Rajmund Dabrowski – Denver, Colorado … Due to challenging weather conditions in the mountains at Glacier View Ranch in Ward, Colorado, pastors from the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) met at Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church in Littleton, Colorado, for their annual conference, March 18-19. “We broke with tradition by picking a site which is safer for traveling,” commented the event organizer, Mickey Mallory, RMC ministerial director.
When talking with the participants, one noted the meeting’s had a high level of spiritual atmosphere. At the opening of the meeting, the ministers were challenged by Mic Thurber, RMC president, to focus on what ought to be of the first importance, the focus on Jesus Christ.
“Is Jesus enough for you?” he asked.
The program of the meeting featured presentations by Dr. Michael Campbell about Adventist fundamentalism and the early developments of the church in the first decades of the 20th century. Campbell, a historian and director of archives, statistics, and research for the North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists. The now eminent Adventist historian, Campbell is already known to the Conference as he pastored churches in Colorado.
Mallory explained the choice of presenter. “We invited Dr. Michael Campbell because of his knowledge of Adventist history. He helped to show us how some of the challenges in the application of fundamental beliefs during the early 1900s are still being the issues in the church today. He called us back to the Bible in how we implement our beliefs,” he shared.
The Littleton meeting also provided an opportunity to meet and hear presentations from the RMC leaders and departmental directors.
For many of the participating ministers, Dr. Campbell’s presentations offered perspectives on the church’s theological ups and downs and how the past is challenging the church today. His narrative included shared data derived from many unpublished documents which are presented in his two recent books, 1919: The Untold Story of Adventism’s Struggle with Fundamentalism, and 1922: The Rise of Adventist Fundamentalism.
“Dr. Campbell was fantastic. He was informative, but in a very bring the history to life kind of way. And so, it was a very engaging presentation as he makes the past relevant to the present,” said Michael Taylor, pastor of the Wyoming’s Casper District.
He added, “I appreciate how easy it could have been to celebrate the pioneers of the past, but the pioneers are only who they are because of how Jesus walked in and through them. And so, I love that all of Adventism, as history is now being put in the context of our relationship with God.”
“I appreciate the fellowship, the spirit of just being together, having that we’ve had a few meetings that weren’t together like this. And I love how it feels to just come together with my colleagues in between the sessions,” Pastor Taylor remarked.
Pastor Geoff Patterson voiced his appreciation for being at the meeting with colleagues in ministry: “I appreciate this meeting a lot, particularly, Michael Campbell had some incredible context to give us. And it’s always important to hear the reports from the different groups and departments in the Conference. And it’s good to connect with fellow pastors.”
Referring to Campbell’s presentations, Pastor Patterson commented, “it’s interesting how often themes repeat, even if the details are different [with] that constant pull between a concept of fidelity that links us to a tendency towards fundamentalism with the opposite side that is pulling us forward to understand what we are learning happens now, in fear of what’s actually coming off the tracks. So, living in that tension, I think it’s very strong right now.”
Also among the visitors was Craig Carr, a former Colorado pastor and RMC ministerial director, currently in charge of the ministry in the Mid-America Union Conference, Lincoln, Nebraska. “It is fantastic being back, seeing old friends that are not as old. But also seeing what God has been up to in this area and to see the growth of the Front Range, which just continues to blossom with the economy and with population growth as well as the opportunities and the challenges that present themselves to our churches.”
Several of the participating ministers met their colleagues for the first time. Among them was Ian Reyes, associate pastor at Newday Adventist Church in Parker, Colorado. “It’s been great being at these ministry meetings. I’m pretty new in ministry, and my favorite part has just been connecting with people that have been in this a lot longer than I have. They gave me perspective on not just ministry, but actually about parenting being about to have my first daughter and just them being able to license family and ministry. That’s been such a big blessing,” he commented.
“Presentations have been great. My favorite part, I think, was Michael Campbell and just getting that perspective on how we got to where we are today. Both positive, but also some difficult things that our denomination is struggling with and that we even see at local church level with some of the mindset,” he added.
Nathaniel Gamble, RMC Religious liberty director, summed up his thoughts about a two-day ministerial gathering, and how it has impacted him: “I found Michael Campbell’s presentations reinvigorating my Adventism and belief in the mission. And it was refreshing to hear from so many leaders about focusing on Jesus.”
Mic Thurber, RMC president gave his final thoughts: “I was reminded right from the beginning of our time together this week of how blessed we are with the pastoral team in the Rocky Mountain Conference. I loved the sense of community and common mission that we shared as we listened, sang, prayed, and learned together.”
Thurber continued, “It was also a joy watching our pastors connect with each other to offer friendship, support, and encouragement. I’m thankful to have spent these few hours with them and look forward to how the Lord will continue to bless each one as they lead our churches to be a force for God where they are planted.”
—Rajmund Dabrowski is RMC communication director. Photos by Rajmund Dabrowski.