NewsNuggets Page 81

24 Jun

OPINION: SUMMER RECONNECT

In

By Alise Weber … I like to pray as I walk. Two years ago, I was keeping a brisk pace on one of the nature trails by our home and praying to God about a particularly troubling situation my husband and I were dealing with. It had been a long week and there didn’t seem to be a respite from the hardship we were facing. In desperation, I prayed, “God, please have someone call me that will cheer me up.”  I continued my walk, almost forgetting about my prayer.

Suddenly my phone rang and I had one of those perfect moments when I knew that God had answered my prayer. The person calling was a good friend who normally didn’t call on a Saturday afternoon. We spoke and my friend offered just the right encouragement for my troubled heart. Before we hung up, I said, “You know, right before you called, I prayed that someone would call to cheer me up.”  Without missing a beat, my friend replied, “Every day I pray that God will use me to bless someone else.”

My friend’s response may seem simple enough, but how many of us actually take time to pray that God will use us to minister to others, to share Christ’s love, or further the Kingdom of God each day? When I think about the motivation behind my friend’s prayer, I can’t help but think of all the opportunities that exist if we simply open ourselves up to be used by God daily.

Summertime is upon us, which means summer vacations, pool days, backyard barbecues, and road trips. While we are all relishing in a more normal summer, we are also emerging from a pandemic where people have experienced loss by the handfuls and have gotten used to being apart from one another. Perhaps there is no better time to pray the prayer my friend requests daily, “God please use me to bless someone today.” I think people are hungry to reconnect, to be prayed for, and to hear the good news of Jesus Christ. Your church may have members you haven’t seen since the pandemic started. It’s time to let them know they are missed and that their church family wants to see them again.

Jesus often sought out people who were on the fringes–Zacchaeus, the Samaritan woman at the well, Matthew, the tax collector, and the cripple at the pool of Bethesda. It would have been easy to ignore them, as everyone else did, but Jesus knew how important they were to our heavenly Father. Precious.

It says in Matthew 5:13-16 “In the same way, let your light shine before others, so they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.”

I would like to challenge all of us to begin each day praying that simple prayer, “God please use me to bless someone today.”  This may be your best summer yet!

–Alise Weber is pastor of families and children at Littleton Adventist church; photo by UnSplash

24 Jun

ARVADA CHURCH REACTS TO COMMUNITY TRAGEDY WITH PRAYER

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By RMCNews – Arvada, Colorado … On June 22, an Arvada police officer was shot and killed in the line of duty.

The church sign, expressing support and prayer for the officer, the officer’s family, the Arvada police, and the community said simply, “Praying for the Arvada PD.”

Pastor Gordon Anic recounts an interaction with a community member while he was putting up the sign. “Some guy [who] was jogging by [the church], stopped and said, ‘Thank you for putting that up, I work for the Arvada police department as a cop.’”

A church member attending the Arvada congregation described the tragedy as not only affecting the community, but the church also. “Our hearts are joined with the grieving families who lost their loved ones in the shooting at Olde Towne Arvada. Our community has suffered a great blow in the loss of innocent people,” Patricia Armijo, said. According to media reports, the shooting took lives of three people, the officer, a passer-by, and the shooter.

Members of the Arvada church continue to pray for healing in the community after this tragic event.

–RMCNews; photo by Miloš Tomic

24 Jun

NETWORK OF SPACES CREATED TO FOCUS ON NEWDAY MINISTRY FOR FAMILIES

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RMCNews with Agape Hammond – Parker, Colorado … Newday Adventist church has a four part mission that includes inviting, connecting, growing, and serving. By strongly focusing on family and our youth we are creating connections that will grow into eternity.

Preschool through 5th grade students at Newday meet on the first Sabbath of every month for a special service called KIDVENTURE. Guided by middle and high school students, the groups, divided by age, go through interactive stations learning about Jesus and His love for them.

In the month of May, Newday saw the return of the NXTGEN teen ministry to morning worship. Every Sabbath at 10, they meet in groups on what is known as “The Hill,” which is a grassy area located on the church campus. The youth participate in discussions that include their spiritual walk and life’s important issues that affect them now.

However, it’s not only Sabbath mornings that keep families of Newday engaged. Every month, Kid’s and NEXTGEN ministries host a family day. Recently, families gathered at Top Golf for two hours of golfing and brunching.

“The church and the family have an opportunity to create a network of spaces for our children to grow in their faith,” commented Anika Engelkemeir, kids’ and students’ pastor.

This focus on families aims to instill a Christian lifestyle as church members connect with the community, advancing the work of discipleship outside of weekly church gatherings.

–RMCNews with Agape Hammond is director of social media and communication at Newday; photos supplied

23 Jun

COMMENTARY: IT’S NOT A COMPETITION

In

By Doug Inglish … Okay, I’m human. We all have things in common, and competition is certainly a big one. It doesn’t have to be in sports or games, either. It could be school, business, even yardwork (“Did you see the new landscaping across the street? We better put up that pergola we’ve been talking about before everyone starts talking!”) can become a competition.

In fact, it’s almost hard not to get competitive. Back in ancient times when we did door-to-door Ingathering (ask someone who’s been in the church for fifty years; they remember), we always knew at the end of the evening who brought in how much. If we had just emptied our collection cans into a big pile and counted up a single total, not one less dime would have gone to disaster relief work, but I’ll bet none of you can think of a church that did it that way. No, everybody counted up their own collections, and it got recorded by your name, and then we added them all together. So yes, competition is practically built into even noble endeavors.

Competition can bring out our worst characteristics if we don’t keep an eye on ourselves. A win-at-all-costs attitude can lead you to cheat, lose perspective on what matters, or do other things that you later regret.

So, here’s an idea for how to avoid being competitive in situations that should not be a contest: Rejoice when someone else is doing well, no matter how you are doing. If your neighbor’s flower garden is doing well, be happy for them, and fix up your yard for your own reasons rather than trying to keep up with them.

I make a lot of calls to leaders in other conferences, and one topic of frequent comment among us is how tithe is doing. Well, as you are no doubt aware, it’s going well in RMC. Five months in and we have double digit increases. That’s reason to rejoice! When I am on the phone with another conference and tithe comes up, I’m happy to share, because it’s good news.

You know what else is good news? Brace yourselves: When it comes to tithe increases in 2021, comparatively the Rocky Mountain Conference is about in the middle of the pack. And very often I find myself rejoicing over the gains in another conference, as they rejoice with me over our good news.

In fact, if the increase that we have right now was dead last in the division, that would still be cause for rejoicing. It would mean that we wouldn’t have any less because of the gains elsewhere, and that people in other places were also being faithful. I would be happier still if we had double or triple our current increase and still came in behind every other conference.

I love the fact that, at present, a 14% gain is not the best in the North American Division–I’ve seen times when no conference had as much as a 5% increase–because I know the Lord doesn’t have a money problem, but numbers like we see right now indicate that our people don’t have a selfishness problem. And why would it make me happy if other places were struggling? That response would only make sense if tithe increase was a competition among the conferences.

But it isn’t. Thank the Lord for that. And thank Him that we have faithful people, as there are in other places.

–Doug Inglish is RMC vice president for administration and stewardship director.

23 Jun

GRIEF, GRACE, GRATITUDE, AND PLAY-DOH

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By Ardis Stenbakken – Loveland, Colorado …Sixty women from area churches assembled at the Campion church June 18-19 for a special women’s ministry weekend workshop titled “Grief, Grace and Gratitude.”

The gathering focused on the question, “How do people handle their grief, loss, and isolation after a year of the Covid pandemic?” The three presentations were offered by Alicia Patterson, assistant professor at AdventHealth University and spouse of Geoff Patterson, senior pastor at the Boulder Adventist church.

Participants were thankful for the gathering, especially the topic. “This topic was so necessary at this time. In the pandemic, we lost everything—our freedom, our jobs, our health, sometimes family and friends—everything. These topics fit the times,” one attendee expressed.

DeeAnn Bragaw, Campion member and RMC women’s ministry director, commented on the event stating, “Many women expressed their appreciation for Alicia’s messages, telling us how helpful they were. I heard one woman say ‘I didn’t even know how much I needed this, and the guide for how to lament through Scripture was so helpful!’”

“Grief: Giving God Our Pain,” was presented Friday evening giving the women an opportunity to lose their grief through lament. Each participant was led through an exercise of lament and then could take their grief, in the form of a rock, to the Cross.

The gathering continued Sabbath morning with a presentation entitled “Comforting Others with Comfort We Have Received,” followed later in the day by “Gratitude: Praising God for What Remains.” To end the weekend, Patterson had the women participate in finding and expressing gratitude through fun writing and art activities using drawing materials and Play-Doh.

The women experienced a bittersweet moment on Sabbath as the Campion women’s ministries team bid farewell to DeeAnn Bragaw and thanked her for her dedication to ministry. She will assume her new role as women’s ministry director at the North American Division beginning July 1.

–Ardis Stenbakken is Campion church communication team member; photos by Joyelle Worley

22 Jun

GVR COMES ALIVE

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RMCNews with John Boone – Ward, Colorado … The campers are back! We are mid-week in our first session of the summer with Explore Camp, ages eight through ten, and the reports are coming in … wait … they’re in. The kids are loving being at a camp

In just a matter of hours, Glacier View Ranch was transformed into a hive of joy and energy. “It was cool to hear the camp come alive again,” said Kimberly Hansen, summer camp nurse coordinator.

For many this is their first experience at camp but parents prepared them for the experience. “My little Rosey went off to camp this past Sunday for the first time.  It is a big deal to go to camp for the first time.   To prepare her we have been having what I like to call, ‘camp chats.’  We discuss everything from friendships, to hygiene, to taking care of your personal belongings, to dressings appropriately for the weather, eating healthfully, and listening to her counselor. It is our job as parents to equip our children with the best possible advice,” Alise Weber, parent of an Explorer camper said.

Campers are having a great time experiencing GVR. “Archery was so fun,” commented an attendee staying in Blackfoot cabin.

Another cabin mate was overheard saying, “Jesus, we hope You have fun with us today.”

It’s hard to believe that is has been two years since campers have been at GVR, but now they are making up for lost time. There are 77 campers at GVR. They have been playing games, making new friends, watching skits, learning about Jesus, and even sharing His love themselves. The 2021 camp is Fully Alive and the kids are having the best summer ever!

To learn more about spots available in future weeks, go to RMCYouth.org/camp

RMCNews and John Boone who is GVR’s camp PR and marketing intern; photo by Calvin Serban

22 Jun

How Playing a Sport Can Improve Your Mental Health

In

By AdventHealth — It seems obvious that getting regular physical activity helps you stay physically fit. But you may be surprised to learn about the more subtle ways that staying active can also benefit your mental and emotional health.

When you get your body moving, you’re able to also:

Boost Your Mood

You’ll feel this effect immediately. When you’re physically active, your brain releases chemicals that make you feel happier and more relaxed. And when you participate in a team or group sport, you’ll also get the added benefit of positive social interaction.

Reduce Depression and Stress

When you’re immersed in a fun physical activity or team sport, you may find yourself totally distracted from the stressors and challenges of daily life. This temporary respite from stress can help you avoid getting bogged down by negative thoughts. What’s more, when you’re exercising, your body produces endorphins, which are a natural mood booster that can fight stress and depression. It’s endorphins that leave you feeling empowered, relaxed and optimistic after a good workout.

The best news: This benefit impacts active people of all ages. Research has found that teens who participate in sports often have fewer feelings of depression and stress, as well as improved mental health.

Improve Your Sleep

Exercise can improve your quality of sleep by helping you fall asleep more quickly and deepening the quality of your sleep. In turn, sleeping better can improve your mood and mental function the following day.

Keep Your Mind Sharp

Sports can help improve your concentration and keep you mentally sharp as you age. Participating in a mix of aerobic and muscle-strengthening exercise for 30 minutes or longer at least three times a week can improve mental abilities, including critical thinking, learning and using good judgment.

Increase Your Self-Confidence

Scoring that goal in your soccer match can give you more than just a boost on the field. As you build your strength, skills and stamina through physical activity, this can also lead to improved self-image in all areas of your life.

Grow Leadership and Team-Building Skills

Participating in sports has been shown to improve leadership skills. In fact, studies show that teens who participate in sports are more likely to exhibit leadership qualities than those who don’t, and they’re more likely to adopt a healthy team mindset in their future workplace.

Get Active to Improve Your State of Mind

If you already take time regularly to get moving, keep it up. Your whole health is better because of it. If you don’t already have a physical activity you enjoy, consider joining a local recreational league. You’ll meet new people, improve your physical fitness and boost your mental health.

For more information on improving your mental health, check out these 5 Self-Care Tips .

This material is intended for informational purposes only and is not a substitute for examination, diagnosis and medical care provided by a licensed and qualified health professional. Please consult your physician before undertaking any form of medical treatment and/or adopting any exercise program or dietary guidelines. If you think you may have a medical emergency, call 911 immediately.

–photo supplied

This article was originally published on the AdventHealth website.

17 Jun

RMC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE HEARS POSITIVE FINANCIAL REPORT; CONSIDERS PERSONNEL CHANGES

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RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Much anticipated meeting of the Rocky Mountain Conference Executive Committee, June 15, considered candidates for the office of RMC president and RMC vice president for finance. Gary Thurber, president of Mid-America Union Conference who formerly was also president of RMC, chaired the Executive Session. The committee members voted to return in special session on July 21, 2021, to continue the selection process for a new president. The members also voted authority for the administration to proceed hiring a candidate whose name was presented to the committee for vice president for finance.

During what was his last RMC financial report to the Committee, George Crumley, vice president for finance, said that total tithe is up 16.13% and base tithe is up 17.32% over 2020 fiscal year.  “This is a very strong start for the year.  Even when we compare with April year-to-date in 2019, we still have a strong gain.”

Additionally, he shared the April Financial Report. The RMC YTD increase is well ahead of budget. Also, “we were able to vote to release capital funding to three different churches, Fort Collins, Alamosa, and Campion, that have been on a waiting list for a release of funds for a number of months based on requests they had made in the past,” reported Crumley, who is moving as vice president for finance for the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference at the end of June.

Several adjustments to the makeup of church districts were voted during the first part of the committee. These will include Pagosa Springs moving into Alamosa and Monte Vista district as of September 1; similarly, Durango church will be moving into Cortez District, and as of December 1, Nucla will be under care of new associate pastor in Grand Junction. The status of Dove Creek church is being reviewed. Colorado Indonesian-American Church and First Denver Indonesian district will be served by their own pastors.

Doug Inglish, vice president for administration, reported that The Adventure church is seeking a lead pastor, as well as Campion church has an opening for an associate pastor. Two new ministers were hired for the Indonesian congregations – Widy Gara as half time pastor of First Denver Indonesian church as of June 1, and Paraban Lim as pastor of Colorado Indonesian-American Church as of September 1.

Three candidates were approved for ordination – Mark Bridgment from The Adventure Church, Jani Pungus from Arvada Indonesian company, and Tim Jones from Twin Peaks and Mountain View churches. These names will be forwarded for approval by the Mid-America Union Conference.

The committee voted the following resolution, that “Employees of RMC who are asked to serve on the boards of non-conference supportive ministries, such as but not limited to La Vida Mission, VOP, Eden Valley, etc., do so as individuals and not because they hold specific positions at RMC.”

The committee also voted to accept the retirements of Debbie Ashton, Ed Barnett, Dennis Bresee, Gayla Groenweg, Gary Force, Wayne Gayton, and Yorum Tumbartante.

Ed Barnett, who will retire at the end of August, and may have attended the Executive Committee for the last time as RMC president, commented: “The Conference has been blessed with an Executive Committee that has thoughtfully, prayerfully thought through each decision that had been made over the last four years. There has always been a Christian Spirit in the room. I believe this committee is the best I have ever worked with. It’s my prayer that God will continue to bless the Rocky Mountain Conference.”

–RMCNews; photo by Rajmund Dabrowski

17 Jun

WYOMING CAMP MEETING RETURNS TO MILLS SPRING RANCH

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By Jon Roberts – Casper, Wyoming … Adventure awaits at Mills Spring Ranch, July 13–18, during the Wyoming camp meeting.

The five-day gathering will not only refresh and reenergize your soul; it will also provide fellowship, new friends, and plenty of time to explore the natural beauty of Wyoming.

The event theme “Fearless” will include feature presentations by Tom Lemon, vice president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists and former president of the Mid-America Union Conference. The gathering will also have daily seminars on men’s ministry, sharing ministry, and stewardship.

The afternoon is available to explore Mills Spring Ranch and the wide-open spaces of Wyoming’s nature. Suggested activities include fly fishing, photography, hiking, and rock climbing. Dr. Scott Grivas from A Pattern Lifestyle Center will also be providing afternoon seminars on health.

Ensuring that the physical body doesn’t go without nourishment, chefs Debbie and Dennis Pumford return to provide attendees with culinary masterpieces.

Sabbath will be a day of togetherness beginning with a Sabbath School discussion led by Wyoming pastors followed by Lemon providing a thoughtful message. Later in the day, attendees can enjoy a concert that will be sure to satisfy the soul.

Go ahead and request time off from work, pack your bags, and take a road trip this summer to Mills Spring Ranch to enjoy what has been missed in the Zoom world from which we have finally emerged–togetherness with human interactions and nature.

To register for camp meeting please click here https://static1.squarespace.com/…/WYCampMeetingReg.pdf or email [email protected]

–Jon Roberts is RMC communication / media assistant; photo by Rajmund Dabrowski

17 Jun

Opinion: In Defense of “Normal” Worship

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By Nicholas Zork … Throughout much of the pandemic, I have bristled at the frequents mentions of getting “back to normal.” COVID-19 further revealed profound, longstanding societal issues in North America and around the world.

The pandemic did not create a world in which access to health care, food security, job security, and more were so unevenly distributed. But the crisis was revelatory for many of us. It brought underlying inequities, racial injustices, and social tensions into undeniably sharp relief. And if a return to “normal” means our vision becomes once again unfocused enough to ignore what we’ve seen and continue embracing the status quo, then “normal” should be avoided at all costs. We need a bold vision of a new world and not blurry nostalgia for an unjust past to propel us forward.

And yet when I think about what kind of world, church, and worship practices I intend to help cultivate as we emerge out of the pandemic, I find myself realizing just how important some “normal” aspects of life truly are. What I’ve missed most over much of the past year were not the extraordinary, novel—and, in that sense, abnormal—dimensions of worship. It was the regular stuff that became most palpably absent over time. As my congregation prepares for a return to in-person worship, I’ve immensely enjoyed the sound of the church’s most experienced singers once again singing in harmony. I’ve appreciated incredible speakers who’ve been able to join us online from wherever they were located. And I haven’t taken for granted my church’s unusually large paid team of audio engineers, videographers, musicians, and platform developers, who make our hybrid in-person and online worship practices possible.

But what I’ve most missed are things that those resources can neither create nor replace: the varied sound of “ordinary” vocalists singing in the pews and in our no-audition-required choir, the after-worship embrace of a friend I haven’t seen in ages, serendipitous encounters with a worship guest from out of town who knows one of my family members (a very normal occurrence for Adventists). I miss trying to talk my young children into eating an amazing entree at the fellowship meal, eventually giving up and eating it myself, and just being glad they get to play with their friends while I talk with mine. Jesus left us with few clearer worship instructions than the importance of eating together. And sadly, a “normal” large shared meal will likely be the last aspect of the worship experience to be recovered.

I have come to more fully recognize that worship—in its most essential form—is not actually an extraordinary event at all. Rather, worship is a transfiguration of the ordinary that helps us more fully appreciate God and our community, rehearses ordinary life as a liturgy of love, and gives us new eyes to see how God is always present to us and how we can be more present to one another.

So as we continue to determine what the “new normal” of our worship practices will be, may we take time to appreciate the normal, ordinary things that will increasingly be available to us: human contact, conversation, and food. And may we ask not merely what new practices we can create but, more importantly, how we can make what we already have more accessible, inclusive, and equitable. Ordinary life is a miracle too splendid not to be shared. We are all guests at God’s table; and there is room for everyone. May we live into that new normal together.

–Nicholas Zork is the editor of Best Practices for Adventist Worship, an email newsletter published by the North American Division and minister for worship and the arts at Church of the Advent Hope in Manhattan; photo by iStock

This article was originally published on the NAD Ministerial Association website

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