By Doug Inglish
Dotted around the Rocky Mountain Conference are many small churches. I consider them vital, because they represent the Adventist message in communities that might not otherwise have access to it. Beyond providing worship opportunities for the faithful few members, they exist so that within those communities, the message is alive, and whatever harvest results is worth it all.
But it is also true that in some of those places, those faithful few don’t have anyone who would attend a church school or academy. There is no one of the appropriate age to attend Glacier View Ranch or Mill Springs Ranch, and none of the people are really the camping type so they don’t attend family camp. Usually, none is in a position to benefit from the services of La Vida Mission. And, assuming the church is in good repair and adequate for their needs, there will be no major purchases or renovations. So, other than maybe sharing periodically in the evangelism fund, what interest would there be in supporting Rocky Mountain Advance, which funds these programs?
There are several potential answers. For one, you never know what the future holds. It’s good to have the assurance that if you do need a major repair, you can get some assistance. And if you rejoice in welcoming a new family, whether through baptism or transfer, the experiences their children have at camp can bless your people now and help hold on to the next generation. Same goes for Campion Academy. Even if no one in our church is able to take advantage of those ministries now, keeping them going could prove to be a blessing to someone close to you down the road.
Another reason to support these ministries is that the ones who are blessed by them now may someday find themselves living in your community. The person who gave his heart to Jesus when he went to a church school years ago which your advance offering supported may get a job that brings him into your congregation. A few years later, having discovered and developed his gifts at the academy supported by your offerings, he is now prepared to use those gifts in your church.
But I believe the strongest argument for supporting these ministries is a selfless one. Even if I never see any of it come back to my church, somebody was blessed by them. After all, not all of my offerings need to be for things directly connected to me. I have supported mission offerings for years without ever meeting the people who went to the church I helped build in a country I never visited. Nothing in it for me but the certainty that many will be in the kingdom because of millions of people like me who gave because we saw something beyond ourselves worth supporting.
But why should we only bless those on other continents? Churches within a couple hours drive from me are carrying on ministries that my church may not be in a position to carry out ourselves. But the people blessed by those ministries are no less precious to Heaven that the ones on the other side of the globe. The Rocky Mountain Advance offering is there to support them.
No matter where I am, or what my church is doing, the ministries supported by the Advance offering are hit and miss as to whether they will affect my immediate situation. All of us can participate in evangelism. Few will even set foot on La Vida Mission’s campus. But we can all be supportive. Your generosity is appreciated by students, by campers, by people hearing our message, and by those who gather in churches with new roofs and upgraded bathrooms. Bless you all.
–Doug Inglish is RMC director of planned giving and trust services. Email him at: [email protected]