NN Sept 2024

Diane Larkins – Sheridan, Wyoming … The Better Life Natural Food (BLNF) store in Sheridan, Wyoming, was launched by Gerita Leibelt, wife of Lonnie Leibelt, the pastor of the Sheridan Seventh-day Adventist Church at that time, July 10, 1978.

In an effort to find some healthy flour to teach the church community how to bake whole wheat bread, Gerita and church members pooled resources to purchase whole wheat flour. There was no health food store in Sheridan in those years.

The news began to spread by word of mouth, and people of the community showed interest in buying bulk food. A section of the Sheridan Church’s fellowship hall was partitioned off to provide a store space that was accessible to the community.

Church members rallied to bag and label food goods in smaller portions more suitable for purchase by the public. The store space eventually became too small to accommodate the demand, and soon, a contractor was hired to remodel the fellowship hall, doubling the size.

Currently, the BLNF store is open two afternoons a month and loyal customers have it penciled on their calendars. The store is stocked with a variety of organic oats, flours, nuts, seeds, legumes, rice, dried fruits, canned vegetarian analogs, and more. Many informational programs have been offered free of charge through the store including Diabetes Undone, depression, personal finances, cooking schools, the eight laws of health, and promoting the Arm of the Gospel. Signs of the Times magazines are provided with each purchase.

The most exciting part of the BLNF are the connections made in the community: people knowing we are there; people sharing their struggles, cares, and concerns; and that divine appointments take place. Customers comment on how grateful they are for the store being there, letting the store know they are unique and the only Adventist health store for miles around. The funds from sales are used for evangelism and needs in the community.

—Diane Larkins is writes from the Sheridan Seventh-day Adventist Church and supports the BLNF. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

Samantha Nelson – Cody, Wyoming … Sometimes it seems as though our labors for the Lord are in vain. Other times, we see the fruits of our labors and rejoice exceedingly. Steve Nelson, head pastor at the Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cody, Wyoming, and his wife, Samantha Nelson, witnessed the fruits of their labors as two of the youth they’ve been studying with and mentoring were baptized and another youth was dedicated to the Lord at the Sabbath service, September 21.

The children in the James family, twelve-year-old Josiah, ten-year-old Sage, and five-year-old Syrus, have been part of local Pathfinders club as well as Steve’s weekly kids’ Bible study group for a few years now. “They have grown immensely in their love for the Lord and in Bible knowledge,” remarked Samantha.

Josiah James, the oldest of the children baptized, commented, “Being baptized is getting closer to God, learning and applying even more than you already did.”

Sage James, who participated in the Cody Church girls’ youth trip this past June, said, “It is a big deal when you get baptized. You are making a forever commitment to having Jesus in your life and showing others your plan.”

Syrus James, who was dedicated to the Lord rather than baptized due to his young age, said, “[The dedication] made my heart feel nicer and more loving. Jesus is with me. I feel Him.”

The Cody Church family eagerly welcomed each of them into fellowship and membership and celebrated the joy the kids had as they publicly committed their lives to Jesus.

—Samantha Nelson writes from Cody Adventist Church where her husband is a pastor. Photos by Samantha Nelson.

Marsha Bartulec – Erie, Colorado …  Students at Vista Ridge Academy (VRA) in Erie, Colorado, came together for a special Service Day, September 20, embodying the spirit of Galatians 5:13: “Serve one another humbly in love.”

The day began with a chapel service. Students from kindergarten through eighth grade were paired with buddies, fostering mentorship and camaraderie across age groups. Pre-K students led the songs, pledge, and prayer. Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Youth director Brandon Westgate’s message focused on the importance of serving others, rooted in Christ’s example of humility and love.

After worship, students moved through a series of service project stations designed to encourage hands-on participation and thoughtful reflection. The first station involved learning about partnering with the Sister Carmen Community Center* in Lafayette, Colorado, to do a food drive and a fun relay race, combining teamwork with a tangible way to support those in need. CLICK HERE for more information on donating to the food drive through October 3.

At the second station, students made heartfelt cards to honor and appreciate our veterans, offering gratitude to those who have served our country. The cards will be given to Veterans who join us for the Donuts with Veterans event in November. The third station had the students picking up trash around the school grounds, taking care of God’s creation while learning the value of stewardship. At the fourth station students enjoyed recess and a snack.

Through these projects, students not only learned practical ways to serve others but also deepened their understanding of Christ’s call to love and serve humbly. Service Day was a beautiful reminder that, no matter our age, we can all make a difference by serving one another.

* The Sister Carmen Community Center is not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists or Seventh-day Adventist Church.

—Marsha Bartulec is principal at Vista Ridge Academy. Photos supplied.

Olivia Uphold – Loveland, Colorado … Students from Campion Academy (CA) in Loveland, Colorado, spent the day exploring Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) on September 13.

For half the day, students took a course from park ranges learning about the ecosystems that make up the park. Students were able to choose how they wanted to experience the park after the course had completed. Some groups went hiking, while others created music. Some even found a quiet place to sit and enjoy a book.

One group of students went on a six-mile hike in Hidden Valley in RMNP. Noeli Hernandez, CA student, shared her experience: “It was really peaceful climbing to the top of the hike and seeing the views was worth it.”

The Music Elements musical group, led by Naomi Fernandez, learned about making music with the materials provided by earth, and they also saw an assortment of animals. Senior student Jillian Frans commented, “It was so fun to spend the day with my friends. As we were making music, we saw three deer and many other animals near us.”

For new students coming from other states and countries, this was a new experience. Freshman student Ariana Martel said, “I really liked being able to get out of school and be in nature for the day. It was my first time being at Rocky Mountain [National Park], and I wish we could do these types of days more.”

—Olivia Uphold, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos by Vashty Segovia Santos and supplied.

Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Middle school students from Mile High Academy (MHA) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, took part in the annual Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Middle School Outdoor School at Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado, September 10-13. They were joined with other fifth through eighth graders from 10 schools across the RMC for an unforgettable four days of outdoor education and spiritual growth.

A total of 105 students in fifth to seventh grade participated in a variety of hands-on activities. Focuses for the sixth and seventh graders included a fire-making class, compass reading, and hiking with an emphasis on “leave no trace” principles by picking up trash along the way. Students also learned new skills such as juggling, building bracelets, and crafting boats. Soccer games provided an opportunity for fun and friendly competition.

The 52 eighth graders from across the RMC camped in the Pathfinder Village where they spent three nights immersed in nature, learning essential skills such as repelling, fire and shelter building, compass navigation, and basic first aid. They also had the opportunity to work with Union Adventist University’s International Relief and Rescue (IRR) program, gaining practical skills like blade safety and animal trap construction.

One of the highlights of the week was a joint service project where students from all grades worked together to build picnic tables for schools and churches across the Conference, further strengthening their bonds and learning the importance of giving back.

Layten Meyers, an eighth-grade student, shared, “I had so much fun getting to know students from other schools, camping out, and rock climbing. It was an experience I’ll never forget.”

The week culminated in a powerful worship session where students reflected on their spiritual journey and the lessons they had learned.

“It was great having all the middle school students together, learning to work as teams and grow in their relationship with Christ. The hands-on activities and worship really brought the group together in a meaningful way. We look forward to continuing this tradition in the years ahead,” said Paul Negrete, RMC Education associate superintendent.

—Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development coordinator at Mile High Academy. Photos supplied.

LifeSource News – Denver, Colorado … Heidi Carpenter was welcomed to the leadership team at LifeSource Adventist Fellowship (LAF) in Denver, Colorado, as an associate pastor. A special prayer was offered by Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) pastors Rajmund Dabrowski, RMC communication director, and Nathaniel Gamble, RMC religious liberty director, during Sabbath services, September 7. The RMC was also represented by Darin Gottfried, RMC vice president for finance.

The Carpenter family accepted a call to move to Colorado from California at the beginning of 2021 when Heidi’s husband, Andrew Carpenter, accepted his new ministry role as the principal of Mile High Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado.

Daniel Birai, LAF lead pastor, of reached out and invited the Carpenters to connect with the LAF family: “[I] began intentionally praying that God would lead this family to serve at LAF.” Conversations between Daniel and Heidi began in January 2023 to bring Heidi on as lead of a short-term ministry training at the church. During the conversation centered on church growth and ministry, Birai got to know more of Heidi’s ministry experiences.

Heidi had given her life to Jesus at the young age of 16, and she began ministry almost immediately. She spent a summer as a literature evangelist, and, sensing God’s call into ministry, Heidi attended SOULS West, the Pacific Union Conference’s (PUC) College of Evangelism in Westlake Village, California.

Upon graduating, Heidi spent a year as a Bible worker in Milpitas, California, where she ministered to and studied with more than 35 individuals. She was given the call to work as an assistant in the Literature Ministries Department of Central California Conference (CCC) in the fall of 2007 training and supporting many Bible workers across the conference.

After working in CCC for over three years, she was invited to serve as the Literature Ministries director and coordinator in Southern California Conference (SCC). She spent eight years in that role working alongside pastors and teachers in discipling members and youth. With over 12 years of actively working in churches and communities in CCC and SCC, she had gained a wealth of experiential knowledge and training ability.

Birai was encouraged to hear of Heidi’s work with churches and schools, and he considered how to integrate this ministry paradigm at LAF. As their conversation progressed, Heidi shared that the most effective way to see lasting growth in a church was to engage in a long-term, embedded approach to ministry training similar to what she had worked with in the PUC.

Heidi accepted the role as a consultant in February 2023 and began coaching ministry leaders in their community-centered approach and assisting with the development of a year-round strategy for ministry events encouraging synergy among ministry leaders. When a pastoral opening occurred on their team, Heidi stepped in to fill key leadership roles in the Kids Sabbath School Wing. It was quickly becoming apparent that Heidi loved service and wanted LAF to thrive.

“Due to the nature of Heidi’s ministry at LAF and her passion for building church community, conversations began to adjust her role at LAF,” reflected Birai. “After talking with the church board, key leadership members, and the Rocky Mountain Conference, LifeSource voted to extend an offer to Heidi to serve as their associate pastor. She took time in prayer, along with her family, and sensed God leading her to accept this part-time position.”

“Heidi truly embodies what it looks like to live her life for Jesus,” he continued. “What you will see when you meet Heidi is a loving, disciple-making, follower of Jesus. For this, LifeSource Adventist Fellowship, along with Mile High Academy, Denver Metro Adventist Churches, and the Rocky Mountain Conference are deeply grateful to her, along with her family, for their service for Jesus.”

—LifeSource News. Photos supplied.

RMCNews – Ward, Colorado … Glacier View Ranch (GVR) came alive once again as a learning site welcoming students and teachers to a Rocky Mountain retreat near Ward, Colorado, September 10-13. The ranch became a large school venue for grades five through eight represented by 157 students.

It was evident that the RMC Outdoor School was enjoyed by the students. In the words of the RMC superintendent of education, Diane Harris: “Oh, my goodness, they love it. They have been so excited and looking forward to it. And so that’s been the best part, is that we had seen students reach out to other students from different schools to say, ‘hey, are you coming to outdoor school this year?’ So that they could know that they would see their friends.”

“We could not do this without the support of the teachers that are willing to come in and teach classes. And then the parents who were volunteering to be chaperones,” she said.

“It was fun,” commented Alexa from Mile High Academy (MHA) in Highlands Ranch, Colorado. In an Orienteering class “you could find the directions we were going and walk in nature,” she shared.

Lilia, eight-grader from MHA, confirmed that the RMC Outdoor School offered “a lot of fun. It’s my first time coming here, but I enjoy it a lot. It’s fun to camp with a lot of people my age and all my friends. We just came back from building shelters, and that’s probably my favorite thing so far.”

For her, the experience was more than the activities: “I’m not really good at making friends, but it was really fun meeting new people. Actually, I have a lot of friends from different schools now, so I’m enjoying it a lot.”

Unlike the younger class students, who stayed at the main GVR camp in the cabins, the eighth-grade students tent-camped in Pathfinder Village. Marsha Bartulec, principal of Vista Ridge Academy in Erie, Colorado, explained that eight-grade students participated in activities, including rock climbing, first aide, GPS, blade safety, traps/hunting tools, shelter building, hiking, team building, and a service project.

Worship presentations by Brandon Westgate, RMC Youth director, for the grades five to seven showcased the theme “Summit Seekers: Step Up, Reach Out, Stand Firm” which dealt with humility and how Jesus and we reach out to people.

For the eighth-grade camp, Paul Negrete, RMC associate superintendent, shared valuable lessons for daily life. Marsha said, “The students learned in Biblical scenarios how the individual’s operating principle guided their decision-making. These operating principles guide our decisions in our life. The older we get, with more experience and understanding, we can conscientiously choose what operating principles we want to live by. The Holy Spirit can help us to process and understand what hidden operating principles are behind our decisions.”

A new feature of the RMC Outdoor School included support from the International Relief and Rescue (IRR) program at Union Adventist University (UAU) in Lincoln, Nebraska, where program students Calista Covel provided training with GPS/compass navigation, blade safety and carving, traps and hunting tools, and shelter building. Her training partner and fellow student, Christine Sturgill, gave instructions on blade safety and carving, first aid, hiking, and shelter building, and Allen Stafford, involved the students in rock climbing and fire building.

“It’s been so much fun,” said Christine Sturgill. “I think it’s been fairly easy to translate our skills into these classes, because, within our program, we do lots of hands-on activities. We’re out actually practicing these things all the time. So, we know what it looks like to be out in the woods and building a shelter. It’s not hard to be out here with the kids doing it,” she explained.

Among the chaperones at the RMC Outdoor School was Logan Earles, associate pastor from Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Littleton, Colorado. “I’m enjoying this because it’s a good time to interact with kids that I don’t get to interact with often. It’s also fun because they’re learning skills that they wouldn’t learn in school. Like, right now, we’re watching them do fire making, and I don’t know how many of them have had a flint and steel in their hands before this. And now they have a fun opportunity to do that. So, it’s been fun,” he shared.

As you approached the Pathfinder Village, you smelled cooking. Cindy Roldan, registrar at MHA said, “We are cooking for outdoor school. [I am with] Heidi Carpenter, associate pastor at LifeSource Adventist Fellowship, and we love it. Well, we think we both heard the same thing from the kids: they’re enjoying it, they love to be out with the IRR program, and they’re really learning a lot of useful things to take back into their everyday life.”

Heidi shared, “One of the sponsors was walking away from our kitchen site yesterday and she said they’re learning so many valuable things. And she almost had a look of surprise on her face.” Completing the comment, Cindy said, “she’s a first-time teacher, and it was her first time here. And so, she wasn’t aware of everything that they would be learning.”

“And one thing that we’ve really been focusing on during worship time has been focusing on mental strength and emotional intelligence. Because, you know, when you’re in the outdoors and you’re learning how to do these different things, and when you’re just walking in life in high school with your friends, or in middle school, learning how to be emotionally intelligent is key,” Heidi commented.

The value of being in an outdoor setting brought an important lesson. In Cindy’s words: “I have heard no complaints about the lack of technology. So that’s huge. There’s no internet here, and so it’s very healthy for them. And we’ve been blessed that we haven’t had any complaints.”

—RMCNews with Marsha Bartulec, principal at Vista Ridge Academy. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.