NN Aug 2023 Page 3

By Roger Hernandez

Two and a half years have passed since we decided to stop watching 24-hour news channels in our house. It’s been amazing! Let me share our experience, it may not be yours, but it’s been a blessing for us. In fact, it’s been one of the BEST decisions we have made as a couple.

1. Less anxious (me). Less upset (Kathy). We found ourselves enjoying life more. During the pandemic, I saw someone for my mental health. After we stopped watching the “news” channels we had more peace of mind. I can get information in healthier ways without compromising of my [health].
2. Kathy and I asked ourselves, are we consumers or creators? We made a concerted and intentional switch to produce more and consume the madness, less.
3. The never-ending news feed on humans’ worst traits is toxic. The same people fight on TV and go get a steak after the show. Meanwhile, the audience is left in a rage that the next show fuels and on and on. I decided to go out to eat myself instead of paying for other people’s steaks.
4. I was frustrated with keyboard warriors that used talking points from their favorite talking heads to foment some more talking while not engaging the real need. I am not sure about you, but I know people close to me with big words and small acts. I decided to help more and watch less.
5. I saw no space for nuance, questions, or healthy disagreement from other people who had a steady diet of MSCNNOX etc. If you are not 100% in line with my views, then you are the spawn of Satan … or the child of Satan. Not really sure which one.

These are my thoughts. Take care of your mental health and stay engaged, active, and helpful. There are some core issues that I stand on and will never move. Those are mine to share, or not. But when everything is a core issue, nothing is. I don’t want to be so enraged with trivial matters, that I can’t engage effectively when it matters most.

—Roger Hernandez is director of Ministerial and Evangelism Departments for the Southern Union Conference. Published by permission from North American Division ministerial department newsletter.

Jade Teal – Casper, Wyoming … The summer camp season finished up with 36 RMC camp staff members and 57 campers at Mills Spring Ranch (MSR) in Casper, Wyoming. Campers ages 8-17 participated in activities like wilderness survival, team sports, arts and crafts, horsemanship and more, all with a spiritual focus.

The counseling staff members were very intentional about making cabin worship times safe spaces where kids could ask questions. The kids responded well and opened up about some of the struggles they were having both in their spiritual life and general issues in their personal lives. Staff members listened, prayed with them, and pointed them to Jesus. Several of the kids come from non-Christian homes and were introduced to a God who truly loves them for the first time.

Thursday night had a special spiritual focus with an agape dinner. It was held in an open-air chapel with tables arranged in the shape of a cross. Michael Taylor, lead pastor at Casper Seventh-day Adventist Church, shared a about what a testimony is, shared part of his testimony, and then invited the campers and staff to share their testimony if they felt led to. Many chose to share their stories with the group, and the presence of God was felt deeply through some very significant testimonies.

Following the program that night, cabins split up to talk in small groups about God’s calling on each individual’s life. During those conversations, many campers made the decision to follow Jesus and dignify that decision by being baptized. Eighteen campers were baptized the following morning, with several more making plans with their families to be baptized at a later date.

Brent Learned, RMC assistant youth director and camp manager at MSR, was integral in setting the tone that facilitated these decisions in Jesus. He said, “It was incredible to see the Spirit move through the intentionality of the staff mentoring campers through addiction recovery, panic attacks, depression, and home sickness through cabin worships, morning and evening worship, and activity worships. Campers and staff members experiencing Jesus and being filled with the Holy Spirit was evident during MSR camp by the 18 campers baptized into Christ on the last day of camp with several more planned for the near future.”

Please join us in praying for all the campers who made a decision to follow Jesus for the first time this summer, or re-committed their lives to Him, and those in whom a seed has been planted that God will grow in His own time.

—Jade Teal is the RMC assistant youth director. Photo supplied.

Karrie Meyers – Highlands Ranch, Colorado … While Mile High Academy’s (MHA) news primarily focuses on its students, campus events, and teacher recognition, the school acknowledges the integral role of parents in helping MHA to be the remarkable school that it is today. Ray Bailey is such a community member. He and his wife, Jamie, are proud parents of two MHA students, Emma and Aria. This family not only actively volunteers on campus, but they also own their own video production company, RayBaileyTV.

“My love for theater production and my study of communication lead me to embrace the art of storytelling through visuals,” said Bailey. “I love showcasing individuals as leading actors from my place behind the camera.”

Over the past several years, Bailey has helped MHA produce several videos, sharing not only the message of the school but also featuring the lasting memories and classroom connections unique to each student.

Once such class—robotics—has become not only significant in education, but also a popular elective for MHA’s students. It’s become so popular that MHA continues to incorporate it into its scholastic curriculum and has expanded the elective opportunity to both the upper and middle schools.

In 2022, MHA’s upper school robotics team attended and won the Adventist Robotics tournament held at Forest Lake Academy in Orlando, Florida. To promote this remarkable achievement, MHA partnered with RayBaileyTV to produce a behind-the-scenes promotional video to be used for marketing purposes.

The resulting video was nominated for the recent Heartland Emmy’s Education/Schools in the Short Form Content category. And while the video didn’t secure the Emmy, MHA extends its profound gratitude to Bailey and his team for their dedication to producing a quality video.

Andrew Carpenter, MHA’s principal, expressed his gratitude saying, “We are tremendously grateful to have Ray and his family as valued members of our community. Ray’s commitment to our campus, whether operating a drone, capturing breathtaking photos and footage, or engaging with students, reflects his recognition that every individual has an essential role in telling the story of our school. The robotics video he crafted was truly remarkable, and we eagerly anticipate continuing this partnership for years to come.”

Click here to watch the captivating robotics video in its entirety.

—Karrie Meyers is the marketing and development coordinator at Mile High Academy. Photo supplied.

Elizabeth Camps – Denver, Colorado … AdventHealth, one of the nation’s largest faith-based health care systems, is renaming Avista Adventist Hospital, Castle Rock Adventist Hospital, Littleton Adventist Hospital, Parker Adventist Hospital, and Porter Adventist Hospital, as it assumes direct management as of August 1 of these facilities that have for many years been managed through a partnership with CommonSpirit Health called Centura Health.

The AdventHealth hospitals will now be rebranded AdventHealth Avista, AdventHealth Castle Rock, AdventHealth Littleton, AdventHealth Parker and AdventHealth Porter. In addition, the related care sites and physician practices will also be renamed to reflect AdventHealth’s national brand and the brand promise it is known for, to help people feel whole.

“We are excited to directly manage the operations of our hospitals and care sites in Colorado, to welcome our caregivers and team members back into the AdventHealth family, and to continue to provide whole-person care to the communities we serve,” said Terry Shaw, president/CEO for AdventHealth.

AdventHealth has appointed Brett Spenst to serve as president/CEO for the Rocky Mountain Region of AdventHealth, which, in addition to the five full-service hospitals, includes freestanding emergency rooms, urgent care centers, imaging services, outpatient services, and primary and specialty physician practice locations.

Most recently, Spenst served as the senior finance officer and chief information officer at Adventist Health in California. Spenst previously served AdventHealth as the CEO of AdventHealth Orlando, where he provided crucial leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic and made significant contributions to the development of that market. Before his time at AdventHealth Orlando, Spenst was the president/CEO of Littleton Adventist Hospital.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to AdventHealth and Colorado to lead our teams of skilled and compassionate caregivers as we serve our communities and help them experience wholeness through our care, now fully backed by the strength of a powerful nationwide network,” said Spenst.

AdventHealth is committed to a smooth transition with a focus on taking care of team members and providers, continuing to deliver safe, high-quality, whole person care, and supporting health and wholeness in its communities.

About AdventHealth: With a sacred mission of Extending the Healing Ministry of Christ, AdventHealth is a connected system of care for every stage of life and health. More than 90,000 team members across hundreds of care sites including physician practices, hospitals, outpatient clinics, home health agencies and hospice centers provide individualized, wholistic care. A shared vision, common values, focus on whole-person health and commitment to making communities healthier unify the system’s more than 50 hospital campuses in diverse markets throughout nine states. For more information about AdventHealth, visit AdventHealth.com/news. For more information about AdventHealth’s Rocky Mountain Region, visit AdventHealth.com/Colorado.

—Elizabeth Camps is the AdventHealth Senior Stakeholder Specialist for Corporate Communications.