Ninth Sunday After Pentecost 

God of all peoples, your arms reach out to embrace all those who call upon you. Teach us as disciples of your Son to love the world with compassion and constancy, that your name may be known throughout the earth, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

Erich Hartenberger to be Ordained Aug. 28  

The community of Messiah Lutheran Church in Albuquerque, NM, invites you to join them for the Service of Ordination for Erich Hartenberger on Sunday, August 28 at 10:30 a.m. Bishop Bruce Burnside of the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin will be presiding and Pastor Tim Orlowski will assist. Everyone is welcome.

Erich has been called to serve a two-point parish in the South-Central Synod of Wisconsin.  The parishes are St. John's in Leland and Zion in Rock Springs.

On July 24 Risen Lord Lutheran Church in Pine Junction, CO, celebrated the dedication of their newly constructed Prayer Labyrinth. "You have made known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence." These were the words 

of the Litany of Dedication lead by Pastor Stefan Rickman as the congregation gathered around the Labyrinth.

Made possible by many hours of planning and implementing by the people of Risen Lord, the Prayer Labyrinth was built with 6 circuits fashioned after the Chartres Cathedral Labyrinth in France. The uniqueness lies in the center, which is a mosaic of Martin Luther's Rose constructed by 18 members of the congregation.

You are invited to visit the Labyrinth about 25 miles southwest of C470 at Highway 285 and Pine Junction, Colorado.  Turn at the stoplight onto Mount Evans Blvd. and look for the sign for Risen Lord Lutheran Church.  The congregation welcomes you to walk the Labyrinth in the beauty of the mountains. 

Dates and places are set for our key events in 2012 and 2013, and a one-page overview will assist you and your congregation council in planning ahead. Information about the date for the Installation of the Bishop in September, 2012, is also included.

Download and print the .pdf overview page now.

God's Positioning System  

November 18-20, 2011

at Estes

This year, one adult will register for every five youth (all of matching genders!). In the registration process, the adult and youth will register in room groups. Please read the registration materials carefully, and use the "Registration Worksheet for Assigning Rooms" to assist in preparing for online registration.

The RMS is one of the stops on the Citizens with the Saints  pre-tour concerts featuring AGAPE and Rachel Kurtz. They will be featured at this year's Senior High Youth Gathering, November 18-20. Download a schedule/poster and get more details at the SHYG website .  

Remember the two excellent videos of RMS ministries shown at our assembly last spring? Each congregation received a DVD with three videos total, to be used at adult forums, bible studies, church groups, and in worship. Each video also includes Bible Study materials and a one-page devotional to use as you desire. The printed materials are also located on the DVD as data files. Be creative with ways to tell and share these excellent stories!

 View the videos online and download the materials.  

Three more videos are in production and will be distributed this fall.

Response to the first three videos has been excellent! They are stories of God's work in the Rocky Mountain Synod, and they are engaging and relevant. You will want to share them with your congregation!

Three more videos are various stages of production:

• ministry with seniors at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church in Casper, WY
• emerging church ministry at House for All Sinners and Saints in Denver, CO
• outdoor ministry stories from Sky Ranch and Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camps 

Watch for these new video stories this fall!

Training for Ministry with Young People  

Two new video resources are available thanks to a dynamic partnership between the ELCA Youth Gathering and the ELCA Youth Ministry Network.  They are not actually related to the Gathering, but rather are focused on general training for ministry with young people. 

The topics of the trainings are:

• Opportunity or Despair: The Landscape of Youth and Family Ministry, by Dr. Terri Elton of Luther Seminary in St. Paul, Minnesota. (http://elcaymnet.org/Video%20Resources/terrielton )    
• Youth Ministry Events as Faith Formation (Part I), by Shivon Miller of Trinity Lutheran Church in Duluth, Minnesota (http://elcaymnet.org/Video%20Resources/shivonmiller )

You can also download the PowerPoint presentations used in the videos. There is no cost to using these materials. They are made available as a gift to the church through the generosity of the ELCA Youth Gathering. We do ask that if you use the materials, please give proper credit to the authors, the ELCA and the Network.  Thank you!  

New Volunteer Wish List

Additionally, several of our current volunteers are looking for items to furnish their new apartments in Denver. We are seeking: 2 desk chairs, 2 dressers, 3 full mirrors, 3 bedside tables or night stands, 4 bookshelves, 6 lamps, 2 comfy chairs/ recliners, 1 bed (any size), 1 couch.   

If you have any of these items, please contact our current volunteer, Sara Diedrich by email or phone at 406-860-5623. Inexpensive is good but free is better! We will be able to come pick up the items within a 30 minute radius of Denver.

Flooded Areas of North Dakota Seek Clean Up Volunteers

While volunteer opportunities are still being developed in other parts of the country, Lutheran Disaster Response in North Dakota is ready to host volunteer groups from the region and outside the region to help in clean up in Minot and other communities affected by flooding.  

To register, please call, 218-443-4970. You can also go to www.lssnd.org and complete the Clean-up Volunteer Form and fax it to 701-298-7763. Volunteers are asked to get an updated tetanus shot and are required to wear long pants and thick soled boots or shoes on site.  In Minot volunteers report to Our Savior Lutheran Church, located at 3705 11th Street SW. 

Information about housing for groups is available when you call to register. Available housing is austere and volunteers are also invited to camp in tents while volunteering.

Tools that would be helpful, but not required to bring include:

• Rubber boots/rubber gloves
• Work gloves
• Goggles or safety glasses
• N-95 masks or any mask that has two straps on it
• Hammers
• Brooms
• Large buckets
• Pliers
• Wonderbars or crowbars.  

Thank you for sharing this volunteer opportunity with groups in your area and thank you for your partnership in this ministry.

A series of interfaith events are being planned in Denver for the weekend of 9-11 including workshops, concerts, dialogues, cultural exchanges and a community-wide interfaith worship service on Sunday evening.

"A Multifaith Service of Remembrance, Healing and Hope" will take place in Denver at St. John's Cathedral (main sanctuary)

1350 Washington Street, Denver, CO 80203, on Sunday, September 11 - 6:00-7:15 p.m.  This service of music, word and symbolism will be lead by leaders of the three Abrahamic faiths. For more information and additional events go to www.multifaithdenver.org

The Worship Committee of the Metro D.C. Synod has developed a resource to commemorate the anniversary of September 11 to help us remember the ways our senses and our souls were affected that day. Congregations are invited to use the Entrance Rite including prayers, litany and hymn suggestions. 

2012 ELCA Youth Gathering Trainings Scheduled for

Grand Junction and Albuquerque 

Taiz� for August is Cancelled

We will NOT have a Taiz� service during the month of August, but will return full-force in September!  If you have any interest in helping to lead or plan upcoming services, please contact Jeff Steen by email or phone (303-547-8760).

Lutheran College Fairs and Seminars

 (Two Opportunities) 

Sunday, August 21, 2011 at Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills Village (80113)

Monday, August 22, 2011 - Redeemer Lutheran Church, 7755 Greenstone Trail, Fort Collins (80525)

Registration begins at 6:45 p.m.

Financial Aid Seminar at 7:00 p.m.

College Fair from 7:30 - 9:00 p.m.

The Value of a Lutheran Education Research has documented conclusively that Lutheran colleges are more effective than large public institutions in producing broad career and life outcomes. On Sunday, August 21, 2011 at Bethany Lutheran Church will host a Lutheran College Fair and Seminar. The event is being sponsored by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans and Lutheran Colleges.org.     

Metro Denver Community Fitness Fair to Highlight Areas of Well-being August 27

You're invited to a FREE Community Fitness Fair entitled, "Passport to Well-being" taking place on Saturday, August 27 at the Infinity Park Event Center from 9:00 a.m. - 3:00 p.m.  

The Community Fitness Fair is a joint effort of the Denver area ELCA Parish Nurses and the Rocky Mountain Region of Thrivent Financial for Lutherans. The workshops, displays and activities all represent one or more areas of wellness: social/interpersonal, emotional, physical, financial, vocational, intellectual and spiritual, as depicted on The Wholeness Wheel. There is also an opportunity to share our blessings by reaching out to help others by making donations to Lutheran Family Services Refugee and Asylee Programs and Metro CareRing .

Please use the bulletin insert   to invite your members to come and participate as well as bring their friends and neighbors. We are encouraging all participants to "Do One Thing Differently" because of their experiences at the fair. For more details including a map and schedule of events go to  www.rmselca.org/wellbeing.  

Your Invitation to the  

Operation One Nation Gala

As a member of Operation One Nation, a military family support group, developed by Bethany Lutheran Church, Project Sanctuary would like to invite all members of the Rocky Mountain Synod to our Annual "1940's USO Style Swinging Goodtime GALA" Saturday, August 27, 2011 at Wildlife Experience located at 10035 South Peoria in Parker (80134). Download the poster for details.

Honoring our military families, this evening will include dinner, dancing and a silent auction. Keynote Speaker will be Colonel David W. Sutherland, Special Assistant to the Joint Chiefs of Staff. For more information and tickets about this fun filled evening, please go to  www.projectsanctuary.us.