South Sudan: Coordinating a response in the midst of disaster. [A report from a tent in cattle country.]

Michael Mading reported back to work at the office of The Lutheran World Federation in Juba on Jan. 4 after spending Christmas with his family. A wave of cattle raids in Jonglei State had left hundreds of people dead and thousands more homeless. The Lutheran World Federation's response to those affected by the violence is in full swing.  See the full report.

 

Asia: Growing leaders to love the land. 

Looking for specialty coffee? Try some fair trade organic coffee from an Indonesian cooperative organized by the first female superintendent (bishop) in the Protestant Christian Batak Church. A self-confessed "city girl," she learned her agricultural skills at the Asian Rural Institute in Japan. Read more.  

 

Mission Trip Planned for Somoto, Nicaragua July 20-29       

Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland, CO and Loveland Habitat for Humanity invite you to participate in their annual trip to  Somoto, Nicaragua, July 20-29, 2012.  The cost of the trip is $600 plus airfare. You are welcome to join the group in building 6 homes (including homes for physically challenged folks.)  Many other projects have been initiated there through the passions of people who have gone in the past and return each year, including a wheelchair ministry, a mission church, kids' ministry; and micro-industries of sewing, baking, and English and Spanish instruction; a store, support of university students, expectant mothers, senior citizens, and more. 

Of course, your passions will add to the list! There's something for every age (we have folks coming from teens to 76.)  Trinity and Habitat for Humanity will partner with several Colorado ELCA churches. Individuals, youth groups and church groups are welcome to join them.  For more information, please contact Pastor Ed Smith at pastor.trinity@lpbroadband.net.

One Year to Live Men's

Retreat in Grant, Colorado

One Year to Live, April 13-15, 2012 is an intense 40 hour retreat for men to explore their own lives and faith and make real discoveries and real decisions about themselves.  

This retreat will take place at Camp Santa Maria in Grant, CO, and is being hosted by First Lutheran Church, Longmont; Faith Lutheran Church, Golden; St. Peter Lutheran, Greenwood Village; and Bethany Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills Village.  

Check out the web page to learn more.  

La Mansi�n After School Program currently serves 25 students, from grades 1 through 6. These students, who mostly come from the neighborhood surrounding Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey in El Paso, come to the After School Program three days a week from 3:30 to 6:00 p.m. The Program is specifically focused on promoting academic success and high school graduation. To this end, after a healthy and sizable snack, the children spend time doing homework or working on supplemental educational activities before participating in a fun activity.

The work of La Mansi�n is greatly helped by parent involvement. Since the program is offered at no cost to parents, the program ask that parents provide a snack once a month if possible, and to help clean up the After School room once a month as well. Also, the help of volunteers is invaluable in making sure the children get fed and finish their homework! This is a good way to develop relationships between the director, church staff, volunteers, and parents.

You can help this program of literacy by first reading more information about the program and then learning how to sponsor a child. It's easy. A brochure contains the details and a sponsorship form.

USC Celebrating Silver, Service and Simplicity  

The Urban Servant Corps invites you and the community to participate in celebrating Silver, Service and Simplicity. Everyone is welcome to the 25th Anniversary Celebration and Silent Auction event which will take place on Thursday, April 19 from 6:00 p.m. until 8:00 p.m. at St. John's Cathedral's Dagwood Hall (14th and Washington). Tickets are $10 at the door (suggested donation).

Co-workers, family, church folk, and all friends of the Urban Servant Corps are asked to help spread the word about the event. A postcard is available to print and post for others to see. Got Facebook?! ? There are SO MANY ways to engage people around this very momentous and celebratory occasion.

Funds from the Denver Chapter of Thrivent will be matched 1:2 up to $3200.

Men's Adventure Camp at RTLC

April 27-29, 2012 (New Friday - Sunday Format)

Information and registration.

Women's Retreat at RTLC

April 12-15, 2012

Information and registration.  

Into The Wild

July 8-14, 2012

Get more information.

Pilgrimage to the Holy Land, Greece and Turkey  

October 1-17, 2012  

A journey of faith and relationships!  

The cost of this 17-day Holy Land/Turkey/Greece tour is $4450 from Denver. Find details on the website or contact tour leader, Pastor Paul Rowold by email.

SEPTEMBER 23

Installation of Rocky Mountain Synod Bishop
BETHANY LUTHERAN CHURCH 

SEPTEMBER 23-25

Fall Theological Conference/ Bishop's Convocation
EMBASSY SUITES 

 Denver, CO. 

2013

MAY 2-4 

2013 RMS Assembly

SEPTEMBER 23-26

Theological Conference 

Creation Care Conference

Climate Change & Faith 2012 Conference

The conference will take place from April 14-15, 2012 at Holy Cross Lutheran Church, located at 4500 N. Wadsworth Blvd. in Wheat Ridge (80033).

The keynote speaker for the event is Rev. Rebekah Simon-Peter, founder of BridgeWorks and the author of Green Church: Reduce, Reuse, Recycle, Rejoice! and Seven Simple Steps to Green Your Church.

For more information or to register, please visit the Colorado Interfaith Power and Light website.

On Sunday afternoon, April 15, at 3 p.m.,internationally known superstar pianist Katie Mahan will return to Our Savior's for another benefit recital. This will feature piano music by Debussy, whose 150th birthday is being observed this year. Katie was recently described as "the empress of the piano" by conductor Jurgen de Lemos.  

The event will be a benefit concert for Metro CareRing of Denver.

Want to learn to be an active listener and reach out to others in a distinctively Christian way?

On Saturday, April 21, Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Fort Collins (80525) will host a Stephen Ministry Workshop from 9:00 a.m. - 1:00 p.m. Registration begins at 8:00 a.m. and refreshments will be served. The half-day workshop consists of three sessions designed both to enhance participants' care giving skills and to help congregations explore ways to expand their caring ministry.

The Stephen Ministry is a program that congregations use to train lay people to share the load of providing pastoral care for hurting people inside and outside of the congregation-from divorce, loss of a loved one, just about any struggle in life. Stephen Ministers provide a listening ear for months or even years, time that pastors just don't have to give. Get more information.

 "God has made a home in the heavens for the sun."  Psalm 19:4b

Lutheran Church of the Master, located at 14099 W. Jewell Avenue in Lakewood (80228) invites the community to share in an Earth Day experience, Sunday, April 22 beginning at 1:00 p.m. This time together will include:   

• Sunny music by Act of Grace
• Blessing of our solar array
• Refreshments (including sun tea!)
• Information on our solar project and other solar opportunities

For more information, please visit Lutheran Church of the Master online: www.LCMonline.org   or give them a call on 303-988-6400. 

 On Sunday, April 22, 2012 Prince of Peace Lutheran Church in Colorado Springs (80915), will welcome Linda Hartke, the president and CEO of Lutheran Immigration & Refugee Service (LIRS). Linda will lead the adult forum at 10:45 a.m. in the social hall with information about the work of LIRS.  Everyone in the community is invited to attend! 

Prince of Peace is located at 4720 Galley Road (Galley & Wooten, three blocks east of Academy and three blocks west of Powers, and one block north of Platte). For more information, please email Pastor Cruson or give him a call 719-596-5293.

(Linda will also share a temple talk at the beginning of the worship service at 9:30 a.m., but will not be preaching. In addition, Prince of Peace will be celebrating its 46^th birthday.)

Augustana Lutheran Church, located at 5000 East Alameda Avenue in Denver (80246), invites you to its 33rd Annual 9Health Fair which will take place on, Monday, April 23 and Tuesday, April 24, from 7:00 a.m. - noon.

Free screenings:

Lung Function/Sleep Apnea

Skin

Bone Health

Breast exams

Prostate/Testicular exam

Oral Health

Foot

Blood Pressure

Stress Management

Body in Balance

Blood draw screenings:

Blood chemistries          $30

PSA                              $25

Blood count                   $15

Vitamin D                      $40

Hemoglobin                   $25

Love is in the air as the Colorado Women's Chorale joins with the Denver University Men's Choir in an exciting celebration of love! In addition to selections about our favorite emotion, the choirs will give a joint performance of Wedding Cantata, by 20th Century American composer, Daniel Pinkham.

The event will take place on Saturday, April 28, 2012 at 7:30 p.m. at Bethany Lutheran Church, located at 4500 East Hampden Avenue, Cherry Hills Village (80113).

Tickets are: $8, $15 and $20.  To learn more and purchase tickets go to: www.thecoloradowomenschorale.org  

 This event is sponsored by: 

  

On Sunday April 29 at 11:30 Atonement Lutheran Church, located at 6281 West Yale Avenue in Lakewood, will host an Oxfam Hunger Banquet. This is a great family opportunity to find out more about people in the world living in extreme poverty. 

At an Oxfam America Hunger Banquet, guests randomly draw tickets that assign them to different income levels, based on the latest statistics about the number of people living in poverty. Depending on where they sit, some receive a filling dinner, while others eat a simple meal or share sparse portions of rice and water.

We hope to lift up the work of Oxfam and ELCA World Hunger, spark conversations, and raise some money for the world's hungry people. Please join us for a fun afternoon and an opportunity to do the work Christ encouraged us to do. RSVP to Cathy Bajcsi at cbajcsi@comcast.net or info@atonement-denver.org 

Women of the ELCA Southeast Colorado  

Cluster Retreat May 4-5

 

This retreat will challenge all women called to discipleship. Our theme, "Lessons for Today's Disciples," invites women to grow more deeply in their understanding of whose they are and where they are going. It will be a time of exploration and personal growth.  

• What does discipleship mean to women?
• How does it affect their response to God?
• How does walking in fellowship with God become a part of us?
• How do we walk confidently?

Registration opens at 2:00 p.m. on Friday afternoon at the historic landmark, the Abbey, near Canon City. There will be a pre-retreat reflection experience at 2:30 p.m. followed by dinner and Bible Study at 6:00 p.m. Saturday 7:00 a.m. Matins will expand our experience as we see where discipleship places us in the community of faith. The worship at 5:00 p.m. will be a moment for final reflection as we end our time together. For more information, like a list of featured speakers, lodging and registration options, please check out the brochure or visit the website of the Rocky Mountain Synodical Women's Organization (WELCA).

Would you like to see real interfaith relations in action while enjoying a great meal?  

Have dinner at Saint Paul Lutheran Church, located at 1600 Grant Street in Denver,on Friday, May 4, 2012, at 6:00 p.m. Chef Imam Ibrahim Kazerooni will be presenting Middle Eastern cuisine at a fundraiser for Ansar Pantry, featuring its Executive Director, Ms. Meraj Abdul-Qadir.

Suggested donation is $30 per person, for a worthwhile cause that does community service, interfaith dialogue and education while serving individuals and families in Adams, Arapahoe and Denver counties.  

For more information or to register, please email church secretary, Marlene Brelsford, or call her on 303-839-1432 ext. 2. An R.S.V.P. by April 27 is appreciated.