OREGON
CONFERENCE // IT'S ALL ABOUT JESUS
GLADSTONE HOSTS VERY DIFFERENT CAMP MEETING More more online at glnr.in/115-05-or_gladstone
he words “camp meeting” have brought folks from Oregon, Washington and beyond to Gladstone for more than 90 years. They come for spiritual refreshment, for inspiration and for Pronto Pups. They come to pitch their tents beside the same families they’ve camped beside “since we were kids.” They come to buy cases of Loma Linda and Worthington foods at the Adventist Book Center’s yearly sales. They bring their lawn chairs and sit on the front row to be sure and catch every word of the evening speaker’s message.
Some come for the music — and are never disappointed. Others come to be with friends — and discover a new walk with Jesus during an afternoon meeting. Many come to be sure their children will have happy camp meeting memories. Camp meeting, and especially Gladstone Camp Meeting, is part of our Northwestern Adventist DNA. Then came COVID-19 — and some very long planning meetings. “What can we do online?” “Can Elder Rojas still be our main speaker?”
TYLOR WATTS
Young adults headed to Portland Adventist Community Services (PACS) on Sabbath to hand out food boxes (and maybe a some goodies too).
Those, and several thousand other questions, made for eloquent prayers and intense conversations as conference leaders tackled the challenge of putting on both Spanish and English camp meetings in the midst of the government’s “stay at home” restrictions. The result is more than 140 separate online events that were viewed by thousands of participants. Most of our viewers watched from Oregon and Washington, but many checked in from Pakistan, Brazil, Panama, New Zealand, Australia, France and half of the United States. Children from preschool through juniors did crafts, played games, sang along and shared stories during the Rocky Railroad programs
DICK DUERKSEN
“Look higher,” Rojas challenged. “Look so high that all you can see is Jesus. Then He will show you how to serve.”
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for kids. Youth “binged Jesus” with Jarod Frost and an incredibly talented group of teenage musicians. Young adults led their own series of meetings and outreach activities, culminating TYLOR WATTS in a “drive-in” worship at Gladstone. The adults? Seminars, morning devotionals, afternoon adventures and evening worship from the Holden Center. José Rojas spoke six times for the 2020 Gladstone Digital Camp Meeting, each time with words that came like bugle calls to action. “We must not do church like we have
