MV Summer 2016

By Victor Hulbert

Editor’s note: Over the years churches in Europe have been drawing attention to new forms of outreach, especially engaging young people. Café churches in Denmark and Finland, as well as Sabbath sofa conversations in public places in England and Poland, have drawn interest in other parts of the Adventist world. Imagination and creativity are hallmarks of new generations with alternative experiments in reaching society for Jesus. The following is a report on this experimental outreach in Europe.

A brief report in a Trans-European Division news bulletin has sparked interest around the world. In addition to traditional forms of evangelism, the TED mission board voted $40,000 of seed money for 12 innovative evangelistic projects—even though the projects might fail!

There is a simple reason for this new approach. Europe is no longer the home of mission, sending missionaries around the world to proclaim the Good News of Jesus Christ. The reverse is now true. Many countries are now highly secular—though evidence suggests that their populations still have spiritual needs. [See Guardian article: “Atheists don’t need faith, any more than we need religion.”] Others, such as Greece and Serbia, are equally moving towards secularism while holding on to the traditional wrappings of Orthodox Christianity. Where there is religious growth, the fastest growing religion is Islam.

In such a culture, and with a passion for evangelism, groups across Europe are willing to experiment, finding new and innovative ways to touch people’s lives.

The twelve projects voted this year include a mission to leather-clad bikers in Serbia, a clinic that offers daytime dental care and evening seminars, and a two-year Bible exhibition in Wroclaw, Poland that will run through its tenure as a European Capital of Culture (2016) and host of the World Games in 2017.

“Generally we are looking for something that has not  been tried before,” Daniel Duda, TED Adventist mission coordinator states. “But also what we are looking for is some- thing that nobody will finance as it’s so creative, so out of the box, so risky that it may or may not fly.” If a project succeeds, Duda hopes it will be an inspiration elsewhere.

This is not the first time the TED has seed funded such projects, and many more than these twelve are under- way, regardless of financial support.

A church plant aimed at teens and disaffected youth has been running for the past five years in Cornwall, an area of Britain with an extremely high youth unemployment rate. Basketball, surfing, and game nights are mixed with small- group meetings, Sabbath afternoon house church, and involvement in the community (such as cleaning up local beaches). A recent weekend retreat, “Live in a Field” run by the leadership team of the church plant, attracted 120 youth and their families ranging from the highly committed and spiritual to those who had never been inside a church.

One attendee, who confessed to struggling with faith and having a history of depression stated, “The most amazing thing with this camp is that I truly believe anyone could go and feel they belonged, not just Adventists, not even just Christians, but anybody and that is really something.” People influenced by the church plant who have then moved elsewhere in search of work, have come returned to the camp to share their experience and to re-establish friendships.

The FaceOut church plant in Denmark runs a Friday evening café and brunch once a month—providing activities of interest to the local community. Music plays an important part, featuring guest singers and choirs. Visiting speakers also talk on a current, timely topic. Teenagers come in on Thursdays for table tennis, a hot drink and a snack. It is a safe space for them to talk.

Children are a vitally important part of mission. Over the past five years “Kids in Discipleship” (KID) programs and “Messy Church” Sabbaths have been run or set up in churches all across Europe. KID focuses on church families, helping parents and children to develop a vibrant spiritual relationship in their own homes as well as at church, while the “Messy Church” program has been highly successful in attracting families to a time of creative crafts focused around a biblical theme, singing, a short talk, and a meal.

“Happy Hands,” a café-style shop offering quality second-hand goods has been so successful in Copenhagen, Denmark, that it is now opening two new branches in other parts of the country. The venue has become a safe place for women in particular to come and chat, have a drink, and share what is on their hearts. The local church pastor is available for counseling on a regular basis, and can sometimes be found at the café just playing his guitar.

Sometimes it is even simpler. Youth in Novi Sad, Serbia, hit the parks on Valentine’s Day to interact with people by sharing balloons, heart framed “selfies” and friendship. A couple of months later, they joined with the health ministry director to run a major health expo—in conjunction with politicians and leaders in the city—touching the lives of more than 1,000 people. The provincial secretary for health care, social policy and demography exclaimed, “This was the best organized event in the last 50 years.”

The aim, whatever the project, is to be “salt and light” in the community—even if the community comes to you, as it did in a tiny Swedish village where 100 refugees were housed in a building near the Adventist church. Members adopted them, running Swedish language classes, teaching them to ski, and opening a free clothing store. To date, 25 children have joined the Pathfinder club, 40 attended the Christmas program, and a number are now involved in the life of the church—all from a group who were initially very distrustful of Christianity.

As evangelist Mark Finley likes to proclaim, “The best form of evangelism is doing it.” Whether innovative or traditional or simply caring for neighbors, “just doing it” is making a difference across Europe.

–Victor Hulbert is Trans-European Division communications director, St. Albans, England.

By Mark B. Johnson, MD, MPH

Boulder is different.
Everybody agrees with that.
It is an enclave of liberals in a sea of conservatism. It is the ancestral home of today’s potheads. It is the Land of Fruits and Nuts. It has been called “fifty square miles surrounded by reality.” It is a hotbed of eastern religions and New Age adherents; although a 2012 Gallup survey identified it as being tied with Burlington, Vermont, as the “least religious metropolitan area” in the nation.

It is also the most educated U.S. metropolitan area, according to a 2011 U.S. News & World Report analysis of the 2010 census.

Boulder is the least religious, most educated metropolitan area in the United States.

And we are called to “evangelize” it.

We’ve been in Boulder for a very long time. The first Seventh- day Adventist church in Colorado was built in Boulder in 1880, and we’ve had a healthcare presence in Boulder County for over 120 years. In fact, an argument can be made that Boulder’s reputation as a mecca for healthy eating and active living is in large part due to our church’s early influence and activities there.

We Adventists are good people and great neighbors. We’re healthy (we live 10 years longer than average Americans). We believe in education (we have the largest Protestant educational system in the world). We are “right” about the Sabbath, the beasts, the horns, the dates and the warnings in the Bible. So why haven’t more Boulderites seen what we have to offer?

Perhaps they have.
Perhaps that’s the problem.
The word “evangelize” has various meanings. One of them is “to convert or seek to convert someone.” Another is “to promote something enthusiastically.” The Greek root of “evangelize,” however, is euangelion, which literally means “good news.”

Perhaps what Boulder is saying to us is, “Please don’t ‘evangelize’ us unless you have good news.” Perhaps we’ve been seeking to convert people to Adventism by enthusiastically promoting a message that really isn’t such good news.

I have been an Adventist all of my life. I was born in a mission hospital in Africa. I went to Adventist schools for twenty years. I served as a student missionary. I thought about becoming an Adventist pastor and missionary, but ultimately felt that perhaps as a medical missionary I could combine preaching with healing.

I have always loved my church.
I have not always loved the God of my church.
It did not come from my parents and I can’t pinpoint any one particular teacher or pastor as the source, but somehow, growing up in a very Adventist environment, the God I came to know was an arbitrary, exacting, severe, harsh, and unforgiving Judge, who was watching me closely to catch me making errors and mistakes. He was then going to punish me, and His minimum penalty was eternal death.

It was not good news.

How could that have happened? In our sinful state we shrink from God, and Satan has masterfully played on that trepidation to make us fear and distrust God even more. Ellen White writes, the “enemy of good blinded the minds of men, so that they looked upon God with fear; they thought of Him as severe and unforgiving. Satan led men to conceive of God as a being whose chief attribute is stern justice—one who is a severe judge, a harsh, exacting creditor. He pictured the Creator as a being who is watching with jealous eye to discern the errors and mistakes of men, that He may visit judgments upon them,” (Steps to Christ, pp. 10, 11). She goes on to note that Satan “led them to doubt the word of God, and to distrust His goodness,” causing “men to join him in rebellion against God, and the night of woe settled down upon the world. The earth was dark through misapprehension of God.” (The Desire of Ages, pp. 21, 22). Unfortunately, much of the world, including much of Boulder and many Adventists, still live with a “dark . . . misapprehension of God.”

The answer to this problem is not more education. It is not healthier living. It is not being right about the Sabbath and the beasts and the horns and the dates. It is not about being nice people and good neighbors.

The Answer is Jesus.

“Christ came to represent the Father. We behold in Him the image of the invisible God. He clothed His divinity with humanity, and came to the world that the erroneous ideas Satan had been the means of creating in the minds of men, in regard to the character of God, might be removed. . . . [Satan] sought to cast his shadow across the earth, that men might lose the true views of God’s character, and that the knowledge of God might become extinct in the earth. . . . Jesus came to teach men of the Father, to correctly represent Him before the fallen children of earth. . . . The only way in which He could set and keep men right was to make Himself visible and familiar to their eyes. . . . The Father was revealed in Christ as altogether a different being from that which Satan had represented Him to be. . . . The love of Jesus, expressed for the fallen race in His life of self-denial and sufferings, is the manifestation of the Father’s love for a sinful fallen world,” (The Signs of
the Times, Jan. 20, 1890).

Until we are convinced that Jesus is the Good News, we will continue to focus the “good news” on ourselves: our church, our doctrines, and the many truly nice things we are doing around the world. That may be “good,” but it’s not the Good News.

The statement is unequivocal: “Christ came to represent the Father. . . . The only way in which He could set (justify?) and keep (sanctify?) men right was to make Himself visible and familiar to their eyes. . . .”

The Good News for Boulder is Jesus—and that the Father is just like Him.

–Mark B. Johnson, MD, MPH is public health executive director for Jefferson County Public Health in Lakewood, Colorado, and is chairman of the Vision Board at Boulder Adventist Church.

By David Kennedy

The most exciting thing any church can celebrate is the radical transformation of a person who “once was lost but now is found.” What is better than to see someone who was recently far from God embrace the power of the gospel, to hear their testimony of how Jesus turned their life upside down, to see them come out of the waters of baptism full of joy and ready for a new life? It doesn’t get any better than that!

But as anyone who has been part of the church for any length of time knows, reaching people far from God is not an easy thing to do. How do we reach people in our communities? This is a question every church has to answer, not only so we can celebrate, but also so we can be faithful to our calling.

At Newday Christian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Parker, Colorado, we have created an “environment” for out- reach. I say “environment” because outreach isn’t an event at Newday. Rather, it’s a continual ongoing process. It isn’t perfect. We make lots of mistakes, and we have a lot of room to grow. But it has helped people in our community who were previously unaffiliated with a church come to faith in Christ.

I’ve briefly outlined a few of the things that are important in creating an environment where the “once lost” can be “found.”

Prayer. When we got serious about reaching people, we knew we would need to also get serious about praying if there were going to be changed lives. Through our Prayer Partners ministry and our Monday morning prayer conference calls, we regularly ask God to give our members boldness in the community, for invitations to be made, and for those who are seeking Christ to be led to our church. We also pray for spiritual seekers who are already attending to continue to grow in their faith to the point that they will make a decision to trust Jesus.

Create a “safe” environment. The best way to reach people far from God is through personal invitations by church members. As members develop relationships at work or school, in their places of service, and in their communities, opportunities will come to offer invitations to attend church.

However, members need to know that their church is a safe place to invite their friends. Anyone who has ever brought a guest to church knows that when you have a friend sitting next to you, you begin to see the worship service very differently. Suddenly things that you’ve never paid attention to before are making you cringe! The soloist can’t sing on key. The speaker tells jokes only an Adventist would understand. The pastor criticizes other churches in town. In order for people to be willing to invite their friends to church, they have to know it’s safe.

Trust and consistency in the worship service are key. Members need to know that the worship service will consistently be as excellent as possible, and they need to be able to trust that things said in the worship service will be inclusive and helpful. This leads to the next point . . .

Don’t only expect guests. What do you do if you’re expecting guests in your home? You get things ready! You clean up. You prepare things for them. You do all you can to make them feel welcome. The same is true at church.

If we expect people to come, we need to be ready for them. Do we have a neat and welcoming environment? Do our hosts know how to welcome people without assuming they are already Adventist? Do we have a gift or informational material ready to present to first time attendees? We love to let seekers know we know that they are there in our worship services.

During a sermon we’ll regularly say things like, “If you’re here today and you’re not a follower of Jesus, here is how you might apply this passage,” or “here is a question you might have about this verse.” Don’t only expect guests. Let them know you know they are there!

Develop creative “invite events.” As you consider the community in which you live, ask the question, “What topics would interest those far from God enough to actually bring them to church?” Plan to have two to four events or sermon series around those topics each year.

A few years ago, we had a series called “Ordinary People, Extraordinary Lives,” in which we invited ordinary people who had done extraordinary things to speak. The first woman who ever walked around the world, a senior in high school who started a ministry in an Ugandan refugee camp, and a husband and wife who left their careers to start a healthy restaurant for the homeless all came and told their stories. We then followed each story with a 15-minute presentation from the Bible. Several seekers who attended that series were baptized, and now those people are inviting their friends to other invite events.

Create next steps for seeking people to take. Getting people to church isn’t the end but only the beginning of the journey. We need to have next steps for spiritual seekers to take to lead them farther along on the path of faith. At Newday, each January we begin a ten week small group called “Starting Point.” Seekers can ask questions about God and explore issues of faith in a small group environment. One week after that group ends, we begin our “What We Believe” class. This is a twelve week doctrinal study on the core beliefs of Adventism.

Our expectation is that seekers will move from “Starting Point” right into “What We Believe.” At the end of each of these sessions, participants are asked to take an appropriate next step, whether that be further study, involvement in a small group, or baptism. In last year’s “Starting Point” group, we had six unchurched people attending who transitioned directly into our “What We Believe” class. All six of them were baptized last summer! While things don’t always work that smoothly, it is important to have next steps for spiritual seekers to take.

These are a few of the dynamics that have helped us create an environment of outreach. This isn’t rocket science, but it does take hard work and intentionality. And it’s so well worth the effort! Last week, I was having lunch with a man who had been attending Newday with his wife for years. While he considered himself to be agnostic (believing we can’t know whether God exists or not), after our recent invite event, “I Don’t Have Enough Faith to be an Atheist,” he told me that enough of his questions had been answered and he was ready to become a Christian. As we wept tears of joy together and said a prayer of thanksgiving, both of us knew that a big celebration was just around the corner!

–David Kennedy is lead pastor at Newday Christian Seventh-day Adventist Church in Parker, Colorado.

By Jose Cortes, Jr

A few days ago, a long-time church leader, who is now retired, asked me,“What keeps you busy these days?”

“Church planting,” I replied. “Here in North America, unions, conferences, and local churches are collaborating to plant 1,000 community churches over five years.”

My answer was delivered with passion and energy, and I subconsciously expected that my interrogator would jump for joy at such a bold vision for growth; after all, I don’t remember the last time Adventists had such a courageous—and almost impossible—vision. I expected an affirmation, a prayer, a word of encouragement—some type of positive reinforcement, but to my surprise, none came. Instead, he looked at me with an almost harsh expression and said, “If you plant 1,000 new churches in North America, what are you going to do with the existing churches? What are you going to do with those churches which are in decline?”

The question was accompanied by a rebuking tone of disapproval, as if church planting were somehow in opposition to existing churches. As if there should be some kind of natural antagonism between the tree and the fruit—which also holds the seed—which holds the future tree.

I took a deep breath, and, recovering from my shock, asked, “How old are you?”

“I am 78,” he replied.
“Has life been good?”
“Life has been beautiful. Why do you ask?”
“Have you ever wondered what life would have been like  if you had never been born?”
“I’m not sure I’m following you,” he said. I asked a few more questions.

“What is the best thing that ever happened to you?”

“My kids and grandkids! They are a joy!” he exclaimed, without hesitation.

“Did you die when they were born?” I continued.

He was beginning to see the point I was making, and I decided to throw in one last question: “What would have happened to your family if you had died without ever having kids?”

“My family would never have existed.” He said these words in a subdued tone, and quickly walked away.

This church leader’s initial reaction to church planting is very common and is based on a myth—“Church planting hurts existing churches.” This could not be further from the truth, but it has kept the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America from expanding and growing to its full potential.

The truth is that existing churches do not decline as a result of church planting. Established churches do not die as a result of giving birth to new congregations. On the contrary, church planting revitalizes the mother church and provides the opportunity for more disciples to be engaged in mission. Church planting keeps the mother church healthier, extends its life, and assures the longevity of the denomination or the network of churches for generations to come.

Why do churches die? Thom S. Rainer, in his blog entitled “Autopsy of a Deceased Church,” gives some of the reasons. Here are a few:

lack of community focused ministry
budget for members’ needs keeps increasing while budget for mission decreases
absence of missional/evangelistic emphasis
members argue more and more about their preferences
members don’t pray together
no clarity as to why the church exists
idolization of another era

Now, knowing that church planting does not cause decline or death in established churches, perhaps you may be asking: What is the big deal with church planting? Why is church planting important?

There are people in neighborhoods, small towns, cities, and corners of the Rocky Mountain Conference territory, who cannot experience the love of God and the compassion of Jesus in practical ways through an Adventist community of believers simply because they don’t have physical access to us. To be accessible to most people we need to have a church for every 25,000 inhabitants. With over 354 million people across North America, we would need approximately 14,162 Adventist churches to be more effective in reaching people. Presently, we have 6,277 congregations.

There are over six million people in Colorado, Wyoming, and the San Juan County of New Mexico. This means the Rocky Mountain Conference needs about 240 churches in order to be accessible to most of the population in its territory. There are about 100 churches in the conference. We clearly have a lot of work to do across North America, and in the Rocky Mountain Conference. You are alive today because someone gave birth to you.

The same applies to your church. You belong to a church today because someone planted your church. What would have happened if your parents had decided not to reproduce? Were would you be? How about the church? What if the Adventist pioneers had decided to stay comfortably with one church community and had never planted another church? What would have happened to the Adventist movement?

When children are born they bring happiness, hard work, and much responsibility to the parents. Births rank right at the top of the happiest moments for human beings. Responsible, healthy, functional parents do not decline with the birth of their children; they become happier, more active, and work harder than ever before to provide, protect, and make sure the new life grows, develops, and is able to reproduce again.

Just like births, church plants should be among the most celebrated and special events in Adventism. Churches that plant churches are happier, healthier, more relevant, and more active. They are also supportive of their new baby congregation. Just as parents love their babies, mother churches must love their new church plants, and allow them to grow and develop with their own unique characteristics.

If you feel like the church leader in my story, I am praying for you. If parenthood and grandparenthood are so great, why discourage others from the experience? In the name of Jesus, do not deny your church the most awesome challenge and the happiest privilege of giving birth to a baby church.

–José Cortes, Jr., is North American Division (NAD) associate ministerial director. He leads evangelism, global mission, and church planting for the Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America.

By Jessyka Albert

In my recent reading, I stumbled across the term “decaffeinated definition.” I had never heard anything like it before, and for some reason this term has become a regular part of my vocabulary and thought process. As any avid coffee drinker will tell you—in no uncertain terms—not only does decaf taste different, but a decaffeinated drink doesn’t have the same effect on the body as a caffeinated one does.

You might be wondering “What does coffee have to do with evangelism?” Let me explain. This adjective, “decaffeinated,” whether used to describe the word definition, coffee, or evangelism, indicates a noun that fails to pack a punch! The term decaffeinated means “to extract caffeine from.” If caffeine is a stimulant, then the process of decaffeination is the literal extracting of the stimulant out of something. My question is this: has evangelism become “decaffeinated?” Is the stimulant missing?

Maybe it has been the locations of the churches I’ve attended, but the evangelism that turns hundreds to Jesus seems to be something my generation has not been privileged to see. Don’t get me wrong, I have been to my fair share of Revelation seminars (and even brought friends from the community), but from my point of view, I was sipping from a cup of decaf evangelism. The facts are interesting, and the message we try to help others understand (from behind images of beasts and prophetic mathematics) is fantastic, but something is missing.

In the morning, no one looks to a nice hot cup of decaf for a pick-me-up! The same goes for evangelism. Dictionary.com defines evangelism as “missionary zeal, purpose, or activity; preaching of the gospel.” That sounds like a very caffeinated definition to me. I hope you remember that this is a generalization, and that I am not labeling all evangelism as “decaffeinated,” but I would hate to see our Church fall victim to the decaf trap.

And it’s an easy trap to fall into. Unless you are a keen coffee connoisseur, you might never be able to tell the difference between regular and decaf. The only way to really be sure is by measuring the effect it has. Both cups might look the same, smell the same, and even taste about the same, but their respective outcomes are the difference between night and day. You might ask if the coffee “packed a punch.” Did it change you? Wake you up? We need to start asking the same questions about evangelism.

Naturally, evangelism is important. It isn’t something to be taken lightly or watered down. It is the mission of the church to share the gospel and it must be fully caffeinated. So how do we go from a light, decaffeinated roast to a bold, dark roast? There are many ways, but in my opinion, the most obvious answer is to know your audience. I’ve heard of and seen conferences pass out “evangelistic series starter packs” to all of their pastors. I think that is a great resource and place to start. My question is, does what might work for one church work for the next church?

The diversity among our churches is something to be recognized and celebrated! Could it be that the punch is lost in the packing of cookie-cutter evangelism? To recaffeinate and stimulate our churches and communities, I believe we must invest our time and energy in understanding its language and culture. Let’s not become satisfied sipping on decaf, but actively pursue restoring zeal to our ministry!

–Jessyka Albert is discipleship pastor at Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church.

By Mark Herlinger

“I thought I was a healthy guy,” says Eric Shadle, MD. “Well, maybe I was a few pounds overweight, but I loved to hike and bike.” When Dr. Shadle found himself under the knife for cardiac bypass surgery, it changed his life. “I began a journey to find out what I could do to live a long and healthy life. And that journey led me to confront the foods I eat.”

Dr. Shadle explains that poor eating habits not only affect us in obvious, visible ways—such as by causing unhealthy weight gain—but also invisibly, within our bodies. For instance, plaque buildup from saturated fats causes the arteries to narrow—a condition known as atherosclerosis. This invisible effect of unhealthy eating habits puts us at risk of heart attack and stroke.

“Taking control of what we eat is a first step on the path to being healthy,” says Dr. Shadle. Currently, in charge of CREATION Health for Porter Adventist Hospital, Shadle, a former Seventh-day Adventist pastor, is now preaching his message of health and good nutrition to community audiences who are interested in making positive changes in their eating habits. Shadle developed a live, eight-session course called Pathway to Health and Wellness that addresses a vital aspect of food and nutrition each night. Classes include topics such as Eat More—Weigh Less, Fabulous Fiber, Deconstructing Diabetes, and Controlling Cholesterol.

Dr. Shadle’s says, “Most people get superficial information from the media, but they don’t really under- stand the science behind nutrition. My goal is to help people understand the foods they eat, to make sense of nutrition labels, to know the difference between saturated and unsaturated fats, and much more. As we better under- stand food, we can make smarter choices.”

Dr. Shadle makes clear to his audience that each person will find his or her own path, based on the information provided in the course. “I don’t tell people what to do. Instead, I present scientific facts and offer insights and suggestions. Ultimately, we each have to decide what’s right for us.”

One goal of the course is to help people navigate a world filled with so many unhealthy food choices. Dr. Shadle identifies two important concepts in healthy eating. One is simply the quantity of what we eat: “A serving of Oreos, ac- cording to the nutrition label on the package, may indicate two cookies,” he says, “but how often do I eat only two cookies? I am more likely to eat two rows of cookies!” Shadle laughs. “One of our challenges is to simply curb
the quantity of food that is full of unhealthy ingredients.”

Another concept covered in the course is the difference between whole and processed food. Shadle emphasizes the value of any food that comes directly from the earth, mainly fruits and vegetables. “Whole foods fill us up, make us feel satisfied, give us plenty of fiber, and provide minimal sugars and fats. Processed foods, on the other hand, not only have excessive amounts of sugar and unhealthy fat, but we tend to eat much more of this type of food in order to feel full. How many potatoes do you have to eat to feel satisfied? Not very many. In contrast, you have to eat several cans of Pringles to fill your stomach, and look at how much you’ve loaded up on excess salt, sugar, and fat by eating all those potato chips.” The Pathway to Health and Wellness course was inaugurated in February 2016 at Porter Adventist Hospital with a group of approximately 80 participants. Inspired by Adventist Health System’s CREATION Health program, Pathway touches on all eight aspects of CREATION Health, but places the emphasis on nutrition.

The next step is to make the Pathway curriculum available to churches and groups throughout the region. Those who wish to host seminars for their groups can obtain receive printed materials and videos featuring Dr. Shadle’s presentations.

An extra benefit for any participant is the opportunity to get free health screenings, including blood pressure, height and weight measurements, and a health risk analysis. Blood screens will be offered and arranged by Porter Adventist Hospital.

One past participant noted that weight loss was fairly easy to achieve once junk food was cut out of his diet. “I lost 15 pounds in a few months just by saying no to all the snacks that I used to pick up on the way home each night.”

Participants often comment that benefits are not just physical; they were spiritual and social as well. One man said, “I was challenged to think about my relationships— leading me to reconcile with my son after many years—which is part of my overall health. I never realized that before.”

A woman from the group noted, “They don’t tell me what to do, but they give me good information—and I have the support of the group—to make choices that are right for me.”

If you would like information about starting or attending a Pathway to Health and Wellness seminar in your area, please contact Dr. Eric Shadle’s office at 303-778-1955.

–Mark Herlinger is a freelance writer and owns Mark Herlinger Productions, Inc.

By Carol Bolden

“I’m a third-generation Adventist,” explains Julio Arias, a Hispanic church member and field representative for RMC’s planned giving and trust services. “My parents and grandparents provided me with what I would call a foundation for who I am today.”

Julio grew up attending Adventist schools for elementary, middle and high school in Puerto Rico, and probably every program or meeting held in his little church in the municipality of Carolina. Besides Adventist Youth (AY) Friday night vespers and singing followed the next day by Sabbath School, church, and a potluck lunch, he also gave Bible studies on Sabbath afternoons using a small manual slide projector.

When it was hot indoors, he would sometimes project slides outside on the garage door, inviting interested neighbors join in. “My upbringing was laced with church activities. Church life was the culture we lived and was not separate from the rest of our lives,” he explains. There were Saturday evening game nights, Sunday Pathfinders, Sunday evening preaching, Wednesday night prayer meetings, Ingathering during the Christmas season, and evangelistic campaigns under a tent lasting six weeks each year. “We were really invested in bringing people into the church,” Julio explains. “Every few years, the growing membership would spawn a new congregation.”

“We see it [the spreading of the gospel] as a privilege as well as a responsibility,” comments Vivien Vasquez, the wife of Ruddy Vivanco, a pastor in Denver.

According to USA Today, the Seventh-day Adventist Church is the fastest-growing denomination in the United States, yet Hispanic churches in America, specifically in the Rocky Mountain Conference, are growing at a much faster rate than those made up of members of the dominant English-speaking culture.

In 2015, the average number of Hispanic baptisms per church in the Rocky Mountain Conference was almost 100 more than the average number of baptisms in other churches. Several factors contribute to this phenomenon. According to the Pew Research Center, “The nation’s racial and ethnic minority groups—especially Hispanics—are grow- ing more rapidly than the non-Hispanic white population, fueled by both immigration and births.” The 2010 census also reports that racial and ethnic minorities accounted for 91.7 percent of the nation’s growth since 2000. But that’s not all. The Hispanic culture is visibly family-oriented. One Hispanic pastor shared the story of his wife going into labor with their first baby. They headed to the hospital together and were followed by the entire extended family.

Hispanics place great value on family. They “see the church as family,” states Joanna Rivera, current Andrews University senior, “and they’re passionate about it.” Hispanics typically take care of each other, live near or with each other and socialize together. They usually stay in close contact with relatives back home. Add to that their emphasis on evangelistic outreach and you have a winning combination.

Recently, I attended an Adventist Hispanic church and as I entered, several people greeted me. A young girl, probably about 10, stopped to hand me an invitation to stay for the potluck lunch following the service. It was friendship evangelism at its finest.

From the Hispanic point of view, evangelism is considered a part of hospitality and the preservation of family values. People laugh together, cry together, eat together and worship together.

According to sociologists, the individualistic view of society has sharp boundaries between people, with each person being a complete unit. In contrast, the collective view sees people as part and parcel of a larger group. There is, of course, a continuum between these two views, and where we fall depends on our culture, socioeconomic status, historical era, as well as political perspective.

Could the individualistic dominant culture of North America learn something from the Hispanic culture’s collectivism? Perhaps it could learn to recognize its connectedness to society as a whole, to open up to the life of a stranger. When two of the disciples walked the road to Emmaus, they didn’t recognize Jesus, although their hearts burned within them while He talked with them on the road. It was when He sat at the table with them that their eyes were opened. It is often in the intimacy of breaking bread at the table that Jesus is revealed.

–Carol Bolden is RMC administrative assistant for communication.

By Debbie Jackson

Adventist Community Services (ACS) Community LIFT, known colloquially as “The Lift,” has been an important Seventh-day Adventist community service in Denver for more than 50 years. Its mission is, “To help people reach their fullest God-given potential.” The facility, which opened nearly 40 years ago at its current location (5045 West First Avenue), is celebrating a new look thanks to Lowe’s Home Improvement and Rebuilding Together Metro Denver.

The facelift is an obvious blessing to the center, which offers food security, family services, and limited medical services to individuals and families from the Barnum neighborhood and all across the Denver metro area.

“Wow, I hardly recognized the place,” said Sharon, a regular client. “This feels really good . . . like you want it to be nice just for us.” Nearly 100 volunteers descended on ACS Community Lift over several days in April and transformed the food bank and common areas with new carpet, fresh paint, and industrial hardwood floors. In addition, they created a spacious new classroom area and a beautiful volunteer lounge. Finally, they assembled professional new shelving in the pharmacy area to provide better access to medications.

The Lift is the third largest food bank serving the entire metropolitan area of Denver. It feeds more than 30 families every day. Clients are encouraged to select healthy food and given instructions on how to cook balanced meals for their families. Collaboration with Food Bank of the Rockies and The Action Center (Jefferson County) allows The Lift to provide a wide variety of fresh fruits and vegetables, along with milk, eggs and meat—items that many clients cannot afford on their limited budgets.

With the number of homeless families growing, the center offers comfort and a respite for many. Men and women come, some daily, for a warm shower, hygiene supplies, clean socks, and a sack lunch. Many of them live in their cars or in shelters. The Lift provides resources to help poor people achieve greater independence. On Wednesdays, for example, individuals can take a financial management class. Those who complete the class are eligible for help with their energy bills through a special project The Lift conducts with Energy Outreach Colorado.

The Lift also offers limited medical services, such as massage therapy, and some medications to those who are uninsured or underinsured. It also provides counseling.

Jennie, a frequent client, was happy to see the renovation. “This is so nice! I love how new and open it is now. This is beautiful!” she enthused.

The Lift operates with a small team of dedicated employees and a “workforce” of amazing volunteers. Both staff and volunteers bring a passion for service and a love for others to their work, exemplifying the character of Jesus in their interactions with clients.

“So many clients share with us how special we make them feel when they come to the Lift,” Debbie Jackson, executive director, explained. “They know we are not going to judge them, but that we just love them, pray with them and give them the help they need to eat a healthy meal, keep their electricity on, get much-needed medications. We are here to show them who Jesus is and that He loves them no matter what their circumstances.”

Your contributions help ensure that ACS Community Lift can continue serving those in need. For more information, please visit the website at www.acslift.org, “like” us on Facebook (ACS Community LIFT), follow us on Twitter (@thelift1) or stop by (Monday-Thursday) to experience firsthand the amazing work God is doing.

–Debbie Jackson is executive director for ACS Community Lift.

–Stephanie Denning is chair of the board of trustees.

By Rick Mautz

A few years ago I provided the “health thought” for an evangelistic series in our area where the evangelist said emphatically, “The health message is the right arm of the gospel.” He then told me I had only five minutes to present this health nugget. If that is our idea of health ministry, it’s not a very effective aid to evangelism.

True health ministry should not just be a way to get people to come to a Bible study. It is not like a sale item that brings customers into the store. Instead of looking for ways to build bridges between health programs and evangelism, we should look at health ministry itself as evangelism.

Sharing who God is—reflecting Him—is the best form of evangelism. In the words of Ellen G. White, “God chose His Son to be His representative on earth; even so has Christ chosen us to represent His character,” (Medical Ministry, p. 23). She also said, “The world needs today what it needed over two thousand years ago—a revelation of Christ” (Ministry of Health, p. 143).

Can we do any better evangelism than doing what Jesus did—reflecting the character of God through relieving suffer- ing and helping people reach personal health and wellness?

It starts with truly loving people and meeting their needs. Everyone needs good health. But when health programs are organized, we must realize that information alone seldom brings change. Participants might do well during the program, but after it is over, they often experience difficulty as they try to implement changes.

That’s when they need church support the most, and when, unfortunately, it is often strangely absent. We could do so much good if we were available to listen, to support goals, and to provide accountability—even by phone.

While information is important, ongoing support is vital. We must move beyond programs and become the “personal support church” that will light the world with God’s glory. To effectively meet this need, our members should have training to develop the skills of listening, asking good questions, and providing useful insights—including helping people set long- and short-term goals. This support will give participants greater success, and it also demonstrates attributes of God’s character.

People want to be a part of a church that demonstrates this type of selfless love and support. They come because they see Jesus reflected. That is also why they stay. They also discover the doctrines that most perfectly reflect the person of Christ.

Health ministry is a powerful part of evangelism, but only if we are there when people need us most. I believe our health emphasis will play a vital role in this last day mission, but it will require members who are willing to take the time to listen and to show Jesus to people—the only version of Jesus some may ever see.

To learn more about training for your church, go to rmcsda.org/support and make plans to attend a health summit in Breckenridge, October 13-16, where the emphasis will be on training to provide support for those with diabetes. For more information on the summit, go to www.rmcsda.org/breck.

–Rick Mautz is RMC health director.

By Julio R. Arias

Most people avoid or delay estate planning. Perhaps it’s because the term sounds legal and mystifying, but it tends to end up on the “to do later” list. Few ever get around to it, causing problems for the family left behind.

Let me define estate planning and highlight some of its benefits. An estate, according to Merriam-Webster, “is all of the things that a person owns,” including land, possessions and other assets. Of course, everything we possess comes from God. “Both riches and honor come from You, and You reign over all. In Your hand is power and might; In Your hand it is to make great and to give strength to all . . .” (1 Chronicles 29:12, NKJV). We are stewards of the wealth God gives us. Planning is a familiar term, which means “thinking on and organizing things in order to reach a specific goal.”

When individuals engage in estate planning, they are organizing their affairs and preparing written instructions to effectively reflect their wishes for the transfer of their estate— or wealth—to their designated beneficiaries when they die.

Planning for this unavoidable life event is important, especially to those who believe wholeheartedly that we are stewards. When individuals neglect to complete this task during their lifetime, it falls to the courts to decide how their assets will be disbursed. This delays the transfer of assets to beneficiaries and diminishes the value of the estate, much of which can be spent on court costs and legal fees.

Although some may see estate planning as a difficult or indelicate topic, it is the trust officer’s duty to assist our members in making these plans. Working with attorneys, paralegals and other professionals, trust officers prepare legally sound wills and trusts that reflect individual wishes.

There are many advantages to proactively planning your estate. Peace of mind is an invaluable benefit to both you and your family. When your wishes are defined in a legal document before you die, both you and your family can relax in the knowledge that your wishes will be followed.

Making adequate provision for your family is another benefit of estate planning. We spend our lives accumulating assets—and then spend more time planning for vacations than preparing for what will happen to our possessions after we are gone! In the parable of the foolish rich man, Jesus told the congregation, “ . . . Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee: then whose shall those things be, which thou hast provided?” (Luke 12:20, NKJV). By planning your estate in advance, you can transfer the possessions acquired during your lifetime to the beneficiaries you legally designate at a minimum cost to them and to the estate.

An additional benefit of estate planning is the power to select the recipients of your estate. In accordance with your instructions, your estate can be transferred directly to your spouse and/or children with minimal disruption. You also have the opportunity to leave a legacy that will honor God. Consider including the church as part of your estate plans. Since our prosperity comes from God, it is important that we take the opportunity to express our gratitude by support- ing the labor of His servants and sustaining His institutions.

The RMC Planned Giving and Trust Services Department can assist you in starting your estate planning. If you have questions about how to benefit through planned giving, visit www.rmcsda.org or call (303) 282-3640.

–Julio R. Arias is RMC stewardship coordinator and field representative for planned giving and trust services.