NN April 2023

Sue Nelson – Tampa, Florida … The North American Division (NAD) Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) was held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, Florida, on April 22. Each year, teams of six club members study a book of the Bible (alternating Old Testament and New Testament) to compete in the PBE, memorizing large portions of God’s word.

This year’s event had 155 teams registered! Teams were from all over the United States and included a few international teams from Northern and Southern England Conferences, Korea, Canada, and the Dominican Republic. The questions and answers were in English and Spanish and translated into French and Korean.

The weekend started with Friday night vespers at the Mt. Calvary Adventist Church in Tampa, Florida. The message was brought by Pastor Shea Crockett, youth director for the Southeastern Conference. The testing on Sabbath was led by Tracy Wood, NAD youth ministries director, Armando Miranda and Vandeon Griffin, NAD youth ministries associate directors, and Gene Clapp, NAD PBE coordinator.

Two Rocky Mountain Conference teams, Aurora Las Aguilas and Loveland Cougars both placed 1^st at the Mid-America Union Final PBE in Lincoln, Nebraska, allowing them to continue to the NAD level. Both teams placed 2^nd at the NAD PBE with 90 questions from the book of John and the Andrews Bible Commentary.

It was exciting for the two teams to fly to Florida. For some, it was their first plane ride and first time out of Colorado! They were able to visit different attractions like Disney World and go to the beach.

Sue Nelson, RMC club ministries executive coordinator, Brent Learned, RMC associate youth director, and Eli Gonzalez, RMC club ministries associate executive coordinator, were able to attend and help as monitors.

“It was inspiring to see an arena full of hundreds of Pathfinders so excited about Bible memorization of the Gospel of John,” said Brent.

Addressing the participants, Eli said, “What an impact you make in all of us by being part of this awesome ministry of pathfinders and making it to the NAD Pathfinder Bible Experience—now it is your time to make a difference in your church and community.”

“We genuinely want the best for you. Do you know how awesome you are? Well, let me say it: you are AWESOME! You are wonderful, you are beautiful, and you are God’s,” he added.

Videos from the event can be found on YouTube by entering “Pathfinder NAD PBE” in the search bar. Next year’s NAD PBE Finals will be held April 19-20, 2024, with the location to be announced at a later day.

—Sue Nelson is the RMC club ministries executive coordinator. Photos by Sue Nelson, Stacey Rodriquez, and Eli Gonzales.

Dennis Magaña – Montrose, Colorado … “Confiar en Dios” (Trust in God) was the theme for a spirit and fun-filled youth rally for the Hispanic young people in RMC, April 7-9. Hosted by the Montrose Spanish Adventist Church and run by FEJA [Hispanic Youth Ministry] Montaña and Metro chapters, more than 120 young people came together from all over the conference and Albuquerque, New Mexico.

Each day of the event was filled with powerful messages. Friday night, speaker Dennis Magaña challenged the youth to live like the Apostle Paul in how he challenged Timothy to live (1 Timothy 4:12), and to set an example in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

On Saturday, main speaker JJ Martinez, associate pastor of the Grand Junction Adventist Church, challenged the participants to live like Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, reminding them of the powerful God that we serve who will enter the fire with us and deliver us. Next day, Leonardo Jimenez, Montrose Spanish Adventist Church pastor, reminded the young people of the guiding light that the Bible is and should be. He challenged them to study it daily.

The participants did get a chance to connect socially. Saturday afternoon was filled with fun activities, including a scavenger hunt and many ice breakers so that the youth could get to know each other better. There was a huge bonfire on Saturday night as well as “sociales,” put on by the Grand Junction Adventist Company, who many of the youth described as being, “extremely fun.”

There was a volleyball tournament put on by FEJA Metro chapter on Sunday. Three games where being played at the same time, utilizing both the gym and outdoor fields. In the end, Denver South Hispanic Adventist Church was crowned the winner of the tournament.

In all, God blessed the weekend and many of the youth expressed their desire for another Youth rally to happen soon. When asked, many stated it was hard to choose their favorite part of the weekend whether it was the speakers, food, or time spent getting to know one another.

Pastor Ruben Rivera, RMC Hispanic ministries coordinator, thanked the Montrose Spanish Adventist Church for hosting the youth gathering for the weekend in their recently donated facilities.

It was a privilege to be part of such a fun weekend, Rivera concluded.

—Dennis Magaña is Montrose Hispanic Adventist Church head elder. Photos supplied.

Brandon Westgate – Denver, Colorado … The youngest members of our church are currently making plans for the summer. For many of them, the choice to spend a week (or two) at summer camp is a high priority. You might wonder why spending a week in a rustic cabin in the mountains disconnected from internet, social media, and cell phones would be so appealing. The answer is that when our campers disconnect from those things, they make new connections, “camp connections,” if you will. So, what are some of these camp connections?

CAMPERS: Our campers make connections with their fellow campers. They laugh together, eat together, play together, worship together, sing together, and are just present together. Without the distractions of a screen, campers spend actual face time with each other. They discover that many of their peers are struggling with some of the same issues they are. They find that they can have honest conversations about faith, doubt, social issues, and a variety of other topics. They build friendships and feel a sense of commonality that they may never experience at home or church or school.

COUNSELORS: Our campers connect with their counselors. The entire staff at camp is a counselor by title or by proxy and is dedicated to the safety and spiritual growth of our campers. They are trained and committed to pouring the love of Christ into our campers. They accomplish this by listening, being present in the moment, offering counsel when needed, setting an example, and creating an atmosphere of acceptance. When young people feel heard and appreciated, they feel safe, and these safe spaces lead to candid conversation and connections between counselor and camper. Our counselors then point our campers to Christ in hopes that the counselor-camper connection becomes a counselor-camper-Christ connection.

CHRIST: So how does that happen? Well, worship isn’t an event at camp, it is a part of the culture. We endeavor to keep our minds upon Jesus resulting in impromptu conversations about faith, sporadic outbursts of praise through singing, and random formation of prayer groups. Our purpose at camp is to make it easy for our campers to know God. The presence of God becomes palpable as we engage in high energy worship and pray for the Lord to invade our hearts as our pastor shares a message of grace. Our campers and our staff make a connection with Christ that can result in paradigm-shifting transformation or a deepening of a faith that just needed a boost!

COMMUNITY: Throughout the summer, as our staff and campers spend time building relationships, we unwittingly create a community of safety. It is a community that values them and welcomes them to be the person Christ is calling them to be. The camp community is a safe space to inquire, to give an opinion, to share a present life challenge that is threatening to overwhelm, and to receive encouragement and assurance that God is ultimately “for” us, and not against us. This community is only possible because of the connections that are made between campers, counselors, and Christ.

The result of the camp experience is campers feeling connected to something bigger than themselves and to an indwelling God who loves them with an everlasting love. Connection is something every person innately yearns for, and connection is the thing that we strive to facilitate during summer camp and beyond.

—Brandon Westgate is the RMC youth department director. Photos supplied.

Summer camp registration is open! Click here or scan the QR code below to reserve your spot today.

By Micheal Goetz

From the high side of the parking lot that the church sits on, I get to look across and watch the fun. Many an afternoon one would be able to see the World Cup or Super Bowl unfolding out in the grass. That’s not all, over on the playground great feats of daring and exploration or a full throttle game of tag are taking place. It’s a busy place. But in the hurry and scurry of the recess periods come beautiful moments that lodge themselves in your heart.

The time a young girl, realizing that if she stayed on the swing another student wouldn’t get a turn, leaps off inviting the other to take her spot before running off in search of another thrill. Or at that same swing set, an older girl took her precious free time to push a younger student.

The time that the “it” in the game of tag took a break because the “pursued” requested a timeout to catch their breath.

The time the boys encouraged a younger and slower student to join in the game of football just because no one should be left out.

Certainly, there is still times homework isn’t done or patience gives way. We are talking about little humans, right!? But it’s in these times, these unassuming acts, that I have seen Jesus on our school playground. And in a world that is broken in every way possible, our playground speaks to me of a reality of hope.

—Micheal Goetz is the senior pastor at Campion Adventist Church. Reprinted from HMS Headlines e-newsletter. Photos by Kari Lange and Aubrey Nelson.

Liz Kirkland – Littleton, Colorado … There are people that “work behind the scenes” at every church to handle its functions and operations. Most of their efforts and numerous hours are unknown and unnoticed. One such group are the deacons and deaconesses, called to a ministry of service and following Jesus’ example of meeting people’s physical needs and then their spiritual ones.

While traditional roles have generally included greeting and ushering, church property maintenance, security, baptism, and communion assistance, and caring for the physical necessities of the congregation, many churches have expanded the role to use their spiritual gifts. It can become a ministry tending to the emotional and social needs of the church.

Deacons and deaconesses have joined pastors and elders visiting church members and those in need and are a place of support in the cycle of life and death. And, with the demands on today’s pastors’ time and energy, they have become a support team for those who have given so much to tend to God’s children. And this legacy of service and support is being passed onto the next generation of church leaders.

At Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church, junior deacons and deaconesses have been called into action in the ministry of service. At each Sabbath service, the junior team works along side the adult team. Wandee Kirkland, head deacon at Littleton Church, recalls watching his father act as deacon in the Potomac Conference as a youth in the church. His father’s example set the path for his leadership role as he became an adult and a father.

He shared this about his time as a deacon: “Anyone can be a deacon. It is just about service and doing God’s work. It is, however, more than just a title, collecting offerings, and setting up events. It’s meeting the needs of the congregation and church staff. The pastoral staff are the shepherds, and we are the sheep dogs. My two sons, Turi and Didrik, are junior deacons at the church, and I am proud to watch them heed the call of service.”

The Kirklands are not the only ones sharing the family legacy of service. Deacon duties for Sabbath service on April 22 were held by Kris Fritz and his son Owen and Gary Treft and his son Spencer.

Kris Fritz shared this when asked what his time as deacon has meant to him: “It has created a community of men in the church that may have never connected otherwise.” He has involved his son to get him active in the church and learn responsibility.

Gary Treft, when asked the same question, said, “My gifts are not to be upfront but to help out as I can.”

The impact of the duty is not just felt by the adults. Littleton Church junior deacon Turi Kirkland said, “There are always things going on in the church that need help from junior deacons. I feel proud to help and not just be a spectator.” Turi shares the junior deacon role with is younger brother Didrik who said, “What I like most is that I am doing something to help that God would like rather than me just running around with my friends.”

Junior deacon Owen Fritz said, “I like to be there and help. It’s fun to count the money.” When asked what his favorite part of deacon duty was, Spencer Treft said, “My favorite part is cleaning up.”

We are reminded in 1 Corinthians 12:12 that “For even as the body is one yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.” We give gratitude to those who have heeded the call, both young and older, to be this part of the body of Christ working toward the common goal of the church of making disciples of Jesus Christ.

—Liz Kirkland is the RMC communication assistant and a member of Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church. Photos by Liz Kirkland.

Anton Kapusi – Pueblo, Colorado … Local congregational leaders and the leaders-to-be, along with some Southeast Colorado regional pastors, participated in the Regenerate – Church Revitalization Conference, April 14-15.

Dr. Brad Cauley, Northern New England Conference executive secretary and director for church revitalization, spoke during the opening session to those present in person and on ZOOM about the need revitalize our church life.

About 60% of Adventist churches are either in stagnation or in decline, according to the latest North American Division (NAD) statistics. His research proved that pastors and local leaders with a “turn-around” temperament and mindset, led by the Holy Spirit, could bring the necessary direction change to local churches.

On Sabbath morning, Cauley spoke about steps a local church could take to be vibrant and growing. The personal and corporate prayer life of an Adventist Christian, the mission and evangelism focus of the congregation, and the local pastor’s empowering role were some of the points he conveyed.

During the afternoon sessions, he further emphasized the need for leaders making leaders and disciples making disciples as the core value of church growth and multiplication. He called this proliferation “Hero Making,” using the simple five-step multiplication model (see: Dave Ferguson with Warren Bird, Hero Maker: Five Essential Practices for Leaders to Multiply Leaders, 2018, Zondervan):

1. I do. You watch. We talk.
2. I do. You help. We talk.
3. You do. I help. We talk.
4. You do. I watch. We talk.
5. You do. Someone else watches.

The conference participants left encouraged to turn things around in their churches. They were inspired to grow as local leaders who can make a difference in their congregations, as one participant said: “This seminar was to the point, simple, and motivational. I can’t wait to make a difference in my church.”

—Anton Kapusi is lead pastor of First Pueblo Adventist Church. Photos supplied.