Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists

02 Nov

2022 NOCO YOUTH RALLY TO FOCUS ON WHO GOD IS

RMC Youth News with Michael Taylor – Loveland, Colorado … The Northern Colorado Youth Rally is expecting 150 high school students mainly from the Loveland and Fort Collins area, to “Discover God and who He is.”

“The theme was chosen after much prayer and conversation with the chaplain at Campion Academy,” explained Michael Taylor, coordinator of the event planned for November 4-5 at the Campion Church.

“We share a burden for helping youth get to know God in a meaningful and personal way,” he added.

Before joining the Campion Church as associate pastor, he was involved in the West Michigan Youth Rally programs while pastoring there, and he is “excited to try to bring this opportunity for personal and community growth to Colorado.”

The event speaker is Michelle Odinma, a Seventh-day Adventist Christian minister and contemporary singer/songwriter. A long-time friend and colleague of Taylor, Odinma has been a gifted singer/songwriter for years and [Taylor] was blessed to be her mentor pastor when she answered God’s calling into pastoral ministry herself. “She’s a phenomenal preacher and connects amazingly with youth, which helps her be successful in her current role as the Community Life Pastor at The Church of the Advent Hope in Manhattan,” Taylor shared.

The event opening program on Friday, November 4 will feature music and message from Pastor Michelle. She is the worship speaker on Sabbath and will give an afternoon concert. For detailed rally program and more information about Michelle Odinma, visit https://www.nocoyouthrally.com/

On Sabbath afternoon, students will join with Pastor Matt Hasty to head into our local community, where students will be involved in door-to-door work, giving surveys, prayers, or small gifts. Some students will connect with our local homeless population to share God’s love through care packages, Taylor explained.

Taylor shared his hope to “eventually see teenagers from all over northern Colorado (and southern Wyoming) come together in such numbers that we’d outgrow the space here on Campion’s campus and need to move to a larger venue in the area.”

–RMC Youth News with Michael Taylor. Photo supplied.

02 Nov

SHAVING THE PRINCIPAL’S HEAD FOR A CAUSE

Adelaide Eno, Asher LeVos, Eeheon Ryu — Highlands Ranch, Colorado … Mile High Academy’s (MHA) principal, Andrew Carpenter, had a crazy idea when planning upcoming school events. What if he shaved his head once the students raised a specific dollar amount? After hearing the idea, Jocelyn Aalborg, MHA’s vice principal of finance and development, decided to make it the main reward for the 2022 Walk-A-Thon. During each of the last three Walk-A-Thons, MHA brought in roughly $25,000. This money went to the Worthy Student Fund, a program that makes it possible for students who can’t afford MHA to pursue private education.

With the principal’s hair on the line, MHA needed to go big! So, Carpenter and Aalborg doubled the amount, making the threshold $50,000 for Carpenter’s hair. Thinking the goal was too far-reaching, they wanted to add a reward for an increment of the fundraising. So, they asked the athletic director, Coach Michael Camacho, if he would be willing to shave his head when MHA reached the threshold of $35,000. He agreed, and the plan moved forward for the event.

Jocelyn Aalborg remarked that her favorite part of Walk-A-Thon was getting kids involved in raising money for MHA. She felt that the event empowered kids to reach out to friends and family for donations, which would support the MHA students.

Emalee, a freshman, said, “At first, I was upset that Coach Camacho would shave his head, but I am happy that he did it for such a good cause.”

Another student commented, “Just saying that you will shave your head if you reach monetary goals is cool, but the crazy part is we achieved these goals, and both our coach and principal shaved their heads.”

If every student raised $220, they would reach the $50,000 goal, and several students—and teachers—took it as a challenge. Contributions started rolling in, and while there were donations of significant size, Aalborg still did not believe that the $35,000 goal would be reached.

Walk-A-Thon took place on Friday, September 30, and donations were left open for one week past the event. By October 7, the event had brought in $43,000, surpassing the first goal. Administration decided to keep donations open for a few more days and pushed the students to raise $7,000 more so they could shave both Camacho and Carpenter’s heads. On Wednesday, October 12, MHA officially hit its goal of $50,000. As promised, the school prepared to shave both heads.

It happened on October 18 when an all-school chapel was held in the gym. The chapel was live streamed for those who could not be there. The chapel started strong with music from the history teacher and high school chaplain, Rebecca Berg. Afterward, Carpenter thanked the students for making this happen.
Though still nervous about shaving his head, Carpenter knew it was for a good cause and was genuinely passionate about it.

As Coach Camacho went up to the front to shave his head, students started chanting, “Shave their heads! Shave their heads!” excited to see the anticipated event finally unfold. Christina Herrera, a professional hair stylist and MHA parent, was invited to perform the honors. As Herrera began shaving Camacho’s head, the students went wild, and Principal Carpenter personally excited the kids. After a few minutes, it was time for Carpenter to get shaved. The students started cheering and chanting again. The event ended with two shaved heads and as a fun and memorable event for students and faculty.

With such a strong and unique challenge, the incredible amount of money raised, and the fun and excitement it brought to MHA. It will be interesting to see what other new challenges the school has next year!

–Adelaide Eno, Asher LeVos, Eeheon Ryu are MHA upper school journalism students. Photos supplied by MHA.

27 Oct

COMMENTARY: VOTING IS A GIFT

By Nathaniel Gamble

Two basic questions confront church members in the United States this election season: should I vote and, if the answer to the first question is yes, how should I vote? Given the current acrimonious relationship between our two major political parties and the fallout from it that tends to show up at the dinner table, the office break room, and even the church pew, it can feel overwhelming to figure out who and what to vote for–and even why, or if, you should vote at all! It would be foolish to pretend that we are not living through a difficult social and political time, which is why answering these questions is so important.

What complicates this picture is that the membership even in Seventh-day Adventist circles is not politically monolithic. Some of us are various shades of red, while others of us prefer assorted hues of blue. Perhaps this will surprise some church members, but this Conference also hosts a robust strain of purple Seventh-day Adventists: individuals who lean Republican on some issues and Democrat on others. The questions of whether you should vote and how you should vote are simply another way to ask, “How do we stay together as a people, and how do I keep my friendships with those who may believe very differently from me politically?” The answer is found in our identity as those who belong to Jesus.

Should you vote? Definitely! It has long been a principle of the Seventh-day Adventist Church that a free conscience is a gift from God–and the free exercise of that conscience in making decisions and electing choices, regardless of how well or poorly those choices are made, is of utmost value to God. Jesus did not die only for your sins; he also died – and rose again! – for your freedom of conscience. And this also means that Jesus died for your neighbor’s freedom of conscience, whose politics you may or may not like. Relationships are kept intact, and unity among people is achieved when individuals are free to exercise the dictates of their conscience, while also lovingly respecting the intentions of others.

Considering this, how should you vote? You should vote as someone who is supremely loved by Jesus. The idea that one political party is for God and the others are not erroneous. Likewise, the notion that one way to vote on a given ballot measure is automatically godly and all others are automatically demonic is disingenuous. Sometimes, it is very clear which decision brings God the most honor; usually, however, the decision-making process is messy, and people must simply make the best choice they can from a slate of less-than-ideal options. The best way to vote is to ask Jesus to be in the voting process with you. Then make the best choice you can, entrusting yourself and your decision to his mercy and faithfulness.

The options we get to choose from in the voting process are not always beautiful or comfortable. But the continual ability to vote, wherein we freely put our conscience into practice, is a beautiful gift given to us by God. Don’t let the occasional discomfort of voting dissuade you from exercising your conscience and respecting others as they exercise theirs. The worst electoral mistake you can make is not voting at all.

–Nathaniel Gamble is RMC religious liberty director. Photo by Dan Dennis on Unspash.

27 Oct

CAMPION SHOWS UP AND SHOWS OUT AT UNION TOURNAMENT

Ana Segawa — Loveland, Colorado … For the first time in three years, Campion’s volleyball and soccer teams went to Union College to compete at the Fall Tournament.

Both teams returned on Sunday from three days of friendly competition, where Campion and 16 other Adventist schools from all over the United States were brought together.

Colton Herber, senior and captain of the soccer team, commented: “I looked forward to this tournament a lot, and being able to finally go is something I’ll remember. Being a senior and a captain put me into a different mindset than previous years, especially after not going the last two years due to COVID. I really wanted to play my hardest and help put my team in the best situation possible.”

The soccer team started off by winning their first pool game against College View Academy with an impressive 7-2 final score. However, after losing the next few games, they ended placing third in the Clocktower division (secondary bracket).

The girls’ volleyball team also had a mixture of wins and losses but finished strong in second place in the Clocktower division after playing in the championship game Saturday night.

For the volleyball team, the game against cross-town rival Mile High was a highlight since Campion won 2-1. “That was definitely my favorite part,” Lindsey Smith, senior and captain of the volleyball team expressed; “We really came together as a team and played our absolute hardest and in the end, it paid off. It felt good to play them again and, this time, come out on top.”

The time spent on-campus didn’t consist only of games as the program included events such as Vespers on Friday night, where the students came together to worship and praise God. It was led by college students and chaplains, which was followed by an afterglow with music and bonding.

The overall winners of the tournament in soccer were Sunnydale Academy, Thunderdome Division, and Maplewood Academy, Clocktower Division. In volleyball, Forest Lake Academy took first place in the Thunderdome Division and Hinsdale Academy in the Clocktower Division.

Ariel Patterson and Joaquin Mendoza both got the All Tournament Award, as best players from the Campion teams.

Mendoza explained, “Winning this award meant so much to me. It is my first-ever award, and I will forever keep it with me and be proud of it. I wouldn’t have done it without the help of my coaches, teammates, and managers.”

“I really enjoyed and loved every second of the tournament,” Mendoza continued; “I had never been to a tournament before, so being able to experience that moment was amazing. It makes me sad to think that the season is over, but thankfully, I was able to enjoy it and play. I love my teammates. They pushed me to become a better person and player. I will miss playing with them.”

–Ana Segawa, Campion News Team. Photos Campion Academy Newsletter.

25 Oct

HAYRIDE BRINGS 600 CASPER COMMUNITY MEMBERS TO MILLS SPRING RANCH

Shayne Mason Vincent – Casper, Wyoming … Every year, when autumn brings us its changing leaves and crisp morning air, the Casper church social committee, in coordination with Mills Spring Ranch (MSR), puts together a community hayride in the mountains at MSR.

Through advertising on social media and the budding reputation of MSR in the Casper area this year, the September 24 event brought in more than 600 community visitors. MSR provided burgers and hotdogs and church members provided side dishes, as well as trucks, and volunteers.

It was a huge blessing for both the church members and the community. The event was well coordinated with a sign-up, tickets, and bullhorn announcements for the dozens of hayride trips needed to accommodate such large groups of visitors.

The local Casper church and MSR were blessed in that several of those community members signed up for the annual Winter Retreat that Casper church holds every February. The rustic retreat requires snowmobiles and side-by sides forging their way into camp through 20’ deep snowdrifts. They are greeted with good fellowship, food, hot cocoa, and roaring fires in the auditorium.

Brent Learned, MSR camp director, was also encouraged by the large number of parents who signed up their kids for summer camp. Many stated that they remembered coming to MSR at some point in their own childhood, or for the annual free horseback riding event.

Tom McDonald who heads up coordination for the event said, “I talked with lots of kids and shared about summer camp and they were asking their parents if they could go. Several people also told me how much they’d enjoyed the horseback rides back in July and when they saw this event on Facebook, they decided right away to bring their kids back up.”

Many families stayed after the rides to play volleyball Ga-ga ball and to enjoy the playground. One woman asked if she could “bring her kids back to go hiking out to the point to view the whole valley”. Another family shared the makings for s’mores they’d brought up with others around the campfire.

Liz Cornett, a Casper church member, commented that, “There was a couple with an active little 2-year-old girl who was running around and playing in the dirt, super excited to go on the hayride. The mother sat and talked to me for a while, telling me how wonderful it was that we were providing this for the community and how beautiful it was.”

It was also a bittersweet day for the Casper church as it was the last Sabbath for Pastor Shayne and his wife Gabriela’s before they relocate to the Daytona, Florida church since he is still on oxygen 13 months after his bout with Covid. They were grateful for such a blessed send off, seeing the Casper church and MSR thriving in love for one another and for their community.

Casper and MSR plan to continue these events in coming years as a way of both serving the community and doing evangelism during local ministry events. They would like to remind everyone that Winter Retreat, Camp meeting, and Youth Camp are open to all in Rocky Mountain Conference.

–Shayne Mason Vincent who served as pastor of the Casper, Wyoming, district pastor is now pastor of Daytona Adventist Church, Florida. Photos supplied.

25 Oct

RENEWED IN CHRIST HISPANIC WOMEN MEET AT ANNUAL GATHERING

Vanessa Alarcón – Eire, Colorado … Under the theme, “Renewed in Christ,” more than 120 women met for the annual Hispanic Women’s Ministries gathering at Vista Ridge Academy on October 1. Several presenters participated in the gathering, including the keynote speaker, Pastor Ruth Rivera, Lieutenant Junior Grade and Chaplain for the US Navy.

Pastor Rivera gave two presentations focused on the freedom we have in Christ. Her mother, Social Worker Miriam Rivera, presented a workshop on building resilience through connection with others. The gathering included personal testimonies by participants on how they personally were renewed in Christ through their challenges. Dr. Ryan Turnewitsch, Doctor of Naturopathic Medicine, presented seven steps for healthy aging.

The Sabbath morning was filled with inspiring music led by the Colorado Springs Hispanic church and the day ended with a celebration of anointing. Attendees shared that they left spiritually refreshed with practical ways to improve their physical and emotional health and spiritual walk in Christ.

“The overall atmosphere provided a spiritual reflection as attendees participated in interactive activities focused on prayer,” shared Patricia Rivera, RMC Hispanic women’s ministries coordinator. “We were incredibly blessed by our speakers this weekend. I hope women will continue to seek God every day and live holistically healthy lives,” Patty added.

The next Hispanic Women’s Ministries retreat is scheduled for Fall 2023 at Glacier View Ranch.
–Vanessa Alarcón is an elder at Boulder Adventist Church. Photo by Dr. Ryan Turnewitsch

25 Oct

IT ONLY TAKES A SPARK TO GET A FIRE GOING

Joel Reyes – Grand Junction, Colorado … Excited and looking forward to the story they will hear and the new songs they will learn, they cross the large field between Little Lambs Learning Center and Grand Junction church every Friday morning and quietly make their way into the sanctuary of the church–all 22 of them, together with their teachers. Many of them do not come from Christian homes and the Bible stories are new and exciting.

This year, Intermountain Adventist Academy made an effort to reach out to Little Lambs Learning Center, the day care center sharing a section of the campus, inviting the pre-kindergarten class to come to school chapels on Fridays. Both the learning center and Intermountain Adventist Academy had to make a few adjustments to their programs to make it happen, but in the end, both are blessed.

What a joy to see the line of small kids marching in perfect accord, quietly taking their place in the front rows of the church to worship with our Intermountain Adventist Academy (IAA) students.

October 17-21 was our Fall Week of Prayer with Brandon Westgate, the Rocky Mountain Conference youth director, and our little friends came and visited us every day. The final day, Sunday, October 21, was “spirit day” at IAA, a day where students dress in different ways following a predetermined theme. The theme for the day was “wacky day.”

When our little friends from Little Lambs learned what their “bigger” friends across the field were doing, they also wanted to have a wacky day. So, they showed up wearing a rainbow of colors that obviously did not match. Even their teachers put on some outrageous items to match the children.

We express our gratitude to the Lord for Brandon’s visit, and for the opportunity God has given our school to minister to our little friends across the field. Perhaps one of them went home and shared with their parents about Brandon’s biblical illustration regarding value, and how priceless they are, so priceless that Jesus came all the way from heaven to redeem them.

Perhaps they naturally started to sing one of the songs they learned in chapel. Think about it…

“You came from Heaven to earth
To show the way
From the earth to the cross
My debt to pay
From the cross to the grave
From the grave to the sky
Lord I lift Your name on high…”.

Isn’t that how ministry works? It only takes a spark to get a fire going.

–Joel Reyes is Intermountain Adventist Academy principal. Photo supplied.

21 Oct

EDITORIAL: EVERYTHING CHANGES

I was picking up folding chairs with the head elder of a small church after a service. A very small church. I was a sponsor on a mission trip within the United States, and our group quadrupled the size of the congregation at services that morning. They also reduced the average age to about 70, all of whom treated the students like royalty and fed them a wonderful meal. The elder was now enthusiastically telling me about his church and the new pastor they would be welcoming soon.

“He’s young, which is a good thing because we are all getting older, and he believes we can do some successful evangelism here. I’m excited about it because we want to grow.”

Then he paused, and with a concerned look on his face, continued in a lower tone. “Well, the truth is, we do want to grow, but I want to make certain it’s the right kind of growth.”

I nodded in understanding. “In other words, you want to have more people, but you don’t want to change.”

His demeanor brightened. “Yes, that’s it exactly. We want to stay the same.”

“Well, you know, growth is change. The people who join a church are blessed with gifts of the Spirit, and God expects them to use those gifts. I imagine that many of them will have gifts that you may not have among your members right now, and they will allow you to do new ministries that a small group of retirees might not have the skills or energy to do. Things that can bless not only the church but the community. You can’t grow and expect to not change.”

His response almost floored me: “Then I don’t want to grow.”

To him, the great gospel commission was far less precious than the view from inside his cocoon. Dying off was preferable to passing the light on to another generation. To preserve his way of worship, he would deny others the truth that he claimed to treasure. But it was not his attitude that shocked me, only his transparency about it. I had encountered many people who felt the same way but were too cagey to admit it. At least he was honest.

Before I make a statement that should be obvious to everyone, let me lay down some markers: truth is eternal, the Bible is the only reliable source of spiritual truth, and I believe in the interpretation of the Scriptures as found in the 28 fundamental beliefs of the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

Now for the obvious statement: we don’t live in the same world as James and Ellen White. While the truth has not changed, the world has, and we must adapt to new realities that affect how Adventism is practiced in the changing world.

When I was a boy growing up in a small Indiana town in the 1960s, I loved going Ingathering. At first I rode in the car with my father, a reel-to-reel tape recorder on the seat beside him blaring the King’s Herald’s Christmas album through the giant loudspeaker strapped to the top of the Studebaker. When I got a little older, I would go door to door with my uncle, who eventually began to coach me on what to say and let me try it. Before I was off to academy, I was going to the doors alone trying to reach my goal without my parents chipping in.

They quit making Studebakers after 1966. You must go to a museum to see a reel-to-reel recorder. The King’s Herald’s musical style has changed. And in the few communities that have not legislated against door-to-door collections, it is not safe after dark to go to doors or open them to strangers, with or without a live choir in tow.

How can we re-imagine Adventism so that it stays relevant while remaining faithful to truth? If the problem is Ingathering, we can simply recognize that its time is over and move on. After all, not pounding on doors to ask for cash isn’t in violation of any of the 28. But it is more challenging to come up with answers to other changes in the world.

The response to public evangelism is growing weaker
Systematic, disinterested giving is becoming rare
Fewer members see the value of Adventist education
It is easier to watch worship from home than participate at church
The overhead of our schools, churches, and institutions are being driven higher by inflation, regulatory burdens, medical costs, and legal fees
Our colleges and universities are finding fewer and fewer students willing to take education or theology, resulting in critical shortages of essential workers to replace retiring baby boomers

We have no choice but to re-imagine Adventism. I don’t claim to have all the answers, but I am aware that new models must be explored for how we staff our schools and churches, how we spend our dollars, how we communicate our message, and how to appropriately praise God in a service that draws people in. If we don’t shake off our Laodicean tendency to cling to the familiar, then God will not be alone in spewing us out.

Already there are generations raised in the church who have decided that lukewarm is not good enough. They can’t relate to hymns about keeping the lower lights burning. They have, through no fault of their own, attention spans that are short enough to begin with, and shorter still when they must sit in motionless rows while someone talks. They can’t see a good reason why they are shut out of the decision-making process. And if they are frustrated enough to not hang around, why would we expect great success in attracting others from their generation who did not have the advantages of growing up in the church?

Change can be made without sacrificing truth. In fact, change is imperative. Without it, there is no growth. Which takes me back to my story of the elder who admitted what many others believe, but most will deny. Once I had recovered from his stunning declaration, a response popped into my mind.

“Well, you have that choice. You don’t have to change, and you don’t have to grow. But there are some words you need to remember, because you are going to need them someday. ‘I was afraid I would lose your money, so I hid it in the earth. Look, here is your money back’, “(Matthew 25:25, NLT)

Douglas Inglish is RMC vice president for administration. Email him at [email protected]

21 Oct

THE BEGINNING AND THE END

Behold, I come quickly; and my reward is with me, to give to every man according as his works shall be. I am Alpha and Omega, the beginning and the end, the first and the last.Revelation 22:12-13 KJV

Getting older is an interesting (wait, is interesting the right word? Perhaps disconcerting? disturbing? deconstructing? disheveling?) experience, not just for the body and the mind, but for the constructs of the body and the mind. For one thing, certain texts in the Bible just don’t seem to say the same things they did when I read them years ago. And yet it doesn’t strike me as though I was wrong in my past reading, but rather that I was as right, generally speaking, as I could be at the time, and I am as right, Lord willing, as I can be now. All of which is not to automatically make the judgment that my “now” view is superior to my “then” view—only that in many ways life experience makes the “now” view inevitable, or maybe better, unavoidable.

“New occasions teach new duties,
Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.”*

But perhaps all this is a minor problem since there will always be people ready and eager to tell you what Jesus requires of you. Sometimes they might even be right. Yet even if they are right in the hour of their speaking, are the specific requirements of Jesus in the moment the unchanging requirements through time? Or is it possible James Lowell got it right, that new occasions do teach new duties, and time does makes ancient good uncouth?

Can we keep doing the same things we always did and still be faithful? Can we keep saying the same things we always said and still be telling the truth? Are we sliding into error if, when we read the Bible, it doesn’t seem to say the same thing to us now that we heard it saying to us then? Is it possible we could be right “now” without having been wrong “then”, even if “now” and “then” don’t agree?

Ours is not the first time when believers struggled to deal with disagreement regarding what things still mattered and what things had served their purpose for their day. Remember the whole circumcision controversy in the early church? Circumcision was the divine sign given to Abraham to serve as the definitive mark of God’s people, an irrevocable indicator in the flesh delineating the chosen people from the unchosen, an act so indispensable that according to Exodus 4:24-25 it was the LORD’s intention to put Moses to death for breaking this rule by not circumcising his sons (a situation Zipporah speedily rectified, but not without denoting Moses as a “bridegroom of blood” over the incident).

Yet in the New Testament we find Paul making this rather confusing statement: “Circumcision is nothing and uncircumcision is nothing. Keeping God’s commands is what counts” (1 Corinthians 7:19 NIV), causing one to rightly reflect, “Wasn’t circumcision God’s command?” Paul seeks to fix any misunderstanding in the next verse by saying, “Each person should remain in the situation they were in when God called them” (v. 20), which is true enough if taken in the narrow context of circumcision, but not a position we traditionally would be inclined to encourage if the situation in which one was called was “living together out of wedlock.”

Back to Paul:

“Watch out for those dogs, those evildoers, those mutilators of the flesh. For it is we who are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.” Philippians 3:2-3 NIV

How could circumcision, the sign given to Abraham, the definitive mark of the people of God, suddenly, without any divine statement [beyond that of the indirect implication that a new reality had begun when the Holy Spirit fell upon Cornelius and his family prior to them being circumcised (see Acts 10)], be now considered unnecessary? You think traditions regarding ordination are hard to give up, imagine if we had had to make the decision on circumcision (not to make trouble, but isn’t it ironic how most of us in America who are male are, in fact, circumcised?). Yet Paul, in describing those who were still trying to remain faithful to the standard passed down from Abraham, refers to them as “dogs” and “mutilators of the flesh”, while stating this about himself and the others who have moved on from what in the past was held as unchallengeable truth: “we … are the circumcision, we who serve God by his Spirit, who boast in Christ Jesus, and who put no confidence in the flesh.”

“New occasions teach new duties
Time makes ancient good uncouth;
They must upward still and onward,
Who would keep abreast of truth.”

Are we moving ever upward and onward? Are we keeping abreast of truth? I’m pretty sure I have a decent idea what it meant to be a faithful Adventist in Ellen White’s day. Does it mean the same thing now? What is Present Truth, not for the 19th Century, but for the 21st?

Five generations ago my great-great grandfather, Ernst Schoepflin, moved with his wife and children from a region in Germany just north of Basil, Switzerland, to eastern Washington state, where he and his family (which grew to 12 children) would become Seventh-day Adventists at meetings held in the region, as family lore has it, by none other than A. T. Jones. Today, I find myself the son and grandson of lifelong Adventist pastors from that Schoepflin line, and myself a pastor of the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church, the current incarnation of a community of believers bearing this name on Mapleton Hill since the church’s founding here in 1879, probably within a few years of when my ancestors were themselves first becoming Adventist.

My ancestors were fervent in the faith, as we should all hope to be, seeking to be faithful to what they understood to be their duty in their day. And for the most part, I think they succeeded, considering that five generations later I am still a believer. Yet so much has changed. When my grandfather was born, his parents made the statement, “He will never be old enough to bring in wood,” meaning Jesus would come before he could even do chores. He died in 2006 at the age of 96, having served as an Adventist pastor for all his working years. His son, my father, now in his eighties, also spent his working years as an Adventist pastor. Now here I am, 57, having pastored for 26 years. But it doesn’t stop with me. I have, as of today, a granddaughter, a seventh-generation proclaimer of the soon coming of Jesus. And to that you might at first be inclined to say, “Amen”, but then follow that up with, “Wait, what?”

As I said at the beginning, certain texts in the Bible sometimes just don’t seem to say the same thing they said the first time I read them. And life experience ought to make a “now” view sometimes inevitable, or even unavoidable. What new duty does today’s new occasion teach?

If we would remain God’s people, we must, I think, continue ever onward and upward, with one eye on the road down which our Lord has led us (the beginning), and the other on the unknown future (the end), for which of us can say with certainty my granddaughter will “never be old enough to bring in wood”, or if one day her 7th-generation descendent will write fondly of her?

I have in a sense always envied this one thing about first generation Adventists: they are able to speak of the expectation of the imminent return of Jesus without any hint of irony, something I cannot do. And please, don’t come at me with the trite phrase, “imagine how much closer the return is now!” That means nothing, you know, because sure, I know exactly how much closer the return is now (seven generations, based upon my family history). But knowing that tells me exactly nothing about how close it is until Jesus actually appears.

Based on the Matthew chronology of the coming of the Messiah the first time, my family spans roughly Jeconiah to Zadok (see Matthew 1:12-16). Are we willing to wait, even if it means seven more generations, until the Christ appears again?

New occasions teach new duties…

Luke 12:42-43 says: “Who then is the faithful and wise manager, whom the master puts in charge of his servants to give them their food allowance at the proper time? It will be good for that servant whom the master finds doing so when he returns.”

It is not the timing of the beginning and the end that matters as much as it is the One who is The Beginning and The End. May God give us the wisdom to be faithful in our day.

Geoff Patterson is senior pastor at Boulder Adventist Church, Boulder, Colorado. Email him at [email protected]

*James Russell Lowell, “Once to Every Man and Nations”, quoted from the Church Hymnal (otherwise known as the “Old” Hymnal), song number 513, verse 3.

21 Oct

DISCOVERING PRESENT TRUTH: REIMAGINING ADVENTISM

On Adventist Heritage Tours, one of my favorite places is in New Ipswich, New Hampshire. Leonard Hastings, a local farmer during Adventist beginnings, was passionate about the soon return of Jesus Christ. On October 22, as the anticipated date drew near, he left his crops unharvested as a testimony of his faith. Shop owners closed down, made restitution for loss, damage, or injury and paid their debts. They were serious about their faith.

Another favorite place is the bridge between Fairhaven and New Haven, Massachusetts. It was on this bridge that Bates, fresh from having discovered the truth of the seventh-day Sabbath, saw a friend who asked, “What’s the news?” To which Bates replied, “The seventh-day is the Sabbath of the Lord our God.” Soon his friend, James Hall, joined him in observing the Sabbath and they shared their faith with several of their friends. Soon Bates was another fellow Advent believer and abolitionist, the singing blacksmith, Heman Gurney. “The cause of truth lays near my heart,” he wrote in 1852.

What did Hastings, Bates, and Gurney have in common? They had a passion for studying the Bible. They further maintained that God’s people will and must grow in their understanding of truth. Gurney wrote:

Truth is precious; but all truth is not alike precious; for all truth does not send forth its rays of light to the same generation. There is a portion due to every generation. It is not the labor of the church now to show that Jesus was the true Messiah, as did the apostles. But there is another portion of truth more appropriate now, and calculated to act upon the interest and motives of men with greater power. Although the portion of truth that has awakened an interest in the speedy coming of Christ has been proclaimed by a minority, it is therefore no evidence that a providential hand has not ordered it in a manner which fulfills prophecy, and reveals the hearts of men.[i]

So, what of these early Adventist truths remain relevant for Adventism in 2022? If our Adventist pioneers were still alive, how might they re-imagine Adventism for our present world? Do these truths still matter, and if they do, what might they look like?

Adventist Activism

While the discovery of core truths, such as the Sabbath and Sanctuary, are well-known, what is not is the fact that our earliest church pioneers cared deeply about the world in which they lived. This was a seeming paradox for those who, anticipating Christ’s return, believed that this present world would indeed fade away. Therefore, early Adventists believed that it wasn’t enough to merely proclaim the Advent truths—they had to deeply shape the world in which they lived until the end arrived.

It is this deep sense of urgency coupled with activism that made the pioneers care deeply about a wide range of social issues—everything from advocating for temperance (against alcoholic beverages in particular) to health and dress reform. Adventists built sanitariums to not merely help people get better, but to teach them how to live healthier and happier lives. Many of the denomination’s earliest institutions were concerned about providing for those less fortunate, including those who were poor, widows, or orphans in their midst. Adventists raised money not only for churches, but to provide relief to those who were suffering. In what might seem ironic, Adventists cared deeply about the world in which they lived, just as they cared deeply about being ready for the world to come. They believed they were a divinely called movement, and thus had a unique message and mission, that changed the way they lived.

Adventists today can, by studying the past, capture a glimpse of the passion the early pioneers had for the world around them. This sense of urgency to be ready for Jesus’ soon return, with the passing of time, remains an imperative part of our Adventist identity. This world is not our home, and we are left to faithfully wait for and hasten the return of Jesus. In the meantime, God’s people are described as having the “patience of the saints.” It isn’t easy to be patient, and yet that is what God’s people are called to do.

Reflective Remnant

If these truths remain just as relevant today, what must change is our application of how we apply them to our lives. What does it mean to be a Seventh-day Adventist now after 171 years since the Great Disappointment?

Perhaps while God’s reflective remnant patiently wait, there can be new ways to take these same old truths and apply them to our present lives. The seventh-day Sabbath remains just as imperative as ever. It is the defining mark of God’s end-time people. It is God’s remnant church who keep the seventh-day Sabbath, not merely because it is the right day, but because it represents who the true God is and what He stands for—a moral government of God, and that God’s character will ultimately be revealed through the Great Controversy.

Could it be that a more relational understanding of the seventh-day Sabbath could be just what people in the 21^st century need? That in a frenetic age, with instantaneous communication and social media, God calls His people to be in right relation with Him and with others. That in a world that yearns for authenticity despite the artificial nature of social media, God invites us to live in community. The Sabbath can become a touchstone whereby a new generation finds true value and meaning, both with God and with one another.

God’s remnant people also value the seventh-day Sabbath because it is a symbol of His creation. For a people at the end of time who recognize that this world will literally burn, yet because they value God’s Word who made this world even though it is corrupted by sin, God has entrusted it to our care and keeping. In this way, God’s end-time people who care deeply for the seventh-day Sabbath should also care for the environment. They know they aren’t going to save it, as some may hope, but they are good stewards of this earth because they know they must be good stewards of the earth made new. In other words, Adventists can and must care about the environment, not for political or social motivation, but simply because it is the biblical perspective. Adventists in the new century, particularly as climate change becomes more disruptive, need to care deeply for God’s creation for the same reason that they care for the seventh-day Sabbath. It is part of what God has tasked us with.

Adventist Advantage

God’s remnant people have a unique and important responsibility as they patiently wait for Christ’s return. They are tasked with the proclamation of the “everlasting gospel” to the world.

This is indeed the work of the Three Angel’s Messages of Revelation 14. While we don’t know how long time will last, until Jesus does return, each generation will be tasked with the mission of sharing this message. That means taking the same “present truth” of the pioneers and making it our own. Not for one moment will this change our distinctive beliefs. They remain and will only become all the more important, but it is this distinctive Adventist outlook—a worldview—that gives hope in an uncertain world. It is this hope that drives Adventism and is indeed the Adventist advantage. It is, after all, a sacred responsibility, not because it makes anyone better, but instead, humble us to recognize that as the world changes, our Adventist perspective changes the way we live in this world. We cannot sit idly by but must remain in the spirit of the pioneers as activists living out our beliefs in an ever-changing world.

Michael W. Campbell PhD, is director of archives, statistics, and research for the North American Division of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists. He has spent over a decade teaching in higher education in schools in Texas and the Philippines. Previously he pastored in Kansas and in the Rocky Mountain Conference. He is married to Heidi, a PhD candidate at Baylor University, and they have two teenage children, Emma and David.

[i]H. S. Gurney, “Communication from Bro. Gurney,” [dated Feb. 19, 1854], ARH, Feb. 28, 1854, 47.