July 2007 marked 100 years since 500 members in Southern Idaho and Eastern Oregon became the Idaho Conference. Camp Meeting Sabbath was a time to celebrate. Jan Paulsen, General Conference president, was the guest speaker. He based his sermon on the last 24 hours of Jesus' ministry and reviewed several core elements of faith that the disciples needed and that we need today. Jesus' ultimate concern for His disciples and for us today is that we be united by the Holy Spirit and seen as loving congregations proclaiming the Second Coming of Jesus. As Paulsen said, "A fractured church is a church in denial."
The celebration continued into the afternoon with a concert featuring the ministry of Christian Edition, a well–known men's chorus from Southern California. Calvin Knipschild, director, and 19 singers gave us a glimpse of heaven and the glorious day when we will all join together to sing a new song to the Lamb, Jesus our Savior.
Following the concert, Kameron DeVasher, who has served seven years as Bible teacher and pastor at Gem State Adventist Academy (GSAA), was ordained to the gospel ministry. He began his teaching career at GSAA in 2000 shortly after his graduation from Southern Adventist University. He is known for inspiring his students to understand and appreciate Adventist doctrines and for his Biblical preaching on the identity and mission of the church. He had the privilege of baptizing nine students in the last school year, including one just prior to his ordination. In July he transferred to the Florida Conference to serve as a youth pastor.
Celebrating 100 years of Sharing the Light in the Idaho Conference reminds us that we don't want to be here another 100 years. We want Jesus to come and take us home with Him long before celebrating a second century!
