The Cutting Edge. April 21, Here's what's happening across our Conference, at least what I've heard about. Feel free to share this with anyone!

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1 Current news from across the KS-NE Conference View this in your browser The Cutting Edge April 21, 2017 Here's what's happening across our Conference, at least what I've heard about. Feel free to share this with anyone! "It's great to see how our New Haven Korean group, led by Pastor Harold Jung, is engaged in growing small groups too," says Pastor Ruth Rivera. "I enjoyed sharing a couple of strategies and testimonies during our training last Sabbath. Small groups bring communities together by connecting our personal walks to God and one another," says Pastor Ruth

2 'Love At Calvary,' a musical drama written and directed by Bob & Connie Sorter, was performed last Friday and Saturday evenings at Chapel Oaks," shares Reba Lucky. "Bob used The Desire of Ages and current events to depict how the love of Jesus had impacted people's lives. We heard from the healed leper, the centurion, Caiaphas & Judas, the lad with the loaves and fishes, and the women at the tomb, including Mary of Magdala. The modern participants were students who d had a shooting at their school, an addict and his sponsor, a blessed girl, and a grieving grandmother. There was a song between each soliloquy and the final song was 'He Will Rise,' sung by Pastor Mike Fenton. Following the program, our guests were invited to the family center for food and fellowship. Many people commented on how blessed they were to have seen the program," says Reba.

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4 "The Enterprise Churchwas able to help with the community Sunrise Service this past Easter Sunday," shares Lisa Jahn. "Many different churches from Abilene came together to make this drama happen at the local Browns Park. This is a local tradition that hasn t happened for the last five years! Several from our congregation volunteered to help portray different characters or help behind the scenes. Our own Pastor Burt helped direct the play, while also playing the role of Jesus. It was well attended by the community!" says Lisa.

5 "As the storm clouds rolled in last Sabbath evening the Great Bend Church was having a Vesper program on Biblical weather," says Doris Reile- Kneller. "Soon out of the window we noticed the local sheriff weather spotters. A small tornado funnel was spotted west of the church but soon dissipated. After Vespers, Bruce Reile presented a program on Tornado formation and safety. During this program the rain, hail and wind competed with his presentation. Shortly after it was over the rain stopped and all was silent. At least now everyone knows what to look for and what to do," says Doris.

6 "Last Sabbath the Kearney Church was blessed by Doreen Lohr's powerful testimony," says Susan Sandval. "To help express a portion of her testimony, several youth along with Mel Sandoval pantomimed her story. Doreen has been attending the University of Kearney for the past year, but will return to her home in France at the end of May to be with her family. Her father is an Adventist pastor in France. She came to the United States with the desire to strengthen her English language. The Kearney Church enjoyed Doreen these past few months and will greatly miss her gentle demeanor," says Susan.

7 Pastor Ted N. C. Wilson, president of the General Conference of Seventh-day Adventists since July 2010, will be preaching this Sabbath for both services (8:30 & 11:00 a.m.) at the New Haven Church in Overland Park, KS. Lead pastor, Doug Elsey, says, "Elder Wilson's aunt is a member of our congregation and we are honored to welcome him, along with his wife, Nancy, to New Haven." Pastor Wilson holds a doctor of philosophy degree in religious education from New York University, a master of divinity degree from Andrews University, and a master of science degree in public health from the Loma Linda University School of Public Health. In addition to English, he speaks French and some Russian. We are pleased to welcome Stan Michael to our team of Adventist educators. Stan has accepted our invitation to be the principal of Wichita Adventist Christian Academy next school year. Currently, he is the principal/teacher at the College Park Christian Academy in Columbia, MO. Stan is a 1989 graduate of Union College and is about to receive his MA in Administration and Leadership. We look forward to Stan & Kelly's arrival this summer.

8 "On Easter Sunday a large group of cheerful volunteers spent the majority of their day at Camp Arrowhead in Lexington, NE to spruce up the camp grounds for warmer months ahead," writes Susan Sandoval. "They were served a delicious meal as their reward, provided by Alba Arias. Alba and Reynard Arias are the new camp rangers. They, along with several family members and friends, cleaned several cabins, the lodge and kitchen weeks before the volunteers arrived last Sunday. Soon the cabins and lake will be filled with young campers for Discovery Camp, June The camp is also rented out for family reunions, Christian groups, and others throughout the summer months. For more information go towww.camparrowheadlexington.com or call or camparrowheadne@aol.com" says Susan.

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10 Pastor Otavio Mckenzie has accepted an invitation to pastor two congregations in the Chicago area. Otavio & Bellamy joined our pastoral team in January 2011 serving the Enterprise, Junction City and Salina district. They have been currently pastoring the Wichita Cornerstone Church since May Otavio was ordained to the gospel ministry this past August and they were blessed with their first child, Amora, in January. The McKenzies have been a great blessing to our Conference and will be greatly missed. They will be making their move at the end of May. "Pastor Nelson Rossi held evening meetings on the life of Christ at our Hastings Church last week," says Regina Harvey. "Members were able to invite family and friends for the insightful PowerPoint presentations. Cookies and friendly conversation followed each meeting. Every night, prayer requests were taken and placed in a box. On the lovely Sabbath afternoon, the box was burned as members watched their requests turned to smoke and ashes. It was a wonderful way to celebrate the Easter season!" says Regina.

11 "This weekend our Fine Arts Division will be in full end-of-the-year colors with a concert on Friday night in the church at 8:00," says Pastor Rich Carlson. "The Unionaires, Union College Singers, Union College Chamber Orchestra, and organist Brent Shaw will be performing The Creation, Parts 1 & 2, the oratorio composed by Joseph Hadyn. There will also be creation pictures with a tribute to the creative artistry of Jim McClelland and his 43 years of service to Union College. Then on Sunday afternoon in the Atrium on campus the Union College Concert Winds band will be performing at 3pm. All are welcome," says Pastor Rich.

12 "This week we enjoyed 'Muffins with Mom Day,' a special event hosted by the second and third grade classrooms at College View Academy," says Missy Sorter. "Teachers Amy Finch and Angela Stroud planned a day when mothers were invited to school to gain a glimpse into the school life of their child. They enjoyed a light breakfast while the students did a 'Mom Interview.' The students got to show off their host and hostess skills as they honored their mothers giving them the royal treatment in service. At the end, the mothers took home lovely cards, pictures, and crafts that the students had made just for them. The moms felt loved and special!" says Missy.

13 "Last weekend we hadseveral special events over the Easter holidays in our district," says Pastor Dean Carlisle. "Fairbury held its annual Good Friday Agape Feast which included communion, footwashing and fellowship time during the meal. The Lincoln/Beatrice Young Adult Bible Study dedicated their time to a special study on the sacrifice of Jesus on the cross. And Capitol View held its second annual Easter celebration having an informal family gathering to share in the reading of the four resurrection accounts in the gospels," says Pastor Dean.

14 Piedmont Park debutedour Easter event, Journey to the Cross, last Sabbath afternoon, shares Vanessa Schaecher. We were thrilled with the response it received, both in volunteer help and in attendance! Nearly 100 people were involved in the planning, decorating, acting, singing, mintmaking, and support staff for the event. Around 450 people attended and experienced a tiny bit of what it could have been like to be in Jerusalem looking for Jesus on the day He died on the cross! The journey took travelers through six scenes, and the decorating teams did such a great job that in several parts of the journey the travelers didn t even feel like they were in the church

15 anymore lighting was dim (night), with flickering candlelight, and the actors in period costumes were encouraging everyone to be safe and stay off the streets because the Roman guards were being very vigilant that night due to the trouble in the garden. Our guests were very attentive to the story and several of the children even interrupted their scenes to ask questions about the meaning of words or ask what was happening. While groups waited in the Sanctuary for their turn to take the journey, they were treated to a cantata sung by Piedmont s Choir. At the end of the journey attendees reached Pastor Michael Halfhill s office where they were given Passion of the Ages, Steps to Christ and He Did It for You books as well as two handmade mints one red to represent Jesus blood and one white to represent our sins washed white as snow. Several people mentioned that the event made this story and Jesus sacrifice come alive for them in a new way. Our prayer is that as this event continues in coming years, more people s hearts will be reached with Jesus great love for them. If you would like to see a video tour of Journey to the Cross, click here, shares Vanessa.

16 "It has been a very eventful month for the children's divisions at New Haven!" shares youth pastor Kyle Smith. "We started the month off with children's church, led by our children's ministry leaders. They did a fantastic job and the kids greatly enjoyed it! The following Sabbath was our Pathfinder Sabbath in which all of our Pathfinders took part in the service in someway. It was great to see many of them participate in the sermon and share how New Haven has been a good community for them! Lastly, the renovations in our youth room have been

17 going great. We added a backdrop wall for our stage. Slowly but surely it is starting to look very nice!" says Pastor Kyle.

18 "From Kindergartner-Engineer David to Eighth-grader Olivia, George Stone School students presented science projects at their annual Spring Fair Thursday evening," says Jenienne Kriegelstein. "The evening was full of excitement as families shared supper, and explored the Art Show and the variety of subject displays. The students sang about our Great Big God and His creation. What a celebration of learning!" says Jenienne.

19 "A group of enthusiastic participants from three Conferences will be at our Conference office in Topeka beginning tomorrow afternoon to learn how to conduct a'god in Shoes' event in their community," says Sue Carlson (Women's Ministries Director).

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21 Pastor Ted N.C. Wilson, General Conference President, and his wife, Nancy, will be speaking to our KC area Hispanic Adventists tomorrow at 4:00 p.m. at the Maranatha Church, 1703 Ruby Ave, Kansas City, KS. "This is a rare and wonderful honor and we expect the church to be full," says Roberto Correa, Hispanic Coordinator. Megan Tidwell (center), kindergarten and first grade teacher at Wichita Adventist Christian Academy, celebrates with some good friends her completion of her Master's degree. "We are very proud of our teachers, most of whom have a master's degree or higher," says Gary Kruger (Conference Education Director). Her students cheered and clapped as principal Sharon Burton brought her diploma to her classroom! Congratulations, Megan! We're glad you are part of our ministry team!

22 Ellen White's Steps to Christ, first published 125 years ago (1892) and a best-seller from the time of its launch, has been released in a new, annotated edition. The publication also coincides with the 500 th anniversary of the Protestant Reformation. Every local church elder received this as a gift from the Conference officers. "The historical introduction by Dr. Fortin will help you appreciate it even more," says John Sweigart (VP for Administration). More... To get your copy at a reduced price, call our ABC at or knabc@ks-ne.org. Read it again, or for the first time! You will discover why over 20 million copies have been read and loved. Dr. H. Ward Hill, 88, passed away April 20, Dr. Hill was loved by many as an animated and brilliant professor of religion and Dean of Academic Affairs at Union College. He also taught one of College View Church's favorite Sabbath School classes for decades. Funeral service will be at 1:00 p.m. Sunday at the College View Seventh-day Adventist Church with Pastors Terry Bock and Rich Carlson officiating.

23 A Pale Horse Rides is a live, three-part experience October 27-28, 2017 from the Voice of Prophecy specifically designed to bring people from your community through the doors of your church. Pastor Shawn Boonstra delves into the 1,200 years between the merger of the Christian church with Roman rule, and the beginning of Martin Luther s Reformation. Talk with your pastor and church board about being involved in this outreach event. Read more... Click here for the trailer. Tomorrow's offering is for the KS-NE Conference Advance. A significant portion of this monthly offering supports our youth camp, Broken Arrow Ranch. Studies show that more than 70% of the individuals who make the decision to accept Jesus between the ages of 9 and 14 at summer camp remain committed Christians throughout their lives. Read more... Here's what some from the office are up to. Norm & Jan Zimmerman (Trust Services Director) will be in Dodge City where Norm will share in word and Jan will provide special music. Darin Gottfried (VP for Finance) will be attending the North American Division Human Resources Conference in Las Vegas beginning Sunday. Virgil & Pati Covel and family (Ministerial Director) are in Elizabethville, PA planning the memorial service for Pati s mother, Violet Scheib, who died this past Friday night. "Thankfully her children and grandchildren were with her singing, praying, and sharing stories with each other during her final hours. The

24 many messages of caring support from KS-NE have been a great comfort. Thank you so much! After helping Papaw (John Scheib) work through a few business matters we plan to return to Topeka next week," says Virgil Sue Carlson (Women's Ministries Director) will be conducting the God in Shoes training tomorrow afternoon and Sunday morning at the Conference office in Topeka. John Sweigart (VP for Administration) will be at New Haven Church tomorrow and leaves early Sunday morning for Las Vegas to attend the North American Division Human Resources Conference. I will be at the New Haven Church where I'll be participating in the worship services as well as teaching the Sabbath School lesson to the Swahili group. I'll also accompany Elder Wilson to meet with our Hispanic believers in the afternoon. **If you know something that you think would be of interest to other Kansas-Nebraska Adventists, please let me know. I am trying to keep everyone on the "cutting edge" by sending this out each Friday. Have a wonderful Sabbath! ************************************* Ron Carlson, President Kansas-Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists 3440 Urish Rd. Topeka, KS ************************************** Copyright 2017 Kansas - Nebraska Conference of Seventh-day Adventists, All rights reserved. You or someone else subscribed you to The Cutting Edge

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