RMCNews Page 8

By RMCNews – Denver, Colorado …  At the beginning of 2020, none of us ever dreamed that beginning in March, the world as we know it would change so dramatically. As the pandemic gained momentum, conference administrators across North America were wondering how mission would be impacted. How would education be delivered, how would church be done, and what would happen to our camp programs.

“It was very difficult to even know how to project the potential negative impact on tithe or other sources of revenue,” said George Crumley, RMC VP for finance. “A 1% negative impact would have been a decrease in available tithe to Rocky Mountain Conference of $109,810. Assuming our worst scenario of a 20% decrease, that would have negatively affected conference-available tithe by $2,196,200,” he commented.

Crumley further commented, “Sadly, all of us have been directly impacted in one way or the other–the loss of a loved one, the loss of a job, contraction of the disease ourselves, a different way of worshipping and of doing school. Yet through all of this, God has been helping us.”

Now that 2020 is behind us, “I want to express my appreciation to all of you for being regular in your tithes and offerings. As we ended the year, the conference total tithe was down by 4.35% for 2020 when compared to 2019.  This is because total tithe includes windfalls which consist of unusual and non-recurring tithe of $50,000 or more, and in 2019, our windfalls totaled $1,176,313 whereas our 2020 windfalls amounted to $389,539—thus, the decrease in total tithe. But our base tithe, which we budget from was only down .03% or basically breakeven,” Crumley explained.

This is an amazing result considering all that we have been through. It could have been much worse. For the North American Division, their total tithe, including windfalls, was up 1.71%.

At this stage, no one knows the long-term impact on the economy and unemployment as we look ahead into 2021 and beyond. “We do need to be prudent in the management of the resources God has entrusted us with. What we do know is that many are hurting and looking for answers in these unstable times. This presents an opportunity for us, as individuals and as a church, to minister to those in need,” Crumley expressed.

The leadership of RMC express their gratitude to church members who have been faithful. “May the Lord continue to guide you and your families in the days ahead,” Crumley commented.

–RMCNews; photo by UnSplash

By RMCNews – Gillette, Wyoming … For one week in August 2024, the population of Gillette, Wyoming, will more than double in size. The 2024 International Pathfinder Camporee organizers are hoping to welcome more than 50-thousand Adventist youth and young adults gathering for one of the largest convocations in the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

The International Camporee Executive Advisory Committee voted on Tuesday, January 26, 2021 to move from Oshkosh, Wisconsin, to Gillette, Wyoming. The decision will allow for more outdoor activities and space to gather.

The news was welcomed with excitement and eagerness by the small Gillette church of 30 members.

“I think the best way to describe their reaction is similar to the way I reacted–both surprised and shocked. Yet this gives us an excellent opportunity to reach the community around us,” Lester Bentley, pastor for the Northeastern Wyoming District said. “This gives us a genuinely unique opportunity to bring together our outstanding Adventist youth from around the world to impact our community in and around Gillette positively. Some of the comments I heard were, “This is great; we won’t have to travel this time.” Others said, “Why Gillette?” My favorite reaction was, “Wow!”

The RMC youth department echoed the Gillette church’s sentiment.

“Looks like we’re going to more than double the population of Gillette in 2024! It will be a fun time for so many Pathfinders to see a part of our conference and have the opportunity to travel through beautiful places on their way to the International Pathfinder Camporee,” commented Jessyka Dooley, RMC assistant youth director.

Kiefer Dooley, RMC youth director, was surprised at the announcement. “Honestly, I was a bit shocked to hear that the International Pathfinder Camporee was moving locations! Having the gathering in Oshkosh had become so expected that it seems like most everyone had been referring to the event itself as “Oshkosh.” I guess “Gillette” can come to have the same ring to it in the future!”

“We’ll look forward to being generous and supportive hosts to what will be the third largest population center in Wyoming over the course of the Camporee week. Our hope is that those gathered will enjoy their time and not only draw closer to Jesus, but be respectful, beneficial, and a blessing to the people of Gillette,” Kiefer added.

Still a few years to go before they welcome the Pathfinders, the Gillette church is making plans to reach out to the community prior to 2024.

“We have an outreach planned this summer with a youth pastor from North Carolina who will present a one-week revival series designed for people from late teens to early ’30s. Several from the community around Gillette have had the opportunity to hear him speak at the winter retreat held each year at Mills Spring Ranch in Casper. We are anxious to have him come and spend a week with us this coming June,” Bentley said.

Kiefer added, “Having the Camporee come to our territory is exciting, but it doesn’t change the mission and the work we have set before us. We anticipate that we’ll work closely with the Camporee boards and planning committees, help to coordinate RMC club participation as needed, adjust summer camp dates if necessary, and work with the Camporee organizers to utilize Summer Camp staff as Camporee staff. I’m sure that there will be a lot more to do as the dates draw nearer. Until then, we’ll continue to put our best efforts into supporting our youth ministry initiatives conference wide so that when 2024 comes, our Pathfinder organization is robust, thriving, and able to bring our youth closer to Jesus through the Camporee experience.”

The “Believe the Promise” camporee will be held at the Cam-Plex complex August 4 – 11, 2024.

–RMCNews; photo supplied

RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … In the month of January, several RMC congregations joined with scores of churches around the world in the “10 Days of Prayer” event. Church members were challenged to focus on the love of God, surrendering to Him, and focusing on the Holy Spirit to fill hearts with God’s love.

Some church members may be asking:  What’s the big deal about praying with others?

For Randy Bell, Brighton church member, the answer was clear, “I’m a software engineer. Part of the reason I chose this career is because I don’t HAVE to do presentations. For some reason this year, the Holy Spirit nudged me to lead out a night during the 10 Days of Prayer. So, I told the pastor I’d help.”

“I was given night two about God’s love, which also included the story of the prodigal son.  Great, I thought, I’ve heard that story a thousand times. How can God do anything new with it? But when I began to really ask God to show Himself to me, and when I led out and we began to pray that night, I sensed the Holy Spirit connecting with the people as we prayed together. When we were done, I texted the pastor to ask if he had any more nights available to lead out. I told him, ‘I just can’t explain it–-that was cool! Can it happen again?’” Randy added.

Campion church prayer coordinator, Tenisha Tavares, shared how it impacted the members of her church. “When asked on the last night what had changed in their life during the past ten days, many said it motivated them to have a deeper prayer life. They experienced the presence of the Holy Spirit during the time we had together and wanted to continue that outpouring in their personal devotional time with God.”

If you didn’t have the opportunity to experience 10 Days of Prayer during January, you can still participate. The resources can be found at www.tendaysofprayer.org and are available throughout the year.

–RMCNews; photos supplied

RMCNews with Campion pastoral team – Loveland, Colorado … The Campion church pastors put the Bible verse “Build your house on the rock” into action by volunteering with Habitat for Humanity during the month of December.

Campion ministers invested not only in words, but committed themselves to lead with action. Collectively, they served on the board of the local House of Neighborly Services, the faith committee of Habitat for Humanity, and as chaplains for the local police department. At least once a year, as part of the team’s advance planning, they take a day to grab tool belts and gloves and lend their energy toward building a house with Habitat for Humanity.

These community connections are important for the outreach of the church.

In the opinion of Nestor Soriano, evangelism and worship pastor, the hard work of assisting in construction is worth it. “What a blessing it is to know that through my little efforts, I made a difference for a family in need.”

It’s not just about the studs and sheetrock, but about the family who will receive the home, explained Michael Morss, discipleship pastor. “It’s always a privilege to partner with Habitat for Humanity and to pray, while working, that God blesses the family that receives this home.”

Micheal Goetz, senior pastor, comments that taking a day to build a home is part of their mission. “The Campion church is the combination of two parishes, campus and community. With that, two of the essential activities of our team include interaction with our students and participation in a local organization. Individually, we look for ways that express our gifts and passions.”

-RMCNews with the Campion pastoral team; photo supplied

By RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Imagine coming home from church one evening and to find the words BOP A** N***A sprayed-painted on your house. This is exactly what Pastor Oshaine Wynter discovered this past Sabbath, January 9.

Wynter, a resident of Aurora, Colorado is the pastor of New Community Church in Denver and Boston Street church in Aurora. Both are within the Central States Conference, a sister region to Rocky Mountain Conference.

Concerning the scary experience, Wynter said the whole situation has “been disappointing and sickening.” He further recalls the fear he felt when he saw those freshly-painted words on his garage, knowing his wife, 6-month-old, and 2-year-old were just feet away in the house.

The pictures posted on Facebook received swift comments of denunciation for the hate-filled words that Wynter and his family endured.

Commenting on the Facebook post, saying, “Bro, I’m so sorry your wife, children, and yourself had to endure this terrible racist thing. Bro, please be safe and keep your family safe. This is unacceptable.”

Another posted, “No excuse for this cruelty! Prayers for your safety and for a repentant heart for the perpetrators.”

After seeing the horrific picture on Facebook, Jessyka Dooley, RMC assistant youth director said, “This really makes my blood boil. My heart goes out to Oshaine and his family. May we surround them with love in both our words and actions during this time.”

The police, notified of the event, confirmed to Wynter that hate speech in Aurora has been sharply increasing since the U.S. election in November.

Commenting on the racial attack, Ed Barnett, RMC President said, “I am just appalled that racism is so apparent today in Denver. It just blows my mind.”

The Central States Conference Vice-President of Administration, Cryston Josiah echoed Barnett’s comment, saying “He has our love and support fully.  We do not condone attacks against him or anyone else.”

For safety reasons, Wynter and his family moved from their home, but the damage has been done to the community. Wynter said there is a new level of fearfulness among church members.

RMC pastors, from Littleton and Franktown, helped the Wynter family relocate on Sunday. The RMC youth department has also reached out to Pastor Wynter with the offer to assist with any needs his family may have in the aftermath of this crime.

Wynter believes that, “the type of fear you experience here [in the United States] you don’t experience anywhere else.”

The police continue to investigate this hate crime.

Josiah added, “that they have a lot of members [in the Central States Conference] who experience racism and he [Wynter] is strong and resilient against racism.”

Barnett added that following a successful gathering sponsored by the Littleton and Denver Park Hill Churches in October 2020, “the Rocky Mountain Conference continues to explore and hold conversations on how we can take a stand against racial injustice and promote solidarity among the ethnically-diverse population that both conferences serve.”

–RMCNews; photo from Oshaine Wynter Facebook.

Ed Barnett, RMC president

Year 2020 helped me confirm that there is no status quo, neither in the world, nor in our church. We see change taking place everywhere around the globe. As we move forward, I believe all of us must take our relationship with Jesus more seriously. We can observe that more of our fellow brothers and sisters are realizing the same truth.

This makes me think that the greatest days for the Seventh-day Adventist Church are right in front of us. Each of us has a part to play in sharing Jesus wherever we go, not only in words, but in the way we live our lives. Some of the long-established values of Christianity need to be visible like never before, be it honesty, kindness, gentleness, genuine love for our neighbors, or being friends who are not trying to win people into the baptismal tank but let them see-–with the help of the Holy Spirit–-what Christ is really like.

These days, Christianity is not thought of as highly as it once was. But we have an opportunity to make a difference in the lives of those around us. I believe we will see that happening. That is what I imagine our members doing as we move into 2021 and beyond.

I praise God for the wake-up call He has given us. Let’s be known as the most loving, kind people in our communities!

Eric Nelson, RMC VP for administration

In the past 12 months, there has been a settling into whatever the new norm is for each individual.  For some, it has grounded them more deeply in their commitment to the Lord and the Adventist Church. For others, there has been a deepening divide, loss of contact, diminishing connection with the church where they hold membership and have attended in the past. It will be an ongoing effort to re-engage many in the church during 2021. That will be the greatest challenge in 2021. How do we reach and incorporate, re-engage many of our members? How can we re-ignite their spiritual fire? We have the challenge of doing all we can to make worship and fellowship so interesting and meaningful, that they would not want to miss out.

There is no going back to the way it used to be! We are using so many tools that we didn’t know how to use in years gone by. We have tools to conduct meetings more efficiently. We have new methods by which to reach out to a broader demographic than those who previously came into our worship centers. Pastors are sharing with me that twice as many are attending worship (in person and on-line) than have attended in past years. How can we connect with those who are joining remotely? How can we discover who and where they are? This is a very exciting problem.

I personally look forward to fellowshipping in church, shaking hands, singing full-voiced without a mask. I look forward to fellowship meals and [maskless] face-to-face conversations. I look forward to seeing faces and smiles I recognize, faces that I haven’t seen for some time.

George Crumley, VP for treasury

Prophet Haggai (chapter 1) talks about the people saying the time had not come to rebuild the house of the Lord. They had become discouraged by opposition in the past and had grown indifferent to the importance of the work. In their indifference, they focused on their personal comforts and security while God’s house lay in ruins.

Through the prophet, God said that because they were focused on their desires instead of God’s work, they were suffering. To paraphrase, God said that they are planting and not getting much of a harvest. They were eating, but were not satisfied and their wages disappeared as if they were putting them in pockets filled with holes. God commanded them to take up His work and then He did an amazing thing. He motivated them to do that work. In the NLT, we read that God sparked enthusiasm in the leaders and the people, and they started to work on the house of the Lord.

Most of us can attest that, at times, our focus has been in the wrong areas. We’ve been out chasing rabbits at the expense of God’s work and have been left empty and impoverished. But as we enter this new year, what an opportunity we have to recommit to moving God’s work forward by being lights that shine to those around us. God is willing and ready through His Spirit to fill us with the same enthusiasm with which He filled the people of Judah years ago. Now, that is a neat thought!

By RMCNews – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … After 27 years, the Mile High Academy bus, which has carried many students and faculty to multiple events, has left campus for the final time.

The bus quit working in August and according to MHA, parts have become non-existent and the knowledgeable service mechanic retired, selling not only his shop but also comparable spare-part busses. Based on the uphill challenge for the bus, the administration decided it was time to sell MHA’s iconic transportation mode.

Reflecting on the quintessential bus, Brian Howard, upper school teacher, said, “It was a way to get where we were going, but it was also much more than that. It was a safe place to hang out. It was a place to learn new and interesting things about our friends and colleagues as we talked while rolling along. It was a place to learn new games. It was a place where friendships were made and strengthened.”

Upon hearing the news of “Blue’s” final trip, alumni began posting memories on Facebook.

“So long, Old Blue. The stories you could tell. A piece of MHA history is gone on [to] the bus farm in the sky,” Amy Rasco, MHA alumnus commented.

Greg Shick, another MHA alumnus, recalled his in-school suspension resulting from the bus, “I got ISS (in-school suspension) for locking Marcus Smittick in the cargo hold of that bus.”

A committee has started researching several gently-used buses and is working on finding the right one for MHA.

–This article was adapted from an article which originally appeared on Mile High Academy’s website; photo supplied

The Rocky Mountain Conference prayer ministries team would like to invite RMC members to join them over the next 10 days, January 6 – 16, at 6:30 a.m., 12 noon, and 6:30 p.m. for prayer.

Also Mid-America Union Conference will host a virtual inspirational gathering each night at 6:00 p.m.

For more information please click here.