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Jose R. Alarcón – Aurora, Colorado … After a year of pause, the Drive Thru Prayer initiative is back at the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church in Aurora, Colorado. Members and volunteers joined efforts March 29 to conduct the first of six drive-thru prayer events scheduled for this year, running from March to August.

This event aims to connect with the community while providing crucial prayers and intercession for those in need. Members and volunteers set up prayer stations under a canopy, giving away water, snacks, and Glow tracts bags. Another station provided homemade iced tea, popcorn, and other goodies.

“Each car that arrives at our parking lot brings a new set of opportunities to spread the Gospel and to witness about Jesus,” remarked Jose Alarcón, lead pastor at Aurora First Church, on the event. “Perhaps people are hesitant to come in and hear a sermon but are hungry to hear prayer on their behalf.”

The turnout for this first event was close to 10 cars. Many of the cars were full of people, however. Volunteer Dr. Sheela Marvin, an Adventist naturopathic doctor, literature evangelist, and member of Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church, stated, “The Lord in His mercy brought in a few more cars with thirsting broken souls. One of the cars was filled with people who had lost their loved one just the day before, and they were able to receive comfort through prayers.”

Often, churches do not get involved in such a ministry due to the lack of gain, meaning no baptisms. However, the effect of prayer exceeds any numerical gain.

Alarcón commented, “The satisfaction of serving others and seeing the blessings of our Lord upon the people is overwhelming. E.M. Bounds stated, ‘Prayer is the contact of a living soul with God. God shapes the world by prayer. The more praying there is in the world, the better the world will be, the mightier the forces against evil.’ Andrew Murray added, ‘The man who mobilizes the Christian church to pray will make the greatest contribution to world evangelization in history.’”

“That contribution he talks about is the privilege of supplying and calming the stresses of the world currently affecting and subjugating people under sin,” he continued. “James wrote, The prayer of a righteous person is powerful and effective in James 5:16, NIV. Dr. Marving added, ‘Everything happening around me showed me how much effort God puts into drawing lost souls to Him. On that day, the clouds looked angry as though there would be a heavy downpour. The devil wasn’t pleased, but the good Lord stretched forth His hand and didn’t allow it to rain until we packed up. We ended the day sharing testimonies and forming a circle to pray for those who attended the event.’”

Alarcón concluded with the words of God to King Solomon: If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and PRAY and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven, and I will forgive their sin and will heal their land (2 Chron 7:14 NIV).

Aurora First has scheduled the last Sabbath of the month to conduct the drive-thru prayer event. “We pray that other churches in the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) will give this event a try,” Alarcón urges. “The spiritual benefits to themselves will outweigh any other benefit or burden. May the Lord bless every member and church in the RMC.”

—Jose R. Alarcón is the lead pastor at the Aurora First Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos supplied.

Liz Kirkland – Ward, Colorado … For most who are able to attend, or who have attended, either summer camp or a weekend retreat at an Adventist camp, the experience, while impactful, may only last a handful of days. But for the families who have been called to camp ministries, camp life is every day. Here is what camp life at the Rocky Mountain Conference’s (RMC) Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado, is like from the perspective of children that live at camp year-round.

What has been your favorite thing about living up at camp?

[Grace, age 11]  Being able to build things in the woods, and also just being able to help. Where I lived before, we could never build. There were no trees because it was in the country. Now it’s really fun because we build lots of little forts everywhere.

[Larke, age 7]  It is fun to help out, and it is fun to play outside and build forts.

[Marcus, age 11]  Meeting all the staff and being able to meet people during camp.

[Bella, age 12]  And we have friends up here.

[Jase, age 6]  Playing blob here.

What is blob?

[Grace]  Blob is a game that’s kind of like tag, except when you get tagged, you have to connect hands. You can split up, but when you want to tag another person, you have to be touching.

So, you all get stuck together like a big blob. I see. Where is your favorite place to go at camp?

[Jase]  Here to play blob.

[Larke]  To the barn to play and to ride the horses.

[Grace]  I think my favorite place is like what Larke said, the horses, or just outside play.

[Marcus]  During the summer, my favorite place to play would be at our tree forts that we have all around camp.

[Bella]  There’s one that we probably play at the most, but we have more than one.

What is your favorite thing to do up at camp?

[Jase]  My favorite thing to do up here is drive RC cars.

[Larke]  I have one more thing I like, I also like to go Jeeping!

[Grace]  Sometimes we go out Jeeping to Miller Rock on the trails, and, normally, we do it with our friends and family. In the winter, if it is just a short cruise, like to Pathfinder Village, we get pulled behind on our sleds.

Any last thing you would like to share about living at camp?

[Marcus]  I just want to thank all the staff for being really good and working really well with the kids at summer camp.

[Bella]  Not very many kids get the option to be up here full time and be able to enjoy life on a mountain, so, yeah, I guess we’re lucky.

Growing up at camp is an experience that few people get to take part in, and the RMC camp kids talked about their outdoor adventures as being their favorite part of camp life. The 2025 RMC summer camp season starts in just two months. Even if not all year long, be sure to sign up the camp-age children in your life today so they can also have some outdoor adventures of their own. CLICK HERE for more information on RMC camp sessions.

—Liz Kirkland is the RMC Communication director. Photo by Liz Kirkland.

Alexandra Cordoba – Loveland, Colorado … The touring ensembles—Koinonia choir, Handbells, and Jazz Band—from Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, embarked on their highly anticipated music tour, March 27-30, performing at schools and churches in both Colorado and New Mexico.

The first stop was a performance at Vista Ridge Academy in Erie, Colorado. Campion students delivered their Pop’s concert songs to an audience of middle school students. After this performance, they hit the road for the eight-hour journey to Santa Fe, New Mexico.

A highlight of the trip was a stop for lunch at the Olympic Park in Colorado Springs, Colorado, where the group had the chance to tour the Olympic Training Center.

The next morning, the Campion music groups performed for Sandía View Academy in Corrales, New Mexico. Their performance was so well received that the audience requested an encore.

Senior student Toby Quillin, who performed in all three ensembles, reflected on the experience: “I really enjoyed performing for everyone. It was inspiring to minister to others through music in three different ways.”

Following the performance, Campion students had the opportunity to unwind with four hours of fun at Main Event, a gaming center with an arcade, bowling, and laser tag.

Later that evening, they held a vespers concert for Albuquerque Heights Seventh-day Adventist Church in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Here they debuted Koinonia’s newest sacred song, “Moses.”

The next morning, students traveled to AdventLife Church in Santa Fe, where they led part of the church’s Sabbath service.

The tour wrapped up on Sunday when the group traveled back to the Campion Academy campus. Junior student Izuchi Nwankwo reflected on the experience, saying, “It was fun to journey for the Lord, keeping steadfast faith even when we weren’t sure what would happen next. It was a powerful experience that greatly strengthened my faith.”

—Alexandra Cordoba, Campion Academy Student News student Editor. Photos supplied.

Hugo Guillén – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … El pasado 29 de Marzo del 2025 se llevó a cabo un evento especial que unió a varias iglesias de la obra hispana del área metropolitana de Denver.

El Sábado, denominado como “Día de la Hermandad”, tuvo como propósito principal promover la educación adventista entre la comunidad hispana. El mismo Departamento de Educación de nuestra conferencia apoyó el evento con la presencia de sus directores y equipo de trabajo que estuvieron listos para compartir información importante con los hermanos interesados en registrar a sus hijos en una de nuestras escuelas.

Tuvimos la oportunidad de escuchar la predicación por parte de la presidente de la Universidad Adventista de Union, Yami Bazán. Por la mañana, se registró una asistencia de alrededor de 550 personas y aunque por la tarde fue solo una fracción de lo que fue por la mañana, aun continuo un espíritu de adoración, unidad e interés por nuestro sistema educativo.

El Departamento Multicultural de nuestra conferencia seguirá buscando la mejor manera de colaborar con todos los demás ministerios y departamentos de la Rocky Mountain Conference. Sabemos que los desafíos seguirán amenazando al pueblo de Dios, pero estamos seguros que unidos a Dios y unidos unos a otros, no tendremos razón para desanimarnos.

—Hugo Guillén es el director asociado ministerial y coordinador multicultural de RMC. Fotos y video proporcionados

Hugo Guillén – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … A special event took place that brought together several Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Hispanic churches in the Denver metro area, March 29.

The Saturday event titled the “Day of Brotherhood” aimed to promote Adventist education among the local Hispanic community. The RMC Education Department supported the event with the presence of its directors and staff who were ready to share important information with members interested in enrolling their children in one of the RMC Adventist schools.

“We had the opportunity to hear a sermon from the president of Union Adventist University, Yami Bazán,” remarked Hugo Guillén, RMC Ministerial associate director and Multicultural Ministry coordinator. “In the morning, attendance was around 550 people, and, although the afternoon attendance was small compared to the morning’s, the spirit of worship, unity, and interest in our educational system remained strong.”

“The Multicultural Department of our Conference will continue seeking the best ways to collaborate with all other ministries and departments of the Rocky Mountain Conference. We know that challenges will continue to threaten God’s people, but we are confident that by staying united with God and with one another, we will have no reason to be discouraged,” he concluded.

—Hugo Guillén is the RMC Ministerial associate director and Multicultural Ministry coordinator. Photos and video supplied.

Jill Harlow – Loveland, Colorado … The ski and snowboard club at Campion Academy in Loveland, Colorado, hit the slopes at Copper Mountain Ski Resort in Frisco, Colorado, on their three-day trip, March 22-24. They were thrilled to experience both fresh powder and sunshine on Sunday and warm Spring conditions on Monday.

The Leadville Seventh-day Adventist Church in Leadville, Colorado, generously hosted the students in their basement and bunk room. After beating a snowstorm by driving up Friday evening, the students put on the church Sabbath service for the local members on Saturday. The Students with a Testimony (SWAT) trip is an annual ski club tradition, and the members enjoy fellowshipping with the students.

Another tradition of the trip is sledding after the church service. “Sledding is always one of the most enjoyable parts of ski trip for me, and that’s mostly because you get to see the ‘science’ skills of the students truly emerge as everyone puts their best efforts together to see exactly how far (and more importantly, how fast) the sledder can truly go,” explained Euan O’Keeffe, senior student.

This year, student Jack Jordan brought a collapsible shovel and created jumps for the tubes. After sending people sailing off the first one, they built a second jump further down the hill.

O’Keefe continued, “We truly sought to answer the question, ‘How many ramps is a reasonable number to go down?’ The answer was one. Of the three people who were able to get down to hit the second ramp, three crashed. Great memories!”

On the ski days, the students grouped up according to ability, and they all challenged each other to improve their skills and try harder runs.

Student Elin Sorensen, one of the expert skiers, shared, “On Monday, Jack, Zach, Addison, and I set a goal to ski as many runs as possible in the morning. It was fun because we were just going really fast, and we were able to touch many different runs on the mountain.”

New to Ski Club this year, Joshua Profir, a freshman student, commented, “The best part of ski club is getting to know people you’ve never really talked to before, then becoming friends with them, and then getting to ski with those friends.”

Overall, the days in the beautiful Colorado mountains offered a chance for the club members to improve their skiing and snowboarding skills while enjoying each other’s company.

—Jill Harlow is the Campion Academy communication director. Photos supplied.