The One Project: Past & Future

[Gregory Matthews]

Future plans:  The Seattle gathering—our largest yet—is now almost two weeks behind us. We're preparing for gatherings in Australia and Boulder this summer, and looking ahead to the large North American gathering in San Diego in 2017.

[Gregory Matthews]

The Future--Boulder--Colorado:

Boulder 1:1—August 14, 2016 Discover a deeper relationship with Jesus in a historic Adventist location.  In the late 1800s, John Harvey Kellogg franchised his Battle Creek Sanitarium at a site in Boulder, Colorado at the urging of one of his patients. John Fulton, a Seventh-day Adventist, believed Boulder was an ideal place for healing, having a climate “as nearly perfect as can be found.” The Boulder-Colorado Sanitarium and Hospital was completed in 1896. While the historic sanitarium buildings no longer exist, the current Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church is located on site. Mt. Sanitas is still pronounced by locals as “SAN-i-tas”—in reference to the Sanitarium. There is a small historical plaque on the mountain providing hikers with brief background information. Come for the entire weekend and fellowship with Boulder Adventist Church on Sabbath. Stay for lunch. Hike up Sanitas in the afternoon. It’s only three miles and August weather is perfect for hiking! Theme: “Jesus of Nazareth: His Message, His Passion.” Register for this one-day event, offered for the second time in Boulder, Colorado, and featuring incredible presentations, worship, opportunities for discussion and fellowship.  The 1:1 format is a small-scale version of a One project gathering, facilitated by and focused on the local church and community. As with all One project gatherings, the intention is to help people deepen their relationship with Jesus and become stronger Christians in their interactions with family, friends, and colleagues, making a profound and positive difference in their communities. Based on the two-volume series Jesus of Nazareth, written by former Adventist Review editor William G. Johnsson and produced by the Biblical Research Institute, Boulder 1:1 will explore the message and passion of Jesus, helping participants to connect these concepts with their own discipleship journey. There will be generous time for “recalibration,” allowing participants to process their thoughts on the various reflections by noted speakers, and to begin engaging in practical applications that make a difference in their lives. The mini-gathering also offers generation One (ages 13-17) and TOP kids (ages 4-12) to help bring teens and children into closer relationships with Jesus through fun and interactive activities and social events. Regular adult tickets are $49 (until July 7) and $29 for full-time college students, teens, and children. Location: Boulder Seventh-day Adventist Church, 345 Mapleton Ave., Boulder, CO 80304

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[Gregory Matthews]

For the past--a review of the Seattle Gathering:

Maylan Schurch has written an extended review of the recent Gathering in Seattle. To read it, go to:    http://atoday.org/15920.html

I find interesting her comparison of the Gathering with the camp-meetings of our historic past.

I also find her closing comment, in the written review, copied below, to be interesting:

Some conclusion about my One Project experience

One Project attendees really want to be there. I talked to people who had attended as many as four One Project events. When I asked why they returned, they gave answers like, “It’s good to see people I know again,” and “Each time I get more excited about Jesus.” There was a definite camp-meeting feel in the air, without the passivity one often also sees.

One Project attendees actively care about the church. I’m basing this on the attendees I was personally acquainted with, such as the couple who had left my own congregation a few years ago to help with a creative church plant, and another couple who had worked with Pathfinders for years. This impression was solidified by the discussions around the Recalibrate tables and during the Create session. People’s facial expressions were intense and hopeful; these folks cared about their congregations and were actively involved there, but were frustrated that the work of Christ was going slowly, and wanted to find out how to change this.

Ellen White was not quoted often, but was quoted with respect when she was. Occasionally, presenters during the two One Project days (and again during Advance and Create) would put Spirit of Prophecy quotes on the screen, Some were used as authoritative, others as confirmation for already-exegeted Bible passages or concepts.

I detected no snarkiness. The American Heritage Dictionary, 5th edition, defines snarky as “rudely sarcastic or disrespectful.” There was humor—including a jocular running banter between Alex Bryan and Paddy McCoy during the Create segment—but even though the failings of any local congregation could provide abundant fodder for comic sarcasm, I heard none. Instead, I sensed a deep, tender respect for the Adventist message and its people.

I literally left with a sense of peace. Sometimes seminars leave me wired. Sometimes they leave me with “seminar burnout”—too much information too fast. Sometimes they leave me bored, impatient to get back to my regular routine. But as I drove away from the Westin that Tuesday afternoon, I noticed that I was feeling peaceful. Even though my growing pastoral to-do list needed attending to, there was an unusual calmness in my chest. The only reasons I can come up with is that this program had been prayed about, very strongly, and that its staff had carefully listened to constructive feedback. I really do believe that the Spirit of Christ was moving approvingly among that assembly, and I am glad I went.