President's Corner

The Celebration Continues

 

 

Meetings at the Albuquerque Heights Church concludes with many new members.



(left to right) Bob and Teri Montoya, Mary and Pastor Richard Halversen, and Pastor David and Stephanie Merling.

 

Thirteen people joined the Albuquerque Heights Church through baptism or profession of faith on April 1, 2016.  Evangelist Richard Halversen conducted a seminar based on the book of Revelation through the month of March.


Attendees came out night after night to hear thrilling truths revealed from God's Word. Participants called the messages "timely" and felt compelled to take a stand for Jesus and His cause.  Many were astounded to see how closely world events are in alignment with the plain teachings of prophetic scripture. 
 
Pastor David Merling arranged a follow up banquet, together with a new member orientation, which was well attended.  The pastor is conducting a Daniel prophecy seminar twice weekly for the new members.  
 
Please pray for these new people as they grow in Christ and in their new found faith.

By Jep Choate

Yepsica Moreno is the associate pastor for Native Ministries in Gallup and Crown Point .

 

The Texico Conference has a new addition to the pastoral staff.  Yepsica Moreno was recently hired as an associate pastor to work particularly with Native Ministries in the Gallup and Crown Point, NM area. 


Yepsica Moreno was born in Bogotá, Colombia, South America.  After completing secondary school, she worked in sales and as a receptionist before attending Colombia Adventist University in Medellin.  While attending the university she worked as a cashier, receptionist and assistant to the treasurer before graduating with a major in accounting and a Bachelor of Arts degree in 2006.

A month after graduation she immigrated to the United States and worked in New York City for a religious denomination’s publishing department in sales of books and literature and as an accountant for “Life Line to Africa.”  During those two years of contact with the public, she sensed a call to the Gospel ministry and decided to pursue theological studies at Andrews University in Berrien Springs, Michigan.  While there she learned about expressing ministry as a chaplain.  Having been exposed to the civil unrest in Colombia, she felt drawn to the military chaplaincy.  During the course of her seminary studies, she received ecclesiastical endorsement as a chaplain candidate in the U.S. Army, was commissioned a Second Lieutenant and attended the Chaplain Officer Basic Leadership Course at Fort Jackson, South Carolina.  While at the U.S. Army Chaplain Center and School, Armed Forces Chaplain Center, Lt. Moreno took the oath of allegiance and became a proud citizen of the United States of America.
 
While attending seminary, Lt. Moreno was attached to the 415^th Civil Affair Battalion, in Kalamazoo, Michigan.  In addition to the monthly weekend drills with the USAR unit, she completed a unit (one quarter / 400 hours) of Clinical Pastoral Education at a hospital in Kettering, Ohio.  While assisting with a parish congregation, she was also ordained an elder in the church.  These practicums enhanced her preparation for accessioning into the U.S. Army Reserve as a chaplain on May 24, 2016.
 
After graduating with the Master of Divinity degree from the SDA Theological Seminary at Andrews University in 2015, Yepsica was employed to work specifically with Native Ministries in the Gallup and Crown Point, NM area, where she is currently serving.  Her new military unit is the 372^nd Quartermaster Battalion on Kirtland Air Force Base in Albuquerque, New Mexico. 
 
She enjoys hiking, cooking, her two dogs and caring for her mother.  She brings much life experience and education into the responsibilities of pastoral care and outreach for the communities of West Central and Northwestern New Mexico.

By Sue Hinkle and Yepsica Moreno

 

John 15:13 reads, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for his friends.”

 
It is Sunday morning and as I sat down for my morning devotional, I received an e-mail telling me that today 22 veterans will commit suicide. Beloved, that is 8,030 this year alone!  Now I know I have written about the lessons I learned from being in the Navy, but today I would like to share the greatest lesson the Navy has taught me; that is, we never leave a fellow soldier, airman, Marine or sailor behind.  Unfortunately this is just what we are doing.


Did you know that more veterans will die as a result of suicide than being killed in combat? While I have never contemplated killing myself, many of you have and you understand that if someone does not step in to fill the void that is in that person’s heart, they will be lost.
 
So, why am I writing this article rather than reading my Bible?  I believe that as Christians we need to reach out and make an effort to save these brave men and women that put their lives on the line for us every day.  We need to understand that these brave people do not go in to the service because the government tells them to; instead, it is just the opposite.  These men and women go in to the service because they believe that you and I are worth dying for.  They believe that one life is nothing compared to the lives we leave at home.  Because of this belief and their sacrifice of serving multiple tours of duty in a war zone, their lives and the lives of their families have been changed forever.
 
How do we as everyday citizens make a difference?  How do we make a difference in their lives so that when Satan comes knocking and showing them all the things they have seen during their time fighting for you, and making them feel the only way to stop the voices and images is to take their lives?  As I sit here and think about what I can do, I start by stopping every service member I see walking down the street and saying, “Thank you for your service.”  If they are in line buying something, I buy it for them as a reminder that they have not been forgotten.  As a church I start a program where we honor these veterans and remind them that they will never be alone, that God is always with them but most of all I pray with and for them.
  
This world is so full of violence at home and abroad.  I promise you these men and women have seen the worst of it.  Without your help there may be another veteran who takes their life. We need to help them understand that their life means something to us but more importantly their life means everything to God.  They need to know the words found in Psalm 46:1, “God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.”  Beloved, many of our church members have the skills to help our injured veterans.  I ask you to reach out to them and develop a program in your church to help these people who are your neighbors. With your assistance we can truly make a positive difference in their lives!
 
2 Samuel 22:2-4
² And he said: “The Lord is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; ³ The God of my strength, in whom I will trust; my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold and my refuge; my Savior, You save me from violence.  ⁴ I will call upon the Lord, who is worthy to be praised; So shall I be saved from my enemies.”
 
These men and women need to know that God loves them and if you and I can help just one soldier, airman, Marine or sailor understand that they are not alone, then maybe today that number will be zero veterans committing suicide.

By Bobby Harris,
Assistant Texico Prayer Ministries Director and Pastor of the Clayton, Dalhart, Pampa and Raton District

Excited members from the Socorro Church gather for the drive thru prayer event. 
 

A church district of Los Lunas, Socorro and Belen, NM, held prayer drive thru events in each of their towns during the months of March and April.  The following tells about prayer events that took place in Socorro.


We had very positive responses and plenty of eager volunteers who just couldn’t wait to be able to reach out in prayer to this community that is drowning in addiction and despair. Several vehicles stopped by with passengers requesting prayer. It felt so good to watch the stressed looks on their faces turn to looks of relief and peace as we prayed. The event was set up as a drive thru with two small canopies.  One canopy for adults, where we had literature and water bottles. The bottles had customized labels, which included an invitation to our church, along with the address and service times. The other canopy was set up as a children’s area that had plenty of coloring activities to enjoy while the parents were praying. Two volunteers per vehicle prayed with the driver/passengers and distributed literature. People also filled out cards that were entered into a drawing for a nice food basket. Five cards were marked with a “Yes” for Bible studies.

 

Prayer drive thru in Socorro

 

Then on May 21, the Socorro Church held a prayer walk through town. There were 30 participants from four different churches in Socorro. We prayed with firefighters and other first responders at a fire station and continued our walk while praying for the community. At the Old Plaza, we had prayer in the gazebo then enjoyed fellowship, sang songs and ate watermelon.  The volunteers from the other churches, as well as, our Adventist members are looking forward to the next activity.

 

30 participants from four different churches take to the streets on a prayer walk and then enjoy a time of fellowship at the Old Plaza gazebo in Socorro.

 
By Elaine Torres and Pastor Erwin de Graaff

Attendees of the Texico Youth Rally in front of the Odessa College Electronics Technology Building in Odessa, TX




Guest speaker for the weekend was Pastor Helvis Moody from the Southwestern Union Conference.
 

The spring Texico Youth Rally was held in Odessa Texas, April 22-23. The churches from Odessa and Midland combined forces to host this event at the Odessa College Saulsbury Center. The hard work and collaboration paid off with about 250 people attending! The youth rally was called "R U Ready?".


The rally focused on the questioning if the youth are ready to finish the race that is set before us. We are all on our journey and strive to get to the finish line, that is the pearly gates of Heaven.

We had great speakers who encouraged and challenged us, Pastors Fernando Villegas, Leroy Green, Mike Razon, and our main speaker Pastor Helvis Moody, of the Southwestern Union Conference. The weekend was filled with skits, special music, praise and meeting one another. We had a can food drive, which all donations went to a local organization who go into the homeless camps around Odessa and feed, clothe and minister to those less fortunate.

Throughout the event we shared a hashtag so everyone could post their pictures. Using #ReadySetGo16 you can find some pictures and posts from the event.

We give thanks to all of the participants and volunteers who put in their time and effort to make this a great youth rally.
 

 

Pastors Fernando Villegas, Texico Young Adult Director (top) and Mike Razon, Youth Director (below)

 

Article written by Natalie Baeza
Photos taken by Nefritire Razon

The Albuquerque North Valley/Belen Forever Faithful Chilies earn second place certificate at the North American Division Pathfinder Bible Experience. 
 

Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE) is gaining in popularity and excitement in the Texico Conference.  This year's study focused on the book of Exodus and ten Texico teams studied hard to participate.


The area testings were conducted in late January and early February and were held in Lubbock, Belen and El Paso.  The Pathfinders answered 90 questions taken from Exodus and the SDA Bible Commentary over the introduction to Exodus.  The team with the highest score and all those with 90% of that score in each area were advanced to the Conference Level testing.
 

Texico Pathfinders testing at the Lubbock Church

The Texico Conference Level testing was held in Lubbock in the middle of February.  There were four teams who had advanced from the Area Level testing.  Chris and Amiee Clapp read the questions, in English and Spanish, while Phil Robertson, Susan Zimmermann and Robert Plant presided as judges.  Three of the teams advanced to the Union Level testing.

 

PBE testing at the Southwestern Union Conference level (top) and North American Division (below).


 

The Southwestern Union Level testing was held the middle of March in Houston, TX.  Two teams from El Paso Central Church and a team from North Valley/Belen participated.  There was a total of 26 teams from the Southwestern Union participating.  Again, 90 questions were answered and the top team and all those with 90% of that score were advanced to the North American Division (NAD) PBE testing. There were thirteen teams that advanced.  One from the Texico Conference and twelve from Texas.  The Pathfinders were finding that the book of Exodus was much harder than the book of Matthew that they had tested over the previous year.

The final competition was in Prescott, AZ with one hundred teams from all over the country, Canada, England and Bermuda.  Congratulations to the North Valley/Belen team, who achieved a second place win at the NAD level.
 

 
By Derral Reeve,
Texico Education Superintendent

Eighth grade students with teacher, Melissa Chacon (right) in front of the Alamo in San Antonio, TX.
 

 

Eighth graders from the Adventist Academy of Santa Fe went to San Antonio, Texas, for their class trip on April 19-24.


In preparation for the trip, fundraising began last November with an enchilada dinner, then more dinners were organized in the following months. A GoFundMe page was set up and the students sold Avon products to raise money.  They were also blessed with generous donations from some anonymous donors.

The trip began by flying from Albuquerque to Houston, then from Houston to San Antonio. Accompanying the students was their teacher, Melissa Chacon, as the female sponsor, and her father, Texico president, Lee-Roy Chacon, as the male sponsor. 
 
Two days were considered educational days and one was a fun day. Let’s let the students tell you a little about their trip.
 
“On Wednesday, we went to the Alamo and the Historic Market Square. At the Alamo we studied about many soldiers who would hide there during the war. It was really cool because we got to see all of the old weapons they used for war and the history behind the war between the Mexicans and the Texans.

 

At the Alamo, students studied about the many soldiers who hid there during the war.

 

The next day, we went to the Ripley’s Believe it or Not Museum, where we learned about weird science things and got to see some wax figures.
 
We had a fun day at Six Flags on Friday.  All the girls, as well as, Miss and Mr. Chacon, went on every big roller coaster in the park.
 
On Sabbath, we went to the Scenic Hills Adventist Church and had a picnic at a park nearby afterward. We enjoyed different restaurants, shopping and swimming in the hotel’s swimming pool in the evenings.
 
This trip was a great success and we all had a lot of fun! It was definitely the best trip out of the school year.”
 

Angelique Reagan at Ripley's Believe It or Not Museum.

 

Contributors for the article:
Anabelle Averella
Angelique Reagan
Isaiah Santillanes

(from left) Mekona Rankins, student, Jonathan Rankins, administrative assistant, and Principal Gary Brown hold "The Blessed Hope" painting by artist Nathan Greene.


 

Sandia View Academy (SVA) was recently blessed to receive Nathan Greene's beautiful painting of the second coming of Jesus called "The Blessed Hope."


SVA is grateful to the North American Division Department of Education for arranging delivery of the professionally framed studio canvass painting. In particular, SVA appreciates the anonymous donors who made this nearly $4,000 gift possible.  

By Gary Brown,
Sandia View Academy

Mr. Knipple and Keon direct the Ozark Academy orchestra in the Lubbock Church.
 

 
We had just started to play Capture the Flag on Thursday, April 28, when a large bus and van pulled up by the school.  Mr. Robert Knipple jumped out of the bus and warmly shook my hand. He and 48 students from Ozark Academy in Gentry, Arkansas were going to give us a concert.  We had been anxiously expecting them.


The front of the sanctuary was filled with Academy students practicing violins, violas, clarinets, flutes, saxophones, French horns, a snare drum, a bassoon and a set of timpani.  The director asked our students to sit among the orchestra players. Our students enjoyed being a part of that experience.  One of our students had the privilege of being a guest conductor.  We can now call Keon, Maestro Keon!  The cymbals and chimes were a big hit with our kids.

The Academy orchestra played inspirational pieces such as: Psalm 12, Leaning on the Everlasting Arms and Just a Closer Walk with Thee. With each piece Mr. Knipple emphasized to our Lubbock Junior Academy (LJA) students that Jesus is the center of our lives, and He is coming soon to take us home to live with Him.  It is so wonderful to be able to talk about Jesus during school hours.

After the orchestra played several moving pieces, the Ozark Academy Choir performed.  Our students were able to hear choral music sung with an accomplished pianist.  Once again, Mr. Knipple kept reminding our students that our God is real and He does want us to talk to Him and read His Word.  Our students sat on the floor right in front of the choir.

During the last choral piece the LJA students were asked to come and join the Academy students and sing with them.  The piece was entitled, Freedom is Coming.  I’m sure the angels of Heaven were singing with all of them.  It was just glorious.  One day Jesus will come and we will truly have freedom.

Our students were happy with the concert and enjoyed being included in the performance. While we were eating lunch, Mr. Knipple and a few Academy students came to the school and gave each student an Ozark Academy t-shirt.  Those were a big hit.

Our prayers and thanks go out to Ozark Academy for stopping and giving us a concert.
 

By:  Susan Zimmermann,
Lubbock Junior Academy

GLOW is a fun, easy and creative method for all, both young and old, to share the gospel through small pocket size pamphlets.

 

One day a church member was going down a street in a Philippine city distributing some newly translated and printed Tagalog GLOW tracts to individuals.  As is the case sometimes, one of the GLOW tracts was dropped on the ground by someone who had taken a tract from them. 


Not long after, the tract on the ground was swept into one of many piles on the side of the road. In that part of the city, they get rid of trash by putting it in piles and burning it.  Soon someone came by and lit this particular pile of trash on fire.  After a few minutes another Filipino man happened to walk by and noticed something in the pile.  It was the GLOW tract.  What caught his attention was that it was not burning like the rest of the smoldering pile!

Intrigued, he went to the pile, picked up the tract, and tried to light it on fire with a lighter.  To his surprise it still wouldn’t burn! Soon he called a few people over to see this strange tract that wouldn’t burn!  A small crowd gathered around the man as he continued to attempt to light the tract on fire.

At this very moment, the GLOWer, who had just distributed the tracts a little while before, noticed the crowd of people and went over to see what was so interesting to everyone.  He saw what was happening and told everyone in the crowd, “I am the one who was handing out those little leaflets. And if you think that what you see is cool, you want to come to my prophecy meetings!” 

A number of the people from that crowd came to the meetings and several of them were baptized!

Let’s see what God can do to distribute GLOW this week!

Share a tract. Share hope. Daily.

 

Story taken from the Midwest GLOW Weekly Newsletter, March 11, 2016

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Sign up to receive GLOW e-updates:  glownews.org

 

 

If you are interested in becoming involved with the GLOW ministry or purchasing GLOW tracts, please contact Derrick Williamson, Texico Literature Ministry Director, at dwilliamson@texico.org or 505-244-1611.

"Time Lost is Never Found Again"