June 5, 2020

AMERICA IS HURTING. WHERE IS THE CHURCH?

By Jon Roberts – Denver, Colorado . . . America is hurting. America is burning. Can America survive the violence by the men and women who are supposed to protect us? Can America survive those who are destroying businesses in the name of peace and equality?

These are questions many are asking in the wake of the unrest happening across America.

Writing this on Sunday, May 31, I once again find myself locked down in my apartment; this time due to, not the pandemic, but to the violence and destruction happening in Denver.

WATCHING OUR WORLD BURN — COMMENTARY

By Doug Inglish — Some tragedies are entirely predictable. Sometimes leadership is complacent about real problems. Isaiah records such a situation in the story of Hezekiah, specifically in Chapter 39.

Remember, Hezekiah is one of the good guys, but sometimes good guys don’t have the right attitude or do the right thing. When told of the coming destruction of Judah at the hands of Babylon, his response was that this was good news, because it would not happen until after his time. In a way, his attitude was a precursor to that of Luis XVI who bankrupted the nation with his self-indulgence and shrugged it off by saying (roughly translated,) “After me comes the flood.”

DENVER ADVENTIST MINISTERS DIALOGUE ON RACIAL ISSUES

By Jon Roberts – Littleton, Colorado . . . “Standing up, listening up, and looking up” were the focus of an open dialogue on grace and race held by two Littleton Church pastors on Facebook Live, May 3.

“Standing up for injustice—listening up to the experiences minority groups have endured,” said Chris Morris, associate pastor, and “looking up, a reference to researching and reading. We want to provide practical ways for you to be able to act.”

MINISTRY IN THE AFTERMATH OF GEORGE FLOYD’S DEATH

By Jose Cortes, Jr – Columbia, Maryland . . . “I can’t breathe…”

“Mama, mama…”

“I need water… I can’t breathe”

These were the words that kept me, my wife and our two teenage sons, glued to the screen, as we watched George Floyd’s life slowly slip away, as a white police officer knelt on his neck. Yes we were watching the last moments of a man’s life, on the pavement, handcuffed, begging for air, water, mama, with the knee of a cruel man on his neck. Tears, sadness, and hurt filled my heart as my stomach tightened with anger. The human being in me, knew this had to be wrong. The United States citizen in me, knew this was definitely illegal. The Christian in me knew this was sinful, a commandment was definitely being broken. And the Pastor in me, knew for sure this was morally reprehensible.

A CALL TO STAND AGAINST RACISM

Lincoln, Nebraska . . . Response to the murder of George Floyd in Minneapolis by Gary Thurber, president, Mid-America Union Conference of the Seventh-Day Adventist Church.

GVR UPDATES AND REOPENING PLANS

By Keifer Dooley – Glacier View Ranch, Colorado . . .On Wednesday, May 27 the Glacier View Ranch (GVR) Board met to discuss the current status of GVR and to bring ideas that will move forward the mission of the property, facility and program. Glacier View Ranch exists as a space for people to gather and to experience; to explore ideas, adventure in beautiful places, ignite passions, summit mountains and moments, engage in relationships and to connect with God, as revealed by Jesus Christ in the inspired Word.

COVID- 19 NEWS & UPDATES

COVID- 19 RESOURCES

By Rajmund Dabrowski — We all have stories. This one is mine to tell.

It was exactly 18-years ago, on May 31, 2002, when I connected with a page of my family history and could not, but let tears flow to no end.

We were standing on the bank of Dojnicia, a brook weaving through the village of Bojarka in Western Ukraine. My father pointed without hesitation to the very place where in 1943 the family found Antoni, his uncle. His arms were broken and nails sticking out of his head. “He was a blacksmith and the water-well crank he made is still working. They killed him ruthlessly, and we were instantly scared, asking ourselves what might happen to the rest of the family,” he explained.

By Lee Lee Dart — When I was 5 years old, I would help my grandfather on his farm in Texas to pick strawberries. He would tell me to only pick the ripe ones. I was a child who was a pleaser and wanted to get things just right, so I would ask him after I picked each one “Is this one ripe?” This desire to pick right has carried me all the way through adulthood. As a life-long Adventist and now a pastor, I long to please my heavenly Father in all I do and say. I have been blessed by my Adventist tribe in so many ways and thank God for the beautiful picture I have come to know of Christ through our beliefs.

CAMPION ACADEMY STATEMENT ON RACISM
 

By Don Reeder – Loveland, Colorado . . . “We understand that many of our students have been faced with acts of racism during their lives.” stated Don Reeder, principal Campion Academy.

Campion’s full statement below:

A TIME FOR COMPASSION AND HEALING: OUR CHRIST-CENTERED MISSION

By Ted N.C. Wilson – Silver Spring, Maryland . . . In this time of pain and unrest across the United States, our hearts continue to go out in sympathy to all who have suffered, and especially to the families of Ahmaud Arbery, Breonna Taylor, and George Floyd, whose lives ended tragically.

VIDEO - END RACISM. LOVE SELF.

By Ron Price — Farmington, New Mexico . . . Like you, I hate what is going on in our country right now. And while I do not pretend to have all the answers, I’m confident that what you are about to hear, in the video I created, plays a major role in racism, and many other relationship difficulties.

CODY CHURCH RE-OPENS TO A GRATEFUL GROUP

By Samantha Nelson— Cody, Wyoming… After months of closure, the Cody Seventh-day Adventist Church re-opened on May 30 for the first time since the COVID-19 pandemic forced churches and other establishments to lock up their places of worship. The group of attendees on this first Sabbath back in operation was excited and happy to return to the house of the Lord to worship together. Even though social distancing guidelines were in place, there was a warm and friendly atmosphere and a genuine joy to be together again. It felt like a family reunion!

HMS RICHARDS 8TH GRADE RECOGNITION VESPERS

By Campion Connections — Loveland, Colorado . . . The Campion church came together with HMS Richards school to host a special drive-in Sabbath Vespers for 8th graders.

As members entered the church parking lot, they were greeted by the Nelson family offering snacks.

The vespers began under a cloudy sky that threatened rain, but it didn’t dampen the spirits of the 8^th graders.

NORTH AMERICAN DIVISION OF SEVENTH-DAY ADVENTISTS ISSUES RESPONSE TO RECENT DEATHS AND RACIAL TURMOIL

North American Division of Seventh-day Adventists Administration — Columbia, Maryland . . .The Seventh-day Adventist Church in North America is responding to the tragic killings of Ahmaud Arbery in Georgia, Breonna Taylor in Kentucky, George Floyd in Minnesota, and other recent events that clearly document the racial divide destroying the quality of life for so many and the very fabric of our democratic society. As Christians we condemn such actions of hate and violence and call for justice to be served for the victims and their families.

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