In 2026 I will be exploring early Sabbatarian Adventists in the states that now comprise the Mid-America Union. There is no way to know who the first Millerite or Adventist was in each state. Instead, I will feature the first people to write to the Advent Review and Sabbath Herald (forerunner of the Adventist Review) from the territories or states in what is now the Mid-America Union. Olatha, Nebraska, truly is a ghost town. So thoroughly wiped from map and memory, some people confuse it with Olathe, Kansas. In 1858 there really was a town named Olatha, Nebraska, near present-day Roca, south of Lincoln (The First Settlers in Lancaster County).* The first seventh-day Sabbath-observing Adventists in Nebraska Territory (and also among the first settlers of Lancaster County, Nebraska) were Joseph Van Rensselaer Weeks and his wife, Imogene Cookson Weeks. Joseph was born in New York State, probably near Sheridan in the western part of the state, in 1821. His father, Russell Weeks, was a strict minister. Joseph described his childhood as: Reared amid strong sectarian prejudices, taught to believe in and practice the observance of the first day of the week as the Sabbath, I regarded Commandment-keepers as rabid sectarians, willfully adhering to a Jewish institution, merely for the sake of notoriety… (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald) Imogene Cookson was also born in New York State in 1821. Joseph and Imogene married in 1842. Two children were born to them in New York, George Russell (1843-1844) and Mary Josephine (1845-1880). By the time of Francelia (Celia) Georgiana’s birth in 1848 (died 1939), the family had moved to Trenton, Dodge County, Wisconsin, where they settled on a farm. Their son Edwin later claimed the family lived in Fairfield (Washington County, so they may have moved within Wisconsin). Three more children were born in Wisconsin: Ella Evalina (1850-1927), Leslie Albert (1852-1856), and Edwin Ruthven (1855-1938). The youngest child, Raymond (1863-1954) was born in Iowa after their short Nebraska sojourn. The Free-Soiler Weeks family moved to Olatha, Nebraska, in 1856 or 1857, soon after the passage of the Kansas-Nebraska Act of 1854. There is no indication of when or where Imogene encountered Adventist publications. She began keeping the Sabbath in mid-1857. Her husband was more resistant and did not accept the seventh-day Sabbath until January 1858. When he finally did so, he was most fervent. …but thanks to God, the mists of Popish darkness are breaking away and light bursts in bringing peace, joy, patience, self-denial, love unbounded, an earnest longing for immortality and the appearing of our Lord Jesus Christ. (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald) It was a lonely faith with no other Adventist believers near them, and their neighbors disagreeing with their peculiar belief. We are the only family in this region that regard the fourth command as not being Jewish, but of universal application, binding on man wherever he may be; yet we have reason to believe that the truth is beginning to find its way through every refuge of lies, and would soon be potent to the pulling down of the strong holds of Satan, could we have the Review, accompanied by some standard Sabbath and Advent publications, to aid in its propagation and more general diffusion. (Advent Review and Sabbath Herald) The Review and Herald Publishing Association sent Weeks a quantity of books valued at 50 cents (about $20 in 2026). Evidently the Weeks’ found farming in Nebraska no more satisfying than Wisconsin. By 1860, they had moved again, this time to Benton Township in Fremont County, Iowa, about sixty miles east of Olatha, Nebraska. Or perhaps they had another reason for moving. Joseph took up masonry work, apparently in the new village of Civil Bend as Advent Review and Sabbath Herald readers heard from him in August with a letter posted from Civil Bend. Four years later, he again wrote to the Review, this time from Tabor, Iowa, just a few miles east of Civil Bend. This is where the story gleaned from the Review ends. An Alternate Narrative The obituaries of Joseph’s children tell a somewhat different story. First of all, readers need to know something about Civil Bend that provides insight as to why Joseph Weeks would have wanted to move there. First settled by abolitionist in 1847 and perched on the flood plain next to the Missouri River, Civil Bend was not destined to survive. However, by 1857 the village was acknowledged as the western terminus of the Underground Railroad (although Nebraska City and Falls City on the western side of the Missouri River also played a role). Freedom seekers from Missouri, Kansas, and Nebraska as well as points further south, found their way to Civil Bend, from which they were transported up the bluffs to Tabor (founded in 1852 on tableland above the flood plain) and then to Chicago and beyond. (See Iowa Freedom Trail Project and Tabor Historical Society) According to his son Edwin’s obituary (Kansas City Times, August 18, 1938), Joseph’s Iowa farm (was masonry a temporary job or in addition to farming?) was an Underground Railroad station. Contemporary evidence is circumstantial. Edwin was five years old when his family moved to Iowa. He was an infant when they moved to Nebraska. The stories told about his father in newspaper articles in the 1920s and 1930s contain enough discrepancies to make one cautious. Edwin’s obituary also claims that his parents’ ultimate goal when they left New York had been to settle in Kansas. This seems unlikely. New Yorkers heading west in the 1840s were looking for cheap land and space to expand. Kansas was not yet an organized territory, while Wisconsin offered both inexpensive land and an established community on the cusp of statehood. Much more attractive for a young family. In 1856-1857 Kansas was bloodied by fighting between proslavery “border ruffians” from Missouri and anti-slavery free-state settlers. Joseph may have wished to support the bid to keep Kansas free of slavery, but Nebraska may have appeared safer for his <a class="cat-post-excerpt-more" href="https://www.outlookmag.org/sabbatarian-adventists-in-a-nebraska-ghost-town/" title="Continue reading Sabbatarian Adventists in a Nebraska Ghost Town Joseph Van Rensselaer and Imogene Cookson Weeks“>Read more…

As a junior in high school, the question seems to be popping up everywhere: What are you going to be? What is the rest of my life going to look like? I’ve been raised an Adventist and now attend College View Academy. My life as a whole has been and will forever be greatly impacted from attending school in an Adventist community. I plan to take the values of the Adventist education into my career, my relationships, and my spiritual life going forward. Here at College View, my religious questions are answered with care and wisdom. The teachers are vigilant in surrounding our activities with the Holy Spirit. The Word says in Matthew 18:20, “Where two or more are gathered in my name, there am I among them.” In my Adventist school, God is always among us, for we are gathered together to learn in His name. Specifically, in religion class, we focus on experiencing/encountering Jesus, knowing truth and gaining knowledge of God, as well as walking a journey in growing with God. Campus ministries are a key element of life here at CVA. We have several groups all immensely focused on the spiritual aspects of our school. We reach out to our community, we provide for each other through blessings, prayer and music. We are focused on community and hold a weekly meeting called Refocus to better connect with God and each other. The Adventist community provides endless opportunities—all of which help students in choosing their careers. Union Adventist University offers mentor opportunities to all grades of high school to help them as they mature into young adults. Leadership positions are offered here at CVA. I myself am the vice president of the school’s student association. I have grown as a leader and a team member, advanced in my responsibility, and grown as a whole through this opportunity. The electives and sports offered at our school allow each student to discover their individual talents and interests. This can help shape our skills for God’s work and establish our ideas for what we want to do for our future job satisfaction. Career day is a beneficial event where people of different occupations come in and mentor the students, another wonderful way the Adventist community here in Lincoln helps prepare students for their careers. Relationships at CVA are healthy and inclusive. We are taught continually to live non-judgmentally. The teacher student relations are friendly and helpful. The teachers clearly care for their students. We exhibit a safe space where each person is heard, encouraged and respected. The community is deeply rooted. Together in church, in school, in hobbies and activities, the people here lift you up to your fullest potential. Without the valuable relationships I have made here, I wouldn’t be the same. My community makes me feel at home, safe, included, respected and loved. I have found truth from my education, truth that God is by my side, and truth that my community is there to support me. I have come to a conclusion. What am I going to be? What the rest of my life is going to look like? As I look to the future, I plan to actualize my aspirations in including Jesus in my career, my relationships, and my spiritual life. I have been exceedingly blessed to attend an Adventist high school. Caiden Henton is a junior at College View Academy in Lincoln, Nebraska.  

“Growing up, God wasn’t in our house,” said Thomas Hinze. “The most I heard about God was when my father cursed his name in vain.”  In 1961, Thomas was born number six of seven children to a working poor family in Spring Valley, Minnesota. He described his household as ungodly and without guidance, even though his father sometimes took him and his siblings to attend the Southern Baptist Church. Hearing the pastor yell from the pulpit that he would burn in hell made Thomas think, I don’t want to be a part of this. Still, that yearning for something more sat deep in his core, and his search continued as he grew up. When he reached 18, Thomas joined the Marines, then the police force. He says he “did everything society was telling me I was supposed to do.” Led by uncertainties, he wandered from the Methodist Church to the Lutheran Brotherhood. When the question of marriage came up in his life, he decided to be baptized into the Catholic Church to get married at the altar. “I was doing it for man’s purposes, not for God’s purposes,” he explained. He still attended church, mostly to please relatives, but he truly hoped to find God, because he felt something big was missing. A seed is planted One day, as Thomas cast his line into the river for trout, he peered at the empty sky above. “Where are You, God?” he cried out. “Where are You?” He set his fishing rod aside and lumbered around a nearby willow tree. A gust of wind struck him just then.  He recalls feeling the Holy Spirit touch his heart—not to change him at that very moment, but to plant a seed. “So that when I was ready,” he said, “I would be able to accept Jesus.” Thomas sought to water that seed by exploring different churches, but he fell once more into doubt and confusion. He drifted back to the Baptist Church, where he asked to be rebaptized. The pastor, however, told him it was unnecessary, for he had already been baptized. This left him unfulfilled and frustrated. It was about this time that Thomas’ older brother extended his hand and offered Thomas a place in his home. While Thomas lived there, members of a church he had only heard of knocked on the door. They introduced themselves as Ken and Ann Brown, Seventh-day Adventists, and shared spiritual works like The Great Controversy. This piqued the brothers’ interest. When the Browns offered Bible studies, the brothers were elated. They loved spending some time each Sabbath learning in communion with friends. For the next few months, Thomas stepped back on the path to finding peace under the guidance of the Browns and his brother. That path, however, is as narrow and treacherous as they come.  February 2025 brought anguish that seemed to tear the path out from under Thomas’ feet. His brother fell terribly ill. After several hospital trips, he was placed in a coma, for nothing more could be done for him. However, he was not alone during this time, for Ken and Ann Brown came to his side. “They sang to him, and they prayed over him,” Thomas recalled. “And I know that he was with Jesus when he passed on.” Sadly, Thomas did not lean on his faith to heal his wounds but turned to alcohol to numb them. He sat wishing that he would also die. He cried out again, “God, why are You taking him now? He’s helping me.” Thomas felt alone, confused and lost once more. It was during this great drought that the hands of Ken and Ann reached into his darkness and held him steady. Not only that couple, but Pastor Tony Ferreira of Countryside Seventh-day Adventist Church came and supported him. For the first time, Thomas was met amid his turmoil and accepted as he was. The seed starts to sprout In July of 2025, a blood clot the size of a golf ball lodged itself in his heart, leaving him hospitalized with a blood pressure of 60/40. Thus, the faith journey of Thomas Hinze was presumed over when he was put on hospice. Referring to that time, Thomas said, “I’m not looking at living anymore. I’m looking at dying.” The disease in his heart sought to strangle the seed before it could sprout. “Who comes to see me when I’m on my deathbed?” he shared. “Ken and Ann Brown.” As they did for his brother, they sang to Thomas and prayed over him. During that time, Thomas had moved in with his stepson in St. Cloud, Minnesota. Thomas and his brother had been discussing baptism earlier, and Thomas still held that desire, now more than ever with his impending death. He expressed it to Pastor Tony and Ann and the event was scheduled. Thomas confessed his faith to the Countryside congregation with Pastor Tony at his side. “I stepped into the water with fear for God … And I went under the water, then the pastor pulled me out, and I took my first breath of life.” His first breath among the company of people who truly accepted him. After that, Thomas said he broke the rules and graduated from hospice by “refusing to die.” After his baptism, his heart function increased from 15 to 25 percent. Ever since then, every aspect of his life has been “so much better.” Instead of dying, that seed planted by the Holy Spirit long ago sprouted like never before, and Thomas knew where he was called.  Before, church attendance was a reluctant obligation. Now, when he falls ill and misses a service, his friends from Countryside call to ask if he is well, and he experiences the kindness and graciousness of God through community. Thomas said, “My life is the Great Controversy.” He has experienced that push and pull through the years. Questions and doubts tore at his mind, physical ailments wracked his body, and loss halted his Read more…

For the students at HMS Richards Adventist School in Loveland, Colorado, the past year has been about reading, math, science and social studies. But it has also been about connection, purpose and preparing to share their faith.  After months of reaching out to neighbors, building friendships, and serving their community, HMS was ready to open its doors last November for a weeklong event titled God Is.” Each evening the HMS gym was filled with music, student-led messages, and doors open wide in welcome. The 45-minute nightly programs were designed to bring people together, offering encouragement, inspiration and a message of hope through the eyes and voices of HMS students. For over a year, the HMS seventh- and eighth-grade classes had been researching, writing and preparing sermons rooted in Bible truths they believe need to be shared. These aren’t typical classroom assignments; their messages were born from personal study, prayer and conviction. Each sermon was written and delivered by the students themselves, reflecting their growing understanding of who God is and what His promises mean for the world today. Jordan emphasized that they wanted every person to feel that God is real, God is near, and God still changes lives. “Our students poured their hearts into this,” said Carey Jordan, principal of HMS Richards Adventist School. “They spent months praying, studying and asking how they can best represent Jesus to their community. It was inspiring to watch them grow in faith and courage.” The entire event was student-led from start to finish, with grades five through eight managing every part of the program—from sound and stage management to pew hosts, greeters, sermon introductions, music and praise time. “We wanted this to be more than a presentation,” Jordan explained. “Every student had a role and a purpose in sharing God’s love.” Each evening also featured free giveaways, including books, gift cards and small gifts. The HMS commitment to sharing faith extends beyond the event itself. The fifth- and sixth-grade students have prepared a follow-up Bible study podcast series, written, presented and recorded by the students. The first episodes launched last December, with QR codes distributed to HMS neighbors to listen from home and explore more of the topics introduced during the God Is series. The God Is meetings were the culmination of a year-long effort to connect on a personal level with Campion residents who live around HMS. “Before we could share our message, we wanted to truly know our community,” Jordan said. “Our students have learned that ministry begins with friendship, and that faith grows best when it’s shared through kindness and conversation.”   God Is was part of the North American Division’s Pentecost 2025 initiative, a continent-wide movement encouraging schools and churches to share the good news of Jesus and pray for a renewed outpouring of the Holy Spirit.  Information provided by Carey Jordan, principal of HMS Richards Adventist School in Colorado.