Did You Attend UCC Search & Rescue Camp Meeting?
June 24, 2020
It is not to late to attend this year's virtual camp meeting. You will be blessed.
This year’s camp meeting was unusual but powerful. “Search & Rescue,” held virtually at the Spokane Valley Seventh-day Adventist Church was attended by thousands every night. The views on Sabbath are currently at more than 3 thousand on Youtube. These numbers are expected to increase as attendees share camp meeting with their friends.
Lee Venden shared his new series about the Garden of Gethsemane. The most powerful message was that Jesus conquered the devil in the Garden and He saved mankind for eternity on the cross. Meeting Jesus is the single most important event of every person’s life. Because of this, we invite you to share this series far and wide. We hope that as Lee Venden has expressed it so poetically that all will find these sentiments to be true — Jesus is music to a concert, He is air to a deep breath, He is life to the living, He is strength in weakness, and He is your friend.
Buddy Houghtaling and his group also ministered each evening through music. His back-up singers were Natalie Patzer and Donna Hook. Paul Jenks played base and Eugene Hook was on the guitar. Together they shared the love of Jesus through song. Their talents were phenomenal as they performed many songs by request at the afterglow each evening.
Speaking of the afterglow, Minner Labrador, UCC president, virtually gathered the attendees around the piano like a typical afterglow to ask questions and make song requests. The audience felt like they were there because of YouTube and Facebook chat. Lee was able to answer questions and Buddy and team fulfilled musical requests such as “Kitty Kitty,” “When Pigs Fly,” “Mr. Darwin,” and many more.
Every night a story was shared from a different church in Upper Columbia Conference. The messages focused on how the church was continuing to do the Work, even during this COVID time. To cap off this message, Garrick Odenberg was baptized on Sabbath.
The seminars were well received and attended. The technical crew did an outstanding job. The Valley Adventist Church staff hosted this year’s camp meeting with grace. All in all, the staff and crew felt this year was a success.
Next year's camp meeting is scheduled to resume at Upper Columbia Academy featuring where Pastor Joe Kidder, Lowell Cooper, and Carl Cosaert will speak. While 2020 was a unique year, it provided a respite from the busyness of the normal camp meeting while focusing on the spiritual messages and retaining a virtual feeling of togetherness.
This year can be summed up in the words of some of the YouTube chat messages. Myrna Gillespie says, “Thank you Upper Columbia Conference for doing this virtual camp meeting and thank you for asking Lee Venden to be a speaker. I have been blessed.”
Jim Davidson says, “This camp meeting has been a blessing! Thanks to all who made it possible! Most of all, thanks to Jesus for His infinite sacrifice!”
We hope you will share this camp meeting far and wide. The messages are important and timely. You can watch them here on YouTube https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLAtdnj9epHv-9dXHNkCtLOCFCQglLkZ2E
Another option is to watch all seminars and main meetings at UCC web site. www.uccsda.org/campmeeting
Upper Columbia Conference encompasses the Seventh-day Adventist churches in eastern Washington, northern Idaho and northeastern Oregon and includes more than 27 thousand members and 126 churches.
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