 |
|
ADVISED TO BE A FUNERAL DIRECTOR, SHE BECOMES A TRUST SERVICE EXPERT
RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … “When I was 18 years old, I took an interest survey in college that said I should be a funeral director. When you’re 18, you don’t want to hear that. I joked and laughed about it. But, you know, here I am, at the end of my career, working with wills and trusts and helping people plan for their legacy. The interest survey was probably right back then,” Mary Lynn Green, RMC’s new director of planned giving and trust services, said.
Mary Lynn Green, the fourth child of a railroader and nursing assistant, grew up in small-town America in Missouri. She recalls the town having around 2000 people and two main schools–a public and a Catholic school–both around the same enrollment. Green adds, “We were not rich in material things, but I never grew up thinking anything but that I had a very good life.”
|
|
 |
|
REINDER BRUINSMA, MOUNTAIN VIEWS AUTHOR, APPOINTED AS KNIGHT BY KING OF THE NETHERLANDS
RMCNews – Denver, Colorado … Reinder Bruinsma, known to readers of RMC Mountain Views magazine as a contributing author, was appointed on April 26 by King Willem-Alexander of the Netherlands as knight of the Order of Oranje-Nassau. A surprise to him and his wife, Aafie, the news became a joyful surprise to many of his readers, colleagues, and friends around the world.
“My wife and I were more or less abducted to the town hall of Zeewolde, where we were received by Gerrit Jan Gorter, the mayor of our town,” Bruinsma shared to his blog readers. The mayor said the King was “pleased” to bestow this honor on him. “Because of Corona restrictions, he was not allowed to pin the decorations on me, but asked my wife Aafje to do so,” he commented.
|
|
 |
|
CAMPION SENIORS ELEVATE CONNECTIONS ON CLASS TRIP TO ESTES PARK
By Sami Hodges – Loveland, Colorado … During the recent home leave to celebrate accomplishments and achievements, Campion Academy’s senior class withdrew to the mountains of Estes Park for a five-day getaway.
To kick off the trip, the seniors pulled an all-nighter in the gym on Tuesday, keeping themselves awake by playing games of basketball, volleyball, and cards, and eating snacks.
“I would say the best part of that night was around 3 a.m. when everyone was feeling delirious,” Tiffany Dien, Campion senior said. “We played charades and the group kept pestering Kevin to act the word out and he did an amazing job. One of the words was ‘Spider-Man’ so we all did the Spider-Man hand gesture and Ireland, in a confident voice, yelled, ‘Superman!’”
|
|
|
 |
|
HISPANIC CULTURE DISTINCTIVE IN RMC CHURCHES
By Vanessa Alarcón – Boulder, Colorado … In the Rocky Mountain Conference, a church designated as Hispanic signifies that their church service is held in Spanish. Currently, there are 29 Hispanic congregations in RMC. The outside observer might assume these congregations are similar because of their shared language. But apart from language, there is a set of other similar values, religious traditions, and shared challenges.
“I would say that there are 15 countries represented in our Hispanic congregations,” remarked Rubén Rivera, RMC Hispanic Ministries coordinator. “About 65% of our members are first-generation Hispanics while 35% are a mix of second-generation and third-generation Hispanics. This mix of identities and backgrounds within our churches makes each congregation’s culture even more distinctive,” Ruben Rivera explained.
|
|
 |
|
EQUIPPING LAY PASTORS FOR COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
By Jon Roberts – Denver, Colorado … “It’s my intention to just throw a lot [of information] at everybody, to feed them with a fire hose,” Nathan Skaife, pastor of the Grand Junction church, commented on the Lay Pastor Training in Denver, April 23 – 25 at the Rocky Mountain Conference office.
The gathering, which was the first in-person class of the year for the Denver area, included 17 individuals, many representing the ethnically diverse churches in RMC. The topics covered included covenant theology and best practices for church growth.
For Skaife, the tri-annual meetings are developed out of a love for the Scriptures and a desire to equip individuals to better serve the church and the community.
|
|
 |
|
LOVE MATTERS MOST HIGHLIGHTED AT MHA SERVICE DAY
By MHA News — Highlands Ranch, Colorado … “I enjoyed giving to people and spreading God’s word,” said Lindsey, Mile High Academy seventh-grader, reflecting on their annual service day.
Recently, MHA students and staff participated in the school’s annual Love Matters Most Service Day on April 22.
Becca Berg, upper school teacher, chaplain and service day coordinator, explains why service is important to MHA. “Service is a humbling part of our CHERISH core values. Not only is the event a highlight of the school year, [but it also] gives our students a day to focus on walking in Jesus’ footsteps by serving and helping others.”
This year’s focus was on serving several Denver-metro area churches. The students worked hard organizing Sabbath School rooms, vacuuming and dusting, washing windows, cleaning up flowerbeds and handing out bags of food and other necessities to homes in the area.
|
|
|
|
