e-News for
Rocky Mountain Synod's
Gathering Bound Congregations
to learn to live like Jesus by practicing discipleship through peacemaking that works for justice
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In This Issue
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Greetings
Trainings Near You
Organizing Your Team
Fundraisers
Airport Shuttle
Getting Ready
Synod Day in NOLA
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RMS REGISTRATION
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612 Registered
from 41+
congregations
(Some congregations have joined together under one registration number)
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Greetings!
We're here! It is 2012, "The Year of the ELCA Youth Gathering: Citizens With the Saints!" (And the crowd goes wild!!!) If you are anything like us, you are ready to launch full force into getting ready to take your incredible youth and their authentic, affirming, and available adults on the adventure of a lifetime.
The Gathering is more than a destination or an event, it is an opportunity to grow and articulate our faith and transform the way we accompany our young people in our congregations and synod when we come "back home." This is the first edition of the eNews. (More cheering!). Over the next 6-months you will receive up-to-date information and practical tips to help you prepare for the Gathering. This month are some things to think about as you begin to ramp up your planning.So, have fun getting excited for the Gathering! You will hear more from us next month! In the meantime, do not hesitate to call, Facebook, email, text, or send a flare into the sky if you need help with anything along the way. More to come! ROCK ON! Kristen Linda  |
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TRAININGS COMING TO YOU
| Linda
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In addition to the high quality online webinars, a series of on-site, face-to-face trainings will take place throughout the RMS as part of the ELCA Youth Gathering's Practice Discipleship: The ELCA Youth Ministry Training Project.
These special trainings are FREE to all youth and family ministry professionals and volunteers, whether you are or are not attending the ELCA Youth Gathering. These workshops will strengthen your ministry with young people wherever and whenever it happens.
But . . . our goal is for every caring adult registered for the Gathering to participate in one of these trainings. We highly encourage your youth to attend as well - at least one youth for every five youth registered from your congregation. The focus of the Sunday afternoon, 2pm-5pm, gatherings will be leadership skills and practice for traveling and living in a cross+generational community that honors one another's gifts and lives out our baptism each and every moment. Plus sharing ideas, answering one another's questions and having fun. Ice cream too! Albuquerque, NM - February 26
Denver, CO - March 4 Colorado Springs, CO - March 18Casper, WY - March 25
Salt Lake City, UT - April 15
Ft. Collins, CO - April 29
Grand Junction, CO - May 6
Email Linda that you are coming, to which event and how many to expect.
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ORGANIZING YOUR TEAM
| Kristen
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Each congregation will have its own way of organizing their group for this trip. However, you might want to consider organizing around specific areas. For example:
Meals . . . Logistics . . . Community life . . . Final Fifteen . . . Admin Duties
What about assigning one youth to work with one adult for each of the areas?
The Meal Team would figure out how you will handle breakfast (in your rooms with that suitcase full of pop-tarts you packed?), what the lunch options are, and maybe even make dinner reservations for the entire group.
A Logistics Team could be responsible for how to move the entire group to and from the hotel to all the different activities, including figuring out where and what time everything is happening at.
The Community Life team could be responsible for always knowing the deets on what hotel is hosting what kind of activity for late night/down time fun.
The Final Fifteen (the last 15 minutes of the day that the congregation spends together debriefing, just before lights out, with devotional materials provided by the Gathering) could be led by a team of people each night, including on the road to and from the event.
With all these teams in place, your primary leader (maybe that's YOU!) will have nothing to worry about other than making sure all the payments are made, paperwork is filled out and on-hand, emergencies are handled, and the adult leaders are properly caffeinated. This is a great way of modeling an "Acts 2 Church" where the disciples gather together and share everything they have - even responsibilities.
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By this time your fundraisers are probably well under way and we hope they are going superbly! There are a plethora of effective fundraisers out there. Please consider posting them to the "ELCA Youth Gathering Bound RMS Congregations" Facebook page. If you are not a member of that Facebook group yet, please contact Kristen (and friend me if you haven't already!) and I'd be happy to get you connected. |
If you are one of our congregations that will be flying to the Gathering, make sure you utilize the discounted ticket price for our ELCA group as you schedule your shuttle service. The cost is $25 round trip per person, a discounted rate from the usual shuttle cost. You can arrange your transportation by going to this link.
The group from Highlands Ranch will be driving in with two 25 passenger buses and have offered to pick you up from the airport. The charge is $10 a person, one-way, for transportation to your hotel. Email Gary Knudson or call 303-791-0803 before February 15th. |
The User Guide and Session A of the "Getting Ready" materials, are now available. The remaining sessions and the condensed version will be posted online over the next month. |
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Practice Discipleship Day
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Linda
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The Practice Discipleship Day of the Gathering will be spent together as a synod with worship, small groups centered on articulating one' faith and other focused activities in the city of New Orleans. Our Bishop is invited to preach and your youth will be invited to share their gifts as musicians, worship leaders and group facilitators. Your Core Team for planning this July version of a RMS Senior High Youth Gathering includes Ben Larson from Rainbow Trail, Andy Sprain from Sky Ranch, along with me, your Gathering Coach. More details to come!
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