NewsNuggets

Becky St. Clair – Lincoln, Nebraska … If you ask Cathy Kissner, department director for Rocky Mountain Conference Adventist Community Services (ACS), for an elevator pitch for ACS, she has it ready: Members of the Seventh-day Adventist church showing the love of the Father to those who are in need.

Indeed, ACS centers in Kissner’s territory are thriving, providing clothing, food and household items such as blankets and dishes, and offering Bibles and Bible studies. Run almost entirely by volunteers, Rocky Mountain Conference ACS centers do what they can to be available for their communities several times per month.

“The Grand Valley center is considering opening two Sundays a month to serve what we call the working poor,” Kissner says. “We want to make sure as many people as possible are able to get to our facility, even those who work during the week.”

Though these ACS centers have been operating for years, much of what they are accomplishing today is a direct result of Seed grants from the North American Division (NAD). This grant, funded through freewill offerings specifically for community service across the NAD, provides up to $10K for capital improvements at community service centers by purchasing “items which will be used repeatedly to serve multiple clients” (communityservices.org).

When this grant became available several years ago, Kissner began applying, procuring funds for several of the centers in her territory, with three additional centers currently working on the application. “If your facility is not inviting, it makes a difference in the experience for those who come in,” Kissner says. Their center in Grand Junction, Colorado, desperately needed new flooring to replace the 30-year-old carpet,” she shares. “With the Seed grant, they were able to lay an entirely new laminate floor and paint the walls. It’s a place you’re happy to invite people into.”

After the elementary school in Alamosa, Colorado, closed, the church wanted to turn it into a community service center, but it needed a bit of work to serve that purpose. Kissner asked church leaders if $10K would help. “The looks on their faces were priceless,” she says with a grin. “Now that they will be applying for the seed grant, they have the joy of deciding how they will spend that money to best serve the community. What a wonderful ‘problem’ to have!”

Acting like a Christian

With funding to cover bigger projects, ACS centers are able to focus more on the services they provide. The center in Pueblo, Colorado, is providing services unique to traditional ACS centers. Rather than food and clothing, the Pueblo center offers outreach education: tutoring, mentoring, diabetes reversal classes, and grief recovery seminars. They also have a group called the Feeding Angels which distributes food once per week to those experiencing houselessness in their community. Their work has garnered attention from government officials and the public school system.

“When the Marshall Fire ravaged Boulder County, ACS ran a fire recovery center,” Kissner says. “The head of FEMA walked through our facility and then commented, ‘Oh, you’re Adventists? We didn’t know you cared about us.’ That was painful.”

Kissner adds that getting to know one’s community and providing for its needs helps dispel the belief that Adventists don’t care. “Because of what Pueblo is doing through their center, the local school system is saying, ‘Wow! What’s going on? Our kids are reading better!’ They see test scores going up and they want to know why and how, and that leads them to us.”

Book of Isaiah chapter 58 says, Is not this the kind of fasting I have chosen: to loose the chains of injustice and untie the cords of the yoke, to set the oppressed free and break every yoke? Is it not to share your food with the hungry and to provide the poor wanderer with shelter—when you see the naked, to clothe them… (v. 6-7, NIV).

“Christ wants us to loose the bonds of those who are held captive,” Kissner states. “The woman in domestic violence, the child who cannot read, the individual trapped in addiction, those in poverty. If we don’t do everything we can to help release those in our communities from their bondage, we aren’t doing what Christ called us to do.”

It doesn’t have to be an Adventist program, either, Kissner adds. Every local Department of Human Services has a list of service agencies working in the community, and, Kissner says, none of them have enough volunteers.

“Find out what the needs are in your community and fill them,” Kissner says. “Volunteering shows people they are valued enough that you will give your time and energy to support them, and that speaks volumes. If we don’t reach into our communities and allow them to get to know us, they will never trust us enough to ask about our Jesus. It’s not about religion, it’s about living Christ’s love. Just act like a Christian. It’s really that simple.”

—Becky St. Clair is a freelance writer for OUTLOOK magazine. Republished with permission from OUTLOOK Adventist News June 9, 2025, article. Photo supplied.

RMCNews with Hugh Davis – Denver, Colorado … The Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) is pleased to announce that David VandeVere has accepted the nomination to become the new RMC president, effective August 1. After careful consideration during a special evening session on June 2, the RMC Executive Committee voted to extend an official call to VandeVere.

The presidential search began after Mic Thurber, former RMC president, announced his retirement starting March 1 of this year at the RMC Executive Committee meeting held February 18. The committee received and vetted over 50 nominations, with the facilitation of officers from the Mid-America Union Conference (MAUC).

“This process was marked by genuine cooperation on the part of the Executive Committee. Every name submitted was thoughtfully followed up on, and the committee prayerfully considered each one,” recalled Gary Thurber, MAUC president, who chaired the process.

“After much discussion, review, and prayer, they voted to extend the call [to David VandeVere],” he continued. “I was so grateful to work with this committee. They took their task very seriously, were committed to prayer, and worked well together. It was a blessing to be part of the process. David VandeVere is a man who loves his Lord and loves his church. He will be an outstanding leader for the Rocky Mountain Conference.”

VandeVere graduated from Southern Adventist University with a Bachelor of Business Administration (BBA) degree in accounting. He then earned his Certified Public Accountant license and received Trust Certification from the General Conference Trust Committee. In 2006, he completed the Pastoral Coaching Systems program through Ministry Advantage in Dallas, Texas, and was ordained in 2007.

VandeVere has held various leadership roles throughout his career, including serving as a public accountant, treasurer/secretary for the Minnesota Conference, and lead pastor of Damascus Grace Fellowship in Damascus, Maryland, for 10 years before returning to financial ministry in 2014.

While serving as the vice president of Finance for the Potomac Conference, VandeVere led several strategic initiatives, including restoring adequate working capital reserves, developing an integrated finance committee for the conference and its institutions, implementing a debt-relief program for academies, and launching a recruiting process to attract young accounting graduates from Adventist colleges.

VandeVere currently serves as vice president for Finance for the MAUC, a role he has held since October 2021. In this position, he serves the members of the Mid-America Union by overseeing finances and promoting stewardship.

As the ninth RMC president since its restructure and merger with the Wyoming Conference in 1981, VandeVere will serve as the spiritual and administrative leader to the churches, schools, and ministries within the conference. He will guide the conference’s mission and vision, fostering unity with the broader mission of the Global Church and serve as a chairperson for various committees.

Additionally, VandeVere will emphasize team and leadership development in the pastoral, educational, and administrative spheres. He will also represent the conference at broader organizational levels.

“I’m humbled, yet excited by the invitation to lead the team in the Rocky Mountain Conference,” remarked VandeVere. “I believe the Spirit is calling us to unity of purpose, especially in this time of societal turmoil and chaos. He will empower the uplifting of our Savior Jesus Christ and His soon return.”

Doug Inglish, RMC vice president for Administration, commented, “I have known Elder VandeVere for years, and he is a very spiritual, capable, and humble leader. I am very excited at this opportunity to work with him, and I believe RMC will prosper with him as our president.”

“I have gotten to know Dave quite well over the past several years in his current role, and I am really looking forward to working with him here,” RMC vice president for Finance Darin Gottfried remarked. “I believe that Dave’s approach to leadership will help strengthen our employees and grow the Church in exciting ways.”

—RMCNews with Hugh Davis, MAUC Communication director. Photo courtesy of Mid-America Union Conference.

Scott Cushman – Lincoln, Nebraska … The Ardmore Institute of Health* has awarded Union Adventist University’s (UAU) Master of Public Health Program a grant to establish a culinary medicine teaching kitchen (CMTK). The $35,000 will purchase six commercial-grade mobile workstations, each including the culinary tools and appliances to support two students at a time, enabling the university to host classes of up to 12 students in the teaching kitchen. Any remaining funds will support a student garden that was established by the university’s first public health cohort last year.

“With the CMTK, we can translate abstract nutritional guidelines into practical, appealing meals,” said Eric Aakko, director of Union’s Master of Public Health Program. “In public health, we promote healthy eating patterns to prevent chronic diseases such as obesity, diabetes, and heart disease and ensure adequate nutrient intake across populations. Knowing how to cook healthy food that tastes good is essential for dietary adherence.”

Aakko is a certified plant-based chef educator and will guide students through an evidence-based culinary medicine curriculum established by the American College of Lifestyle Medicine. The curriculum is entirely plant-based and teaches basic culinary and knife skills, including preparing a range of entrees, sides, and desserts. The first classes in the teaching kitchen will meet once per week for nine weeks starting in September.

The source of this grant, the Ardmore Institute of Health, was founded in 1947 and is committed to improving health and well-being through lifestyle change. The institute draws inspiration from Adventist principles of healthy living and the sanitarium movement in its work.

Cooking classes are far from a new frontier for Adventists. Aakko points out that lifestyle medicine mirrors many Adventist beliefs while providing a modern clinical and scientific framework for health improvement. “Both lifestyle medicine and the Adventist health message view health holistically, recognizing the interconnection between the physical, social, mental, and spiritual,” he said. “The Adventist health message goes beyond just health improvement to also seeing healthy living as a form of stewardship and worship.”

Learning culinary skills will help students address food insecurity and life in food deserts, issues Aakko has had to confront in communities throughout his work in public health. “The CMTK experience can empower individuals and communities to make the most of often limited resources,” he said. “This can involve teaching cooking techniques for inexpensive staples like beans, legumes, and whole grains, preserving food, minimizing food waste, and adapting recipes to utilize foods available through assistance programs like WIC or SNAP as well as community gardens and food banks.”

Additionally, the classes will provide public health students with an applied research laboratory. Aakko anticipates future research examining behavioral change and behavioral intention before and after participation in the culinary medicine program.

According to Aakko, research elsewhere has demonstrated that students who engage in a CMTK are more likely to adopt and maintain a healthier lifestyle while engaging with and promoting a healthier lifestyle to their patients and community. With so many of Union’s students heading into careers related to health care, a teaching kitchen on campus will empower them to become better health educators and advocates.

* Please note that the Ardmore Institute of Health is not affiliated with the Rocky Mountain Conference of Seventh-day Adventists or the Seventh-day Adventist Church.

—Scott Cushman is the director of Public Relations for Union Adventist University. Republished with permission from the Union Adventist University News website, May 14, 2025, article.  Photo supplied.

Jose Briones – Denver, Colorado … Our relationship with money often feels like a deeply personal matter, one shaped by experience, opportunity, and sometimes struggle. But according to certified financial planner Tammy Smith, the way we think about wealth is often rooted in early childhood, sometimes as early as six years old. These ingrained beliefs, often called money scripts, can influence financial decisions for a lifetime.

In our recent conversation with her in the Living Generously podcast, Smith shared insights on how biblical principles offer guidance for financial stewardship, challenging the idea that wealth defines self-worth and, instead, presenting money as a tool for generosity and purpose.

“Money is never inherently good or bad,” Smith explains. “It’s just a tool. The problem comes when people try to use it for things it was never meant to do—like buying self-worth or fixing relationships.”

According to Smith, money scripts can shape the way we manage finances in adulthood. Some people grow up believing that wealth equals greed, while others may associate spending with love, leading to unhealthy financial habits. These subconscious attitudes can impact saving, giving, and overall financial stability. Smith stresses the importance of reflecting on these learned behaviors and asking questions: “What did I learn about money from my parents? How do I feel about financial security today?”

Drawing from over 2,300 biblical verses on money, Smith discusses examples of generosity and financial wisdom found in scripture, from Abraham’s humility to Job’s deep commitment to helping others. “Job didn’t measure his worth by how much he had,” Smith notes. “He valued himself by how much he could help others.”

For individuals and churches alike, breaking free from limiting money scripts starts with awareness. Recognizing unhealthy beliefs and replacing them with values rooted in wisdom and generosity allows for a healthier, purpose-driven approach to wealth. As Smith puts it, “It’s not about how much you have. It’s about how well you use it.”

Listen to the full episode and gather more insights about how to use money for God’s purposes.

CLICK HERE to listen to the full episode, and CLICK HERE to see the full list of previous and future series episodes. To listen to the full podcasts on YouTube, CLICK HERE.

—Jose Briones is the RMC Stewardship Promotion and Content creator. Photo by Towfiqu Barbhuiya of Pexels.