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***Editor’s Note: Southern Adventist University students participated in honoring Constitution Week by holding a spoken-word contest, September 22.  Two poems are published with author’s permission.*** 

***Editor’s Note: The following poem won the grand prize***

They are thankful for the freedom of speech yet they do not want me to speak

Some will call this a “Post-racial” society.
This is a false narrative.
So I give you this simple imperative. Listen.

When I was young, I thought that my skin was disgusting
And if you had been there with me discussing what is attractive
You would have seen slavery’s impact is still in me

I found the darkness of my skin repulsive.
And while those with lighter tones were given strength in their bones
By tv shows that showed heroes who looked like them
Being told that they were owed everything in this world

It made them impulsive.

But they say that if I’m not doing anything wrong,
Things aren’t really that bleak
They are thankful for the freedom of speech yet they do not want me to speak

I was taught to fear.
My parents didn’t let me touch things in the store
Because they knew that no matter how nice our clothes
My skin would make people think I was poor
And thought whatever my fingers touched was no longer yours
But had been stolen by me.

But they say that if I’m not doing anything wrong,
Things aren’t really that bleak
They are thankful for the freedom of speech yet they do not want me to speak

I was taught to fear
“Sit over here” my parents told me one evening
I was young back then and just wanted apple juice
But all I got was the bitter truth
“TJ we need to talk to you about police”

See those with different skin tend to grow up thinking that the police are in service of them
But my parents told me to make myself appear thin and small
Because cops sometimes see us as muscular and tall, animalistic
So they taught me to withdraw
To say “Yes sir” and keep my hands where they could be seen
To talk slow, polite, and kind, so I could be seen as a human
But they say that if I’m not doing anything wrong,
Things aren’t really that bleak
They are thankful for the freedom of speech yet they do not want me to speak

I was taught to fear
That my friends, teachers, and peers might just be racist
That my friends would ask me to “Say this” and compare my voice to the black people on TV
That my teachers would gloss over the history of my people to talk about more inbred Western royalty
That my peers would touch my hair without asking, a scruffy stray dog they found in the street
Even the word microaggressions, minimizes the things you do in my vicinity

But they say that if I’m not doing anything wrong,
Things aren’t really that bleak
They are thankful for the freedom of speech, yet they do not want me to speak

I was taught to fear
When Kaepernick was shunned for speaking his truth
What does that teach a youth?
Because if a man can lose his job over a red, white, and blue symbol
Then why would I try to ever peaceably assemble
Cause even Keap and other famous people of color have enough money and a platform that nothing can hurt them
But I have always lived in the South
With family old enough to remember Jim Crow
So, when they say “post racial” because of what they think they know
I remember my grandpa’s story of his nice new yellow truck
In the prime of his life, in a stroke of luck

He managed to afford this vehicle but got rid of it when KKK members painted it red

But they say that if I’m not doing anything wrong,
Things aren’t really that bleak
They are thankful for the freedom of speech yet they do not want me to speak

I was taught to fear
My mom wanted to cry when I went to several protests early this year
She was worried about the money when I transferred to Tennessee
But also scared to hear my name on the phone
Scared to see my name become a hashtag
With only bones and reporters wondering if I was in a gang
Would that be my legacy
So when I got tear gassed and I couldn’t see
I wondered what they would say of me.

Would people from my past offer defense or attacks?
With my past picked apart
My mistakes on full blast, every good deed worthless because all they would smell is the trash
I blinked out the tears, fire on my eyes and skin
Vulnerable in the face of their riot gear
I was taught to fear
Sam Cooke ringing in my ear

But can I wait on change one more year
My eyes still burning, I am not welcome here
And I can see Bob Dylan asking
How many years can some people exist

Before they’re allowed to be free?
Through half-closed lids, I almost run into the street
Marvin Gaye asks me What’s Going On
And I don’t really know

But I know that I can’t operate with fear
Though shaking I exercise my freedom of speech right now
I know there is a cost to these words in my reputation
But that is a price I am willing to pay

–TJ Simmons is a junior Religious Education major at Southern Adventist University

***

 From Sea to Spoken Sea

I see that there’s a place for you and me
A place from sea to shining sea
A place where we can be free

To believe what we want without fear or a thought
Of what could happen tomorrow if we share our own possibilities
Because it’s possible that through my own speech, I can change the course of history-
-has shown we must continue to speak to be free
And it’s hard to imagine a life without the ability to speak to one’s own family

My family, yeah, they’re so proud of me for using my voice to speak up about reality
Because life isn’t always easy even when you’re free
Free to speak up about what is tough, yeah, that’s a big responsibility
It’s all part of an exchange
It’s your choice to use your voice to make a difference and be brave

Some people fight with weapons other people fight with words, but we are equally protected by the second and the —
First time I understood what it meant to be free was when I met someone from a different country
No, they weren’t allowed to do so many things that I have always done and never viewed as a luxury
Which is the ability to share your thoughts on a policy and not worry about being killed
And I want to make it clear that this is more than a fear; this is a reality for people who didn’t live in this place like you and me
A place from sea to shining sea
A place where we can be free

–Christina Coston is a senior at Southern Adventist University studying Communication and International Studies with an emphasis in Spanish. She is also the copy editor for the Southern Accent and is editor for BizTech News

***

RMCNews – Littleton, Colorado … Mile High students gathered together on Sabbath, September 12 to celebrate Mile High Sabbath at Littleton Adventist Church.

Some 250 individuals witnessed students leading out in praise, prayer, drama, and witnessed a seventh grader declare publicly his love for Jesus through baptism.

The students enjoyed this unique time to fellowship with fellow classmates from other grades.  Since the pandemic has caused interactions between grades to be severely limited with band, choir, and community school events cancelled, the theme the students choose for this academic year is “Rooted in Christ; we won’t be shaken.”

“This year has been so difficult and unpredictable.  Remember if we have Christ and look to Him for our comfort and security, we won‘t be shaken,” Brooke Henry, MHA senior, said.

The Littleton Church family enjoyed the influx of students on campus and the gifts of laughter and joy they brought with them.

“It’s exciting. It’s a blessing for the church. Look at all the children…that should be our purpose right there…that’s our mission, our kids,” Eli Gonzalez, member of the congregation, said.

Littleton leadership expressed the importance of making sure the annual tradition of Mile High Sabbath continued.

“We want our members and students to see each other face to face and to build community together,” Andy Nash, Littleton lead pastor, said.

The highlight of the day came during the second service when those who had gathered witnessed Logan Meyers, a seventh grader at MHA, proclaim that Jesus was his best friend and he wanted to follow Him for life.

“To me, baptism means giving your life to God and becoming a member of the church family,” Logen Meyers, said.

To celebrate this decision, MHA awarded Logen with a journal to record his personal walk with Jesus and his new church family gave him a Bible so that he can dive deeper into the Scriptures.

To conclude the special day, Chris Morris, pastor of worship and youth, gave what he called a take-home sermon, inviting members to take a bag filled with items to illustrate the sermon on being calm from Philippians 4:6-7.

MHA students and teachers left with an invitation to join Littleton’s Christmas community evangelism event, “The Bethlehem Experience,” a walk-through depiction of the birth of Christ this December at Littleton Church.

–RMC News; photos by Andy Nash

RMCNews – Loveland, Colorado … Dr. Dick Stenbakken has won a Silver Award for creativity in the Historical Short Subject category at the Houston International Film Festival, his third made-for-TV program, The Nuremberg Chaplain. His previous two awards were in 2014 and 2015.

The Nuremberg story is about Henry Gerecke, a Missouri Synod Lutheran Army chaplain who was assigned to be chaplain-pastor for the German High Command personnel on trial for war crimes at the end of WW II. Gerecke ministered to the most hated men on the earth from November 1945 until the middle of October 1946, then walked with his parishioners up the last 13 steps to the gallows where he had prayer with them before they died.

In order to make the presentation realistic, Stenbakken put together an actual WW II period uniform. He had the distinctive shoulder patch of Gerecke’s 6850^th Internal Security Detachment reproduced for the uniform, (pictured below), and was able to speak personally with Gerecke’ s family members to get specific details.

The Army Chief of Chaplains invited Dick to present The Nuremberg Chaplain, and The Dorchester Story as opening presentations for each of the Chief’s major two-day training events across the Army system in 2018-19. “It was a great experience to re-visit many places we had served while on active duty,” Stenbakken commented. A unique location was at Columbia University in New York City, where Dick finished his fourth Masters and Doctor of Education degrees.

The Dorchester Story, which won a Silver Award from the Houston Festival in 2014 in the TV Documentary category, tells about the sacrifice of four Army chaplains who gave their life vests to others while the troop ship Dorchester was sinking after a German submarine attack off the coast of Greenland on February 3, 1943.

Another award-winning made-for-TV presentation, In Flanders Fields, chronicles the story of the Canadian doctor John McCrae during WW I and the war experiences that compelled him to write his epic poem. This presentation won a Bronze Award in 2015 in the Television Historical Programming category.

“It’s remarkable that all three submissions won,” explains Stenbakken. “That is especially true given that each of the presentations is deeply spiritual, and was competing in a secular venue.”

Dr. Stenbakken, a retired Army chaplain (Colonel) who also served as the Director of Adventist Chaplaincy Ministries at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, has done 70 different first-person characters in venues as diverse as the US Senate Bible study groups, Pentagon Prayer Breakfasts, the Army War College, camp meetings, and churches and schools world-wide.

The Nuremberg Chaplain has been aired on Hope Channel.

Dick and his wife Ardis, who served as Director of the Women’s Ministries Department at the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, live in Loveland, Colorado.

—RMCNews with Dick Stenbakken, photo by Erik Stenbakken.

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Mark B. Johnson, MD, MPH, was elected Colorado Medical Society (CMS) president-elect in August and will be installed as the CMS president in September 2021. Dr. Johnson has been a member of CMS for more than 30 years, has served on and chaired many of its committees and councils, and is currently a member of its governing board.

Since 1990, Dr. Johnson has served as the executive director of Jefferson County Public Health. Though he had planned to retire in June, he delayed retirement till October so that he could lead the county’s response to COVID-19.

Founded in 1871, the Colorado Medical Society is the largest organization of physicians in Colorado, with more than 7,500 members across all specialties and employment settings. The society is leading meaningful innovation to enable a better health care system for patients, physicians and the state. It works closely with the American Medical Society (AMA) to deliver results-focused strategies that help physicians enhance the delivery of care and improve the health of the nation.

The members of the Colorado Medical Society actively supported Medicaid expansion in Colorado, helping more eligible patients receive health care, and continues to seek  other avenues to improve access to health care and health services with the goal of improving the health of all Coloradans.

Commenting on the CMS vote, Dr. Johnson said, “Health care has been a big part of my professional life and is an important role of my spiritual community. I sincerely appreciate the support of my colleagues in trusting me with this position.”

Mark and his wife, Diane, are long-time members of the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church, and both currently serve on its Vision Board, of which Dr. Johnson is chair.

—RMCNews

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado …  In the month of March, Radio 74 Internationale, a supporting Adventist broadcasting ministry in France, purchased 1510 AM KPLS in Littleton, Colorado. A Class B radio station, classified by the FCC, it can be heard in several states and even as far north as Canada during the night.

While no local programing director has yet been named, local programming has been aired in the form of telephone interviews.

Friends of Radio 74 Internationale and Golden, Colorado church members Jim and DeEtta Burr, are volunteering with the station to help involve local churches and ministries.

The mission of the AM broadcasts is to inform individuals of not only the loving message of Jesus, but to introduce listeners to the Seventh-day Adventist Church, according to Ron Myers, the station’s owner.

“It’s our desire that (community members) hear Seventh-day Adventists telling their personal stories–who they are, what they do for a living, their interests, lifestyles and hobbies–demonstrating that they are good, ordinary people, as they share how they came to know Jesus, and their hope in Jesus’ soon return,” Ron Myers explained.

The AM station also broadcasts several hours of Spanish programing each week.

For more information on the broadcasts as well as local programing options, contact Radio 74 Internationale at 855 711 7474, ext. 2 or visit their website.