06 Jul

NEWDAY HOSTS FREE FARMERS MARKET

By Agape Hammond – Parker, Colorado … The line is already forming and the produce hasn’t even arrived. This is a common experience at Newday Adventist church free farmer’s market.

Individuals line up ahead of the 2 p.m. opening to ensure they get a bag of the fresh fruits and veggies. With a smile and a “thank you for coming,” everyone is greeted warmly and they leave with what might be their only fresh produce that week.

This summer marks Newday’s fourth annual Free Farmer’s Market. It has taken three years of dedication to build relations with the community and to gain traction for the event.

During the first few years of the Free Farmer’s Market, it took hours to give the produce away. Often, volunteers went door to door to make sure those who needed it received the fresh fruits and veggies being offered. Now, there is a line when volunteers arrive each week. Currently serving approximately fifty families per week, Newday volunteer Shawna Sajdak commented, “We are seeing more and more families coming and [we] look forward to serving them as the summer progresses.”

The gathering includes young families and the elderly who sometimes need a little help taking their bags home.

What makes the weekly market so important? For Newday members and volunteers, it’s hearing the words from the community, “You don’t know how much this helps. Thank you for what you are doing.”

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

06 Jul

RMC HISPANIC MINISTRIES HOST FEJA FÚTBOL TOURNAMENT

By Wilmer Martinez – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … For the first time in two years, the Rocky Mountain Conference Hispanic ministries hosted the yearly fútbol (soccer) tournament at Mile High Academy on June 27.

The FEJA, also known as Youth Adventist Federation, organized the match-ups which featured members of more than ten churches. Nine teams registered for the games and two-hundred individuals assisted with the activities.

For some individuals, this event expanded the mission of the church. “I’ve been here for only four months and it makes me happy that despite the pandemic, there is an effort to get together as a church, to go beyond the four walls of the building,” Hugo Guillen, pastor of Denver South and Central Hispanic churches said.

He added how great it was that many individuals turned out for the event from around the conference, including New Mexico. “It is really a blessing to see everybody here from different churches for this event organized by FEJA.”

Leslie from the Littleton church added that although it was really hot, she felt happy and was having a good time with the people from her church. Genaro, also from Littleton, was happy to see the acceptance of girls playing on the teams and to see all the young people playing on the teams.

David Rodriguez, pastor of Westminster, Loveland, and Denver (Pecos) churches, commented on the large presence of young adults at the event. “To see these kids here today is the evidence that the seed of the truth is bearing its fruits. It is brotherhood, a team effort, and it is really a delight.”

Herbert Hernandez, pastor of Chapel Haven and Northglenn Hispanic churches added that he hopes and prays for this event to be the beginning of many other activities for the enrichment of the spiritual and social lives of the Adventist Hispanic Youth.

–Wilmer Martinez is pastor of the Pagosa, Spring, Bloomfield, and Durango Hispanic churches; photos supplied

06 Jul

CODY YOUTH EXPLORE CREATION, THE FLOOD, AND DINOSAURS

By Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … During the last week of June, a group of Cody Adventist church youth walked with the dinosaurs at the Red Fleet Dinosaur Trackway and Dinosaur National Monument Park in Utah.

The trip, led by Steve Nelson, pastor of the Cody district, and his wife Samantha, was part of ongoing Bible studies and preparation for the upcoming Dinosaur/Creation seminars to be held in September. The Nelsons guided the group through discussions of Creation, the Flood and dinosaurs, a fun topic to study with youth, captivating their attention.

Impressed by visual support of the biblical narrative, Dean Jeffers, one of the participants, said, “I like the geologic formation of Split Mountain because everyone who doesn’t know or believe in God, or the Bible is confused by how the river “split” the mountain. As a believer, it shows what the Flood did instead of millions of years of a river splitting a mountain,” Dean Jeffers expressed.

Aside from hiking to the Red Fleet Dinosaur Trackway and touring the Dinosaur National Monument Quarry, where hundreds of dinosaur fossils are embedded in the rock at the top of the mountain, the group climbed the mountainside to see the ancient petroglyphs and pictographs. There, they also saw an historical cabin owned by Josie Bassett, a rancher who associated with Butch Cassidy’s “Wild Bunch.”

When asked what they enjoyed most about the adventure, another participant, Cedar Jeffers commented, “My favorite part was the bone wall at Dinosaur National Monument because it showed how the Flood affected them and how everything was just right to turn them into fossils and leave them in a jumbled mess.” She added, “Another favorite part of mine is the museum where they put into perspective how big the dinosaurs really were.”

According to many on the trip, it helped them to trust God more and establish their faith in His Word, and they enjoyed the hands-on, close-up view of the aftermath and destruction of the Flood.

–Samantha Nelson is a pastor’s wife who serves alongside her husband, Steve, in Cody Wyoming; photos supplied

01 Jul

DARIN GOTTFRIED JOINS RMC AS NEW VICE PRESIDENT OF FINANCE

By RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … On June 25, the RMC Administrative Committee extended an invitation to Darin Gottfried to serve as vice president of finance, replacing George Crumley who left RMC on June 30 to serve in the Kentucky-Tennessee Conference.

“Darin has spent the last nine years in the Kansas-Nebraska Conference. He has done a tremendous job there and I know God will use him in a mighty way here in our Conference,” Ed Barnett, RMC president, said. “George Crumley,  as of July 1 no longer in RMC, has been such a blessing and we will miss him.”

Gottfried accepted the invitation on June 28 and says he is “excited about joining the team in Rocky Mountain. You have a great group of people there that I am looking forward to working with and getting to know better. I hope that I can support and help grow the Conference as much as possible.” He will assume his responsibilities at RMC on September 1

Most recently, he served as vice president of finance for the Kansas-Nebraska Conference during the last five years, after being an associate treasurer for the same Conference, business manager for Wisconsin Academy, and working at Fletch Adventist Hospital in North Carolina.

Doug Inglish, vice president of administration, is looking forward to working alongside Gottfried. “We are very excited that Darin has accepted this call. We believe that he not only has the skill set we are looking for, but the mission-minded approach that matches the Rocky Mountain Conference.”

Born and raised in North Dakota, Darin Gottfried is no stranger to the Rocky Mountain area, where he spent many weekends exploring the scenery of the region.

He is a graduate of Union College where he met his ministry partner, Stephanie. She is familiar with RMC as an alumna of Campion Academy and her parents reside in Monument, Colorado.

The Gottfrieds have two four-legged children, including a Great Dane named Berg and a German Wirehaired Pointer named Otto. Stephanie commented that “[we] have not been able to start a human family of our own, so our dogs are our kids.”

In his spare time, Darin enjoys photography, traveling, camping, and working on cars.  He is also expanding his vocabulary by learning the German language.

Gottfried’s hope at RMC is “that as treasurer, he is able to help maintain a healthy and financially-stable Conference and to use the money that has been entrusted with us in the most effective manner, so that the church can grow and share the love of Jesus with every person in our territory.”

He further expressed his interest in “getting to know the members and employees of the Rocky Mountain Conference, learning their stories, and finding ways of supporting the ministry in every area.”

“Getting to travel the beautiful territory of the Rocky Mountain Conference is an added bonus,” he added.

–RMCNews; photo by Stephanie Gottfried

01 Jul

YOUNG ADULTS FIRST TO SIGN CHARTER ROLL AT MONTROSE HISPANIC CHURCH INAUGURATION

By RMCNews – Montrose, Colorado … The Montrose Hispanic Company was accepted into the Seventh-day Adventist sisterhood of churches on Sabbath, June 26, with the young adults of the congregation rushing to the front to be first to sign the charter membership books.

One hundred gathered in the Montrose Adventist English church sanctuary for this special occasion marking five years since the group was formed.

Ruben Balaguer, pastor of the Grand Junction Hispanic district, recalls for those assembled the passion he and his family had for planting this Hispanic church.

“With the dream of starting a group or church, we arrived in Montrose in April 2010. We had the desire to know small towns because we no longer wanted to live in the city. Settling in Montrose, we saw a lot of potential to start a group. We proposed to our pastor the plan to start a branch in Montrose but he told us that it was not possible.”

That wasn’t the end of the story Balaguer adds, “He [the pastor] asked us to keep praying until finally, our dream came true. One Saturday, Pastor Mike Shannon encouraged us to begin to realize our wish. A few weeks later our prayers were beginning to be answered as gatherings were planned and held. The meetings began with Horacio Gomez, Marina Guillen, the Magaña family, the Espinoza Chavez family, the Espinoza Venzor family and my family.”

The afternoon inauguration included musical performances by various members and guests, enhancing the service.  One musical selection was performed by the youth choir of the church called “Generacion Escogida” which means “Chosen Generation”.

Ed Barnett, during what will most likely be the last time he attends a formal church inauguration as RMC president, was presented a plaque by the Hispanic area churches thanking him for his service.

Commenting on the event Barnett remarked, “It was a tremendous afternoon celebrating our Montrose Hispanic Company becoming a church. What a sweet spirit and talented church family they have. The musical selections were powerful.  I was impressed by how many young people are charter members.  I want to thank all of the pastors that made this possible. It is nice seeing our Rocky Mountain Conference adding another church to our ranks.”

Doug Inglish, vice president of administration presided over the signing of the charter membership book and reflected on that moment saying, “It is so impressive that the first people to step forward to sign the charter roll for the church were the youngest members. It is a sign of a healthy church whose young people take ownership.”

For the charter members, this was the moment they have been waiting for.

“This is a dream made true and what we have to value is the beautiful group of young people that we have,” Abimael Chavez, Montrose Hispanic elder commented. “They are the future leaders of our church and we have to support them always!”

Dennis Magaña, head elder of Montrose Hispanic also commented on being part of history, “Our commitment and duty to God remains the same: to go and make disciples by bringing them to the feet of Jesus. For this we need, today more than ever, the power of the Holy Spirit to fulfill our mission.”

Pastor Balaguer is excited to be part of this growing church. “It’s a big blessing for me to be a part of the history of the growing Hispanic church,” he said.

The charter roll of Montrose Hispanic includes 37 individuals and a few more who were unable to attend the special event, will sign the charter in next few Sabbaths.

Balaguer, addressing the participating congregation, expressed thanks to their parent church, Olathe Hispanic, for supporting them and providing prayers; the Montrose Adventist English Church for use of their space and unconditional support; and to the Rocky Mountain Conference for supporting the members in this project.

Balaguer concluded with a challenge to the members, “Today, as on that first day we gathered here, our commitment and duty to our God remains the same: to go and make disciples, bringing them to the feet of Christ and uniting them to the church through baptism. Maranatha! Christ is coming.”

–RMCNews; photos by Susan Inglish

01 Jul

ADVENTIST PUBLICATIONS FEATURE CAMPION STUDENT TESTIMONIES

By Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … Every Sabbath, my eleven-year-old son comes into the church service with a fresh Guide magazine in-hand. While not always an avid reader, he diligently peruses the content and happily reads several stories over the course of the day. And recently, he handed it over to me, excited to have found a familiar name of a Campion Academy alumnus as one of the contributing authors.

A tradition begun by Jenny Sigler, who previously taught Campion’s college writing course, the senior students in my class are tasked with submitting a story to a publication, not only Guide, but other options including Primary Treasure, and the Adventist Women’s Ministries annual devotional. After working to improve their writing techniques in class and creating multiple drafts, the students’ submissions are often met with success, with the publications purchasing the right to use their stories.

While getting paid for doing homework is a pretty cool bonus for students, having their stories published also gives them the opportunity to reach a wider audience with their personal testimonies, making an impact on the developing faith of young people. After receiving news that his story about a break-in would be published by Guide, Jayden Anggormas, class of 2021, shared, “I became confident in my testimony because my experience shows evidence that God works in our lives. The fact that it could potentially impact many young people motivated me to share it.”

Sami Hodges’ (class of 2021) story that reflected on spiritual lessons learned from plants, was also purchased. “I was thrilled when I got notified that Guide accepted my submission and wanted to publish it,” she reflected. “I grew up reading their magazines in church, and I mainly looked for the rescue stories and exciting adventures people would tell. It meant the world to me to have my story included in one of them. Even though my experience wasn’t a miraculous wonder with cliff-hanging suspense, I wanted to teach people of all ages the importance of patience and dependence on God in a relatable way.”

For the 2021 class, in addition to Anggormas and Hodges, Bentlee Barry will be published in Guide, and Tiffany Dien will be published in Primary Treasure.

So, the next time you see a Sabbath School student engrossed in the latest Guide or Primary Treasure magazine during the church service, take a peek over his or her shoulder; you never know if you might just find a familiar author.

–Jill Harlow is Campion Academy communication director and teacher; photo supplied

30 Jun

BOARD CERTiFIED PHYSICIAN JOINS ROCKY MOUNTAIN LIFESTYLE CENTER

RMCNews with Rick Mautz – Denver, Colorado … Dr. Timothy Arnott will be joining the Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center staff in mid-July.

A board-certified family practice physician and a founding member of the American College of Lifestyle Medicine, Arnott is licensed to practice in Colorado and Wyoming and will soon be licensed in New Mexico.

With the addition of Arnott to the staff, individuals will have the option of lifestyle medicine advice from a certified physician. In-person appointments will be available as well as telemedicine appointments.

Arnott is passionate about helping individuals regain health through nutrition, exercise, and other lifestyle changes.

He obtained his medical degree at Loma Linda School of Medicine in Loma Linda, California after which he completed his residency training in family practice at Hinsdale Hospital in Illinois. During that time, he also presented health lectures in Poland, Russia, and Serbia.

Most recently, he was practicing at an Adventist clinic in Tamuning, Guam, having moved to Guam after a wildfire destroyed his home in Paradise, California.

​​Arnott’s hobbies include exploring the outdoors and writing. He authored the book Dr. Arnott’s 24 Realistic Ways to Improve Your Health which is available in both Spanish and English.

He and his wife have three daughters and the family enjoys going on mission trips together.

Rick Mautz, director of the Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center is looking forward to working alongside Arnott. “Most of today’s chronic diseases,” says Mautz, “have lifestyle as their cause, so lifestyle is also their cure.” Let Dr. Arnott review your medical history, labs, and medication, and work with you to design a lifestyle that will bring you the health you deserve. Although he will not take the place of your primary health care provider, he will serve as a specialist to complement your current medical care.”

For more information on how to schedule an appointment with Dr Arnott call the Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center at 303-282-3676.

— RMCNews with Rick Mautz who is director of Rocky Mountain Lifestyle Center; photo supplied

30 Jun

LAY PASTOR TRAINING CONTINUES WITH SABBATH AND LITERATURE OUTREACH DISCUSSION

By‌ ‌Rachel‌ ‌Williams‌ ‌–‌ ‌Grand‌ ‌Junction,‌ ‌Colorado…‌ ‌“This‌ ‌last‌ ‌lay pastor‌ ‌training‌ ‌session‌ ‌was‌ ‌a‌ ‌very‌ ‌rich‌ ‌experience,”‌ ‌Patrick‌ ‌Williams,‌ ‌lay‌ ‌pastor‌ ‌training‌ ‌attendee‌ ‌said.‌ ‌

‌Evangelism‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌were‌ ‌the‌ ‌main‌ ‌topics‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Western‌ ‌Slope‌ ‌lay‌ ‌pastor‌ ‌training‌ ‌held‌ in‌ ‌May.‌ ‌

‌Twenty-two ‌individuals,‌ ‌including‌ ‌a‌ ‌new‌ ‌attendee,‌ ‌gathered‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Grand‌ ‌Junction‌ ‌Adventist‌ ‌Church‌ ‌to‌ continue‌ ‌their‌ ‌training‌ ‌to‌ ‌become‌ ‌lay‌ ‌pastors.‌ ‌

The‌ ‌weekend‌ ‌of‌ ‌training‌ ‌began‌ ‌with‌ ‌Matt‌ ‌Hasty,‌ ‌RMC‌ ‌literature‌ ‌ministries‌ ‌director,‌ ‌and‌ ‌Robert‌ ‌Koorenny,‌ ‌associate‌ ‌director‌ ‌of‌ ‌public‌ ‌relations‌ ‌at‌ ‌the‌ ‌Voice‌ ‌of‌ ‌Prophecy,‌ ‌leading‌ ‌out‌ ‌in‌ ‌discussions‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌to‌ ‌conduct‌ ‌successful‌ ‌literature‌ ‌evangelism.‌ ‌

Hasty’s‌ ‌presentation‌ ‌was‌ ‌on‌ ‌how‌ ‌literature‌ ‌evangelism‌ ‌was‌ ‌a‌ ‌huge‌ ‌part‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌rapid‌ ‌growth‌ ‌in‌ the‌ ‌early‌ ‌Seventh‌-day‌ ‌Adventist‌ ‌Church,‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌it‌ ‌is‌ ‌still‌ ‌being‌ ‌used‌ ‌today.‌ ‌The‌ ‌group‌ ‌also‌ ‌learned‌ ‌that‌ ‌literature‌ ‌would‌ ‌be‌ ‌a‌ ‌big‌ ‌factor‌ ‌in‌ ‌finishing‌ ‌the‌ ‌end‌-‌time‌ ‌work.‌ ‌

‌Following‌  ‌Hasty’s‌ ‌presentation,‌ ‌Koorenny‌ talked about GLOW ‌Ministries‌ ‌and‌ ‌shared several‌ ‌inspiring‌ ‌stories‌ ‌of‌ ‌people‌ who ‌had‌ ‌been‌ ‌led‌ ‌to‌ ‌Jesus‌ ‌and‌ ‌given‌ ‌hope‌ ‌after‌ ‌reading‌ ‌a‌ ‌Glow‌ ‌tract.‌ ‌

‌The‌ ‌training‌ ‌on‌ ‌literature‌ ‌evangelism‌ ‌ended‌ ‌with‌ ‌Hasty‌ ‌and‌ ‌Koorenny‌ ‌sharing‌‌ ‌practical‌ ‌ways‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌non-intrusive‌ ‌and‌ ‌friendly‌ ‌while‌ ‌handing‌ ‌out‌ ‌literature.‌ ‌

‌The‌ ‌gathering‌ ‌continued‌ ‌on‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌and‌ ‌Sunday‌ ‌morning‌ ‌with‌ ‌Nate‌ ‌Skaife,‌ ‌pastor‌ ‌of‌ ‌the‌ ‌Grand‌ ‌Junction‌ ‌church,‌ ‌leading‌ ‌an‌ ‌in-depth‌ ‌study‌ ‌and‌ ‌discussion‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath,‌ ‌which‌ ‌began‌ ‌with‌ ‌reviewing‌ ‌the‌ ‌creation‌ ‌account‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌was‌ ‌instituted.‌ ‌

‌The‌ ‌discussion‌ ‌continued‌ by discussing‌ ‌how‌ ‌different‌ ‌churches‌ ‌view‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌and‌ ‌how‌ ‌those‌ ‌views‌ ‌either‌ ‌do ‌or‌ ‌do not‌ ‌match‌ ‌the‌ ‌Bible‌ ‌view.‌ ‌

‌The‌ ‌group‌ ‌concluded‌ ‌their‌ ‌study‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌examining‌ ‌how‌ ‌the‌ ‌Bible‌ ‌shows‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌to‌ ‌be‌ ‌a‌ ‌day‌ ‌of‌ ‌relationship‌ ‌and‌ ‌the‌ ‌importance‌ ‌of‌ ‌keeping‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌the‌ ‌way‌ ‌it‌ ‌was‌ ‌meant‌ ‌to‌ ‌be kept.‌ ‌ ‌

‌Recalling‌ ‌the‌ ‌weekend,‌ ‌Williams‌ ‌commented‌ ‌“We‌ ‌were‌ ‌blessed‌ ‌with‌ ‌the‌ ‌enthusiastic‌ ‌presentation‌ on the‌ ‌potential‌ ‌for‌ ‌the‌ ‌literature‌ ‌ministry‌ ‌to‌ ‌play‌ ‌a‌ ‌significant‌ ‌part‌ ‌in‌ ‌the‌ ‌closing‌ ‌work;‌ ‌emphasis‌ ‌was‌ ‌placed especially‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌Glow‌ ‌tract‌ ‌ministry.‌ ‌We‌ ‌then‌ ‌dove‌ ‌very,‌ ‌very‌ ‌deeply‌ into‌ ‌the‌ ‌Sabbath‌ ‌and‌ ‌we‌ ‌learned‌ ‌that‌ ‌the‌ ‌Lord’s‌ ‌Day‌ ‌is‌ ‌far‌ ‌more‌ ‌beautiful‌ ‌and‌ ‌special‌ ‌than‌ ‌we‌ realize.‌ ‌It‌ ‌really‌ ‌got‌ ‌us‌ ‌thinking‌ ‌about‌ ‌and‌ ‌sharing‌ ‌how‌ ‌we‌ ‌can‌ ‌keep‌ ‌it‌ ‌truly‌ ‌holy.”‌ ‌

‌The‌ ‌Denver‌ ‌cohort‌ ‌training‌ ‌was‌ ‌held‌ ‌earlier‌ ‌in‌ ‌June‌ ‌where‌ ‌17‌ ‌individuals‌ ‌were‌ ‌trained‌ ‌on‌ ‌the‌ ‌same‌ ‌topics.‌ ‌The‌ ‌next‌ ‌session‌ ‌will‌ ‌be‌ ‌held‌ ‌in‌ ‌September.‌ ‌

–Rachel Williams is member of the Cedaredge Adventist Church; photos supplied

30 Jun

Love People into Your Church

By David B. Franklin … Bruce was missing for several weeks. Given the volatile nature of living on the streets of Baltimore, we were concerned but prayed for the best. After we had searched for him for a few months, one Saturday morning, Bruce returned to our hot-meal program. However, this time he was not looking to receive a meal; he had a story to tell. To our delight, Bruce had not become a victim of the harsh realities of homelessness in Baltimore. He was working hard to pull the pieces of his life together. In just a few short months, Bruce had managed to find a job and secure transitional housing. He was preparing to move into his own apartment a few days after we reconnected. It was such a joy to see such a quick transition. He was excited about his future and motivated to keep reaching for his goals.

Bruce, however, was not satisfied with his progress. He said, “It’s not enough for me to succeed; I want everyone down here to succeed.” He continued, “Pastor, they appreciate you, but they really listen to me.” That day, Bruce did not return for food; he returned for friendship. He was committed to his friends and wanted to do everything in his power to help them experience the progress he experienced.

Bruce exemplified the message Jesus shares in the parable of the lost sheep (Matthew 18:12–14; Luke 15:3–7). In the parable, Jesus illustrates the value of an individual. The shepherd leaves the fold to search for one sheep who is lost. In a similar manner, Bruce left the comforts of his new life to find his friends and show them how to experience a new reality. He was willing to make sacrifices, forgo comfort, and spend time reaching his friends. We learned several lessons from Bruce that day. However, the most important was that real relationships require active responsibility. This simple lesson has shaped the way we do ministry at Miracle City Church.

100K Touches campaign

In 2016, Miracle City Church embarked on a campaign called 100K Touches. We committed to reaching our community with 100,000 acts of service within a year. We divided our projects into six categories: homelessness, education, food, insecurity, economic development, and temporary crisis. Beginning in January, we invited members to serve. They could either sign up to serve for projects throughout the week or join us on Saturday mornings for our Big Serve Days. On Big Serve Days, members gathered at eight o’clock in the morning for a simple breakfast and a brief time of prayer and worship. Afterward, project teams huddled together for instructions and then deployed to locations all over the city. Some packed food for sick patients, others entered laundromats to surprise patrons with free loads of laundry, others visited local schools to refresh libraries and hallways, and still others participated in our hot meals for the homeless program.

During this year, through partnership with local nonprofit organizations and the creativity of members in our congregation, we hosted job fairs, painted schools, cleaned up parks, launched an after-school program, provided fresh produce from Whole Foods to residents, supported literacy programs, started a community garden, visited nursing homes, and so much more. As a result, by the grace of God, we completed 127,569 touches, exceeding our goal in only eight months.

The importance of this initiative for our congregation is hard to overstate. Our congregation began to view church less as an event and more as a community. We began to see our worship experience as a place to share stories of victory, pray with one another, and “refuel” to go out and serve others. We also learned that making a sustainable impact would require a different approach. In many ways, Bruce had shared all we needed to know, but it took some time to unpack the lessons his example provided. However, after several conversations and some sincere prayer, we discovered a better way forward. The rest of this section will be devoted to sharing some principles we learned on how to engage effectively in community outreach through developing loving relationships.

Relationships

All effective community outreach begins with relationships built upon mutual love and respect. The word mutual is important. Relationships are meant to be a two-way street, to maintain a balance of give-and-take that is fueled by mutual responsibility. As a church family, Miracle City did not always take this approach to community outreach; however, Bruce showed us a better way.

Bruce returned to the hot-meal program to find his friends because of the relationships he had established with them. His friends were there with him during tough times, and now he felt a responsibility to help them during their rough times. He loved his friends, and they loved him as well. Their mutual love gave Bruce the unique ability to reach them in ways that we could not. In fact, their mutuality was the key ingredient that allowed Bruce’s friends to listen, learn, and, ultimately, change. One of the greatest barriers to effective community outreach is that we fail to develop relationships built upon mutuality.

Let us return for a moment to the parable of the lost sheep. If we consider our place in that story, we must acknowledge we have all been the lost sheep. However, sometimes in our genuine effort to follow the example of the Chief Shepherd, we can forget that we are all sheep. This thinking can inadvertently produce a superior-inferior relational construct between the church members and the community members. When this happens, church members often see community members as a project and not as partners. In addition, community members could see church members as manipulative, invaders, or, even worse, destructive. All of this works against effective ministry to those in our communities.

If we are going to minister to our communities effectively, we must build relationships full of mutual love and respect. It will require us to accept that we not only have something to give but also have much we need to receive. Churches must learn to listen to community members in order to understand not only their needs but also their strengths. Every community has strengths that can be empowered to assist community members in identifying solutions to the challenges that exist in their community. However, churches never learn of these strengths without entering into balanced relationships in which both the church and the community see that they have something to give and something to receive. When we have relationships built upon our mutuality, we open the door to engaging effectively in community outreach in a way that grows our churches and strengthens the community at the same time. Maybe even more important, our church members will begin to see that baptism and community building all qualify as kingdom building.

It is important to build relationships with various groups in our communities:

• Residents
• Students
• Community association members and leaders
• School principals
• Community center directors and staff
• After-school program directors
• Local business owners
• City council members

Reputation

Initially, the 100K Touches campaign helped our church develop a good reputation in the community. However, it fell short of building deep relationships with the community members, primarily because we unintentionally structured our outreach for people to receive assistance but not to build relationships.

So, was all of the effort wasted? Not at all. During the 100K Touches campaign, we realized we had stumbled upon a formula for building relationships within communities. When a church is unknown to the surrounding neighborhood, it must build a reputation that allows the community to begin trusting the church. Service projects that meet temporary needs are one way to build the reputation of the church, which in turn opens the door to establishing relationships with community members. However, members of the church must be keenly aware that the goal of the service project is not to give out the most sandwiches, blankets, coats, or other items. The goal is to create space for relationships to grow. Members of the congregation must give attention to more than packing bags and filling baskets. Instead, members must take a genuine interest in the lives of those who are coming to receive assistance. Service projects are just one way to build the reputation of the church. Other programs could provide the same level of interest or visibility. The goal is to create space for church members and community members to connect.

To assist our church members with understanding this principle of out- reach, we adopted a term as our guiding philosophy—disinterested benevolence. In our use of the term, disinterested benevolence simply means to do good for the sake of doing good without expecting anything in return. We rehearsed this term and its meaning at every outreach meeting. Before every Big Serve Day, we posted it on the Serve page of our website and shared it during our worship experiences. We wanted to prioritize the people over the projects and ensure that members of the community did not feel that our outreach was just a tool to rope them into attending a Bible study or church service. We knew that to build trust, there must be no strings attached so that genuine love could drive all of our trust-building work.

–David B. Franklin is the lead pastor of Miracle City Seventh-day Adventist Church in Baltimore, Maryland; photo by UnSplash

This article is an excerpt from the newly available book Multiply and was originally published on the NAD ministerial association website.

29 Jun

OPINION: A PLANT AND A MARRIAGE

By Ron Price — On occasion, I have had the privilege of coaching couples through difficult stretches in their marriage. After a recent coaching session, I received an email containing what you are about to read. I was impressed with it and asked permission to share it with you. Obviously, permission was granted. I took the liberty to change the name of the husband, but little else. By the way, I do not personally know anyone named Buford, but it has long been my favorite substitute name for a person I do not wish to identify.

When Buford and I first got together, he had a plant that his last partner had abused. So, I took the plant and nursed it back to life. Like our relationship, it was growing and producing new leaves and vines. But, after a while, it started not to look so good and was droopy. So, I clipped some of the dead leaves and vines – the stuff on the surface that I could see.

It continued to die. I then decided I needed to check it out further to get to the root of the problem (pun intended). I soon discovered the plant was waterlogged. The pot was not allowing for the old water to drain.

Buford suggested that we get a bigger pot and replant it. So, we moved the sickly plant from the little pot to a new, larger one. But we had not addressed the previous damage from having been waterlogged. The plant continued to die.

Buford said, “it’s dead; throw it away.” I told him I based our marriage on how the plant is doing and that I was determined to save it. He said the plant had nothing to do with our marriage, that it was dead, and we should just throw it away.

I looked him in the eyes and told him, “I am going to save that plant, and you are going to see what I mean.” So, I took what was left of the very sickly vines and put them in a mason jar. Little by little, it started to grow roots. It was sitting on the window sill, neglected and pretty much forgotten. It was not getting any attention, and the water was almost gone.

At this point, Buford and I separated, and it brought me back to the plant. I clipped it and added some freshwater. I started babying it – giving it the attention it needed. Buford and I started marriage counseling. We started working on our “root” problems and let the old water (bad feelings) drain out of our pot. Our plant had good roots now and was ready to repot. Buford wanted us to put the plant in the big pot immediately, but I explained to him that it needed to grow and strengthen before it was ready for the big pot.

You see, this plant needed to be nursed to a point where it was able to withstand another shock to its root system. So, I repotted the plant back into a smaller pot where it was contained and held close so that it was comfortable and able to produce more roots.

If we forget about this plant or only look at the surface, we could risk losing it once and for all. Right now, the little plant looks amazing. It is bright and growing new leaves.

You see, this plant had problems of its own before it became mine, as did my husband and myself. If we work together to fix our marriage as we fix this plant, we too will grow new roots and leaves. One day we will be ready and comfortable to move into a larger pot. Some things take time, patience, love, and attention. God is helping us grow new roots and reminding us to let the old water drain and not hold onto the things that will continue to cause harm.

 I hope you enjoyed the sentiment expressed in this message. While not all marriages can, or should be, saved, I do believe many could succeed with some effort, attention, and help. What say you?

— Ron Price MA writes a regular column on www.RonPrice.com.  He is the owner/operator of Productive Outcomes, Inc., and has spent the last 30+ years as a mediator, helping people resolve their differences with others. He provides in-person and virtual training on a variety of life skills. He is a member of Piñon Hills Seventh-day Adventist Church in Farmington, New Mexico and a member of the RMC Executive Committee. For more information, visit www.RonPrice.com. To add your name to his weekly mailing list, please send him an email at Ron@RonPrice.com. Photo by Unsplash

This article was reprinted with permission