EDITORIAL PERSPECTIVE LET’S TALK ENCOUNTER JESUS, FOUR THINGS CHURCH APPEARANCES EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCE MEMBERS DO … NORTHWEST ADVENTISTS IN ACTION 2016 CARING HEART AWARD WINNERS JUL 2016 VOL.111, Nº7 4 Then you will call, and the LORD will answer; you will cry for help, and he will say: Here am I … .” Isaiah 58:9 CONTENTS july 2016 NORTHWEST ADVENTISTS IN ACTION 14 30 23 FEATURE CONFERENCE NEWS 4 EDITORIAL 8 Caring Heart Awards 13 Accion 5 INTERSECTIONS PERSPECTIVE 14 Alaska 56 Four Things Church 6 PICTURE THIS 16 Idaho Members Do ... 47 FAMILY 18 Montana 58 Circus of Grace ANNOUNCEMENTS YOU SAID IT 20 Oregon 48 60 Should I Go Back to Church? 30 Upper Columbia 49 ADVERTISEMENTS LET’S TALK 38 Washington 62 Appearances 44 Walla Walla University 4 46 Adventist Health DENNIS PLUBELL Copyright © 2016 POSTMASTER: send all address changes to: Gleaner does not accept responsibility for July 2016 advertisers’ claims. Vol. 111, No. 7 North Pacific Union Conference Gleaner, 5709 N. 20th St., Ridgefield, WA 98642 ADVENTIST® and SEVENTH-DAY Gleaner (ISSN 0746-5874) is published Phone: 360-857-7000 ADVENTIST® are the registered trademarks once per month for a total of 12 issues per [email protected] of the General Conference of Seventh-day year by the North Pacific Union Conference gleanernow.com Adventists®. of Seventh-day Adventists®, 5709 N. 20th SUBMISSIONS: Timely announcements, St., Ridgefield, WA 98642. It is printed LITHO U.S.A. features, news stories and family notices and mailed at Pacific Press Publishing for publication in the Gleaner may be “Watchful Wilson” Association®, 1350 N. Kings Rd., Nampa, ID Gleaner STAFF submitted directly to the project manager 83687-3193. Subscription rate: $13 per year. Editor: Steve Vistaunet in Emmett, Idaho, at the address listed above. Material sent Periodical postage paid at Ridgefield, WA Copy Editor: Laurel Rogers by Lee Sackett, directly to local conference correspondents 98642 and additional mailing offices. Advertising and Project Manager: may be forwarded to the Gleaner. of Burnett, Wis. Desiree Lockwood OUR MISSION: Connecting Northwest PLEASE NOTE: Every reasonable effort Digital Media Coordinator: Adventists with an expanding hub of news is made to screen all editorial material Anthony White and inspiration. to avoid error in this publication. The Design: GUILDHOUSE Group 3 july 2016 ENCOUNTER JESUS, EXPERIENCE EXCELLENCE I have been to many alone who are easily confused the homogeneous student body Adventist academies about quality and quantity. spoke the same language, ate in recent years for school Most of us immersed in con- the same food, completed the evaluation visits. The highlight temporary American culture same assignments, held the of every visit is a group make the same mistake. The same beliefs, kept the same Sab- interview with randomly media is quick to reinforce bath and looked forward to the selected students. We want the idea that school quality is advent of the Savior. From this to know what they, as the measured by the breadth of school they excelled beyond “primary customer,” like about programs, depth of available all others, and a foreign king their school and what they resources and height of student recognized their excellence in think could be improved. Here test scores. learning. is what I’ve heard: Can Adventist schools, When our students in » “I like my school because even small schools, be Christian Seventh-day Adventist schools it’s like a family.” and excellent too? The answer encounter Jesus, they will » “Our school is not big, so is yes! In fact, I would propose experience excellence. We can we know everyone and we that only in an education where trust that when our students look out for each other.” Jesus Christ, the Creator God, encounter Jesus, they too will » “At our school you can is central to the school’s daily be recognized for excellence be involved in lots of lessons and weekly activities in learning even in the foreign activities.” can true excellence be found. land of worldly ideas and the » “I know my teachers care We must stop confusing size competitive marketplace of about me. They help me with success. When we seek the profit and loss. God will honor outside of class Source of excellence, whether their Christian education in a AUTHOR Dennis Plubell time.” in large or small schools, we way that will bring others to Students recognize that will find high-quality scholar- believe on His name and be Christian faith and Adventist ship. When we encounter Jesus, saved. values are core to the Adventist we experience excellence. As Ellen White pointed academy and visible in the cam- From Genesis onward, the out, “In the highest sense the pus culture. When you ask the biblical record proclaims with work of education and the students what they would like David, “O Lord, our Lord, work of redemption are one, for to see changed to improve the How excellent is Your name in in education, as in redemption, school, someone will invariably all the earth!” (Ps. 8:1, NKJV). other foundation can no man respond, “I wish there were If the school is “Christian,” lay than that is laid, which is more students so that we had there is no excuse for shoddy Jesus Christ” (Education, p. 30). a bigger school.” The incon- study. gruence of this response always Daniel and his friends illus- Dennis Plubell, North Pacific makes me smile. trate excellence. They came out Union Conference vice president for But, it is not adolescents of Israel from a school where education 4 july 2016 PFLUGRAD TO JOIN NPUC EDUCATION TEAM LETTERS olda Pflugrad has accepted the invi- Generational Translators? tation to serve the North Pacific Union Silliness abounds in our labels of G people groups. Now it’s something Conference (NPUC) as a full-time coordinator called “generational translators” [May for early childhood education and care (ECEC) 2016, “Leaders Learn to be Generational and K–12 education projects. Upon joining the Translators”]. What religio-babble that is! … Yes, we have historical examples of NPUC Office of Education team in July, she will younger would-be leaders being mentored fill vacancies left by the retirements of Sue Patzer by experienced older ones; i.e. Timothy and Paul, Elisha and Elijah. But the younger and Carol Dodge. ones took the initiative to follow a teacher/ Pflugrad comes to this position highly leader. They let the Holy Spirit work in qualified through education and ex- them. They didn’t need — what’s that perience. She holds a Master of Arts in phrase? — “generational whatevers.” We early childhood education and has spent see how our early SDA church was founded nearly two decades as a teacher of young and nurtured by mostly young people. How children, including seven years as director could they do this without “translators”? of an ECEC center in California. She has Because these young people took the been teaching primary elementary grades initiative, led by God, gave their all to their within the Upper Columbia Conference mission — of course they didn’t have all for the past six years, most recently at those electronic gadgets, coffee bars, modern Upper Columbia Academy Elementary music and movies to take up their time School in Spangle, Wash. and resources. … For anybody of any age, Most importantly, Pflugrad comes there are groups and resources abounding highly recommended for her capacity to Golda Pflugrad in Christian organizations for you to deeply connect and collaborate with colleagues learn about culture, communication and and for her passion to extend quality Christian education for mentoring. You have no valid reason in the youngest of God’s children. excusing yourself by blaming the lack of “I am excited to be joining the NPUC educational team as “generational translators” in your life. Take a leader in the field,” she says. “Early childhood education lays the initiative, be fully grateful for what the the foundation for each child’s educational journey, and the older generations have brought into your life quality of this foundation depends on the quality of the young and quit dividing the church into groups. child’s learning environment. Quality Christ-centered early “There is neither Jew nor Greek, slave nor childhood centers are so valuable and essential. I look forward free, male nor female, for you are all one in to visiting our Northwest centers and meeting the directors Christ Jesus” (Gal. 3:24). and staff.” Robert Natiuk, Battle Ground, Wash. The NPUC Office of Education plans to increase its ECEC emphasis with Pflugrad’s arrival. She will spend two-thirds of her time on ECEC leadership. The remainder of her efforts Valid Observations will be focused on coordinating specific programs and projects I just finished the article by Mackenzie for K–12 education such as the Don Keele Award and Caring Thompson [May 2016, “Stepping Over the Heart Award programs, publishing projects, and other similar Barbed Wire”]. She is gifted in her writing assignments. ability. Her concerns are very relevant to our “We are delighted to welcome Golda Pflugrad to our team,” church today. I hope she works someplace in says Dennis Plubell, NPUC vice president for education. “Her the Adventist Church organization. Thank presence and passion will help us immensely as we seek to ef- you for the article. fectively manage the mission of Adventist education through- Kerry Arnott, Vancouver, Wash. out the Northwest.” 5 july 2016 Mount Ellis fosters new leaders. SEE PAGE Milo plants with a purpose. SEE PAGE 19 27 6 july 2016 Solidarity Wall connects with U of O. SEE PAGE 22 Reckless but right. Read online at Medical mentoring in Walla Walla. SEE PAGE glnr.in/111-07_reckless Read Online 46 7 july 2016 CARING HEART AWARD WINNERS FOURTEEN NORTHWEST ACADEMY STUDENTS EACH WERE RECIPIENTS OF THE $500 CARING HEART AWARD SCHOLARSHIP, MADE POSSIBLE THROUGH THREE- WAY FUNDING FROM THE NORTH PACIFIC UNION CONFERENCE, LOCAL CONFERENCES AND ACADEMIES.