Wildfire II: Campion Students Take Evangelism to Greeley

(back, left to right) Phil Jones, mentor; Rolando Herrera, preacher and sound engineer; Chezney Barry, preacher; Priscilla Sihotang, music director; and Cassie Carr, preacher; (front left to right) Randy Maldonado, preacher; Xander Assa, opening preacher from Indonesia who talked on the role of Islam in Bible prophecy; and Jose Castro, preacher.

Fourteen people united with the Adventist Church after a fifteen-night outreach series given by Campion Academy students July 29 to August 13. Held in an open-air tent on The Adventure Church property in Greeley, four baptisms followed with two joining by profession of faith and eight attending baptismal classes in preparation for baptism.

Trained through RMC's Kaleo project during which students preached in more than 50 churches in Ecuador, Costa Rica and the Dominican Republic over the past four years during mission trips on their spring breaks, these were the first community outreach meetings held in our conference that were presented by teens.

These teens are learning to deal with unforeseeable complications. One stormy night during the Costa Rica mission trip, the microphone system went out followed by the screens, both in the middle of Chezney Barry's presentation on the Sabbath change. 

Wildfire I was held on the Campion Academy campus May 7 - 19 and resulted in 14 baptisms, all teens.

Recognizing the truth of Jesus' words in John 14:6, "I am the way, the truth and the life; no one comes to the Father except by Me," Mandy, a Taiwanese baptized during that series, declared, "I will take Jesus to my family and friends." She has a non-religious father and a Buddhist mother. 

A team of seven students mentored by retired evangelist Phil Jones united with The Adventure, Greeley, Greeley Spanish and Windsor (Elmshaven) churches in this outreach. With no senior pastors available due to pastoral moves, special thanks go to associate pastor LeeLee Dart and the team support from the Greeley Adventure Church. Attendance ranged from a high of 120 to a low of 35. The teens preached many new sermons and developed skills in daily home visitation.

Wildfire II also ran a nightly children's program organized by Marlene Poole from The Adventure Church. Their numbers grew each night as neighborhood kids came to hear fascinating  Bible stories and songs, play Bible games and create crafts.

The majority of those uniting with the Church were teens from public schools who have relatives in the Seventh-day Adventist Church. Teens attract teens to Jesus and conversion leaves healthy Christians in its wake, leading the Church into the future.

text and photo by Phil Jones

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