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Glacier View Ranch, Colorado … Greater Summit: High School 2020 kicked off in the middle of a small storm on Friday Evening, January 17 at Glacier View Ranch. As the first guests arrived and took the Matt Morgan shuttle from the head of the driveway, snow that had been floating down all afternoon was picked up by the evening wind, tossed in icy sheets through the air. As the evening progressed, nine of the ten groups signed up for the weekend would arrive, bringing with them over 150 students and sponsors. Fortunately for everyone, the cold temperatures and blizzard conditions of Friday evening would not match the warmth of the blessings that poured out on attendees throughout the weekend.

The weekends’ events centered around three main sections, Encounter, Engage and Enjoy, allowing students to worship, discuss, and spend time connecting with each other.

At the Encounter sessions, Pastor Jennifer Woody from Washington State shared messages of hope and joy while simultaneously cutting to the heart of our spiritual journey. As Pastor Jen shared advice and experience on connecting with Jesus to live “Fully Alive,” no one was off the hook.

Reduce distractions and look to Jesus.

Don’t make excuses.

Don’t expect to always experience joy as a feeling, because joy is a more than an emotion.

Joy is Jesus. Joy is a choice or obedience. Joy is yielding and surrendering.

Commenting on the encounter sessions, a student said, “This weekend was very spiritually uplifting. Every single thing Jen said, I really took to heart.”

After each of the weekend’s four Encounter sessions, students departed the auditorium and headed to the cafeteria for “Engage.” At Engage sessions, volunteers and sponsors lead the attendees through curriculum designed to take the topic presented and make it applicable for the individual.  At each table sat vases filled water absorbent beads called Orbeez. Students poured a small amount of water into the vase, watching the colorful beads swell and fill the space – a representation of how our lives fill with joy and become full as we fill our minds with Jesus. “We thought the water orb centerpieces would be okay for the high schoolers,” commented Jessyka Dooley, RMC associate youth director, shortly after witnessing a student toss an Orbee into the air as his friend, chin propped back, jaw open, attempted to catch it in his mouth.

High Schoolers like to have fun while presenting a cool and collected exterior. That’s a fact.  And the Enjoy sessions created spaces for the participants to do just that. At the Kulikup Cafe, treats and hot drinks were served up along-side plenty of board games and a Nintendo Switch setup with Mario Kart for some interactive gaming. In the Long House, the artistic types were creating one-of-a-kind mugs and decorating bags for Project Angel Heart in Denver.  Meanwhile outside, the daring and adventurous students were taking snow tubes off of double ramps and hiking through the wind and cold to experience the spectacular views afforded by GVR’s mountainous terrain.

As the weekend drew to a close, many prayers of praise were lifted for the nice weather that had arrived Saturday morning and carried throughout the weekend. Hearts and minds refreshed, no one quite wanted to leave. Diego captured the feeling the best, saying, “Wow! Wow! Wow! What a great weekend.” And a few minutes later, “Literally one of the best retreats I’ve ever been on, and I’ve been on quite a few.”

Well said, Diego. Well said.

—Kiefer Dooley; photos by Eddie Hall and Caleb Haakeson

Glacier View Ranch, Colorado …Over weekend of January 17-19 over 150 high school age students and their sponsors from across the Mid-America Union convened at Glacier View Ranch for the Rocky Mountain Conference youth department’s “Greater Summit.” The youth event had previously been known as “Teen Prayer Summit” but was changed to “Greater Summit” with the emphasis of living a greater life.

The weekend’s theme was “Fully Alive” and was split into three main events: encounter (at the meetings), engage (during discussions), and enjoy (the fun activities). Everyone was excited for a weekend filled with worshiping and having fun.

The first official meeting began Sabbath morning with a worship talk from Pastor Jennifer Woody from Washington. She talked about J.O.Y., J standing for Jesus, O standing for obedience, and Y standing for yield. She explained what it is to truly have joy in your life. After each meeting, everyone took part in discussing what they had just learned from the message. They looked into scripture and got to discuss where J.O.Y. was found.

“It was just an amazing weekend.  Just being able to spend time with my friends and listening to Pastor Jennifer was a huge blessing,” exclaimed Milka Mendoza, junior at Campion Academy.

The activities of the day were a lot of fun including sledding, the Kulicup Cafe, where snacks and drinks were served, board games, and a raffle. With the events of the past week, they also were able to hold a tribute to Mya Pena and anyone who felt the need was able to participate and write letters.

The meeting continued Saturday night and Sunday morning, with each worship talk hitting more powerful than the previous one. Woody talked about finding dead areas in your life and how to bring it all to God. She explained about how it is important to come to God as you are. On Sunday morning she told her testimony and how shame was a huge factor in her life. She slowly learned to get rid of the shame through the help of God and people who truly loved and cared for her. During the engage session Summit participants discussed the shame they feel in their lives and were encouraged to give it to God.

“I enjoyed the people around me and the new things I got to experience,” commented Melody Mambo, freshman at Campion. The weekend was filled with friends, fun, and food, but was also powerful in helping youth grow stronger in Jesus.

–Bela Cinco, Student Editor, text; photos by Fabiola Castrejon-Fabela and Bela Cinco

Arvada, Colorado … “We are blessed to have pastors in the Rocky Mountain Conference like Miloš, who put their heart and soul into ministry,” remarked Mickey Mallory, RMC ministerial director. His comment underscores the value of Seventh-day Adventist ministry and was made at the occasion of the ordination of Miloš Tomić, associate pastor of the Arvada church, January 18.

In the words of the newly-ordained pastor, “For me, this moment of my ordination was like Christmas morning on holy steroids. And I’m looking forward to opening my presents this year as God and I go on with this adventure of ministry.”

The ordination service was performed by Ed Barnett, RMC president, Eric Nelson, RMC VP for administration, and Mallory. Participating in the service were also fellow ministers, Gordon Anic, Arvada senior pastor, and Wayne Morrison, Brighton church pastor.

Commenting about the ordination, Ed Barnett said: “Miloš is an impressive young man, that God has obviously called to do pastoral ministry.  He is a blessing to the Rocky Mountain Conference and will soon be leading our downtown Denver Church plant along with his other pastoral duties at Arvada.”

Miloš is married to Jasmina, and, as he says, “Without her, I wouldn’t be half the pastor I am today. Growing up in a pastoral family, she was familiar with everything that came our way.” Barnett commented that Miloš’ wife “is a blessing in his ministry and we want to thank them for their commitment to God’s work. Praise God for such a powerful team.”

It was very apparent at the ordination service that Pastor Miloš has made a big impact on his congregation, especially the young people. Their testimonies expressed how God had used Miloš to help them in their walk with God.

The ordination service included sharing Miloš’ way into the Adventist ministry, and his early days, being raised in former Yugoslavia by atheist parents in an atheist society. “Ironically, my paternal great-grandfather was one of the pioneers of the Adventist movement,” he wrote in his biography, read during the service. Growing up among the church members in the extended family brought him back to the Adventist faith in the early 1990s, after his mother re-joined the church. She “found Christ in the Adventist church in 1992. By God’s grace, my father and I were baptized together in September of 1993.”

Miloš has been serving as a pastor for eighteen years, first in Serbia, and then was invited to serve as a youth pastor. “From the very beginning, God led me to focus on young people,” he said. After arriving in Arvada in 2006, “Pastor Gordon Anic put before me just one task: to organize a youth church.”

After a year, they had an average of 40 to 50 teens attending. “It was pretty clear to me what God wants me to focus on,” he concluded.

Commenting about his ordination service, he said that being ordained to ministry “was sure important to my parents. They’ve been waiting and asking about it for almost a decade and a half now,” Pastor Mallory added, “Pastor Miloš’ ordination service was a way of affirming God’s call in his life.”

—Rajmund Dabrowski with Mickey Mallory; photos by Dicky Waworoedeng

Pueblo, Colorado … Pueblo First Seventh-day Adventist’s Angels of Kindness program is serving a need for the less fortunate in Pueblo. On the second Sabbath of every month, a group of volunteers prepare a warm, fresh meal for those in need in the Pueblo area. They set up tables and chairs at the local Mineral Palace Park near the center of downtown and those that have fallen on hard times come to fellowship and enjoy a warm meal with our volunteers.

“Some 14 years ago, a church member had a dream to help the homeless population in Pueblo in some tangible way. He recognized that meals were not being served to the homeless on weekends, which left many of these individuals hungry,” said Christy Kraus, Pueblo church communication director. “This was also a population that was not easy to access as they tended to stay in the shadows of the community,” she commented.

In the last couple years, Calvin and Suzanne Bennett have taken leadership of this program. The ministry is run only by personal donations either in funds or food.

In addition to providing the hot meal, they hand out sack lunches, giving them another meal for later. The ministry provides clothing, sleeping bags, tents, backpacks, hygiene items and first-aid supplies. Once the “felt” need is met, volunteers share prayer and a listening ear, as well as Bibles and reading material.

“We average 60 people at each meal, sometimes reaching over 100. A few years ago; we realized there were so many in the community that might not be homeless, but still needed warm meals and assistance, so the name changed from feeding the homeless to “Angels of Kindness: where all are welcome”. We have families with little children, young adults trying to find their way and elderly individuals looking for food and fellowship,” Christy explains.

Pastor Anton Kapusi joined Pueblo First Church in the Spring of 2019 and was overwhelmed by how many church members meet in the park and by their responsiveness to this ministry.

“We need to do all we can to meet the needs of those hungry for warm meals, even if it means multiplying the ministry in other parts of the city and on other weekends,” Kapusi said.

We have seen so many miracles in this ministry, Calvin Bennett comments.  “Just like when Jesus fed the 5000, we have had times that we knew we didn’t have enough food and yet there is always enough. Being in Colorado, we never know what the weather will be like. We have experienced snow, rain and wind that miraculously ceased during the time we were serving the meal and then started up again when we were done,” he explained.

The church receives a permit from the Pueblo Parks and Recreation Department to provide this service and the Pueblo County Health Department continues to give us a permit, even though many other church groups have had theirs rescinded. Besides the blessing of helping others in our community, seeing God’s miracles, and spreading the love of Jesus; this ministry has strengthened church fellowship and some church members have become more active in the church. The ministry has also brought new individuals into our community of faith.

“We know that God is the power behind this mission and sharing his love is the motivation. Serving people in our community is a continual reminder that Heaven is our home and we are not there yet,” adds Christy Kraus.

—Christy Kraus, text; photos by Anton Kapusi

Loveland, Colorado … During Campion Academy’s school assembly January 20, the school celebrated Martin Luther King, Jr. Day by watching the American Literature classes perform plays based on their reading of A Raisin in the Sun. A Raisin in the Sun is a play about the struggles of a 1950’s African American family that is trying to move into a predominantly white neighborhood, the ostracizing they face in the process, and the struggle to achieve their dreams.

The juniors wrote and produced their different plays, A Cracker in the Sun and Una Pasa al Sol. A Cracker in the Sun was about an African American family whose daughter comes home with a Caucasian boyfriend and the family does not approve. Una Pasa al Sol was about a Latino family whose parents have died and one of the brothers wants to go to medical school but can’t afford it.

​The juniors enjoyed the process of producing and performing the plays. “The plays were so much fun to work on! My favorite part was seeing all the hard work come together to make a great performance,” said Ben Maxin.

“I was really nervous to perform, and I did forget my lines a little, but it was fun being able to perform with my friends and remember what today all is about,” commented Milka Mendoza.

—Weston Humphries; photo by Jill Harlow

Loveland, Colorado … “Prayer is definitely going to be a bigger part of my life!” “This was a great way to start the new year!” “This was a mountain top experience that will stay with me for a long time.”   “I needed to be reminded that prayer IS the answer!” “Can we do this every year?”

Comments like these and many more were heard last weekend, January 10-11, when Jerry and Janet Page joined RMC at Campion Church to inspire and propel us to a life of more prayer. In addition to their responsibilities in the General Conference Ministerial department, the Pages lead out in prayer conferences around the globe.

Together, they shared story after story of answered prayer, encouraging us to keep at it, to surrender anything that might be keeping us from a real walk with Jesus, and not to be surprised if, for a time, things seem to get worse in the situations over which we pray, rather than better!

“Don’t give up!” Janet stated, “God’s working! There’s no better way than giving up to God! Oh, it’s incredible – the life that God will give you!… I just want you to know – the more you pray – you’ll see God do miracles – miracles,” she further encouraged the church.

Did you miss the weekend? The videos are available at www.campionchurch.org/current-archives.

—DeeAnn Bragaw, text; photos by Joyelle Worley, DeeAnn Bragaw,and Micheal Goetz

Denver, Colorado … The year 2019 has been one full of blessings for the Flying Garuda Pathfinder Club. To close the year and to promote the spirit of service among its members, the club hosted their first-ever blood drive at the Colorado Indonesian-American Seventh-day Adventist Church parking lot on Sabbath afternoon, December 21.

A collaboration with Vitalant Blood Center, formerly known as Bonfils, two buses and a total of eight staff members came from Denver and Colorado Springs to attend the event. Nearly 40 people from the Colorado Indonesian-American Church in Denver and Rocky Mountain Indonesian Church in Aurora, including its Krakatau Pathfinder Club, registered as blood donors.

Donor candidates who met criteria such as having normal hemoglobin levels and having never been exposed to malaria were able to give. At least 30 people met the criteria, allowing close to 100 people to benefit.

Among those donors, one community member, who lives near the church, joined in. As a regular donor with Vitalant she was glad that instead of having to drive to the blood drive site, the buses came to her neighborhood. “It’s very convenient for me. Thank you for doing this,” said Lorraine Earley.

Vitalant’s blood drive coordinator, Michelle Lowry, onsite to help with staff expressed, “This is actually a good turnout. We need to do this again.” She was thrilled to see junior Pathfinders helping out with snacks and water bottles, while the staff helped with registration.

The best part, however, was when the eligible youth, ages 16 and above, who earlier had been reluctant, agreed to participate as donors. Having never given blood before, some were afraid to be poked. Yet, after some persuasion from the Pathfinders staff, and with words of encouragement from the parents, they decided to donate.

“It’s actually not as bad as I thought it would be,” commented Brussel Gultom, one of the Pathfinder teens. “I saved lives and I also got a free t-shirt. That’s pretty cool.”

For Michelle, after learning firsthand what Pathfinders and Adventurers are all about, she thinks it would be a great idea for the children to visit Vitalant Blood Lab in the near future. “We do that all the time with school kids, and I am sure they would love the opportunity to learn about the different parts of blood and how we process it to be ready for transfusions for those who need it,” she said.

Barry Manembu; text and photos