For 34 years, LuAnn (Wolfe) Davis has served as Union’s vice president for Advancement, and this summer, she will take a well earned retirement, joining her husband, Lynn, who retired in 2024. Jennifer (Rieke) Schall, a 2005 graduate, will be the next VP. Davis has mentored her as a possible successor since Schall returned to Union as director of major gifts in 2017. Under Davis’ leadership, Union experienced extraordinary growth made possible by the partnership of committed trustees, generous donors and a deeply dedicated Advancement team. Together, these efforts resulted in philanthropic support totaling nearly $118 million, strengthening the university’s mission and positioning Union for the future. One of the most significant developments during this time was the intentional integration of planned giving into the work of the Advancement Office. Philanthropy became a truly comprehensive program — embracing current, deferred and planned gifts. Through matured trusts and charitable gift annuities, Union received $3.1 million, with the market value of current gift annuities now totaling $1.2 million. In addition, $12.56 million was realized through wills and trusts — gifts that reflect deep confidence in Union’s mission and long-term impact. The university’s endowment also saw remarkable growth, increasing from $1.7 million to $33.5 million today. This progress was driven by a strategic shift to broaden the purpose of the endowment beyond scholarships alone, establishing funds to support academic programs and essential operations alongside student support. During this period, an active Alumni Association Board was re-established, providing meaningful leadership and partnership for the alumni office. For more than 30 years, this volunteer-driven group has played a vital role in fostering connection, pride and lifelong engagement among Union’s alumni. Davis’ leadership also guided the successful completion of three major capital campaigns, resulting in the construction of the Ortner Center, the Krueger Center for Science and Mathematics, and the AdventHealth Complex — projects that continue to shape the daily experience of our students and campus community. Between these campaigns, countless other projects strengthened Union in tangible ways. Campus renovations improved spaces such as Woods Auditorium, the Student Center, residence halls, classrooms, and 49ers Field. Investments were made in technology, debt was eliminated in the late-1990s, and student experiences were enhanced through the disaster response team, mission trips, athletics and a wide range of student programs. Together, these efforts reflect a legacy of stewardship, vision, and deep care for students — past, present and future. “Every success in my career has been because of amazing people who love Union,” said Davis. “Our university has been blessed with the best alumni, parents, constituents and trustees who have made our mission their own, and I can not imagine my career without the amazing colleagues and friends who have worked beside me. I am continually blessed by the Union Spirit everywhere I find it.” The Advancement Office has established the The Davis Tribute Fund for Student Scholarships, which will continue to help students as she has for 34 years as vice president. If you would like to contribute to it in honor of Davis, please visit https://uau.edu/davis-tribute where you will find a giving form as well as a form to share your stories about Davis’ years of dedicated service.

Calories aren’t as straightforward as food labels suggest, according to research from the AdventHealth Translational Research Institute. Karen Corbin, Ph.D., recently shared on “The Proof with Simon Hill” podcast how the gut microbiome plays a meaningful role in how much energy your body actually absorbs from food.  Understanding the gut helps shift the focus from counting calories to caring for the whole person. The research uncovered a few key highlights:  Whole food diets can reduce calorie absorption from foods. In a trial conducted at AdventHealth, people following a fiber-rich, whole foods diet absorbed an average of 116 fewer calories each day as compared to a diet that was low in fiber —even though they consumed the same amount of calories on both diets. That’s because some of the energy fed their gut microbes and was excreted rather than stored.  Fiber helps your body work smarter, not harder. High fiber, whole food diets don’t just support digestion. They can also influence fullness cues, blood sugar regulation, body weight, liver and overall metabolic health, often within weeks. While fiber is an essential nutrient in our daily diet, how much you need to eat depends on several factors, including age and sex. On average, the recommended daily fiber intake is 22 to 28 grams for women and 25 to 38 grams for men.  “Feed your gut” is a simple daily health check. Corbin encourages asking this question each day: Have I fed my gut microbiome? Fruits, vegetables, whole grains and beans help nourish the microbes that support whole-person health.  Your gut is part of your whole-person health. The gut microbiome doesn’t work in isolation. It interacts with metabolism, hormones and organs throughout the body, helping connect digestion, energy balance and long term health —all of which support whole-person well being across body, mind and spirit.  Gut health helps explain why nutrition is personal. Two people can eat the same foods and have very different responses. Differences in the gut microbiome help explain why nutrition isn’t one-size-fits-all — and why personalized, whole-person care that considers the body as a system matters.  Hear more from Corbin in her conversation on “The Proof with Simon Hill” (available on Apple Podcasts, YouTube and Spotify) during which she explores what research reveals about the interconnection between the microbiome, energy balance and whole-person health.  Source:  Corbin, K.D., Carnero, E.A., Dirks, B. et al. Host-diet-gut microbiome interactions influence human energy balance: a randomized clinical trial. Nat Commun 14, 3161 (2023). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-023-38778-x 

Liz Kirkland, Highlands Ranch, Colorado – Twenty-nine Pathfinder Club teams representing the six conferences in the Mid-America Union Conference (MAUC) gathered at Mile High Academy in Highlands Ranch, Colorado, on March 21 for this year’s Union-level Pathfinder Bible Experience (PBE), after months of preparation. For some clubs, the journey to this next level of testing came with extra challenges. Christine Armantrout, a director for the Sedalia, Missouri, and Sunnydale Adventist Academy Pathfinder clubs, shared how a multi-club trip to PBE became a powerful testimony of unity and faith. Young people from different clubs bonded and encouraged one another along the way. “Our club has a coach bus, and we picked up the other teams along the way,” commented Armentrout. “The bus has screens and we practiced PBE questions on the way. It was remarkable how it didn’t matter what clubs they were in. They got together with small groups and were supporting and encouraging each other. They were like, ‘You’ve got this’!” The trip took an unexpected turn when the bus broke down during a sightseeing stop. What could have been a major setback quickly became a moment of answered prayer. “I called up one of our area coordinators and said that we need help. They had a bus that could fit all 27 of our kids. So, then we called a service guy who had a mobile hydraulic guy. He, my husband, and another parent got everything taken apart and back up, and we were back on the road before sundown.” The Pathfinder Bible Experience, formerly known as the “Bible Bowl,” is the official North American Division (NAD) Pathfinder Bible study program. Teams of six members study a book of the Bible and are tested on their knowledge. The first Pathfinder Bible Bowl began in the MAUC territory, with the first event held in 1988 in Sheridan, Wyoming. It later expanded throughout the Rocky Mountain Conference (RMC) and beyond before being adopted division-wide in 1993. This year’s PBE focused on the book of Isaiah. Each team answered a series of 90 questions. Teams advanced to this event by earning first-place marks—scores of 90% or higher—at both local and conference-level testing. Those who received first-place rankings at this event will move on to the final division round in Hawthorne, Florida, on April 17–18. The United Central Pathfinder Club from the Central States Conference has participated in PBE for several years. When asked how they prepare each year, club member Bradley said, “We study hard. You don’t just read the verse, you memorize it. We love how we can learn about the Bible and know what God has done and what all of the Bible characters have done. It gives us a better point of view of what happens in the Bible.”   But PBE is more than just a Bible study program. Months of preparation create opportunities for Pathfinders to build friendships and connect with others both locally and across the wider church community. “What I like a lot about PBE is meeting new people and spending time with friends,” said Damian from the Mount Rushmore Mountaineers Pathfinder Club of the Dakota Seventh-day Adventist Conference. New to this year’s union-level event was a full worship service to open the day. It included a song service led by a praise team from RMC’s Littleton Seventh-day Adventist Church and a message from Tyrone Douglas, MAUC Church, Youth, and Young Adult Ministries director. He began with the biblical story of Samuel, reminding the youth that the hope is that one day they will say, “Speak, Lord, for I am listening.” Douglas encouraged them to be in the right place, to be available, and to be ready to serve God. “I really focused on the experience this year,” remarked Douglas. “I want the kids to come and not just do the testing and leave with a trophy, but I really want them to have an encounter experience when they come. And, today, we also want to include a ministry activity with it being Global Youth Day. That’s why we had the worship service the way we did it this year.” After testing was completed and lunch was served, provided by RMC’s Las Aguilas Pathfinder Club, teams gathered for a service project. They decorated food delivery bags for Project Angel Heart,* a Denver-based nonprofit that provides nutritious, medically tailored meals for people experiencing severe illness. Douglas opened the awards ceremony by inviting Pathfinder members and leaders to recognize those who supported their PBE journey. Many lined up to thank club leaders, parents, and supporters who dedicate time and effort to their teams. Of the 29 participating teams, 19 earned first-place rankings and will advance to the division-level event. Three conferences—Iowa-Missouri, Minnesota, and Kansas-Nebraska —celebrated having all their teams advance. Below are the results by conference. Iowa-Missouri Conference Ankeny Wisdom Warriors Ankeny Son Seekers Knowledge Seekers College Park Roaring for Christ Springfield Thunderbolts Team 1 Sunnydale/Sedalia Team 1 Timberwolves Order of the Seraphim Minnesota Conference Heavens Crew Heavens Crew Lions Light of the World Glorifiers Light of the World Warriors of Christs Ostego Northern Star Rangers Swords Southview Sabers Bible Panthers Southview Sabers Light of the Darkness Southview Sabers The 6 Seventh-day Adventists Rangers Valiants Kansas-Nebraska Conference Lenexa Panthers Tribe of Isaiah Rocky Mountain Conference Las Aguilas Douglas hopes to continue growing the event in the future. “I would love to make it a weekend experience where, when [the Pathfinders] come, they’re refreshed and revived by the Spirit of God. So, we really want to focus on the experience beyond just the testing aspect.” * Project Angel Heart is not affiliated with the Seventh-day Adventist Church. —Liz Kirkland is the Rocky Mountain Conference communication director.  Want to see more from this year’s PBE? Follow the Mid-America Union Pathfinders Facebook page or check out the Mid-America Union Flickr page on Thursday evening, March 26.

If you have been a member of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in the last 50 years or even the last 10 years, you may have heard the cry, “We are losing members!” In 2022, I wrote an article for the Outlook, our Union magazine citing statistics that, “65% of our churches in Mid America Union Conference are declining.” The church at the General Conference headquarters reported recently that the Seventh-day Adventist Church in 50-years (1965-2014) lost 13,026,925 members. The global church is having conversations about what to do. Roger McNamee coined the phrase “New Normal” in the early 2000s, referring to the economic climate after the dotcom bubble. He characterized this era as one marked by slower growth, more volatility, and greater influence for individuals. The truth is we are living in changing times, the old normal, what we did fifty years or even ten years ago won’t produce the same results today. I have been looking at our local church’s statistics and discovered that we recorded 257 people as missing in a decade (2013-2023), a 54.27 percent loss, clearly the older normal is not working. The pastoral team (elders and the pastor) discussed strategies for soul care, membership retention, and church growth. We had to restructure the worship service to be generational inclusive. As a pastoral team we challenged ourselves to serve in our spiritual giftedness. We agreed on a strategy that includes, a fellowship meal every sabbath, a church prayer group dedicated to praying for all prayer requests submitted each sabbath, we have Wednesday prayer meeting, we have literature distribution, community laundry project, a discover bible school, we divided the church in zones by zip code for pastoral team visits in the church community, physically or virtually, we encouraged small groups to position ourselves to offer encouragement for spiritual counsel, and congregational nurture. In studying the church, we uncovered some data that you may not see if you just walk into a church sabbath morning, this data is based on two surveys done in our church. The survey results are substantively important. In the survey we asked several questions, and here is evidence of church health. Question 12, “I connect with God in a meaningful way during the worship service,” 25 points increase, Question 15, “I feel that the worship service has a positive influence on me,” an increase of 22 points. Question number 56, “I’m often bored during worship service,” 20 points improvement, Question number 89, “I prepare myself to participate in worship service,”16 points improvement. There is still a lot of work to be done. I called a church member, I hadn’t seen in church for two weeks, she said, “I do not like the praise music, this contemporary Christian music you are bringing in church. This adoration/rock like concert in the sanctuary can bring attendees yes – what I want is a straight devotional service that will draw and attract people’s attention to Christianity.” I asked if she wanted to lead out in song service. “No, I don’t sing,” was the answer. One elder said, “The problem in this church has been the overall culture of this church, the culture of this church has been one of inflexibility, conservatism,” Looking at the survey report, there is evidence of a general increase presenting a radical shift in the culture of the church from 2023, our pastoral team, are beginning to see the centripetal power of the gospel, evidence of people being attracted to the church, and wanting their families and friends to be included in the fellowship of the church, so that they can grow into mature Christians. One church member sent this text after attending Wednesday prayer meeting, “Pastor, I was so delighted to be at prayer meeting. Just love the excitement about our Awesome God! Looking forward to Sabbath and Wednesday prayer meeting!” Our pastoral team are also praying and hoping that as a church community, our relationship with Jesus will have a centrifugal force on us to direct us outward to invite other people to join because the church has added value to our lives. For example, a lecturer in our church came to me and said, “pastor one of my students is here, he is wondering if he can be baptized?” One attending non-Adventist sent me this text, “Sir, per your sermon today, we as a family are indeed happy to be part of the RCSDA family.” The results of the surveys show that there is steady growth in our church, compared to recent years. There is evidence of increased positive impact, the church climate is changing, one of the elders put it this way, “we were noticing some of the difficulties within the church. . .. The issues that we ran into were really causing us a lot of difficulty in maintaining our enthusiasm for coming to church, there was a lot of feuds between church members, there was a lot of issues in regard to differences on worship style.” Today the testimony is different, there are signs of openness, the same elder remarked, “well, our diversity, so we have a lot of diverse, people groups, diversity of thought, like I said, um, racial diversity in the church for a fairly monochromatic community, . . . we are a very diverse church, and I think that is one of the greatest strengths.” I can tell you that if you walk into the Rapid City Seventh-Day Adventist Church today, you will see a picture of a multi-ethnic and multi-generational Church that is transforming alongside the cultural landscape of the city itself. We are not there yet, but as the pastor, what I am seeing is what I call exciting stuff. The church growth is 6.49 percent from 2023 to 2025. The church has made a significant improvement in membership retention. This kind of news is what the devil hates, but for now, we will praise the Lord. A few weeks ago, we started our church visioning for 2026-2027, after the first <a class="cat-post-excerpt-more" href="https://www.outlookmag.org/towards-a-transformative-church/" title="Continue reading Becoming a Transformative Church Moving From Programs to Purpose“>Read more…