly to the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. Please pray for God’s leading in His work in Ukraine as the church follows in Christ’s footsteps of ministering to people physically, mentally, socially, and spiritually during very challenging times.”

According to the GC Executive Committee’s voted action today, a 21-member Ukrainian Union Conference Oversight Committee, chaired by GC general vice president Artur Stele, will provide direct guidance and supervision from the GC for denominational activities in Ukraine. In addition, according to the voted action, the UUC’s attachment to the GC will be reviewed periodically “to determine the best way forward for organizational and mission advancement.”

“The structure of the church must always serve the mission of the church,” Stele said. “Unfortunately, we do not live in a perfect world. The current tragic situation in Ukraine simply requires a change in the operational structure for the mission to be accomplished. We have listened carefully to our leaders in Ukraine as well as the leaders in ESD, and it has become obvious that change was necessary,” he said.

“The traumatic and tragic events that have taken place recently in Ukraine have deeply affected the world,” Wilson said. “Our hearts are greatly saddened and burdened by the terrible violence and loss of life in Ukraine. We earnestly pray for an end to the bloodshed and for peace to again come to Ukraine and to Russia and are very grateful for the outpouring of Christian love and care by so many church members in Eastern Europe and around the world regarding this tragedy of so many refugees fleeing their homeland.”

The ESD will continue its work of administering activities of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the rest of its assigned territory.

“Please pray for God’s blessing and guidance on this important region of God’s great worldwide church, especially during these very challenging times,” Wilson said.

Stele noted that it’s important to remember that even in these circumstances, we are all God’s children and want to be together when Jesus returns. “We have the same Father. We are looking to the same heavenly Kingdom,” he said. “Our people in ESD are members of the same family. They love each other, they care for each other, and wish the best for each other and plan to be together in heaven. Even with the change in structure, even while the horrendous situation has forced our people to be separated, they still pray for each other and look for a day when we all will be united with each other and will all together worship our Savior Jesus Christ face to face.”

–Adventist News Network and Adventist Review; photos by iStock and Ukrainian Union website

Ukrainian Union Headquarters

This article was originally published on the Adventist Review Website https://adventistreview.org/release/executive-committee-of-the-adventist-church-votes-to-temporarily-attach-ukrainian-administrative-office-to-the-general-conference/

12 Apr

STINKS, TIGERS, AND PLAYING WITH FIRE AT IAA SPRING WEEK OF PRAYER

RMCNews with Jami Simpson – Grand Junction, Colorado … “My favorite part of the week was when John Henri lit his hand on fire,” remarked several students from Intermountain Adventist Academy (IAA) when asked about the spring week of prayer sessions held the first week of April.

The spiritual emphasis for the week at IAA and Little Lambs Daycare was “The God of Wonders,” featuring John Henri Rorabeck as a guest presenter. A naturalist and a science instructor who loves connecting people with the Creator God, he enjoys finding examples of God’s love in nature and believes that the way we treat creation shows what we think of our Creator. For the past 15 years, he has worked in camp and nature ministry in various states and parts of Canada and currently shares God’s character with elementary-aged students through after-school science programs in Maryland.

The special programs feature activities that the students connect with, including a nature hike field trip for each class. Second-grader Daniel enjoyed the museum and the hiking excursion. “I liked when John Henri hiked with us, showed us how dangerous fire is, went to the museum with us, told us about the love of God and how powerful it is. He told me on the way to the museum that there’s a lizard with three eyes.”

Haille, a sixth-grader, also enjoyed the field trips. “My favorite thing about the week of prayer was when we went on our field trip, and we found quartz and mica.”

Henri also connected the scientific method with how God never changes and introduced the school to various animals, including a skink.

“I learned about a skink, and it will stick by its partner no matter what,” said Jocelyn.

Elloise, a fourth-grader, wants a new pet. “I loved and learned about the animals. I am going to try to convince my mom to get a skink!”

Learning about larger animals was what other students will remember. “I learned about this animal that looks like it has two heads, but the tail looks like the head, and we learned about animals called tigers, and I like to do the quiz. Week of prayer was fun,” said Myia, a second-grader.

Henri held a program for kids and adults at the Grand Junction Adventist Church on Wednesday evening and a class on making slime Thursday evening. He also had the kids praising God through song. At the end of each presentation, he had a quiz time with prizes involved.

For Gavin, an eighth-grader, the praise songs were the best part. “I liked the guitar playing.”

Experiments and field trips were fun, but students also left the meetings having heard how much Jesus loves them and takes care of them and that they can share Jesus with people around them by how they act and what they say.

–RMCNews with Jami Simpson is the second through fourth grader teacher at Intermountain Adventist Academy; photos supplied

07 Apr

COMMUNITY SERVICE TURNS TO JOY AT MILE HIGH ACADEMY

By Jon Roberts – Denver, Colorado … Students at Mile High Academy middle school ditched the books and the classroom April 1 for a chance to give back to the community by committing to a day of service.

Three groups departed MHA campus that Friday morning, each with a mission project to complete. The projects included helping to organize offices and storage areas at Denver South Adventist Church, accomplishing much-needed painting of the baseboard at Denver South Hispanic Adventist Church, and helping pack dental kits for families in need at the Special Olympics headquarters.

Reflecting on the importance of serving the community, Andrew Carpenter, MHA principal said, “Service days are important at MHA because they are a time in which we can put our faith into practice. Service is part of our CHERISH core values and giving our students opportunities to serve is essential to helping our students develop holistically.”

Denver South was happy to have MHA students assisting them. “Mile High Academy came to Denver South with 14 of their middle schoolers. They were an amazing help organizing, stacking, throwing out, cleaning, and more. We almost ran out of things for them to do because they work so fast and so well. We are so happy to be part of a school that also helps the churches that support it. And we are always happy to have more young people in our churches,” said Mikey Archibeque, Denver South associate pastor.

Students enjoyed the opportunity to serve others.

Connor, a seventh-grader reflected on the event, “We went to Denver Hispanic Church and painted baseboards. I enjoyed the day and enjoyed getting out of the classroom.”

Caleb, an eighth-grader said, “It was fun. We went to the Special Olympics and we were packing dental kits for them.”

Carpenter added, “I hope students learned the joy of service.”

–Jon Roberts is RMC communication / media assistant; photos courtesy of Mile High Academy’s Facebook page

07 Apr

Campion student earns Master Guide

By Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Olivia is a senior at Campion Academy. She was honored on March 26 during the Campion Adventist Church worship service for having completed the requirements for Master Guide: the highest level of achievement in Pathfinder leadership.

Having already completed the Adventist Youth (AY) courses offered, Olivia decided to take on the challenge of the Master Guide coursework starting last summer. Reflecting on her motivation, Olivia said, “I have been in Pathfinders for over seven years, and I plan to be involved in Pathfinders for the rest of my life, so I wanted to get it now while I had a mentor and someone to do it with me.”

Campion church Pathfinder director, Alex Rodriguez, helped her through the process. The Master Guide curriculum typically takes years to complete, but Olivia managed to achieve her goal amidst her busy schedule. “The hardest part for me was finding the time to watch all the classes and read the books,” she explained; “I enjoyed the reading and listening parts, but it was hard to make time for them in between school and work.”

“Olivia has stood out as a model Pathfinder and young adult going above and beyond in both her cooperation with the club and her own personal development,” Rodriguez explained.

He also remarked on Olivia’s perseverance, saying, “First of all, continuing in the club during the high school years is a feat in and of itself. Olivia’s determination to continue in the club is inspirational. But what makes her accomplishments more incredible is her level of engagement.”

Rodriguez added, “A few years ago, she came on as full staff while still being a part of the teen leadership training program. Since then, she’s held dual roles (teen leader and staff member) and has gracefully occupied both roles. In her staff role, she has served as an AY instructor, drill and march instructor, and TLT instructor.”

Olivia shared that being involved in Pathfinders helped her learn hands-on life skills through the various honors, camp-outs, and drill and march. Being a Pathfinder has had a major impact on her faith: “Being around those who believe similarly to me and spending time getting to know them, has strengthened my relationship with God and has made me interested in learning more,” Olivia furthered. “Being in the Pathfinder Bible Experience helped grow my knowledge of the Bible, while at the same time, [it] allowed me to have fun with my friends.”

She plans to continue her involvement in Pathfinder leadership while she is studying at Andrews University next year. She encouraged other high school students to continue to be involved in their local clubs saying, “Pathfinders is a good way to take a break from the craziness of life and spend time with friends learning about God. It has drawn me closer to God and encouraged me to share my faith with others. As an older Pathfinder, I get to teach some of the classes for the younger ones. Teaching them impacts not only their lives, but mine also. Even though it can be hard to make time to be part of a club, it is worth the time put into it.”

Rodriguez emphasized her impact saying, “Olivia exemplifies the life of a dedicated young Christian and has become an integral part of our Pathfinder club and of the Campion church and community. Her efforts and tireless work and sacrifice have had a great impact on both young and old. I’m certain there will be folks in the kingdom of heaven because of the godly witness that she has been.”

–Jill Harlow is Campion Academy communication director; photo supplied

NewsNuggets Page 74

INTERVIEW WITH MELINDA AND DOUG McCAW,

ORGANIZERS OF ELEVATE KIDS FUN RUN