Elisabet Kirkland Page 42

Will Reed – Greeley, Colorado … The Greeley Seventh-day Adventist Church held its first-ever “Come Back to Church Day,” October 14. 

Designed as a way to bring back former members who had not attended in a long time and to invite people who had never been to church before, the special Sabbath service and fellowship meal drew more than 100 total church members, past and present, and visitors. This was around a 20% increase in attendance compared to the average weekly attendance of the Greeley church. 

On this particular Sabbath service, there were four believers baptized as well as one person accepted through profession of faith, welcoming these individuals into membership at church while welcoming back others into the church community again.

The idea originated with Michael Shannon, pastor of the Greeley church, while visiting a church member who was in the hospital several months ago. A couple of family members approached him and explained that they knew him from the church’s livestream, but they had never met in person because they had not been back to church since COVID pandemic. Pastor Shannon explained that this is a common attitude that he wanted to change: “After COVID, it just seems easier to stay home and watch the service on TV,” he said. 

This interaction with the absent church members was one of the catalysts for Pastor Shannon to create and promote “Come Back to Church Day” at Greeley Church. Church members were encouraged to reach out to members that had not attended church in a long time to invite them to this special Sabbath. Some church members also invited people who had never been to church at Greeley before. 

Pastor Shannon commented, “Several people came to church who hadn’t been to church for a while said that ‘it felt really good to be back in church.’” He is hopeful that the church can come up with new ways to reach out to the extended church family and community and bring them in. “We’re just happy that the people did come back and, hopefully, they’ll stay back in church,” he continued. 

—Will Reed is principal and sixth through eighth grades teacher at Greeley Adventist Christian School. Photos by Jim Johnson.

Gwen Loney – Lincoln, Nebraska …  Mile High Academy (MHA) student athletes took off for the Union College Volleyball and Soccer Tournament in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 19-20.

The MHA girls volleyball team won all three of their games on the first day of the tournament. The MHA boys soccer team had a harder start to the tournament and lost both of their games. On the second day, both teams lost their games, but the boys soccer team ended their tournament on a high, beating Hinsdale Academy 2-1 on Saturday night.

The Union College Tournament is not just a time for competition, but it is also a time for students to meet other athletes from across the country. At the tournament, student athletes build long-lasting friendships and are given the opportunity to experience college life. While there, they toured the campus, lived the life of a college student, ate meals at the cafeteria, and stayed in the dorms.

The tournament also provided time to reconnect with peers. After service on Sabbath morning, participants headed to Holmes Lake, where they ate lunch, played on the playground, and were joined by alumni from around the Lincoln area who came to reconnect with MHA.

MHA athletic director Michael Camacho commented, “My favorite part of tournament is being able to spend time with our kids outside of school. Getting to see them excel in an area that they put a lot of time into over the season is very special to me as their coach. Watching them compete and make friends with our sister schools is the best part of my job by far.”

—Gwen Loney is a senior student at Mile High Academy. Photos supplied.

Hugo Guillén – Denver, Colorado … The Hispanic youth ministry organization, Federation of Adventist Youth (FEJA), held the Hispanic Youth Congress at Mile High Academy, Highlands Ranch, Colorado, October 13-15. Over 250 attendees gathered to worship, listen to the Word, and look to the future to better fulfill the work set out before us.

At a conference level, Hispanic churches are assisted by FEJA. This organization kept youth activities ongoing through the pandemic and, immediately after, began planning activities to strengthen the spiritual life of our youth.

The COVID-19 pandemic created a mold that shaped every aspect of our lives, including how we go about our church activities. And even though it seems like mask requirements and social distancing took place a long time ago, we continue to feel the effects in everything the pandemic altered.

Since we were able to leave the pandemic practices behind, we have realized that what we had already built had, at least in part, been torn down. Church attendance was a fraction of what it was prior to COVID-19, leadership had also taken a hit with some leaders losing their spiritual vitality and not returning to lead their congregations, and our youth were no exception. Besides losing young people, we also lost our “groove” with our church youth activities.

But as the apostle Paul wrote in his second letter to the Corinthians, we were “struck down, but not destroyed.” So, it has been with the Hispanic youth of our conference. Slowly, but surely, after restrictions were lifted, our young people in our Hispanic congregations have begun working to rebuild what past challenges seek to destroy.

Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Hispanic churches last year immediately began working on reestablishing their Adventist Youth programs on Sabbath afternoons at a local level. The reboot of youth ministries was underway.

This FEJA youth rally titled “Glow In The Dark” was put together with the intention to be a catalyst for strong spiritual lives of our Hispanic youth. Our guest speaker for the weekend was Benjamin Carballo, pastor and director of Hispanic ministries at the Nevada-Utah Conference, who has been involved in youth ministries for more than15 years in his pastoral experience.

His sermons, based on Biblical stories, struck the spiritual chords of many of the young people that were present. Jesus, a young person from one of the Denver area Adventist churches, was quick to respond to the appeal made by Pastor Carballo on Friday evening. He stated that he enjoyed the experience as he took in the messages and interacted with other Adventist youth.

Some of the FEJA leaders shared their thoughts on the event. Abisai Aguilar, Denver Metro Area FEJA president commented, “The weekend turned out very successful! More so than I personally imagined. We had attendance from almost every Hispanic church in Colorado ranging all the way from Montrose to Colorado Springs. I was very happy to be able to see so many people I hadn’t seen in a long time, and I enjoyed the activities during the two days a lot more than I expected.”

Aguilar continued, “FEJA has seen some very good years in the past, but, due to Covid, we have struggled a bit to regain the traction we once had with the youth in years past. But this past FEJA Youth Congress showed me that there is still a lot to look forward to!”

Another staff member of Denver Metro Area FEJA, Daniel Gonzalez, shared, “Being surrounded by so many young people this weekend was amazing. We learned that we NEED to be light in the darkness; it doesn’t matter who we are or where we come from. All of these youth came from different cities, different families, different situations in life, and my wish is that they all went home shining a little bit brighter with the light of Jesus to share with the rest.”

There was a good number of attendees that came to represent the regional mountain areas, cities like Montrose, Olathe, and New Castle. These young adults and youth leaders seek to strengthen their participation at the local and conference level. This is testimony that there is strong youth leadership in our Hispanic churches in the mountain areas. It’s obvious that these cities don’t have the same resources that may be available in the metro area, but that has not hindered their courage and ability to uphold and contribute to the well-being of their churches.

An important decision that was made during this weekend was to bring together the two FEJA organizations that existed during the pandemic period. One FEJA organization oversaw the Denver metro area while the other concentrated its efforts in the Hispanic churches located in the mountain region.

During a mid-afternoon meeting with a healthy representation from a wide range of Hispanic churches, presided by RMC Hispanic Ministries coordinator, Pastor Ruben Rivera, a unanimous vote was taken to approve the fusion of the two FEJA organizations and strengthen future youth activities and events. That same afternoon, a secondary meeting was held to elect the new leaders for FEJA for the next two years.

Pastor Carballo was able to finish his series of messages with a calling to our young people to have the courage to “GLOW” for Jesus in this dark world. Another young person in attendance, who came up during the altar call, said that the sermons by the keynote speaker motivated him to focus on his calling and be loyal to Jesus amid all the worldly distractions. If this sentiment is shared among our young people, a revival will take place in our churches in RMC.

So even though the enemy of souls continues to look for distinct ways to tear down the church of Christ, we are certain that the church will be built up as we continue to set our eyes upon Jesus. Let the young people never forget that “unless the Lord builds the house, those who build it labor in vain.”

—Hugo Guillén is the pastoral counselor for the Denver Metro Area FEJA. Photos supplied.

Vashty Segovia Santos – Lincoln, Nebraska … Campion Academy varsity soccer and volleyball teams took two days off school to compete at the annual Fall Tournament at Union College in Lincoln, Nebraska, October 19-20. A total of 14 Adventist academies participated from as far away as Florida and Michigan.

The winners of the tournament were Andrews Academy in soccer and Forest Lake Academy in volleyball. The Campion teams were disappointed with their results, but shared they still enjoyed the chance to compete. The boys soccer team won one out of four games that they played. The girls were very close in many of their games, but sadly didn’t win any. “Even though our team lost, we still had fun,” Dwayne Rey, Campion Academy volleyball manager, shared. “We didn’t let that affect our experience.”

A member from each team was selected as Most Valuable Player (MVP). Campion Academy students Ariel Patterson and Brayden Marroquin won awards this year.

The students left campus on Wednesday afternoon, and, after a six-hour drive, arrived at Union College very late at night to settle in the residence halls. Brayden Marroquin shared, “It was a long drive, but we had fun singing the whole way there.”

The varsity teams started their days off with having breakfast in the cafeteria. Afterwards, they all gathered for worship in the gym before the games began. Both the volleyball team and soccer team played one to two games a day. They were constantly busy going from one game to another.

Olivia Uphold, student team player, expressed, “It was fun, especially since it was my first time playing with this school. I had a lot of fun hanging out with my teammates over this tournament.”

In total the volleyball team played against four teams: Midland, Georgia-Cumberland Academy, and twice against Collegedale Academy. The soccer team played against Hinsdale Academy, Collegedale Academy, Sunnydale Academy, and Ozark Academy.

When the teams weren’t playing, they were cheering on other teams and hanging out with friends from other schools. Ariel Patterson, student team player, commented, “It was fun to play and watch games, and cheer on the boys. My favorite part was seeing my friends from other schools.”

The students worshiped together with the Union College students on Sabbath and relaxed in the afternoon. The championship games and awards were on Saturday night.

Randy Ottschofski, Campion Academy soccer coach, expressed, “I am sad to have the season end, but am very proud of how the teams handled themselves whether in victory or defeat.”

—Vashty Segovia Santos, Campion Academy Student News Team. Photos supplied.

Jocelyn Aalborg and Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … The spirit of community and camaraderie was evident at Mile High Academy’s (MHA) fifth annual Walk-A-Thon, October 6. This much-anticipated event had a special mission: to raise money for the school’s annual fund.

The initial target set for this academic year was $50,000 and was part of a broader goal to raise $250,000. These funds play a crucial role in providing financial assistance to students who might otherwise be unable to attend MHA. This year, 40% of MHA students benefit from this fund, highlighting its importance in making quality education accessible.

With hearts filled with enthusiasm, this year’s Walk-A-Thon not only met its $50,000 goal but soared beyond, raising over $53,000. The incredible success of this event can be attributed to the exceptional dedication of students, the unwavering support of parents, and the outpouring of generosity from the broader community.

One exceptional third-grade student, Madylin, embarked on a heartfelt mission to secure funds for her fellow students to attend MHA. With the help of her family, Madylin created a touching video and shared it with her friends and family. She shared her motivation, saying, “It was important to raise money because I would be sad if I couldn’t go to Mile High [Academy] because my parents didn’t have enough money. I would feel sad about other kids who couldn’t attend MHA either.”

Madylin aimed for an ambitious fundraising target of $5,000, and, though she fell just short of her goal, her unwavering dedication showed the remarkable commitment and generosity prevalent among MHA’s students.

“This event was so much fun, and I’m proud to be a part of it. Helping my friends come to MHA makes me feel happy and grateful,” she said.

This year, the Walk-A-Thon introduced an exciting new element by infusing color into the event, which was a tremendous hit among the participants. The school also implemented fundraising goals on a per-student and per-class basis. Students who raised $500 or more will enjoy an afternoon of indoor skydiving, while those reaching the $1,000 mark will experience a limousine ride to lunch and back. The classroom who raised the most money gets to enjoy a catered Chipotle lunch. Additionally, two all-school goals were met: at $35,000, staff will sport royal blue hair, and at $50,000, they will face being “slimed.”

In terms of laps walked, the students collectively completed an impressive 6,443 laps, showcasing their unwavering commitment to the cause. Despite chilly weather, the day was filled with enthusiasm and spirit as students also had the opportunity to explore various fun activity booths during well-deserved breaks.

Jocelyn Aalborg, MHA’s vice president of finance and development, expressed her immense pride in the event’s success. “Our annual Walk-A-Thon isn’t just about raising funds; it’s about building a tight-knit community that supports one another. Thanks to our wonderful community, dedicated students, and supportive parents, we’ve once again come together to make this event an extraordinary success!”

—Jocelyn Aalborg is the vice president of finance and development, and Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development coordinator at Mile High Academy. Photos supplied.