God of love, giver of life, you know our frailties and failings. Give us your grace to overcome them, keep us from those things that harm us, and guide us in the way of salvation, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord. Amen.

On Sunday, September 18, 2011, Christopher L. Halverson, a former candidate within the Rocky Mountain Synod, was ordained into ministry within the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The Service of Ordination took place at Trinity Episcopal Cathedral in Trenton, New Jersey. Congratulations, Christopher! 

Fall Conference Gatherings Begin Bishop Election Discernment

The Conference Dean in each of our ten conferences is setting the date for a Fall Conference Gathering for the purpose of beginning conversation and discernment leading to the election of a new bishop at our 2012 Synod Assembly.

Each Conference Dean will communicate about your local date and place, and each congregation is invited to bring rostered leaders and several lay persons. These meetings will take place in the next couple months, concluding by December 15, which is the deadline for submitting the names of potential nominees.

Additional information about the Bishop Election process is now posted online.  The web address is www.rmselca.org/bishopelection. Visit that page for additional information.

FREE Training (Webinar) for ALL Leading Youth Ministry  

The ELCA Youth Ministry Network presents

Practice Discipleship: 

The ELCA Youth Ministry Training Project

This special training is for all youth and family ministry professionals and volunteers. It is great preparation for leading your youth group meetings, mission trips, service projects, and Bible study as well as those attending the ELCA Youth Gathering in 2012.  Gather all adults working with youth in your congregation to participate in one of these four training opportunities. If you miss the live webinars, they are recorded for your viewing at a later time. 

The next webinar is Sunday, October 2 2011 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. (CDT). The topic is "Lutheran Theology, How Lutherans Read the Bible."  The webinar will be presented by Dr. Jeremy Meyers of Augsburg College.  

Check out the website for details.  

Peer Ministry Leadership Training Opportunity  

2:00 p.m. Sunday, October 23   

 Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp

This weekend is designed for anyone who regularly volunteers with youth and their families. Youth ministry staff and paid leaders: bring your entire ministry team/committee.  Sessions are filled with practical skills and basics for every day ministry. This is an opportunity to network with those who do what you do. 

For more info or to register, contact Ben Larson by email or phone (719-942-4220).

The narrative of Jesus is some two millennia old. One of our greatest challenges is how we tell and share that Old Story in our New Day. At the 2012 Rocky Mountain Synod Theological Conference, Dr. Anna Carter Florence, Pastor Keith Anderson, and Dr. Stanley Olson will consider what it means to be proclaim, communicate and serve in today's context. Read more about the presenters. Registration will open in October.

"Safe Haven: A Resource for Congregations" is now Available!  

Many thanks to the dedicated team who worked on creating this informative, faith-based guide.

October 13-16, 2011

College students and young adults from around the Rocky Mountain Synod are invited to join Lutheran Episcopal Campus Ministry at UNM and CNM for Fall Break with the Border Servant Corps and Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey in El Paso learning about immigration and border issues. 

The Immersion will cost $175 per person. Some scholarship money is available to help college students participate. Please contact Campus Pastor Anne Morawski at 505-385-0842 or lcm@unm.edu if you are interested. More information about the program can be found at http://borderimmersion.webs.com/cristorey.htm and http://www.borderservant.com.

Our Savior's Lutheran Church

Sunday, September 25, 10 a.m.

Members of the Our Savior's community will offer a blessing on the 2011-2012 Urban Servant Corps volunteers during the worship service. Our Savior's Lutheran Church is located at 9th Avenue and Emerson Street in Denver. All are welcome!

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All Saint's Day Pancake Breakfast Local Lutheran Churches

Sunday, November 6

Urban Servant Corps volunteers will flip pancakes as they become acquainted with Lutheran faith communities who prayerfully and financially support the Urban Servant Corps. A celebration of all the saints will be part of this event!

God's Positioning System  

November 18-20, 2011

at Estes Park 

Are you between the ages of 18-25? Consider serving as a Cornerstone Peer Minister for the SHYG. Applications are due October 1. Details and applications can be found on the SHYG web page.   

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 .  

House for All Sinners and Saints, a missional church community of the ELCA, is seeking a creative, passionate individual to serve as Facilitator, implementing Godly Play curriculum during our weekly Sunday evening worship service.  The Facilitator will play a vital role in our worship life by creating space in which children ranging from toddler to teenager can engage deeply with the biblical story during the 30 minute long Service of the Word portion of the liturgy. In addition to planning and teaching weekly sessions, the Godly Play Facilitator will be responsible for providing care for children one half-hour before and one half-hour after service. Training and/or experience in the Godly Play program as well as completion of the Safeguarding God's Children training is required.  

Compensation for serving from 4:30 p.m. - 6:30 p.m. each Sunday is $50/week.  In addition, the Facilitator may be given the option to provide care during other community events as they arise.   

If interested, please email your resume and a brief statement describing your interest to Pastor Nadia Bolz-Weber or Vicar Matthew Nickoloff. More information about House for All can be found at our website: houseforall.org.  Thanks in advance for your interest! 

Evergreen Lutheran Church in Evergreen, CO is replacing their wooden altar furniture and would love to find a good home (free) for an altar, lectern and pulpit.

The altar is 371/2" tall, 8' long and 30"wide.
The pulpit is 45" tall and the top is 27" x 17"
The lectern is 20" x 17" and 45" tall.

Please contact Evergreen Lutheran Church at 303-674-4654 or office@evergreenlutheran.org and talk with Judy if you can use these furnishings.

Giving Thanks for the Harvest

 

St. Mark Lutheran Church located at 111 Del Mar Circle in Aurora (80011) will be holding its Second Annual Harvest Festival on Friday, September 23, 2011, starting at 5:30 p.m. when dinner will be served at NO charge. We'll celebrate with food and music, featuring the Bluegrass styling of "Credibility Gap." A Free Will offering to be received for the band. Come join the community of St. Mark as they give thanks for the harvest. Help us celebrate by downloading and posting the flyer which invites everyone to attend. 

The congregation worships on Sundays at 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m. with Christian Education at 9:15 a.m.       

New Beginnings 13^th  

Annual Celebration Dinner andFundraiser 

On September 24, New Beginnings 13^th Annual Celebration Dinner and Fundraiser will take place at Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Wheat Ridge, CO featuring a silent auction, dinner, entertainment, and awards. Mark IV will be on hand offering their musical gifts throughout the evening. Also, many hand knitted and crocheted items from the women on the inside will be available at the silent auction.   

For silent auction inquiries or donation, please contact Heiko Meyer by email. (Monetary donations are also welcome.) Come and make this a night to remember and let the women know that they are cared about.

New Beginnings Church is an ecumenical ministry inside the Denver Women's Correctional Facility.          

After School Program Begins at Cristo Rey-Denver

Tutors are also needed! 

 The 2011-2012 SuperKids After-School Program at Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey, 501 Raleigh Street, Denver (80204), officially begins on Tuesday, September 27, 2011 and will continue throughout the school year on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday afternoons from 4:00 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. (except for school vacations)

Each afternoon, the children will participate in a 45-minute class in music, art, computers, or other educational activity, as well as a 45-minute one-on-one (or one-on-two or one-on-three, depending on the number of tutors available!) tutoring session with a focus on homework completion and reading.

Tutors are needed for one, two, or three afternoons per week. The only qualification is a love of children and a desire to help in sustaining this important ministry. No Spanish language skills are required, either, as most of the assigned homework is in English. For more information and/or to become a tutor, please contact Mark Filbert by email or phone (720-274-4708).     

University of Northern Colorado and AIMS College Prepare for Campus Ministry Night Event

Threshold, a Lutheran/Episcopal Campus Ministry, is hosting An Evening with Campus Ministry on Friday, September 30 from 7:00 - 8:30 p.m. at Trinity Episcopal Church on 3800 West 20th Street in Greeley (80631). The evening will feature Sue Rothmeyer, Director for Youth/Young Adult Ministries for the Evangelical Church in America, speaking on "Engaging Young Adults in Tomorrow's Church" with special performances by Campus Ministry students.  

Free will donations will be collected to support Bible studies, community building activities, and other faith formation events including retreats and service projects for both UNC and AIMS college students. Additional funding will be provided by Thrivent Financial for Lutherans through its Care Abounds in Communities program. In order to receive the supplemental funding, cash donations to the fundraiser should be made out to WCCTFL and can also be sent to Campus Ministry, c/o Pastor Sarah Moening, 1800 21st Avenue, Greeley, CO (80631) by September 30. For more information call Pastor Moening at 970-352-4816.

An Evening of Worship, Fellowship and Musical Meditation Hosted by Bethany-Cherry Hills Village 

Spirit in the Desert Retreat Center invites you to be their guest for an evening of fellowship and worship at 6:00 p.m. on Sunday, October 2, 2011, at Bethany Lutheran Church, located at 4500 E. Hampden Avenue in Cherry Hills Village. Come and enjoy a delicious dessert, make new friends and perhaps bump into someone you already know, and experience a jazz vespers service by "Music Serving the Word Ministries." 

You are encouraged to invite members of your congregation to attend this event which brings the arts into sacred spaces. Jazz Vespers offers a musical meditation that leads the listener toward reflection and personal application of Scripture through a "Sound Scape" of contemplative worship.

The service features piano, acoustic bass, and drums as well as inspired spoken word, and multimedia experiences, all designed to nourish the soul with prayerful reflection. Paul Campbell, Executive Director, will be sharing about the ministry at Spirit in the Desert and our passion to help individuals and congregations renew and revitalize in body, mind and soul.

If you have any questions or need more information please contact Lance or Carol Jacobson at 480-201-9126 or 480-466-6053.      

Surviving Divorce and Living Divorced

(corrected date)

A seminar for people going through divorce or who have been divorced, as well as for family and friends of those people, will be presented at Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church, 920 Kipling Street, in Lakewood, Colorado on October 8, 2011 from 7:00 p.m. through 9:00 p.m. THIS IS A FREE SEMINAR but you must reserve a place by calling Holy Shepherd at 303-233-2740 no later than 3:00 p.m. on October 4 to reserve your seat. Attendance will be limited to the first 100 who call. Child care will be provided.

The seminar will be presented by Dennis Jacobson, a Colorado attorney who has over 30 years of experience in representing people in divorce and divorce related matters. He is the author of When Your Marriage is Over: Practical Advice for Surviving Divorce and Living Divorced. The seminar will cover issues including creating parenting plans for the children, the impact of divorce on faith issues and church involvement, stress control, custody evaluations, financial matters, and new spouses and "friends". All attendees will receive a complimentary copy of Dennis' book.

Crop Hunger Walk 2011 

 (corrected date)

On Saturday, October 8, the Arvada CROP Hunger Walk will take place at Hoskinson's Park, located at 58^th and Garrison Street. Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. and the event kicks off at 9:00 a.m. Please meet at the Pioneer Pavilion. There will be coffee, bagels and door prizes. If you can't walk please consider giving generously for those who have little.  You can also donate on line!  Go to www.churchworldservice.org/CROP and locate the Arvada CROP Hunger Walk and make your donation! 

If you have any questions regarding the walk, you may contact Glenda Ferraro by email or phone (720-235-9496). 

Case Lecture Series:

 Al Staggs as
Martin Luther

Wednesday, October 12, 6:30 p.m.

Bethany Lutheran Church

4500 East Hampden Avenue
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113

Reformation Celebration at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church - Fort Collins

With special guest:  Prof. Tim Wengert of
Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia

October 28 - Lecture and table-talk (with Pie Potluck social)   
6:30 p.m. - 9:00 p.m.
"Identifying Lutherans and Other Rare Birds"  
Description: Prof. Wengert will use his broad knowledge of Reformation theology to challenge us to think about what Christian identity as Lutherans means in our changing cultural context. 

October 29- 30   Guest preacher at worship services - Saturday 5:30 p.m., Sunday 8:30 a.m. and 11:00 a.m.

October 30    Guest speaker at Forum     Sunday 9:45 a.m. in room 12E
"Luther's Small Catechism for Adults: Tasting It Again for the First Time"  
Description: Prof. Wengert, whose translation of the Small Catechism is widely used in the ELCA, will talk about how adults may find new uses for this little book to strengthen their spiritual journey.

Professor Wengert is the Ministerium of Pennsylvania Professor of Reformation History and Confessions at the Lutheran Theological Seminary at Philadelphia, teaching primarily in the fields of Reformation history and the Lutheran Confessions.  Read more about Prof. Wengert.

LOVING OUR NEIGHBORS

An Equipping Workshop for ALL Who Care About Hunger

Saturday, October 29 from 8:45 a.m. - 1:00 p.m.

King of Glory - Loveland, CO