NewsNuggets Page 4

17 Jul

COMMENTARY: WE HAVE THIS HOPE

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By Godfrey Miranda

“Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord.”
– 1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV

In their work as pediatric specialists in immunology and respiratory medicine, it’s not hard to imagine that doctors Patricia and David Mrazek dealt with many suffering children. Over the years, however, they were struck by the fact that some kids bounced back from their physical trauma to live happy, healthy lives while others were crushed by it.

In an effort to pinpoint what made the difference, the Mrazeks conducted an extensive survey and found that one overriding trait rose to the top in those children who went on to build healthy lives: hope. Do you know the power of hope?

THE IMPACT OF HOPE

The Thessalonian believers knew the power of hope, and Paul was quick to highlight it right from the onset of his first epistle to them:

We remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ (1 Thessalonians 1:3, NIV).

When Paul remembered his friends, it wasn’t just their occasional work of faith or labor of love that was so noteworthy. He saw in them a steadfast perseverance to keep working and keep laboring and that endurance grew out of hope. Hope inspired them to overcome the odds and keep pressing on toward a productive discipleship journey even in the midst of violent opposition. This is the practical impact of hope that we ought not take for granted. After all, as the Mrazeks discovered, it can make the difference between a flourishing life or a floundering one.

BEATEN BUT BUOYANT

Maybe you’ve noticed that seasons of trial in our Christian experience tend to temper our zeal, or even make us question whether to continue in the way or work of the Lord. It’s an entirely natural response, and it happens to the best of us. But when I read the New Testament, that wasn’t Paul’s response. This is the apostle who was beaten, stoned, and even left for dead for the sake of the gospel … then got up and went right back into the town whose citizens had just tried to kill him (cf. Acts 14:19-20). Where did that kind of buoyancy come from? Hope!

AND MORE SPECIFICALLY, IT WAS HIS HOPE IN THE RETURN OF JESUS.

Notice how Paul connects the dots between hope in the promise of eternal life and his unflinching steadfastness in God’s work.

Therefore, we do not lose heart. Even though our outward man is perishing, yet the inward man is being renewed day by day. For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory … (2 Corinthians 4:16-17, NKJV).

Even when buffeted by hardship, Paul didn’t lose heart. Instead, he felt constantly renewed! His hope-filled perspective allowed him to see his affliction as light and momentary when compared to the “eternal weight of glory.” The hope of being with and seeing Jesus in glory truly does outweigh all other cares and concerns.

A BOLD APPEAL

In 1 Corinthians 15, Paul waxes eloquent about the promise of the resurrection at the return of Jesus. With hymn-like enthusiasm, Paul describes the time when the trumpet will sound, and the dead will be raised incorruptible (v. 52). It’s the time when this mortal must put on immortality (v. 53) and Death itself will be swallowed up in victory (v. 54).

What a blessed hope! And then, to cap it all off, Paul extends a very specific appeal—not just to keep believing this to be true, but to keep working until it all comes true.

Therefore, my beloved brethren, be steadfast, immovable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, knowing that your labor is not in vain in the Lord (1 Corinthians 15:58, NKJV).

So, when we have this hope that burns within our hearts, we can abound in the work of the Lord no matter our past or present trauma. Like the Thessalonians and like the apostle Paul, we can steadily give our all in the way and work of God. It’s my prayer that each of us will personally experience the power of the blessed hope. Though the heavens fall, may our labor for the Lord be constantly fueled by our hope in the coming of the Lord.

—Godfrey Miranda is lead pastor at the Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Republished with permission from Littleton Adventist Church Pastor’s Blog. Photo by Na Inho with Unsplash.

17 Jul

TESTIMONY MOVES SIX TO VOLUNTEER FOR PRISON MINISTRIES IN OLATHE

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RMCNews and Ted Williams – Olathe, Colorado … What started as a request for a prison ministry presentation for the Olathe Hispanic Seventh-day Adventist Church in Olathe, Colorado, grew into the expansion of a ministry to some our community’s most underserved: prison inmates.

Ted Williams, lead pastor at the Arkansas Valley, Lamar, and Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Swink, Lamar, and Trinidad, Colorado, respectively, held a prison ministry event at the Olathe Hispanic Church, June 21-22. Williams brought with him a formerly jailed gentleman, Tom, to give testimony at the event.

Williams became acquainted with Tom while he was incarcerated and picked him up upon his release from jail. He collected Tom, drove him to a hotel, and connected him to a church member that gave him some clothing. Tom gave testimony at the Arkansas Valley Church’s Sabbath service the very next day. Williams also facilitated finding him employment and integrating him into the church family.

Williams noted that, while incarcerated, Tom had established multiple Bible study groups. Tom’s first words upon leaving jail were, “I’m not ready to leave yet,” referring to Tom feeling that he had not completed his ministry to his fellow inmates.

At the first evening of the prison ministries event at the Olathe Hispanic Church, Williams spoke on freedom. “I want them to understand that we are all in prison. And once you have been set free, you have been set free to choose.”

Tom gave his powerful and emotional testimony at the Sabbath service the next day, and Williams concluded the event with an informational training session on the processes and how to effectively provide prison ministry.

From this event, Williams received six applications from individuals that want to volunteer to participate in this outreach ministry. He promptly drove the applications to the Colorado Department of Corrections (CDOC) headquarters in Colorado Springs, Colorado. He remarked that the CDOC greatly appreciates these volunteers and is eager to receive more to assign to facilities that do not have ministry volunteers.

“Folks that attended [the event] were deeply moved by this whole experience,” commented Williams. “It was a wonderful, spirit-filled weekend.”

Williams has been involved in this outreach ministry for almost two decades and is the RMC Prison Ministries director. The RMC Prison Ministries exists to train and support volunteers who are willing to visit, correspond with, and pray with prison inmates. To learn about volunteering in prison ministries, please contact Ted Williams at tedw@rmcsda.org or at (303) 887-9197.

—Ted Williams is lead pastor at the Arkansas Valley, Lamar, and Trinidad Seventh-day Adventist Churches. Photo by Ted Williams.

17 Jul

UNIQUE BAPTISM STORY AT GREELEY CHURCH

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Will Reed – Greeley, Colorado … Ryan Hough received a free copy of Ellen G. White’s book The Great Controversy in his mailbox three years ago through a mass mailing initiative. He donated it to a thrift store. This would begin a unique chain of events that would end up in him finding Jesus, and on June 29, around three years later, he was baptized into membership at the Greeley Seventh-day Adventist Church in Greeley, Colorado.

Coming from a non-church-going background, Hough began his faith journey as a result of his interest in history. In the midst of perusing the internet and looking into various aspects of history, he came across an Adventist speaker’s YouTube series which contained elements of history that interested him, so he began to watch.

Around the same time, Hough randomly received another copy of the book The Great Controversy in the mail at his home in Idaho, where he lived at the time. After first taking a picture of the book and sending it to his parents, asking them if they had sent it to him, Hough decided to donate it as well to a local thrift store, uninterested in reading it.

However, while continuing to watch the Adventist YouTube series, Ryan was surprised to hear the speaker talk about a book called The Great Controversy, a book which Hough had seen before. After realizing that this was the book that was sent to him through the mail that he had sent to the thrift store, Hough visited this thrift store, bought the book back for $1, and began to read it.

Through reading The Great Controversy, continuing to watch the series, and getting connected with a local Adventist church in Idaho, Hough began to fall in love with Jesus. He and his family moved to Colorado in the last two years, and Hough began attending Greeley Church. It was during this time that Hough decided he wanted to officially give his life to Jesus and be baptized. This occurred in the presence of his family, friends, and new church family.

Hough says that it is the community aspect of church that has been most impactful for him. “A big part of my experience and journey has been the church family. Everyone I’ve interacted with has solidified the path that I’m following, and the choices I’m making are inspired and fulfilling,” he commented.

Michael Shannon, lead pastor of the Greeley Church, spoke of Hough’s journey to the Adventist faith as orchestrated by God. “It’s interesting how the Holy Spirit works … nobody brought [Ryan] to church. The Lord brought him to church,” he remarked.

—Will Reed is principal and sixth through eighth grades teacher at Adventist Christian School. Photo by Jim Johnson.

16 Jul

NATURE’S CATHEDRAL WELCOMES COWBOY CAMP MEETING AGAIN

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Rajmund Dabrowski with Ron Johnson – Uncompahgre National Forest, Colorado … For Leroy Archer, participating in the Cowboy Camp Meeting is an annual event and a high point in the year.

Archer regularly worships in Nucla, Colorado. The Cowboy Camp Meeting is also a regular event for him. “I look forward to [this] Camp Meeting every year. Oftentimes, I’m involved with music. So, the music, you know, touches my heart deeply. But I think it’s, mostly, reconnecting with people that I know and meet—fellow believers—and being able to share like-minded thinking about Jesus openly.”

The event setting makes this gathering special and was held July 10-13. For one, it can remind you of how “it used to be, a large tent and all.” The site chosen for the event is recognized for its scenic beauty and for the ability to ride and hike the trails. Participants’ comments abound that the event provides a “blessed mountain top experience.” And the weather was truly enjoyed by all.

When asked for a comment of what stood out at the meeting, Mic Thurber, Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) president, remarked that “you feel like you’re worshiping all the time when you’re in a setting of a nature’s cathedral like we have around here. The people around here love to be here in this setting, and they love to worship together in this informal setting.”

He added that “some very important spiritual truths were taught, but I think it’s the setting that allows people to absorb them and apply them to their lives. And I love the way they fellowship with each other.”

Each day opened with musical praise time with a camp band and the participants joining in the 2024 camp meeting theme song chorus: “Just any day now, our Lord is coming. He’ll be retuning for you and me.”

As we watch and wait, abiding in Christ should be the priority of each one of us. “Abiding in Christ,” based on John 15, was the message of morning program by Montrose Seventh-day Adventist Church in Monrose, Colorado, lead pastor, Nathan Cranson. “As we abide in Christ, we go through a pruning process in order to produce fruit,” he said, explaining the pruning process for grapes to produce fruit. “Eighty percent of the vine is cut back in order to remove the woody stock which doesn’t produce fruit,” he explained.

“The pruning time can be confusing and painful, but we need to hang on—abiding and trusting in Jesus. When we experience anxiety and fear we sever our connection with God, and, when we feel stress and worry, temptation is the strongest. When we feel peace by trusting in Jesus, temptation will not have a hold on us,” Cranson emphasized.

The evening messages were presented by Pastor Jason O’Rourke, who was, until recently, chaplain at Littleton Adventist Hospital. Basing his messages on Ephesians 1:1-14, he said that if we are secure in Jesus we will want what He wants. “As sinners, we can’t turn ourselves around, Jesus turns us around. Our job is to keep our eyes on Jesus,” he pointed out.

Commenting on her Camp Meeting experience, Cheri Scott, a participant from Grand Junction, Colorado, said, “I appreciate hearing the word of God and hearing about the love of God mostly. And in an informal setting where there are no pretenses. We’re just a bunch of people in our grubby clothes and hanging out and hearing about God and singing joyful songs and praying together.”

One of the new features of the “wilderness gathering” was having audio amplification, enjoyed by all—speakers, musicians, and the audience, alike. Karl Schwinn, who was involved with the camp set-up including a public address (PA) system, commented that he has been at cowboy camp now for 12 or 15 years. What stands out is “the fellowship. I came in on Wednesday and I visited around. I felt like it was Sabbath already on Wednesday and Thursday and Friday. It’s just the peace and the fellowship [of this meeting] that stands out.”

The organizers plan to have the 2025 Colorado Cowboy Camp Meeting July 9-13, 2025. It will be the 25th event to be held in the same location, the Uncompahgre National Forrest, southeast of Silver Jack Reservoir.

—Rajmund Dabrowski is the RMC communication director with Ron Johnson, from Grand Junction, the Cowboy Camp Meeting treasurer. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.

11 Jul

BLIND, HORSE, AND OUTPOST CAMPS RUN SIMULTANEOUSLY AT GVR

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Charles Metz – Ward, Colorado … History was made at Glacier View Ranch (GVR) in Ward, Colorado, as, for the first time in several years, blind campers came for a week of fun, faith, and more, June 30-July 5.

Blind campers enjoyed many of the same activities that other campers do, and the morning and evening programs were adapted to provide an enjoyable and inclusive experience. The skilled GVR camp counselors guided the campers to each destination and helped them have an enjoyable experience.

Despite a smaller number of campers this week participating in the Blind Camp, the camp remained busy with other camps running simultaneously. This included the Horse Camp and Extreme Outpost.

For the first time in history, GVR hosted a horse intensive camp week. The horse barn staff trained campers in a more focused environment to provide them with rich equestrian experiences, and they got to help with feeding, grooming, and more. There was even a rodeo held that was run entirely by the campers.

Many of the GVR camp staff remained back at camp while the GVR camp outpost team took campers on an excursion into the Colorado wilderness. Campers at GVR generally stay in cabins, but the outpost kids camp out in tents. They participated in a range of activities like white water rafting and mountain climbing. They would return to camp every day for evening programs.

Charles Metz, RMC Summer Camp summer program director, remarked, “While this week was a little different from the previous weeks, our staff remains committed to their goal of making it easy for kids to know God. GVR is excited to welcome more campers to this beautiful mountain area and show them just how wild God’s love can be.”

—Charles Metz is the RMC Summer Camp summer program director and a staff pastor. Photos by Ella Griggs.

09 Jul

RON CRAIG NOMINATED FOR 7 NEWS CARES AWARD

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Kathy King – Boulder, Colorado … Throughout the Bible, we are encouraged to love and care for one another. Ron Craig, member of the Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church in Boulder, Colorado, has been quietly providing care for others for many years.

About 23 years ago, Craig started volunteering with an organization in the Boulder/Longmont area called Colorado FriendShip. Since that start, he has served lemonade and iced tea in the summer and hot chocolate and coffee in the winter every Sunday evening to men and women that need a warm meal. He has missed only a handful of times in those 23 years. In appreciation, he was nominated for the 7 News Cares award.

In early March, 7 News came to “Meals on the Street” and interviewed Liz Friedenson, one of Colorado Friendship’s executive directors: “We set up here every Sunday. We serve a hot meal to anyone who needs it. For those who are low-income or experiencing homelessness, it’s more than just a meal. Helping those in need in Boulder County is the main mission of Colorado Friendship, but it wouldn’t be possible without our volunteers.”

She went on to say, “Everyone loves Ron, and, if he’s not there, everybody needs to know where he is and what happened.”

Ron says he has grown in appreciation for people, and has developed some friendships along the way, including with the crew that he works with every week. “You know you’ve worked that long when you give a couple of bucks to a guy on a corner, and he says, ‘Hey, thanks, Ron!’”

Yes, thank you, Ron.

“Ron has blessed our lives with Christ-like love in action, beyond the smiles and hugs. He walks into church and exudes the down-deep joy that comes from always speaking a cheerful word, spending time with folk who are homeless or friendless, gathering up coats for the cold, and fixing hot chili for the hungry,” commented Jackie Hayes, an elder at Boulder Church.

“You know when Ron gives you a hug, it’s heartfelt; it’s backed by Christ-inspired love. I am so thankful for the 20 years I have been privileged to worship with him,” she continued.

For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me. … Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? … And the King will answer them, “Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these, my brothers, you did it unto me” (Matthew 25:35-40).

Click here to see Ron’s recognition on 7 News Cares.

—Kathy King is an elder at Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photo capture from Denver 7 News.

09 Jul

SEVEN BAPTIZED AFTER EVANGELISTIC OUTREACH

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Timothy Jones – Longmont, Colorado … An evangelistic outreach in the cities of Longmont and Louisville, Colorado, respectively, was conducted by evangelist Martin Kim and hosted at the Mountain View and Twin Peaks Seventh-day Adventist Churches.

The meetings were well received by both congregations and the community according to Tim Jones, lead pastor at the Mountain View and Twin Peaks Churches. Kim was the primary speaker with assistance from Chuck DeShazer, elder at Mountain View Church.

Jones baptized seven attendees who requested baptism at the end of the series of meetings, June 29. “We are expecting even more fruit from these efforts,” remarked Jones. “It was a blessing to see how God moved on the hearts of the people, and the church rejoiced as new members were welcomed into the fellowship of believers.”

Mountain View Church is planning to conduct additional meetings this year. The Mountain View Spanish congregation will present an evangelistic series this August featuring Eliangel Fermin Carrizalez, a pastor from the Texas Conference. In addition, Jones will present an English seminar in the Fall. They are also planning to deliver a copy of Ellen G. White’s book Steps to Christ to every home in Longmont.

“We are thankful for the new members and have instituted a district wide prayer call every day at 6:00 a.m. and 6:30 a.m. with both the Mountain View and Twin Peaks churches,” continued Jones. “We are following God’s direction for our churches to become ‘A House of Prayer.’ We are praying for, and expecting, a revival. We are thankful for the support we have received from the conference that enables us to pursue these outreach efforts. May God bless!”

—Timothy Jones is lead pastor at the Mountain View and Twin Peaks Seventh-day Adventist Church in Longmont and Louisville, Colorado, respectively. Photos supplied.

02 Jul

“LIFTING HIM UP AGAIN” AT SOUTHEAST CAMP MEETING

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RMCNews – Cañon City, Colorado … The second Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) camp meeting of 2024, the Southeast Colorado Camp Meeting, was hosted by the Cañon City Seventh-day Adventist Church in Cañon City, Colorado, June 28-30. This year’s camp was intended to be a revival of faith with the theme “Lifting Him Up Again.”

Josh Sholock, pastor of the Cañon City and Leadville Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Cañon City and Leadville, Colorado, respectively, headed the camp meeting programming. When asked what his hope for the camp meeting was, he commented, “Reading in Evangelism, Ellen G. White talks about how we need to have our camp meetings designed as times of revival, times of calling people to a commitment charge. Reading that propelled me to ask the area pastors if we could do a theme of lifting Jesus up, as if Jesus saying, ‘if I be lifted up, all will draw to me.’”

The camp meeting kicked-off June 28 with the featured speaker, Lucas Luhan, pastor of Colorado Springs South and Woodland Park Seventh-day Adventist Churches in Colorado Springs and Woodland Park, Colorado, respectively, with over 75 in attendance. He spoke on the lessons referring to pride from the story of the brass serpent from the Book of Numbers 21:7-9 in his presentation titled “Lifting Up the Serpent: Looking for the Cure.”

“This is a story of discouragement,” remarked Luhan. “Discouragement can lead to doubt when we don’t trust God’s Providence and sovereignty, and trust is a salvation issue,” he continued. “We are not yet at the promised land and still in the wilderness. The whole purpose of this weekend is to view our walk with Christ.”

There were over 125 in attendance for the main church service session led by Dave Kettleson, pastor of Colorado Springs Central Seventh-day Adventist Church in Colorado Springs, Colorado. In a witty and lively presentation entitled “Lifting Up Jesus,” Kettleson commented, “I am going to heaven and there is nothing you can do about it! I am a mess, but He is the Messiah … Christianity and salvation isn’t based on what you do, but who you know. We [Christians] have to move away from a behavior-centered religion and to a Jesus-centered relationship. Our victory is only in Jesus Christ.”

International musician, composer, and entertainer, Gale Murphy, provided the energetic and humorous musical programing and piano accompaniment for the camp meeting. Along with a wealth of story-guided musical offerings, she involved the audience by taking song requests from four attendees with the occasional assistance of talented local violinist, Kenny Orr, member of the Denver South Seventh-day Adventist Church in Denver, Colorado. Murphy left the audience with the thought, “That gift of music, that art, is a gift we get to take to heaven with us.”

“I feel so blessed to be able to come to [the Southeast Colorado] camp meeting to come together friends and hear such joyful music,” commented one attendee. “It is a highlight in our year.”

The Southeast Colorado Camp Meeting closed with a session covering Adventist World Radio’s (AWR) recent outreach efforts in the island nation of Papua New Guinea (PNG) led by Dr. Duane McKey, AWR president, Dr. Bob Peck, AWR field representative coordinator, and Amy Webb, AWR scriptwriter. Peck commented on AWR works abroad: “After these people had been helped physically, imagine how receptive they were to spiritual help.”

The Southeast Colorado Camp Meeting was supported by Mic Thurber, RMC president, Doug Inglish, RMC vice president for administration, Darin Gottfried, RMC vice president for finance, and Mickey Mallory, RMC Ministerial director. Special totes with the camp meeting’s graphic theme were passed out during the ministry booth expo and were produced and provided by the RMC Planned Giving & Trust Services team also in attendance at the camp meeting.

—RMCNews. Photos by Liz Kirkland.

02 Jul

FOUR MULTI-GENERATIONAL BAPTISMS AT CAMPION CHURCH

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Muriel Indermuehle – Loveland, Colorado … The Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado, celebrated four multi-generational baptisms recently.

Father and son, Darrel and Ryan George, respectively, were baptized together. Much of their family lives in the Philippines and stayed up until 3:00 a.m. to witness these baptisms with the time zone difference.

Ryan, age 11, will be in the sixth grade at HMS Richards Adventist School in Loveland, Colorado, this Fall. Ryan’s testimony is as follows: “I told my parents that I have a tug in my heart that I felt like God was telling me that now is the right time to be baptized. My dad and I have been studying the Bible together with Pastor Bizama, and today I feel like it is the most special time of my life. My dad and I are being baptized together.”

“Although I was baptized at a very young age,” commented Darrel, “I don’t feel it was for the right reason. I feel my baptism today is what God is wanting for me, to follow him and become closer to our Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ.”

Eileen Blood, a member of the Campion Church, was rebaptized by Eric Nelson, Campion Church elder. “I have been a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church for many years. I have always valued my membership. However, I would like to take that a step further,” remarked Blood.

She continued, “In my mind, there is a difference to being a member of the Church and a disciple of Jesus. Discipleship is imitating the Teacher’s life, imitating His values and reproducing His teachings. The disciple of Christ desires, above all else, to be like Him in word, thought, and actions. My wish is to give my complete heart and soul to Jesus as His disciple.”

Evan Bizama was given Bible studies and baptized on June 8 by his father, Leandro Bizama, associate pastor of Worship and Evangelism at Campion Church. Evan is 10 years old and will be in the fifth grade at HMS Richards this Fall.

“The reason I want to be baptized,” remarked Evan, “is to officially be part of God’s church and family. Matias, my older brother, got baptized, and I want to follow in his footsteps. Now I feel warm all over, not just on my outside because of this water, but inside also, for I know that I am about to be baptized into God’s church.”

The congregation of Campion Church warmly welcomes each of these individuals into their church family.

—Muriel Indermuehle is an assistant head deaconess at Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos by Erik Stenbakken.

02 Jul

LEANDRO BIZAMA ORDAINED TO GOSPEL MINISTRY

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Ardis Stenbakken with RMCNews – Loveland, Colorado … Leandro Bizama, associate pastor of Worship and Evangelism at the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church in Loveland, Colorado, was ordained June 29.

A pastor in the Seventh-day Adventist Church, regardless of gender, serves in ministry for several years before they are considered for ordination. They then go through a series of interviews and questions administered by the local conference office. That conference then sends the request for ordination to the union office leadership who makes the decision and issues the ordination credentials.

Prior to joining the staff of Campion, Bizama served as chaplain/music director/Bible teacher at Mile High Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, Ozark Adventist Academy in Gentry, Arkansas, and Delap Seventh-day Adventist School in the Marshall Islands.

Bizama was joined in the ordination ceremony by fellow church staff, conference officials, and family friends. They recognized his history in ministry and his gifts. Bizama made the point that one of these gifts was important to him and his ministry: music! Bizama has a passion for youth ministry, especially through music.

Much of the music in the service was original compositions by Bizama. He is a music/theology graduate of Southwestern Adventist University and holds a master’s degree in Choral Conducting from the University of Arkansas. Bizama is constantly working on ministry projects like books or songs, in the hopes that they will inspire others to come to know Christ and His love.

The Candidate for Ordination was introduced by Diane Harris, Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) Education director, followed by the Ministry Affirmation provided by Doug Inglish, RMC vice president for administration. The Ministry Charge was presented by Craig Carr, Mid-America Union Conference (MAUC) Ministerial director, and the Ordination Prayer was offered by Mic Thurber, RMC president. Mickey Mallory, RMC Ministerial director, presented a Ministry Welcome.

Jennifer Bizama, Leandro’s wife, is an important part of his ministry, so she was also recognized and welcomed by Jana Thurber, RMC Women’s Ministry, Prayer Ministry, and Ministerial Spouse Support coordinator.

“We, as a church body, were privileged to witness and participate in the ordination our own associate pastor, Leandro Bizama,” commented Ardis Stenbakken, Campion Church communication director.

“Ordination does not confer any special powers or abilities, but it is the Church’s way to validate a call to ministry,” she continued. “We can all acknowledge that Pastor Leandro does have a heart and soul for ministry, and we celebrate that this was recognized. We wish Pastor Leandro God’s richest blessings in his ministry.”

— Ardis Stenbakken, a former Women’s Ministry director of the General Conference, is the Campion Seventh-day Adventist Church communication director and is involved with Women’s and Family Ministries. Photos by Erik Stenbakken and Susan Inglish.

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