RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … “Tithe and offering faithfulness is such a blessing in our Conference. Church members and their pastors are inspiring in their dedication to God, which is clearly visible in how God’s church is supported,” said Ed Barnett, RMC president.

In his report to the RMC Executive Committee on September 29, Barnett expressed gratitude to all RMC churches which, in spite of the volatile situation from the pandemic, are successfully using technology so that regular worship services can be conducted.

Reporting on RMC finances, George Crumley, RMC VP for finance, stated that through the month of August “our base tithe (which excludes windfalls), was only down by 0.80%. Our total tithe was down by 7.45%. The reason for the decrease this year,” he explained, “is because through 2019, we had windfalls of over $1,000,000, which we have not had this year.”

Because of weaker tithe and the uncertainty of the future, the Conference is not providing the inflationary pay increase in 2020, in step with all conferences across the North American Division.

Currently the Conference has a hiring freeze, Crumley commented. “Even though revenues are down on tithe itself, but we are still tracking fairly close to budget so far this year,” he reported.

Lonnie Hetterle, RMC education superintendent, shared education highlights. “In spite of the pandemic, RMC schools are open and adapting well” to an ever-changing situation and to safety needs. Hetterle said the new Bible curriculum, “Encounter Series” is life-changing for teachers and students, teaching relationship with Christ. Education is working toward a shift to standards-based instruction rather than just grade-level instruction. This measures the learning of the student.

The committee was also informed of the upcoming joint worship service to be conducted by Denver Park Hill and Littleton churches displaying acceptance and unity.

In a snapshot of the status of the hospitals dealing with the challenges of COVID, Morre Dean, Senior VP and Chief Integration Officer at Centura Health, and a member of the committee, said that the April-May months were the peak impact of the pandemic. Currently the numbers have dropped to a more normalized range in our hospitals. Adventist hospitals have done well at navigating this crisis and returning to a more normal operation. “The mission [of hospitals] is serving the community,” Dean stated.

Don Reeder, Campion Academy principal,  informed the committee that the school’s enrollment began with 142 students and is holding strong. The sale of the 65 acres of unused land will come close to completing the goal of Campion Academy’s endowment for a worthy student fund of 10 million dollars. Reeder added that the school welcomed many new staff members along with a new chaplain, and the school sees a resurgence of the literature ministry program reaching out to the community.

The committee voted for pastoral ordination recommendations to be passed on to the Mid-American Union Conference, which will be subject to the ordination committee review. It includes John Davidson from Cañon City, Bob McAlpine from Alamosa, Nathan Cranson from Montrose, and Matt Hasty, coordinator of Literature Ministry.

Eric Nelson updated the committee on the impact of COVID on our churches. “Most of our churches are open,” he said. He also referred to the required protocols and challenges that churches are facing from the pandemic.

In a report by the RMC Trust Department, its director, Doug Inglish said that the department has faced significant challenges with an overwhelming workload and backlog. They have made a procedural move to write more wills in serving members in our conference. “This streamlines the process and the upgrades in technology have also aided the department to be more efficient,” Inglish stated. The recent departmental audit affirmed these steps in efficiency and has given the RMC trust department the highest rating.  He summarized his report in saying that “the department progressed to a point where they wanted to be all along.”

The Executive Committee members were updated on the 2020 Town Hall filming, a program to be released on October 9 in NewsNuggets and on the RMC Facebook page.

–RMCNews