Liz Kirkland – Denver, Colorado … A year-long series of public concerts, community outreach initiatives, and Bible study efforts across southeast Colorado has energized local Seventh-day Adventist churches as part of the North American Division initiative Pentecost 2025 in their mission to connect residents with Jesus in meaningful and accessible ways.
Beginning in August, Ted Williams, district pastor for Trinidad, Alamosa, and Monte Vista Seventh-day Adventist Churches, and ministry partner Mary Bennett coordinated with local Adventist churches a three-city music evangelism effort. Williams commented, “It was awesome. God opened the doors for all this stuff, and it all fit together.”
A Three-Month Evangelistic Concert Cycle
The outreach opened with international Christian violinist Jaime Jorge, who performed in Trinidad on August 22, Lamar on August 23, and La Junta on August 24. In September, vocalist Michael Harris followed the same rotation from September 26–28, with the Folk Mountain Gospel duo concluding the cycle October 17–19, even being Alamosa in the morning of October 18.
Each venue—including Trinidad State College’s theater, Lamar High School’s auditorium, and at the newly remodeled Otero College Stafford Theater in La Junta—was intentionally held in neutral public spaces rather than church buildings: “These concerts were intended for people to meet Jesus in a neutral environment,” remarked Williams.
Attendance exceeded expectations, with one La Junta concert drawing 55 people. “People came up to me and said, ‘We didn’t know you had anything like this. Please do this again,’” he recalled.
Lamar: Media Outreach and Public Bible Programs
Lamar Church expanded the concerts with six nights of Voice of Prophecy programming, including MindFit, and extensive citywide outreach. The team mailed 5,000 of Ellen G. White’s Pathways to Peace books to every address in town, followed by personal visits from Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) pastor and area Bible worker Julio Diaz.
The event was broadly advertised through local radio, news media, and personally delivered flyers, with the turnout averaging around 30. While the response was lower than hoped, it was meaningful and added to interest lists that are now being cultivated for continued outreach.
La Junta: Thousands Reached Through Settler’s Day
The Arkansas Valley Church near La Junta, Colorado, held its annual booth at Settler’s Day community event, September 6. Over 300 Bibles from the 1,400 Bibles that Bennet had purchased from the closing of a Christian bookstore were given away that day.
Residents also signed up to receive the full Ellen G. White Conflict of the Ages series. “People were actually asking for them … they were excited about the books,” Williams said. “Pastor Julio passed out 70-some sets from this year’s session.”
Many different additional Christian publications, “Under the Influence of Jesus” t-shirts, and over 600 “Get Out of Hell Free” water bottles were also distributed. Williams noted, “We have something for everyone.”
The church also hosted Lee Venden, a nationally renowned pastor, educator, and author with ties to the RMC, with his ministry partner and wife Margie for a multi-day evangelistic weekend October 24–26. Ongoing efforts with local pastors and community members have continued to expand spiritual connections. “Pastor [Bryan] Choi has been a breath of fresh air. Things are working well with his leadership, and he is taking it to the next level,” praised Williams, fellow RMC pastor.
Trinidad: Steady Attendance and Growing Inclusivity
Diaz wrapped up the regional efforts for the year, November 16-22, with a special series at the Trinidad Church entitled “What is Truth?” Trinidad’s evangelistic week drew as many as 20 attendees nightly, with a full church for the Sabbath services. Williams highlighted an unexpected blessing of a group of 10–15 residents with limited English proficiency from a nearby Bible camp attending weekly, some of which are not Adventist.
“The [Trinidad] Church is learning to incorporate people that they didn’t know,” Bennet said. “They’re starting to work together, which is really awesome. That’s what Pentecost 2025 is—evangelism and incorporating the world to come to know the Lord. It’s presenting Jesus Christ to the to anybody and everybody and then letting Jesus Christ and the Holy Spirit convict them.”
A Culture of Openness and Evangelism
The team emphasizes long-term impact, and, ultimately, Bennet said the churches are embracing their calling: “The churches are opening up which was my understanding of Pentecost 2025—to present the gospel and invite people to come to know the Lord. I’m seeing it happen, and It’s exciting.”
—Interview conducted by Liz Kirkland, Rocky Mountain Conference Communication director with Ted Williams is the district pastor of Trinidad, Alamosa, and Monte Vista Seventh-day Adventist Churches and ministry partner Mary Bennet. Initial article draft curated by ChatGPT based on the interview; extensive revisions and editing by Liz Kirkland. Photos courtesy of Ted Williams.
