MV Summer 2015 Page 2

The first-known Seventh-day Adventist in Colorado was a young girl who traveled across the Kansas plains in a covered wagon in the 1860s.* She found work in the home of a Denver family, eventually marrying a miner named Shaw. They made their home in Golden.

Others followed—Mrs. Amy Dartt, who came from the 1844 Movement and settled in Boulder, and Mrs. Cora M. Thayer (later Mrs. Cora M. Jones), a long-time member of the Longmont church who eventually settled in Georgetown.

These three women were lights among the scattered mining towns and ignited other flames in the region.

After Elder J. O. Corliss held tent evangelism meetings in Boulder in the late 1870s, a congregation was established in this Old West territory. Another was organized in Longmont in early 1880, quickly followed by another in Denver with 21 charter members and with E.R. Jones as pastor.

In 1872, James and Ellen White traveled to Colorado to enjoy its beautiful scenery and invigorating mountain air and to recoup their health. They stayed in a cabin at 11,000 feet and so enjoyed their time that, according to Boulder County records, they purchased a 320-acre tract, which became a retreat for the White family.

The General Conference encouraged the creation of city missions during the 1880s and several were established, among them a city medical mission and workingmen’s home, a rescue home for women, a Bible school, and vegetarian cafés in Denver and Colorado Springs. These cafes were flourishing as late as 1902.

The Colorado Conference was organized in1882 when the General Conference recognized enough interest. It included Northwest New Mexico’s San Juan County, an easier drive from Colorado than from Texas in the Texico Conference. It was reorganized February 8, 1981 when it merged with Wyoming Conference and became the Rocky Mountain Conference.

The current office location was opened January 1, 1958 on S. Downing Street across from Porter Adventist Hospital which had occupied its facility since 1930.

Today, the Rocky Mountain Conference is one of 601 world-wide local conferences and home to 17,642 Seventh- day Adventists. A part of the 1.2 million members comprising the North American Division, it is made up of 129 churches, companies and groups, two camp retreat centers, and 23 schools, which provide a Christian education to more than 800 students. [Carol Bolden]

*Information taken from “History of the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church” in the files of the Boulder Daily Camera, and Seventh-day Adventist Encyclopedia, vol. 10.

By Greg Hodgson

Volunteers from the Adventist hospitals in Colorado have been extending the healing ministry of Christ not only locally, but also internationally. In 2016, Centura Health will celebrate 10 years since the founding of Global Health Initiatives, the medical mission arm of the current Adventist hospitals in the Denver metro-area.

The first volunteers left Colorado for Mugonero Adventist Hospital in Rwanda in January 2006. An orthopedic team from Avista Adventist Hospital led the charge, and was quickly followed by a medical mission team traveling to Nepal in February, and then to Peru in April. Since that time, nearly 1,200 volunteers have participated in these three projects, performing hundreds of free surgeries and seeing nearly 30,000 primary care patient visits. The projects are part of building a long-term relationship that promotes change and improvement of medical care overseas.

“The main objective of these medical mission projects is to build capacity at existing mission hospitals so that they can better serve their own communities,” comments Stephen King, vice president for mission and ministry at the Colorado hospital system. “We accomplish this through providing continuing medical education for local doctors and nurses, and through leadership training, strategic planning, financial management, and human resource development.” Additional support is provided through the provision of needed medical equipment and supplies, as well as some limited building projects.

“Adventist hospitals in the developing world were started by brave medical missionaries which normally had strong support from their home churches and the larger church organization,” says Greg Hodgson, director of Global Health Initiatives.

Hodgson explains that, “over time these hospitals were transferred to local leadership, which is important in developing national expertise, but unfortunately the international support and funding largely disappeared. But as the world church organization is no longer giving support to these facilities, others come to their aid. We are among the Adventist hospitals which have prospered in the United States and elsewhere, and we want to be involved.”

“We take pride in these global health programs,” adds Morre Dean, president of the south Denver group of Adventist hospitals. “Not only are we strengthening these mission hospitals, which are vital to the health of their communities, but we are also providing our own physicians and associates an opportunity to participate in a life-changing mission. With God’s blessing, this is truly a win-win situation for all involved.”

–Greg Hodgson is director of Global Health Initiatives for Centura Health.

If you were one of the visitors joining “A Journey to the Cross and Beyond,” an Easter commemoration at Campion Adventist Academy, you were likely stopped by Rodney Kelly, a horse centurion sporting an impressive Roman soldier’s garb and riding atop Smokey, his handsome horse. “Have you paid your taxes?” he asked. “Taxes are due on April 15,” I replied. “These are Roman taxes,” he sternly insisted. After responding that I already paid my tithe, he commanded me to “carry on” to Jerusalem.

Rodney was one of 65 re-enactors of a first-century interactive makeshift marketplace erected at Campion Academy, April 4-5, focused on “bringing Jerusalem to Loveland,” according to Dick Stenbakken, a member of the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church whose concept attracted nearly 900 visitors. “I am elated,” he said. “We had no idea what to expect. We planned for the first group to go through our marketplace at 3 o’clock on Sabbath afternoon and were overwhelmed by a crowd of 160 people.”

As a community event, visitors were encouraged to participate in a practical expression of love, which for many is the significance of Easter. The organizers invited visitors to make a contribution to the food pantry of the local community. After passing by the empty tomb, and before moving to the final stop of the experience in the multipurpose room of the church with refreshments and a display of first-century Roman artifacts and armor, visitors were pointed to a screen depicting a painting of the Second Coming of Jesus by Nathan Green. Assisting in the moment was Ardis Stenbakken, who approached visitors and simply asked, “Do you see yourself in this picture?”

A notable aspect of the event was the obvious engagement and cooperation of the Seventh-day Adventist community in the area. Hosted by the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church, it brought five other churches into the organizing group. They included the Loveland Church, the Eden Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, the Greeley Seventh-day Adventist Church, the Adventure Seventh-day Adventist Church in Windsor, and the Fort Collins Seventh-day Adventist Church. They are already looking forward to next year!

—Editor

By George Crumley

Tithe is what sustains mission in the Adventist church. It is because of tithe that pastors are able to bless their communities, and teachers are able to reach the hearts of young people. This mission is being carried forward day in and day out across this conference because of our workers’ committed efforts.

In 2012 and 2013, base tithe within the Rocky Mountain Conference was basically flat, meaning there was virtually no increase from one year to the next (base tithe excludes windfall tithes which are non-recurring amounts of tithe in excess of $50,000). This flat tithe created a deficit budget in fiscal years 2013 and 2014 because costs went up from inflationary pressures while budgeted tithe income did not increase. The good news is that even though we had budgeted deficits for these two years, our actual results for each year resulted in financial gains. This kept our working capital strong.

Additionally, in 2014, we had a healthy base tithe increase of 4.39%. This gave us increased dollars to use when preparing our 2015 budget, which resulted in a balanced budget for the conference this year. This enables us to continue to advance our mission of “Knowing Christ and Making Him Fully Known.”

So I want to express my deep appreciation to each of you for your faithfulness in returning your tithes and offerings, and also I want to thank the Lord who is the giver of “every good gift.”

–George Crumley is RMC vice-president for finance.

Have you read an Adventist book lately? Just in case you are looking for quality reading, the Rocky Mountain Conference Adventist Book Center (ABC) has an extensive selection to choose from, as many people have already discovered over the past year.

Suzanne Hafar, the store manager, has been pleased with the ABC’s performance. “Thank you for helping us make our first year as an independent store a successful one. At a time when bookstores struggle to survive, with God’s grace, your dedication to support our store and a lot of hard work, we were able to pay our bills in 2014.”

This summer offers an even greater than usual incentive to visit the store. Its camp meeting sale takes place on Sunday, July 5 (10am-2pm). All canned Worthington, Loma Linda and Caroline’s foods are on sale, so be sure to stock up!

If you are unable to visit the store in Denver, it will be loading a truck and heading out to camp meetings later this summer. Visit the mobile store at Mills Spring Ranch for Wyoming camp meeting (July 14-18), or on the Campion Academy campus (July 24-26).

There are also other ways to shop: online (www.adventistbookcenter.com), by phone (1.800.254.9687, ext 628), or through email ([email protected]). The ABC ships everything but frozen food, so phone, order online or send an email, and Suzanne and her staff will do their best to meet your needs. In fact, they see this as their primary mission!

“Unlike other stores that believe it’s all about money, our mission is to spread the gospel of Jesus so that we can all finally go home,” Suzanne says.

For many Seventh-day Adventists who are planning to attend the 2015 General Conference session in San Antonio, Texas, a few things may be guaranteed. First, it is expected that the weather will be hot. Perhaps equally, the anticipated agenda may bring moments of heated debate. This world global convocation of believers is a long-anticipated opportunity to celebrate the church’s culture, values and recommitment to mission. It is a church business session, but also a spiritual feast.

Apart from the expected visitors from four corners of the globe, nearly 2,600 delegates officially representing the church membership will engage in a “voting marathon,” so-called by a colleague of mine. This year voting will be done electronically.

Several features of the upcoming 60th session, to be held July 2-11, include the election of top church leadership for the next quinquennium. The session agenda includes proposed changes to the Church Manual, as well as to the fundamental beliefs. Much anticipation comes with an agenda item on the ordination of women to the gospel ministry. The delegates will be asked to vote “Yes” or “No” regarding whether “it is acceptable for division executive committees, as it may deem it appropriate in their territories, to make provision for the ordination of women to the gospel ministry”. The proposal comes after several years of study by a Theology of Ordination Study Committee (TOSC).

Much time during the session will be devoted to “state of the church” reports by the General Conference church leadership, and by each of the church’s 13 world regions, representing a growing body of 18 million believers. For many attendees—perhaps as many as 65,000 on two weekends—the session will mean meeting old friends and making new ones. Much time and resources will also be spent at the Adventist exhibits—a market place of resources from the world of Adventism, its ministries and entities.

As the General Conference in session is the highest church legislative body, it goes without saying, all Seventh-day Adventists are being asked to commit the convocation and its deliberations to prayer. Keeping the session in our prayers is—many will agree—an Adventist way of expressing our belief in God’s leadership among His people until the return of Jesus.

—Editor

By Rajmund Dabrowski

Many of us have favorite Bible texts. Likely every Christian has them. My mind circles around several. For different occasions. The one I would like to share is for the “world of communication.” I suppose you would expect me to have one of these

In the Messiah, in Christ, God leads us from place to place in one perpetual victory parade. Through us, he brings knowledge of Christ. Everywhere we go, people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. Because of Christ, we give off a sweet scent rising to God, which is recognized by those on the way to salvation—an aroma redolent with life. But those on the way to destruction treat us more like the stench from a rotting corpse. (From The Message, 2 Cor 2:14-16)

Chanel No. 5. I can smell it always. And you can be sure —my head turns around and . . . there she is. Chanel No. 5.

Smells, fragrances, perfumes. You can smell them endlessly. They are ever present. They can become a lesson or two.

Without moralizing too much, let me just make a point or two. The Lord’s apostle, Paul, goes straight for the bull’s eye: Through us . . . people breathe in the exquisite fragrance. He goes right into the metaphor which they understood and we can, too. As a Christian—I smell. I am a “walking perfume.” That’s what Paul says. Some may not like it (don’t be bothered by them—they are on the way out), others do. Those who are for keeps smell the aroma. And the aroma they smell is good. It’s full of life, joy, hope and future.

Let me illustrate it by an engaging story I read, a story about Jacob. Just imagine: A Jewish town. A bakery. And long lines every morning of people awaiting their turn to get the best bread in town. In the bakery, Jacob. A great baker and a wise man. He is the last one to leave the bakery at night and the first one in the early hours of the morning. But he has something to tell each one of us.

Everyone wants to see and talk to Jacob, listen to him, be with him. Words of wisdom? “Will he have them for me?”

Listen to this: A man stiff with proudness looked down at Jacob. “Jacob, I want my life to make an impression on others.” “Every life is an impression,” said Jacob. “What do you mean?” asked the man. And Jacob answered, “We are God’s fingerprints.” [Noah benShea, Jacob’s Journey, p. 94]

Simple story, powerful message. If you are a Christian, it means that your religion is about communicating. And it’s all about Christ’s method of dealing with us. Remember His words: You have seen me— You have seen the Father. Then He said also, As the Father has sent me, I am sending you. (John 21,21 NIV)

Wherever you are, the quality of your testimony speaks a mega story about Jesus. It may be very formal, very insular, inward-looking. But it may be telling a story of joy and hope.

So often I catch myself acting schematically. But the cracks on my face cannot be covered up for long by a “fool- them-again” mascara of pretense. Because soon they will know. “Here comes a Christian. He thinks we don’t know.”

Fingerprints of God. Aroma redolent with life. Images of God’s communicators. Wherever they are.

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