september/october 2018 connection · 09/09/2018 · david and hope taylor of ranch of hope are...

ConnectionRMMNSeptember/October 2018

Newsletter of the Rocky Mountain Ministry Network of the Assemblies of God

On the last and greatest day of the festival, Jesus stood and said in a loud voice, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me and drink. Whoever believes in me, as

Scripture has said, rivers of living water will flow from within them.” John 7: 37-38

Executive PresbytersGene RonconeEast Slope

Dane WeadUtah

Chris PetersonWest Slope

6295 Lehman Dr., Suite 202, Colorado Springs, CO 80918-8434719-522-0195 fax 719-522-0199 www.rmdc.org

RMMN Connection September/October 2018 Vol. 24, No. 5

Leadership Team Executive PresbytersLeadership Team Don SteigerSuperintendent/Network Pastor

Alex LuceroAssistant Superintendent

Randy PopineauSecretary/Treasurer

Sectional Presbyters Sam ScalfDenver Metro North

Paul ChurchDenver Metro South

Charles StoumbaughMountain

Joe BerryNortheast

Michael PopineauNorthern

Travis LowellNorthwest

Phil SteigerPikes Peak

Stan FormbySan Juan

Don HendersonSoutheast

James NaronSouthern

Lonnie CampbellUtah North

Sid CasillasUtah South

Jeremy JensenWest Central

Sectional Presbyters

Department DirectorsJay RisnerChildren’s Ministries

Don SteigerChurch Mult. Network Director

Zac WilkinsonChurch Mult. Director - East Slope

Travis LowellChurch Mult. Director - West Slope

Alex LuceroChurch Mult. Director - Utah

Linda BottomsGirls Ministries

Darryl JohnsonMen’s Ministries Director - Colorado Eastern Plains

TBDMen’s Ministries Directors - Colorado Front Range and Colorado West Slope

Matt MillerMen’s Ministries Director - Utah

Jack MarshallRoyal Rangers

Linda BottomsWomen’s Ministries

Lee TerryYouth Ministries

Department Directors

Ministry RepresentativesLee Terry - CC DirectorCamp Cedaredge

Glen Jones - CC Manager Camp Cedaredge

Nate Banke Chi Alpha - Colorado

Daran Lemon Chi Alpha - Utah

James BanksDeaf Ministries

Jerry CassellMissions

Loyd & Rita Hoskins2nd Half Adults/Light for the Lost

Daniel Petruska Teen Challenge

Denny LloydUS Maps RV Coordinator

Ministry Representatives

Recognized Ministries Kent & Jeanne KelleyCrossroads International

Bryan SederwallDenver Dream Center

John GowinsEagle’s Nest Counseling

Charles Hefton Life Builders

Phil & Cheryl Neely Ravens

Royal Family Kids

Vicki Proff itSarah’s Home

Doyle RobinsonSox Place

Alfred Murillo Utah Dream Center

Wes & Judy WickYES! Young Enough to Serve

Recognized Ministries

Aug 31-Sept 3 RR Frontier Family CampSept 3 Labor Day - Network Off ice ClosedSept 8 DSOM

Oct 5-6 Utah Children’s Pastors/Workers RetreatOct 13 DSOMOct 13 JBQ League Meet 1Oct 16-17 Presbytery MeetingOct 19-20 JBQ Gold Cup Tournament, DallasOct 19-21 WM & LOFT Retreat, BreckenridgeOct 26-28 AG Marriage Encounter, DenverOct 27 TBQ League Meet 1

MINISTRY NETWORK CALENDAR

When you invest with CEP, your money will not only earn

more, it will achieve more.

cepnet.com/earnmore

Connection September/October 2018 Page

Don SteigerSuperintendent/Network [email protected]

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Tragically, a young pastor in Southern California recently took his own life. It is startling; he seemed to have the “world by the tail” with a beautiful family and a successful pastoral ministry. I don’t know the underlying factors contributing to this event, but it caused me to ref lect on the reality of our human frailty even when living in relationship with God. I have experienced some dark moments of discouragement during my lifetime of ministry and would like to share some pastoral thoughts on sustaining life and ministry in the context of spiritual opposition, our personal def iciencies, and a hurting world.

SELF-CARE:

Self-care is essential to personal well-being, especially when life gets hard. Not self-absorption, but self-care. It begins with care for one’s soul. Perhaps the best avenue to care for the soul is to keep the armor of God on (Ephesians 6:10-18). You know it well, “Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes….” Spiritual warfare is real, and it is important to keep “putting on” the armor of God through prayer, biblical meditation, and biblical behavior.

Self-care also involves care for our bodies and minds. Keeping our thinking and emotional capabilities strong is especially important. Our brains can malfunction and cause despondency that has no logical explanation. Sometimes the only solution is medication. It is not a ref lection on one’s faith in God to receive medical help for any physical ailment. Jesus said “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick” Matthew 9:12. God does not always heal us supernaturally and to seek medical help is the right thing to do.

RELATIONSHIPS:

Supportive relationships are also a key ingredient to personal well-being. Nurturing a healthy enduring marriage with mutual love and respect provides an intimate relationship to lift us up when we are down. Being in the ministry you probably have a few hundred acquaintances. But, we all need a couple close friends whom we love and who will love us even at our weakest point in life. For ministers I think f inding a friend like this in the ministry is very important. They understand the stress and challenges unique to the ministry. When Jesus was at his darkest hour emotionally he took his three closest friends with him into the Garden of Gethsemane to be near him as he agonized in prayer.

Also, seeking godly professional counselling when needed is appropriate. Dr. John Gowins of Eagles Nest, George Stahnke of Focus on the Family, and David and Hope Taylor of Ranch of Hope are available in our Network when we need professional counselling. Jesus designed the church not only to convey

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LIFE and MINISTRY

Connection September/October 2018

(continued from Page 3)

the gospel to the world, but also as a support system for believers.

WORK:

Let me talk about the work we do in God’s kingdom. Jesus gives us meaningful purpose in life and the work we engage in is a result of fulf illing some of the purpose he gives each of us. God designed us to work. Work provides structure, income, and fulf illment; all of which contributes to our well-being. “…we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” Ephesians 2:10.

I think there are a couple ways we can go “off the rails” when it comes to work. We can overdo it and create an unhealthy imbalance in our lives. Maintaining time for ourselves and our families as well as work is very important. A dear friend of mine failed morally in his ministry; lost his pastorate and nearly lost his marriage. He humbly submitted to a restoration process to restore his integrity, heal his marriage and resume his ministry. After much counselling and ref lection he concluded that overworking had created a devastating vulnerability in his life. An important ingredient in God’s purpose for our lives is the care of ourselves, our marriages, and our families; even more important than our vocational work.

Another way we can go “off the rails” in our work is to step out of God’s will. When we try to do something God has not called and equipped us to do, we f ind ourselves frustrated and overwhelmed. Friend and wise pastor, Larry Mederich recently shared how important it is to “stay in your lane”. Larry is a very successful church planter. He has personally planted three thriving churches and now has a vision to plant another. You may not know who Larry is, but I think he is famous with our Lord for his faithful obedience. Furthermore, he is content and happy in his God-given work.

No doubt the Lord stretches us to shape our character, deepen our walk with him, and improve our work. That will sometimes mean an assignment with very challenging work to do. But, if the work is “breaking us” and not “making us” then we are probably out of his will and need to make a course correction and move into “our lane”.

“Dear Friend, I pray that you may enjoy good health and that all may go well with you, even as your soul is getting along well.” 3 John 2.

Cheering you on,


Randy PopineauSecretary/[email protected]

Church and Credential Act ivi ty

Transferred In Ben George (O) – ArkansasJay Littlef ield (O) – Wyoming

Transferred OutMarcos Cervantes (O) – So California

Justin Elleman (L) – SoMissouriKelsie Fridge (L) – North TexasCaleb Johnson (L) – West TexasJames Kressman (L) – Louisiana Randy Stanko (O) - MinnesotaAaron Zielinske (O) – GeorgiaGina Zielinske (O) – Georgia

Churches Advancing to General Council Status

Celebration Church Loveland, CO

Pastor Jim Tracy

Go Church Denver, CO

Pastor Nick Callaway

Olathe Assembly of God Olathe, CO

Pastor Justin Atchley

New CredentialsCertif ied

Thomas Dunn Radiant Church, Colorado Springs, CO

LicensedDylan Austin

Jenifer Berthoud Mountain View Christian, Sandy, UT

OrdinationJonathan Lang

Mountain View Christian, Sandy, UT

Does a pastoral staff member need to be credentialed to receive a housing allowance?Yes. Although the tax code indicates that the employee must be “ordained” in order to be considered a minister for employment purposes, this would translate to meaning that the employee must be credentialed at any level in the Assemblies of God Fellowship. This would include ordained, licensed, certif ied and the local church credential. Any of these levels of credential would qualify the employee to receive a portion of their salary as housing allowance if the other requirements to be treated as a minister for tax purposes are met.

Can a minister’s housing allowance be changed during the year?A minister’s designated housing allowance may be changed or altered during the year by action of the church board. This change can only be effective prospectively and cannot change the designation of pay received earlier in the year by the minister.

For a complete list of the Frequently Asked Questions: Personnel/Payroll Matters, Donations, and Business Practices, please contact the RMMN off ice of Secretary/Treasurer.

On behalf of the entire Popineau family, thank you for your kind expressions of sympathy with the passing of my father. Don Popineau went to be

with the Lord on September 11, 2018.

The following “Frequently Asked Questions” comes from the General

Council of the Assemblies of God Division of the Treasury:

Scholarship Recipients

2018 RMMN ScholarshipKaleigh Moschetti – Vanguard University

Aiden Wead – Trinity Bible CollegeJacquelyn Murillo – SAGU

Alexandria Tipps – Evangel UniversityAllison Atchley – Colorado Christian UniversityCassie Bradshaw – North Central University

2018 Brethouwer Scholarship RecipientIsaiah Murillo

2018 Brethouwer - Provo Scholarship Recipient

Melinda GeaslerBraden Atchley

Connection September/October 2018Page

Linda BottomsWomen’s Ministries

Girls [email protected]

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Retreat Registration Fees

*Standard Registration – $85 a person

Postmarked by August 1, 2018 – October 4, 2018

Late Registration -$90 a person

October 19-21, 2018

Beaver Run Resort, Breckenridge, CO

Laurie Hoyt

Retreat Speaker, Pastor, Mother, Wife

2018 Ladies Retreat


2018 Girls Camp


We are Thor and Leslie Johnson and would like to introduce ourselves and the ministry that we have developed. Our passion is to help equip small and rural churches better minister to children.

We have been ministering to children since 1976 while attending Central Bible College. Since graduating, we have been children’s pastors in small and large churches in Minnesota and Colorado, worked in Christian schools, have held outreach services to children and have been kid’s camp speakers. We have ministered to kids in both Royal Rangers and Girls Ministries. We are now retired from church ministry and want to use our years of experience and expertise to help small and rural churches improve their ministries to children.

Below you will f ind a menu of classes from which you can choose. We will come to your church and work with your valuable volunteers to improve their ability to effectively minister to children. Depending on how many classes you choose, we will come for either a Friday evening, a Saturday morning, all day Saturday, or a Friday and Saturday combination. We would also be glad to minister at your church on Sunday but that is optional and not the focus of our interest in working with your people who want training in kid’s ministry. We understand that small and rural churches can’t always afford to send their workers to ministry conferences so we are willing to come to your church for a free will offering or a fee to cover our travel expenses.

• Children’s Church• How to plan kid’s church without buying curriculum• How to creatively use your church facility for

ministries to children• Effective object lessons to teach Bible truths• What should a kid’s church service look like?• Praying with kids • Developing a Spirit f illed and Spirit led kid’s church• General Interest• Making a story come alive• How to do a chalk talk• Simple ways to use clowning• Ways to utilize curriculum

Training for Children’s Ministry to Small and Rural Churches

Thor and Leslie Johnson328 Cambridge StBrush, CO 80723

303-902-9532 (Mobile)970-842-7208

• Safety in ministry to children• Planning lessons with the most personal impact

for kids• Effective ways to use puppets• Kid’s Clubs• What is new in Royal Rangers and Girls Ministries• How to successfully minister through boys and

girls clubs• Do I have to do Rangers and Impact Girls the

way it was always done?• How to lead a successful devotion• Play is a child’s work

Sessions to choose from:


Jack MarshallRoyal Rangers

[email protected]

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It’s time to charter! The charter-processing period will be August 15 - October 31 for all established outposts. All charter renewals should be submitted during this time (although charters submitted after October 31st will be accepted).

The only outstanding question is, “Should I charter my outpost?” The answer, of course, is, “Yes!” Chartering not only makes you a nationwide partner in a biblical cause but also offers you and your outpost benef its that far exceed the cost of the charter. It is simply more cost effective to charter than not.

Look for this logoidentifying exclusive

charter benef its

Benefits

The benef its of chartering are many. The greatest, of course, is that you benef it from the services provided by the national and district leadership teams as they endeavor to continually improve and grow Royal Rangers for local church success. The following list illustrates the many benef its of chartering available to you and your outpost.

• 15% discount on Ranger gear when ordered via the Ranger Online Superstore• 15% discount on all national and regional training events• 15% discount on national and regional activities like Camporama, Rendezvous, National LEAD Conference, and more• 15% discount on district training events• 15% discount on select district Royal Rangers activities and events• Your outpost will get one free copy of the Outpost Promotional Kit, which is full of resources like promotional videos, reproducible touch cards, clip art, customizable banners to advertise your ministry and/or decorate your meeting rooms, and more!• Access to download Outpost Navigator, a data-tracking tool to record and track boys’ and leaders’ advancements• An off icial outpost number to wear on your uniform

As you can see, the benef its of chartering are huge! The discount on products and events alone should well exceed the cost of chartering.


Jerry CassellMissions [email protected]

Mark & Fredda Alston Philippines [email protected]

Tressa & Shariq Jamil Chi Alpha - UCCS [email protected]

Ian & Hannah Junkermann Chi Alpha - Colo. State Univ. [email protected]

Steve & Cheri Pike Urban Islands Project [email protected]

Janie Wead-Mobley Intercultural Ministries [email protected]

Remember: Several sensitive country missionaries are usually home on furlough, too! Contact the Network Off ice for more information - 719-522-0195.

Itinerating Missionaries

Many of us remember the great football coach Vince Lombardi. Coach Lombardi was a fanatic about fundamentals. Those who played under his leadership often spoke of his intensity, his drive, his endless enthusiasm for the guts of the game. Time and again he would come back to the basic techniques of blocking and tackling. On one occasion his team, the Green Bay Packers, lost to an inferior squad. It was bad enough to lose . . . but to lose to

that team was absolutely inexcusable. Coach Lombardi called a practice the very next morning. The men sat silently, looking more like whipped puppies than a team of champions. They had no idea what to expect from the man they feared the most.

Gritting his teeth and staring holes through one athlete after another, Lombardi began:“Okay, we go back to the basics this morning. . . .” Holding a football high enough for all to see, he continued to yell: “Gentlemen, this is a football!” Sometimes we have to be reminded about the basics.

BACK TO THE BASICS

One of the basics of Assemblies of God Missions is faith promise giving. A faith promise is a means of trusting God for some of His money for world evangelism. Faith promise giving is not based on our known resources, but on our faith. We promise to give to missions what God will supply. Dr. Oswald J. Smith, a pastor of an earlier generation, led the People’s Church in Toronto, Canada, in record missions giving. He said, “if I have waited until I had cash, I would not have given at all. But I gave when I didn’t have anything to give. I gave when I had to trust God to supply.”

Further information regarding Faith Promise Giving is available on page 14 of the 2018 Assemblies of God World Missions Catalog: https://www.agwm.com/assets/theme-catalog.pdf

Pastors, let’s get back to the basics and ask ourselves - Am I teaching my church about faith promise giving?


Daran LemonChi Alpha - Utah

[email protected]

It’s that time of year again for Chi Alpha. Perhaps no time is more important than the f irst few weeks of the fall semester. During this time the students that we meet may be the ones that will become our future small group leaders. These students also may hear the call to give a year and pray about a lifetime. They may also become career missionaries not only on college campuses but around the world. The transformation can be dramatic for many who learn to walk with God for the f irst time. However, in Utah as we know, this process can be slower at times. It was about 5 years ago, we met a new girl at Utah Valley University who found us at a Chi Alpha table in the halls at the beginning of the school year. When we f irst met her she wanted to hang out with some Christians because she was struggling with the difference between the religion she grew up in and what she was experiencing now. We thought that this could be a promising relationship. One of our staff consistently hung out with her and had her as a part of her small group. We were sad when she decided to go on a mission with her church. She would spend 18 months away working for the church. We prayed fervently that

Student leaders hanging around during a fall planning retreat

Student leaders at the University of Utah representing XA on campus

God would speak to her while on her mission. This often can be a turning point in a young person’s faith. She came back from her mission and we hoped to start up where we left off, but this was diff icult. Very quickly, she was engaged and married. Recently another one of our staff received a text from this girl saying she needed a safe place to talk. So she invited her to come to our small group that night. During our prayer time, she shared how she is struggling because she is beginning to question everything about her faith. The diff icult thing about this is her sweet husband that feels like his world is falling apart because of this. This same night, we had another girl join us for the f irst time that is questioning her faith too. They felt even more safe

because they understood each others plight. The other girl, at the end of our prayer, with tears in her eyes told one of us: “I love the way you pray. It’s like you know God and God knows you.” We looked at her with tears in our eyes and said, “He knows you.” We experienced a God-ordained moment that we prayed for long ago but had stopped believing for. God never forgot our prayers for our f irst girl. He is answering them. So this is why Chi Alpha missionaries wear ourselves out during fall start up to meet not only the future leaders of Chi Alpha, but to seek those who don’t even realize they are spiritually hungry.

Thank you for partnering with us to reach University students in Utah and Colorado.

CHI ALPHA - UTAH


Lee TerryYouth Ministries

Camp [email protected]


Glenn JonesCamp Cedaredge

[email protected]

Now that summer is coming to a close, we’ve been taking time here at camp with our staff to celebrate what God has done this past season. We are grateful for how He has used this facility and allowed us to be used and to grow in the process. We have seen thousands of people through this place be touched by the Spirit of God and recharged in various ways. It’s a lot of fun to see how God is using folks’ time at Camp Cedaredge to clarify direction in their life, to speak truths to them about their futures, and to draw them away from a life of futility and into a eternally purposeful walk with Him.

Thanks for all of your prayers, and please keep them coming! Fall brings with it many opportunities to minister to and connect with our local schools and teachers who come to camp for recreation days, and we are preparing for that to happen. Also, we have some work crews coming to help us with some improvements to the campus, along with our f inal dorm bathroom renovation. As God provides, we are continually seeking His direction as we do our best to steward this wonderful facility.

camper thank-you s-

what GOD has done


Jay RisnerChildren’s [email protected]

Colorado Kids CampCamp Cedaredge


Loyd & Rita Hoskins2nd Half Adult Ministries/

Light for the [email protected]

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Hi again! Following on the same lines as last issue, where can we as 2nd halfers be used of God? Not just in the church but also in our community. Either way we will be in God’s plan to help others and therefore show His love to others.

How about jail ministry – of course this requires training and approval of the jurisdiction and maybe even a background check. Not for everybody but we have seen amazing results.

Ever thought of nursing home or senior assistance services? Did you know that many of the persons in these facilities very rarely have visitors even from family? This can include services with hymn singing or just sit and visit or read from the Bible or some refreshing book or journal.

How about volunteering at the local hospital to just sit and rock and show love to babies in the nursery. This also applies in our churches nurseries. This is a time in that affect the lives of little ones throughout their lives – someone actually showed love to them.

Volunteer with local senior resource agencies. This can entail answering phones or driving seniors to doctor appointments, etc., or other off ice work. Maybe even date entry. The areas of need are endless.

At the church it may include bulletin folding or stuff ing. Just ask the church off ice where you can help.

How about getting involved in teaching Sunday school. How many of the children and young people in your church need daily intercessory prayer each and every day. Adopt one or more and get acquainted and let them know you care.

These are just a few areas where you can have a God ordained ministry within or

outside the church.

If you have more ideas and needs let me know.Loyd Hoskins, [email protected]

Check out our website - we have a new look!www.rmdc.org

september/october 2018 connection · 09/09/2018 · david and hope taylor of ranch of hope are...

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