Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

11 Mar

THE WAIT WAS WORTH IT FOR BRIGHTON CHURCH CELEBRATIONS

By Wayne Morrison – Brighton, Colorado … The Brighton church recently celebrated a beautiful wedding, one the church has been waiting to celebrate for a year.

In early 2020, Saul and Susanna Martinez, engaged to be married, were looking forward to their wedding. Before the wedding, Saul wanted to be baptized and become part of the Brighton church family. Bible studies between Saul and Pastor Wayne Morrison were curtailed, however, by COVID’s march across the country. Knowing that events would be postponed or even cancelled, the couple moved up their wedding date.

Although the Martinez wedding was held February 13, 2020, the church wasn’t able to celebrate with the couple because of restrictions placed on gatherings.

Saul’s baptism was also put on hold and the church again waited to celebrate. Finally, in December, members were able to rejoice as Saul made public his decision to follow Jesus through baptism.

Throughout his life, Saul told the church pastor, he has always felt that he was guided to take the paths that were right for him. Looking for a spiritual path to follow, he eventually met Susanna and, discovering her beliefs, felt truly connected and guided. “It’s what I believe is right,” Saul explained to the church before his baptism.

On February 27 of this year, the church family finally assembled to celebrate the Martinez’s first anniversary, when they renewed their vows for those gathered in person and those joining through livestream.

The wait, according to many church members, was worth it, as they witnessed the new family joining with the church family, a foretaste of God’s family coming together in the earth made new.

–Wayne Morrison is pastor of the Brighton church; photos supplied

04 Mar

LITTLETON CHURCH TUBING GETS PASTOR FLYING

RMCNews – Fraser, Colorado … Littleton youth and families gathered at the church the afternoon of February 28 to make the long trek to the Fraser snow tubing hill where hours of endless fun and high-speed activities awaited.

The event, planned by Pastor Chris Morris, was a refreshing change of pace for the 40 participants who have missed the free companionship of life before Covid.

Each flying run down the hill in chaotic formation was followed by a return trip to the top via the “magic carpet.”

During one walk back to the magic carpet, the Littleton group found themselves approached at high speed by another cluster of tubers.

While the younger members rushed out of the way, Pastor Andy Nash attempted to leap over the tubes. Instead, his feet were clipped, and he flipped upside down, landing on his head. Nash said he remembers his daughter Summer saying, “Are you okay, Dad?” followed by “Look out—here comes another group!”

“We saw the tube hit Pastor Andy,” said Cheryl Bierbaum, Littleton church member. “He was vertical with his legs in the air totally off the ground. My husband said it looked like a stunt trick out of a movie and an impressive 360 flip.”

The church awaits the next fast-paced outing: roller skating. What could possibly go wrong?

To view video of some of the fun had please click here.

—RMCNews; photos courtesy of Littleton’s Facebook page

03 Mar

MHA STUDENTS AND NEWDAY CHURCH JOIN FEBRUARY CHRISTMAS TOY DRIVE

By Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Mile High Academy (MHA) students and Newday Adventist church in Parker, Colorado came together to hold Operation Christmas Child (OCC) donation event, a project of the international relief organization Samaritan’s Purse, whose mission is to provide local partners around the world with shoeboxes filled with small toys, hygiene items and school supplies.

Why hold the event in February when the Christmas holiday is just a recent memory?

Katrina White, Newday member and OCC coordinator explains, “We typically run these fundraisers around the Christmas holiday; however, with the busy holiday schedules and the hardships that have hit many families this past year, we decided to host the MHA fundraising event in February, the month where we show others how much they are loved and appreciated.”

Students were encouraged to donate items, such as Legos, dolls and sports balls.

When asked why they enjoyed giving gifts to others, Zuzu, MHA kindergartener, said, “Because it makes kids happy.”

Another kindergartener Ciela explained, ““When we give little kids toys, we see ‘em [become] happy. We give money to them, and it is very nice that we give money to them.”

MHA students were able to donate 188 items to the Christmas drive with the kindergarten class donating 68 items, beating out the other participating grades to win a pizza lunch for their classroom.

The donated items were placed in shoe boxes with school supplies and personal hygiene products before being shipped to children worldwide, spreading love and cheer to those who may need it the most.

Reflecting on the event White said, “This is God’s project, and no matter what, our efforts are to glorify Him.”

–Karrie Meyers is communication assistant at Mile High Academy; photo supplied

03 Mar

LAY PASTOR TRAINING IN GRAND JUNCTION DISCUSSES CHURCH GROWTH

RMCNews with Rachel Williams – Grand Junction, Colorado … The Western Slope lay pastor training was held at the Grand Junction church, February 26-27. Twenty-three participants, including three first-time attendees, studied the theology of the covenants and best practices for church growth.

Nate Skaife, pastor of the Grand Junction church, led the sessions with a discussion on how covenants worked in the Bible, placing a special focus on the stories of Noah and Abraham, which drew many questions from the trainees.

“Having studied about the covenants and how the Lord is both Suzerien and Vassal, Christ’s character of love shines through even more,” Connie Heinrich, Grand Junction member and lay pastor trainee said.

Another trainee, Rachel Williams, explained her thoughts about the covenant training received, “I had always heard a lot about the old and new covenants, but what I learned this weekend gave me a much clearer understanding of how they actually work, how they show God’s love, and how He takes responsibility for both Himself and us in both covenants.”

On Sabbath afternoon, the focus of the meetings shifted with Skaife leading the discussion on best practices for church growth, the life cycle of the church, the importance of showing friendship and kindness to our communities, and personal evangelism.

The afternoon session gave opportunity for participants to share stories of personal ministry as well as their struggles, while coming up with new ideas for helping home churches grow and minister to their communities.

Mickey Mallory, RMC ministerial director, showed appreciation for the weekend training, “I am happy that our RMC lay pastors had exposure to information on two very important topics in the church today. Understanding the covenants in the Bible reaffirms one’s faith in Christ, while understanding church growth provides the opportunity to see how sharing the Gospel will lead to church growth, qualitatively and quantitatively.”

Reflecting on the training, Palisade member and lay pastor trainee Curtis Strain, said, “I have learned so much during these meetings. [I’ve gained] new perspectives and new tools that I can use to improve my ministry.”

Mallory explains why these weekend gatherings are important to continue: “To have a group of trained lay pastors right now is a tremendous luxury for our conference. Because of their effort, we are enabled to do lots more in our churches.”

The next training will be held in Denver on April 23 and in Grand Junction on May 21. For more information on the lay pastor training sessions, please contact Mickey Mallory at [email protected].

—RMCNews with Rachel Williams who attended the lay pastor training in February; photo supplied.

02 Mar

FRONT RANGE YOUTH JOINS FOR FRISBEE GOLFING

RMCNews with James Murdock–Aurora, Colorado … A group of youth and young adults from the Boulder, Denver South, and LifeSource churches gathered in Aurora, February 28, for fellowship and a friendly game of Frisbee Golf.

What began as a physically-distanced pizza lunch soon turned into a dash to bundle up before setting off for the Bird’s Nest Disc Golf Course, still covered in six inches of snow from a prior storm.

For some, the gathering was an experience that has been tremendously missed during the pandemic.

“It had been a long time coming for many of our local church youth groups, and on a frigid Sabbath afternoon in February, we finally scheduled a time to come together to begin rebuilding the bonds of fellowship that had been divided during the COVID era,” Murdock, associate pastor of the Boulder church said.

For a majority of the group that gathered, Frisbee golf was a brand-new form of recreation, so the announcement that the activity would not be remotely competitive was an easy request to oblige. The goal for the day was not to count strokes or revel in who could hole-out with precision; instead, the purpose of the event was to create a space where community could thrive once again in-person.

Shanked drives became reason for laughter rather than ridicule. Missed putts drew encouraging words to motivate one more try rather than drawing snickering and levying judgment. More often than not, the stories after their rounds had concluded dealt more with how much fun they had throwing snowballs than the score.

After spending time on the links, the groups of wind-whipped and frigid “frolfers” returned to the parking lot to exchange their muddy discs for a cup of cocoa and a cookie to thaw them momentarily before retreating to their vehicle where heat awaited.

One question lingered in the air before we waved goodbye–“When are we doing this again?”

—RMCNews with James Murdock who is the associate pastor of the Boulder church; photos supplied

01 Mar

ADVENTISTGIVING POWERFUL RESOURCE FOR SAFE SECURE DONATIONS

By Jon Roberts – Denver, Colorado … Almost a year ago, our way of life was interrupted by a pandemic which has caused us to rethink the way we handle routine items. Instead of going to King Soopers or Safeway for groceries, we now have them delivered to our front door or we pick them up in the parking lot.

For many church members, their way of returning tithes and offerings has also had to adapt and change since March 2020. Individuals either mail their donations to the church office (which can take days or weeks to arrive with our uncertain mail system) or they can donate through AdventistGiving.org, a fast, secure, and safe way to donate.

AdventistGiving is an app which can be downloaded from the Apple Store or Android Market and is also available online at adventistgiving.org. It allows donations to be made safely to your church using a credit/debit card or electronic check for either a one-time donation or recurring donations.

For some members, it has been a game changer for their financial routine.

“I resisted online giving for quite some time. It just seemed to be untrustworthy, cold, impersonal, etc. Now it has become a joyful experience. I get an endorphin rush as I hit the submit button knowing that I have been a “cheerful giver.” The convenience and time-saving factors are just gravy. Give it a try. You may just get hooked on giving online like I have,” said Ron Price, Piñon Hills church member and a member of the RMC executive committee.

AdventistGiving is a free resource that requires very little set-up time for church treasurers and other users of the tool.

George Crumley, RMC vice-president of finance explains the history of the AdventistGiving program and the impact it has had during the ongoing state of medical emergency the country has been under. “AdventistGiving was in place well before the pandemic hit us in North America. I believe that was providential and it has provided a secure, easy and effective way for our members to return their tithes and offerings during a time when we have not been able to worship together as easily as in the past.”

“Even though AdventistGiving was in place before the pandemic, it has been during COVID that we have seen utilization increase dramatically throughout the conference as more churches have come on board and more members have started using it. We now have 71 churches who are active users.”

For some, the change may not come easy; however, the benefits and rewards will become evident shortly after the first use of AdventistGiving.

“I think our faithful members will continue to be faithful. They may need just a bit of time to adjust to giving in a way other than placing funds in an offering plate. That is not an option now. But I know they will find a way. One great option is AdventistGiving, an online mechanism that makes it easy to continue giving through a person’s own local church straight from their bank account, debit card, or credit card,” explained Randy Robinson, treasurer for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

AdventistGiving also gives family members, friends and visitors an easy way to donate to the church and their mission no matter if they live 5 miles or 5000 miles away from the church.

Go to www.adventistgiving.org and enter your church name to start one of the easiest and safest ways to donate. If you discover that your church is not signed up for this free resource, ask your pastor, head elder, or treasurer to sign up immediately for the tool to allow for free, easy, and secure donations to be made via credit/debit card or electronic check.

–Jon Roberts is RMC communication/media assistant; photos supplied

01 Mar

HMS RICHARDS “Can Do” STUDENTS Dissect Hearts

By Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado… The science unit on the circulatory system came to life for fifth and sixth-grade students in Paul Bragaw’s “Can-do” themed classroom at H.M.S. Richards school in Loveland, Colorado, when they dissected lamb hearts this month.

For many students, this was the first experience with a dissection.

“At first I thought it was going to be disgusting and I was afraid that I was going to faint,” said Zachary, fifth grader. “But then when we cut it open, it wasn’t so bad, and it was cool that we could actually touch it and move it, so we could understand hearts better.”

It is not often that fifth-grade students can experience a dissection, and it made a big impression.

“It did smell bad,” said Natalie, another fifth-grade student, “but I was surprised how it looked so much like my own heart. I think it was fun learning more about how the different parts of the lamb’s heart relate to the human heart, and how important all the little different pieces are, even though they are so small.”

Bragaw finds it important to include a variety of hands-on activities, especially in science class, because he sees that they capture the students’ attention and make them excited to learn. “They were very careful and took their time with the details of the dissection. Students were in awe of how God has created the body, especially the heart.”

–Jill Harlow is a member of the Campion church; photos supplied

25 Feb

Campion scholars celebrate academic accomplishments

By Haley Enochs — Loveland, Colorado … Campion Academy honored students on Sunday, February 21 during their annual scholastic award’s program, Campion Acclaim.

The administration acknowledged those with excellent grades and awarded scholarships in front of the assembled crowd, which included fellow classmates, teachers, and parents. All juniors and seniors with a minimum GPA of 3.5 who demonstrated qualities of scholarship, leadership, service, and character, were nominated into the National Honors Society (NHS) during the ceremony. Seniors inducted into the NHS were given a red cord and gold pin to wear at graduation to recognize their achievements.

Brooke Eitel, Campion senior, reflected on the event saying, “It is a huge honor to be recognized for all of the hard work I’ve put into academics the past four years. Hopefully being a part of the NHS will help me get scholarships so I can continue my education at a college level.”

Kent Kast, Campion’s vice principal of academics and NHS sponsor explained why it is important to spend time recognizing the accomplishments of the students.

“I believe it is meaningful to the students to be recognized for their achievements. When we are recognized, it makes us want to be even better. It is also a good example to other students of the satisfaction that comes with a job well done. The students are also eligible for scholarships in college that they might not be able to get without a membership in the National Honors Society.”

During the service, four seniors were chosen to speak and light a candle symbolizing the four pillars of NHS, scholarship, service, leadership, and character.

“I never really thought about being part of the NHS until I came to this event,” Tiffany Dien, Campion senior said. “It felt surreal to be actually lighting a candle, speaking, and getting our red cords and pins. It means a great deal to be recognized for my achievements and see my hard work pay off.”

–Haley Enochs is a senior at Campion Academy; photos supplied

24 Feb

BRIGHTON STUDENTS CONCLUDE WEEK WITH ROCKS AND BOXES

By Jodie Aakko – Brighton, Colorado … Each week at Brighton Adventist Academy (BAA) culminates in an all-school Thursday chapel. On February 18, the experience was a rock-solid message of God’s eternal promises.

Unna Trunkenbolz, retired teacher and BAA volunteer, also known as rock hound extraordinaire, displayed an extensive rock collection during chapel as an illustration of God’s character. “God is my rock. He is a solid foundation,” Trunkenbolz explained. She continued by sharing stories of adventures to collect special rocks, gems, and crystals, including rocks from the Lake of Galilee and rocks from the Valley of Elah where David’s battle with Goliath took place.

Included in the large collection of fancy rocks and minerals was a box of ordinary rocks, each marked with a Bible text. “As you travel through life’s journeys, take the time to collect simple rocks along the way and mark them with a Bible text of God’s promises, because just like rocks, God’s promises are solid and will last forever,” challenged Trunkenbolz.

“It was interesting how she collected rocks from when Jesus was around. I like the messages that she gave us about how we can learn lessons from rocks,” Fidel Valdez, fifth grader said.

To conclude the week, students were given the opportunity to shine as young leaders during the Brighton church service bringing to life the rock-solid promise that, like Daniel, we can “shine like the brightness of the heavens” See Daniel 12:3. The school’s ukulele group and hand chime choir recorded videos of musical numbers, and the five-member drama group shared a skit for the children’s story.

“I told Pastor Wayne [Morrison] that I wanted to preach a sermon, and he let me preach a sermon even though I am just in first grade!” beamed Landon Lopez-Ramirez, who preached about Lazarus being raised from the dead.

The special service concluded with kindergarten through fourth grade and the drama team presenting an interpretive demonstration of Matthew West’s song, “Truth be Told.” As the song played, the drama team acted the scenes for the verses while other students displayed cardboard word signs during the chorus to present the song’s message in a clear and meaningful way.

“The drama team got to make up the acting to the verses,” said Brooklyn Hill, a drama team member. “We decided to paint black boxes and use them to represent lies that people hide behind in life, or the secrets that they carry,” Hill said.

“The students’ presentation of this song brought me to tears, and I had to race home to watch the archived livestream video to catch this inspiration a second time,” said Randy Bell, an elder at the Brighton church.

To view the church service https://livestream.com/brightonsda/events/9540454

To view “Truth Be Told” skit https://vimeo.com/516446052

–Jodie Aakko is Brighton Adventist Academy’s head teacher; photos by BAA Facebook page

24 Feb

PERSONNEL CHANGES VOTED BY RMC EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Personnel changes at the Rocky Mountain Conference were among the agenda topics discussed during the RMC Executive Committee meeting on February 23. Ed Barnett, RMC president, expressed his appreciation to Eric Nelson, vice-president for administration, for his many years of service in the conference. “This will be the last time Eric Nelson will be meeting with us, since he is retiring at the end of March. Eric will be missed by me personally, and by many church members, ministers and educators,” Barnett said.

The committee voted Doug Inglish, director of Planned Giving and Trust Services to become the new vice-president for administration. Mary Lynn Green, associate of Doug Inglish, was voted to replace him as the new director of the department. Inglish and Green will transition into their new roles effective April 1.

In the President’s Report, Barnett expressed gratitude to members of the church for their faithfulness in giving during 2020 as it was “a tremendous blessing during that difficult year.” He also shared that Colorado Springs Central church had 44 baptisms in 2020. “God is richly blessing Mike Maldonado in his ministry and church,” he said.

Campion Academy principal, Don Reeder reported that the school has had to shut down several times due to COVID. However, enrollment remains strong at 139. The committee was informed that Campion Academy is considering the sale of approximately 17 acres that are not contiguous to the campus. This will be referred to the Property and Trust Committee for further review. Funds from the potential sale will be used to build up the school’s endowment fund.

Diane Harris, recently appointed director of Education, shared that “all of us need to show our support for our teachers by emails, texts and gestures of appreciation. They are working so hard,” she said. Harris welcomed Paul Negrete as the new associate education director. Negrete has occupied multiple roles, including head principal for the last 11 years at San Gabriel Academy in Southern California. He will join the department on July 1.

Reporting on finances for the fiscal year 2020, George Crumley, RMC vice-president for finance, said the conference total tithe was $17,383,356 and the base tithe which does not include windfalls, amounted to $16,993,817. “Total tithe was down by 4.35% when compared to 2019, which was a large windfall year, and base tithe was down by just .03%. Because of the faithfulness of our members and special appropriations from Mid-America Union and the North American Division to assist during COVID, the conference showed an unaudited gain of $339,867,” Crumley said.

In view of the gain, the committee approved a proposal of a special appropriation to return $197,000 to schools and academies. This will help them with their financial challenges faced during the COVID pandemic. Following the vote, Harris expressed appreciation for the committee’s support of education ministry in RMC. Seventy thousand dollars will be shared equally between Campion Academy and Mile High Academy. The elementary schools will receive $3,000 per full-time conference teacher with a cap of $25,000 per school.

Additionally, the 2021 revised budget was voted. “It is a balanced budget, but at this stage, does not include a July 1, 2021 cost-of-living pay increase for workers,” Crumley said.

In his final report about current state of pastoral positions in RMC, Eric Nelson stated that the following positions were filled:

Boulder’s senior pastor is Geoff Patterson from the Forest Lake church in Florida;
Golden, Denver West and Lakewood Fellowship will be covered by Nathaniel Gamble;
Leadville will be covered by John Davidson, Cañon City pastor;

He also shared the following open positions:

Castle Rock is seeking a part-time minister;
Colorado Springs South is also seeking a part-time pastor;
Campion is searching to fill an assistant pastoral position.

Assisting conferences with filling pastoral positions, the North American Division will begin posting pastoral positions on a central website in the near future, Nelson commented.

It was voted that Montrose Hispanic company be designated a fully-recognized church.

The committee voted that RMC will use the title “vice-president” only for the two executive officers–vice-president for administration and vice-president for finance. Departments will use the title “director.”

Doug Inglish informed the committee regarding trust accreditation for the recent Property and Trust audit which resulted in RMC receiving the highest rating possible: A-3. “This means that future audits will be on a three-year cycle. We appreciate the work of the Trust Department team that enabled this to happen,” he commented.

Following the meeting, Ed Barnett commented: “It is obvious that God is blessing around the conference and yet we always face challenges as well. I praise God for the faithful members that we have.”

–RMCNews