Blog

By Rajmund Dabrowski

Katie Morrison’s letter asking whether the RMC offered internship opportunities in communication indicated more than just an interest in spending 10 summer weeks in a professional, work-related environment. Katie knew exactly why she wanted to work in Colorado. She wrote: “Being able to work with the Rocky Mountain Conference in any capacity, would be an amazing learning experience.” She wanted to have “the opportunity to grow as an individual, and develop skills in every area possible.” And she wanted to be close to her family, too. Her dad, Wayne Morrison, is a pastor in Brighton, north of Denver, and just 28 miles away from the RMC office.

She came—and she conquered. August 6, 2015 was her last day with our team. As part of her responsibilities, Katie did news writing, and plenty of it, including 20 major stories. She also edited the NewsNuggets, prepared items for Mountain Views, assisted the conference with social media and related online tasks, and helped market various aspects of our communication programs.

As someone who has been a communication intern in my professional past, I was delighted to have an intern who could be trusted with a variety of tasks, and to witness the talents, skills, and work ethic for which we will remember Katie with fondness. Her internship included assisting with news development at the General Conference Session in San Antonio, TX—and it was of particular benefit to the North American Division, and the Mid-America Union Conference’s news coverage to have a Millennial’s frank appraisal of what was said and done.

“Katie has brought energy and an ability to help all of us look at things through different glasses. Her articles for publication always provided a different slant than we are used to,” commented Ed Barnett, RMC president. “She uses different words since she sees things through the eyes of a twenty-one year old.”

From San Antonio, Katie’s articles from the General Conference Session were shared with the church around the globe. “It was pleasing to hear our North American Division communication director comment that ‘we will keep our eyes on you when you are ready to graduate from Union College.’ We watched a young college student come into her own this summer. Personally, I want to thank Katie for a job well done,” Barnett said.

On her last day at the office, Katie reminisced: “I remember how I felt at the beginning of the summer, nervous and unsure of how I would fit in, and now that I’ve reached my last day, I can’t imagine not coming into the office tomorrow and seeing the people who have taught me so much these last 10 weeks.”

“My summer, which looked so dismal and boring in May, turned out to be one of the most impactful experiences of my life and I couldn’t be more grateful for what I’ve learned and the people who taught me,” she added.

Katie’s immediate plans are to spend a year learning Italian at Istituto Avventista di Cultura Biblica Villa Aurora in Florence, Italy. She will return to Union College next year to complete her B.S. in Business (Marketing) with a minor in Communication.

Viaggi sicuri, Katie—and thank you. You are missed.

 —Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director.

By Katie Morrison

We all know the Golden Rule: love your neighbor as yourself. But Derek and Alicia White are taking this rule and making it their goal in life.

Back when they were dating, Alicia and Derek were already interested in serving their community. They got especially involved with refugees, namely from Burma and Sudan. “We always look for ways to build community,” Alicia said. “We want to live together and be a family to them.”

Everything this couple does is entwined with serving their community. Derek attended law school and immediately upon graduation, began volunteering for the Colorado African Organization, where he is currently employed. Alicia got her undergraduate degree in international studies before completing nursing school. In the last few years, she has also gotten involved with Bridges to Care, a group that targets frequent emergency room visitors, helping them overcome behavioral health issues and other barriers through sending specialists and nurse practitioners to their homes.

Three years ago, they were asked to take charge of the community garden in Aurora, Colorado. Derek provides legal services to refugees, including assistance with green card applications, and had already met quite a few Burmese families living in the area.

Many refugees used to work in agriculture and farming before they moved to America. “In America, there aren’t as many opportunities, especially if you live in a big city,” explains Alicia. “This is just one way we can connect with them and make this new strange place feel like home.”

Alicia is not a gardener. “I mostly talk with the families and play with the kids,” she laughs. “But many of the refugees have taught us different tricks!”

The garden has a chain link fence around its perimeter. Hanging about a foot apart are small wooden squares, each painted with different scenes, styles, and colors. As a way to include the children of the families who use the community garden, Alicia had them each paint their own square to be hung up. “It’s a way to make the kids feel more included,” she says. Unfortunately, they were all stolen a few years ago. Slowly they are being replaced by new pieces, but thieving and vandalism are still issues.

A while ago, a close friend of the Whites had grown some enormous watermelons. He was ecstatic, so proud of his fruit, and excited to eat them. He planned to let them sit a day or two more before picking them. He returned to the garden to take them and they had been smashed all over the ground. “He would’ve been okay if they had been taken to be enjoyed,” Alicia explains, “but they were just wasted and ruined.”

Recognizable produce, like watermelons and pumpkins, is often stolen or vandalized. In addition, the sizable shed that sits in the corner of the garden repeatedly ends up covered in graffiti.

“We try to have one work day a month where we have everyone come,” Alicia says. “We paint over the graffiti on the shed and we try to have a potluck. That’s kind of for selfish reasons because I love Burmese food!” The Whites strongly believe that a community garden’s purpose is for the community members to garden together, working in cooperation. But unfortunately sometimes it becomes prideful and individualistic, with everyone worrying about their own plots instead interacting with each other. The scheduled workday and potluck provide an opportunity to get together and garden at the same time.

“We were looking for ways to build community. We were uncomfortable with the idea of being benefactors. We wanted to live together, be a family to them. A great way to get in with the families is through the kids. They’re much easier to communicate with and very open,” Alicia says.

The garden, founded through Denver Urban Gardens, boasts quite a full roster. There are 36 plots and 10 raised boxes, a new feature that allows for some families to move off of the waitlist and get involved. Currently at least 45 different families work in the garden. Some families share plots, including Alicia and Derek. “I see new people I’ve never met here sharing with another family,” Alicia says. “The waitlist has about ten families on it now, but if we were to tell the refugees we had more space, we’d definitely be able to fill the garden again.”

The city of Aurora does offer free transplants and seeds that the gardeners have access too and many take advantage of that; but many also bring their own plants and seed, some completely unfamiliar to Alicia. “When we went to Burma last year, we tried to bring some seeds back and half of them got taken by security,” Alicia shrugs. “Apparently you aren’t allowed to do that!”

In October 2014, Alicia and Derek were able to indulge their love of travel and visited Burma. They met the families of many of their new Burmese friends from Aurora and got to develop new relationships as well. For years, one of their major life plans has been to live outside of the United States. Alicia studied abroad in Morocco when she was younger and Derek worked as an intern for the United Nations in Lebanon. Unfortunately, life has not allowed for that dream quite yet. Between school, legal cases, and now an adorable 2 1⁄2 month-old baby named Isaiah, the timing just hasn’t been right. “We moved to this area two years ago because this is where most of the refugees settle. While we wait for the timing to be right, we wanted to find ways to get involved in our city,” explained Alicia. “We do want to be open in regards to where we go. We pray lots and we’re just trying to see where God wants us to be. He doesn’t always say, ‘Go here!’ That would be too easy.”

When asked about how they juggle all their different commitments along with being new parents, Alicia laughs. “We’re figuring it out! We’re really blessed that Isaiah is so chill because I just carry him around.” She explains how important it was to her and Derek that their mission wouldn’t suffer as their family grew. “We want to give him that same mission. We bring him along as much as we possibly can,” she said. “We’re very busy and sometimes we overextend ourselves, but we did that before him too!”

Although they hope to move abroad in the next year or two, they’re making their current home welcoming to the entire neighborhood. “We want to live with people where they are. We like to have them over for meals, celebrate special events with them, like weddings,” she said.

Alicia told the story of a good friend, a refugee from Eritrea. Apparently she was the wrong kind of Christian and was put into prison. She was threatened and mistreated, but escaped the country with the help of smugglers. After flying from Russia to South America, she made her way all the way up and across the border. “Every time you talk to her, she says ‘God is good’,” Alicia says. “Her faith through all that is incredible.”

“We’ve met so many amazing people and have been so blessed by the relationships. We learn so much from these people,” she gushes. “Really it’s kind of selfish of us! We get to meet such amazing people. They teach us how to grow stuff and share their stories with us. We are lucky to know them.”

–Katie Morrison was RMC 2015 summer communication intern.

By Rajmund Dabrowski

Stories are all around us, claims Dustin Comm, whose eBook, The Media Story: Why Your Church Needs Media to Engage Your Local Community, was released on October 9. It aims to engage local congregations in telling stories of their faith communities in order to inspire and to witness.

There are perhaps billions of stories being told on earth today alone. These stories encompass our lives. In fact, all of us are part of the overarching human story, which has been going on for a long, long time. But sometimes, perhaps because stories are so much a part of our existence and pervade everything in our consciousness, we don’t even notice them. And yet stories are the most powerful vehicles to influence our communities. Is your church harnessing their power? Are you truly telling your story the way you want it to be received?

Engaged in many and varied mission endeavors, Seventh-day Adventists have been using a variety of media to proclaim the Good News. As a church, we take it for granted that media—the print, radio, TV, and the Internet with its numerous products—is an ally in Adventist evangelism. Observers of the church’s media interest and engagement as part of our mission efforts have also recognized us in these endeavors.

However, on a congregational level such interest is often generally considered to be the job of the corporate levels of the church. That media production is expensive and requires the engagement of experts is one reason often cited by those skeptical of local media efforts.

Dustin, who lives in Castle Rock, Colorado, and attends LifeSource Fellowship of Seventh-day Adventists, grew up in Sacramento, CA, and graduated from Pacific Union College with degrees in theology and television and film production. He has served in Calimesa, CA, as a pastor for media and youth ministry, producing creative media content for the congregation and local community.

“Knowing that church media folks may never get media experience outside the church, I decided that I need to gain real-world media experience and took an opportunity in broadcast radio at Mile High Sports Radio (AM 1510/FM 93.7) in Denver, CO as a producer/host,” he says.

Early in 2015, after a year of prayer and soul-searching regarding where God wanted him next, Dustin recognized that God was calling him to combine his passions for ministry and media. “In my research and study, it became clear that the church was missing a huge opportunity to engage its local communities at a deeper level by infusing media into their long-term outreach campaigns,” he says. “My passion is to help churches understand why and how to integrate media into their outreach,” he adds.

The Media Story is a community of churches who are innovating, experimenting, failing, and learning how to in- fuse media into their physical evangelism efforts. Dustin ex- plains that studies show churches engage their communities best when creating media in step with their outreach.

Your church is telling a story whether it realizes it or not, Dustin maintains. Consider these questions, “What is the story received by the community? Do you understand what your church is known for in the community? Do you feel pressure to use media in your church, but don’t know where to begin? Does your evangelism feel unnatural or forced?”

The Media Story teaches churches how to tell their story (the way they want it received) by creating media in conjunction with their community outreach.

The eBook is being released on Amazon for its Kindle platform, and in the iBooks store. On his blog, the author offers additional expert advice on a variety of aspects covered in his eBook.

As with any approach that involves the church in media, often the initial reaction may be to consider The Media Story as a “how-to for media ministries.” Dustin says, “This is not accurate, in my mind. To me a how-to means that it just covers the technical side of buying equipment, shooting church services, editing, streaming, broadcasting, etc. The Media Story is a philosophy for reaching the community outside the church walls by infusing media into the church’s outreach.” “The eBook is not a technical guide,” he adds. “That would be a misconception.”

The Media Story: Why Your Church Needs Media to En- gage Your Local Community, received pre-release praise from several media professionals, including Phil Cooke, filmmaker and media consultant. The author of Unique: Telling Your Story in the Age of Brands and Social

Media, Cooke said “it’s time [that] churches and ministry organizations got serious about using media to reach their local communities. It’s the language our culture speaks, and the vast majority of your congregation and surrounding community are already telling their story through media.

If you don’t know where to start, I recommend Dustin Comm’s new book.”

Engaging in its presentation, Dustin Comm’s eBook can provide hope for many ministers and Christian communicators ready to be involved in presenting an Adventist story through media out of their local church. For more information, see http://www.dustincomm.com/themediastory/

–Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director and editor of Mountain Views.

By Katie Morrison

After a lifetime of comfort and security, I have left the nest. I haven’t moved out of my parents’ house, haven’t graduated college, haven’t gotten married, and yet this year will prove to be challenging as I assert a form of independence. My younger brother and I decided to leave the country and study in Florence, Italy for a year.

The thought first occurred to me three years ago. During my freshman year at Union College, a friend told me of her plans to go to Spain the following year. I was instantly jealous and wanted to join her! I chose to wait, however, because of my personality—I’m a homebody. I’m a family girl. My dad reminded me of that this last summer, frequently mentioning how homesick I would get. In order to battle the homesickness that would undoubtedly accompany a year abroad, I suggested that my brother, who is two years my junior, come too. He said yes and here we are. After a month in Florence, I can proudly say we’re settling in. It’s easy to forget about what’s going on in the States or what we’re missing because there’s so much going on here! In our first four days in Italy, we took a day trip to Cinque Terre, a strip of coastal towns renowned for their picturesque beauty and hiking trails.

This region also happened to be on our bucket list of places to see while abroad, so you can imagine our excitement. In addition to that trip, we’ve spent a weekend at a mountain retreat in Poppi, a week on the southern coast (Naples, Sorrento, Amalfi Coast, Capri, and Pompei) and a day in Milan . . . and we’ve only been here for a month!

Despite the amazing things we’ve seen and eaten (pistachio gelato anyone?), the last month hasn’t all been a breeze. I know exactly one language and it isn’t Italian. My language courses are tough and church is the most confusing thing I’ve ever sat through.

For me, the culture is completely new and nobody told me you weren’t supposed to order a cappuccino after 11am! Being thrown into a new place with 35 new people you’re expected to call “friends” after knowing them for a day is especially trying for me as an introvert. The trips are incredible—but also incredibly draining. I missed my nephew’s fifth birthday and dejectedly watch texts come in on the family message thread about Thanksgiving plans.

I know what you must think: This girl is in Florence for an entire year and she’s complaining?! I’m not, I promise you! Every moment is something new and different and I relish each one. But it also isn’t always a bowl of ice cream with peaches on top (or gelato, whichever you prefer).

One of the things my parents said the night before we left America was about opportunity, but not the opportunity you might think. Dozens of well-wishers have waxed poetic about the food and the travel, the language and culture. Oh the things you’ll experience! they’ve said. But instead of reiterating that broken record, my parents had something a bit more meaningful to share.

“This year, you’ll be on your own in a way you’ve never been before,” my dad said. “You’ll have many adult decisions to make and no one but yourself to answer to. Your habits will reveal themselves—and that includes spiritual ones. So what spiritual habits do you want to make?”

I was struck in that moment, and for the next few weeks my mind repeatedly returned to this conversation. I’ve never been good at habits. My devotional life has the stamina of a ninety-year-old swimming in the ocean: desperate and quick to die out.

There have been periods throughout high school and college that I was hit with sudden motivation to wake up early every morning and spend time with God, but those times were fleeting and did not stick. Each time I felt like that was the routine that would last, that I was building something that would stay with me for decades to come. Each time, I would sleep late and forget a day. One day turned into two and soon I couldn’t remember the last time I read my Bible.

Italy can’t be like that, I decided.

In my few weeks in Florence, I’ve seen God in so many ways. I see Him in my morning devotionals, in Steps to Christ and His Word. I see Him in the kindness of my roommate and the patience of my language teachers. I see Him in my fellow classmates as we all do daily morning worships for the school and share pieces of ourselves, and encouragement with one another. I see Him in the new landscapes around me, in the mountains and the seas.

I count myself as lucky. I had been blessed to see Him before I decided to travel halfway across the world. I saw Him in my parents and my new church family in Brighton. I saw Him in my siblings and my school family at Union College. I saw Him during my internship, through the actions of everyone at the Rocky Mountain Conference and through my experience at the General Conference Session.

Even while I’ve been unreliable and unmotivated, distant and cold, God was putting blessing after blessing in my life and giving me the chance of even more experiences.

Please pray for me as I continue this year in a foreign place. I thank God every day for the people and support He’s put in my life and I count my home as a huge blessing. Thank you for being a glimpse of God for me!

Katie Morrison was RMC 2015 summer communication intern.

By Steve Hamilton

The topic of ministry to young adults in Rocky Mountain Conference comes up in conversation regularly in the youth department. Many of our discussions start with the question, “What should we do?” This is a complex question and there are few clear answers.

Research over the last few years indicates that the Adventist church in North America is losing more than 70 percent of young adults post-college. Some have suggested that even if the church ceased all forms of outside evangel- ism and simply retained its young people, the church would grow at a faster rate than it is today. This raises the alarming question, “What is going wrong?”

As a youth director, I have had opportunities to be part of discussion forums where this has been the topic. Interestingly, most of these discussions are being held by people over 40 years old (myself included) many of whom have been in youth ministry for years and have strong opinions on what the church is doing wrong with young adults.

Recently, at one of these events, I listened for more than an hour to an open mic forum where people involved in youth ministry waxed eloquent about the issues around losing young adult involvement in church. I thought, “If we had the answers, we wouldn’t be having this discussion!

Many of us have been involved in youth and young adult ministry over the fifteen-year period that research shows has brought the largest fall-out of our youth. We need better ways of interacting with young adults and asking them how the church can become more relevant in their lives. What issues are they facing and how can the church give support? Young adults have valuable perspectives and input. Consider the young leaders from our beginnings, most of whom were under 30 years old, who established our denomination. In this time of crisis, we are naturally asking, “What went wrong?” This important question must be asked by mature leaders who are willing to listen to the answers.

One important aspect of listening is an environment where individuals sense that there are no stupid questions and equally no stupid answers. Their input is valued.

As we get better at listening to young adults, we will better understand what has gone wrong. This important topic must become an agenda item for every congregation, every pastor, and all of us in the youth ministry.

A question that is equally important is “What has gone right?” I find us asking what has gone right less than what has gone wrong. Yet the answers to this question are important to consider. The answers are ones we look for and consider in the youth ministry.

Parents, teachers, pastors, and young adults, “What has gone right?” I believe we have as much to learn from this question as from the previous one. If we can clearly identify what has gone well, we can do more of it! And, by God’s grace, we can also get better at what we do. Culture is not static. It evolves. Concepts and contemporary world views encroach on the choices we all make, and the way we express ourselves today is different than it was just a few years back. There is much we can all learn when we listen more, striving to make our faith communities places where all are treated as gifted and where all are valued.

As a youth director, I have the privilege of seeing the results of youth and young adult ministries that seem to have gone right. Rocky Mountain Conference hires 70 young adult summer camp staff each season. These young adults are incredibly talented and passionately committed to serving God. They have a deep love and appreciation for what the church has provided for them. Many have benefited from church school, summer camp ministry, and Pathfinders, and have grown up in Sabbath School. Something must have gone right! How can we as a church learn from this and from these young adults?

In late October the youth department co-hosted a young adult ministry event attended by more than 50 young adults. It took place at Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church, and featured Walla Walla University chaplain Paddy McCoy as speaker. Looking out at the audience, I almost blurted out, “Why are you here?” Some of these young adults are incredible leaders in their local contexts. What went right?

We in the youth department wish to do more of that!

–Steve Hamilton is RMC youth director.

By Jessyka Albert

Over the past year I have heard the terms “Millennials” and “Gen Y” so many times my head is about to explode. This is partially my own fault, due to the fact that I read countless articles on the subject. I guess I’m just maintaining the stereotype that my generation is exceedingly self- centered. What I’ve found is that the way members of my generation understand themselves and the way those outside it think they understand us are strikingly different. Obviously, this shouldn’t come as a shock, but during my article perusing, I found a statement that seemed to bridge the gap.

The article, entitled, “11 Things You Should Know About Generation Y,” seemed to offer some good insights. I’m usually a softie for articles written from the perspective of Gen Y rather than about it, but I thought I would give this one a skim. As I was reading through this short list, I found each point to be glaringly obvious. Is this supposed to be a new observation? I thought. That was before I came to the very end. Number 11 put into words an explanation for why many observers feel that the Millennials are simultaneously the most connected and disconnected generation of all time.

According to author Sarah Sladek, members of Generation Y, “. . . Remain detached from institutions, but closely networked with friends.” This speaks volumes. There’s always an exception to a rule, and it seems like with this generation there are more exceptions than rules. Overall however, I believe this generalization holds true. Yes, there is still the puzzle of the person with 852 Facebook friends

but no one to grab lunch with, but I think the overarching problem isn’t that Millennials have shallow relationships; it’s that we just “relationship” in a different way.

If anything, Gen Y might be cracking the code to build- ing stronger businesses, communities and churches. Looking at the big picture is always important, but knowing the artist is even more impressive. Gen Y is moving away from establishments and, by starting at the source, getting to know those who are establishing, valuing individuals over institutions, and setting a new tone for building deeper relationships.

In my short time as a young adult pastor paired with my experience being a millennial myself, I have concluded that Generation Y, not to mention Generation Z following close behind, is not looking to be connected with a school, or a business, or even a church for that matter. From the outside, this looks disheartening to many, but what they don’t understand is that what Gen Y craves is individual connections. We would rather be introduced to a person rather than a place.

This gives me so much hope! Maybe this one article, one list, one number has gotten me too excited, but this observation reveals to me that my generation will focus more on personal relationships—both with individuals and with Jesus. Don’t get me wrong, the institution (church) is important! Eighty percent of the connections I see are within some context of the church. All the pieces are there, but it takes the personal connections to put the puzzle together.

Each relationship that forms intensifies the beauty of this “puzzle” revealing to us the Kingdom of Heaven. “Number 11” holds much truth, but I think it neglects to recognize that by closely networking with friends, we are building stronger institutions. Jesus built His Church relationship-by-relation- ship. Let’s continue to follow His lead and build up our churches in the same manner, by valuing the individual, and letting those relationships strengthen that of the institution.

—Jessyka Albert is young adult pastor at Boulder Adventist Church.