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Prayer of the Day
Holy God, your word feeds your people with life that is eternal. Direct our choices and preserve us in your truth, that, renouncing what is false and evil, we may live in you, through your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
August 2015 Prayer Cycle
NORTH COLORADO
8/23
Shepherd of the Mountains
Estes Park, CO
Ron Bockhaus
Shepherd of the Valley
LaSalle, CO
Mary Lou Petitjean (interim)
Spirit of Joy
Woody Carlson, CO (interim)
Memorial Service for the Rev. Dr. Arthur Becker
Memorial worship for Dr. Art Becker will be Saturday, August 22 at 10 a.m. at Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church in Estes Park. A light lunch will be served following worship. We give thanks for the life and ministry of Dr. Becker.
Anniversary Celebrations
Ascension
Colorado Springs, CO
August 23 at 10:00 am
Christ the Savior
Aurora, CO
September 27 at 10:00 am
Christ the King mission congregation in South Jordan, Utah, to close August 23
The Rocky Mountain Synod Council has made the difficult decision to close the mission congregation currently served by Pastor Emily Ewing in South Jordan, Utah. For the past nine years, this unique "storefront" ministry has faithfully witnessed to the Good News of Christ in the unique Utah context, and we give thanks for Pastor Emily's ministry.
The Service of Holy Closure will take place on Sunday, August 23 at 5 p.m. at 10318 Redwood Rd #16, South Jordan, UT 84095. All are invited to join with Bishop Gonia in giving thanks for this ministry as it comes to a conclusion.
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Bishop Jim Gonia
- Candidacy Committee
- Holy Closure-CTK South Jordan
Pastor Ron Roschke
- Disability Task Force
- First Call Planning
- Candidacy Committee
- Vocation Workshop
- Campus Ministry Committee orientation for new members
- Mustard seed ministry review
Pastor Sarah Moening
- Vacation
- Continuing Education
Pastor Stephanie Quick Espinoza
- Mission congregation accompaniment and ministry reviews
Pastor Kent Mueller
- Lutheran Center & Call Process Administration
- Ascension, Colorado Springs
Erin Power, Diaconal Ministry
- Theological Conference planning
- Ministry Reviews
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, NM
- NM Conference of Churches Board
- Legislative Finance Committee
- Health Care for All Coalition
Peter Severson - Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, CO
- Churchwide meetings (Chicago, IL)
- CSLC retreat
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| CALENDAR |
website calendar
SEPTEMBER 21-24
2015 Theological Conference
YMCA of the Rockies
Estes Park, Colorado
NOVEMBER 20-22
2015 Senior High Youth Gathering
2016
JANUARY 15-17
Middle School Youth Gathering
Hotel Elegante
Colorado Springs, CO
APRIL 28-30
2016 Synod Assembly
Embassy Suites
Loveland, CO
SEPTEMBER 19-22
2016 Theological Conference
Little America
Cheyenne, WY
2017
MAY 5-7
2017 Synod Assembly
Antlers Hilton Hotel
Colorado Springs, CO
SEPTEMBER 18-21
2017 Theological Conference
2018
MAY 3-5
2018 Synod Assembly
Westin Hotel
Westminster, CO
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A couple people were confused because the prayers section was missing. Actually, it's right there to the left, at the top of the column! We decided to make sure it was always at the top of the page by anchoring it there.
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2015 Leadership Retreat / Theological Conference is September 21-24 at Estes Park
DON'T FORGET THE LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS TOMORROW, AUGUST 20:
Registration is open for the annual gathering for leaders in the Rocky Mountain Synod.
Those who have been participating in the Journey of Renewal program will gather one day early for the program closing retreat.
So, What are You Doing with Your Life? And Why?
Sat., Aug 22, 2015, 9:00 am-3:00 pm The Lutheran Center, Denver
Vocation is bigger than your job. It is your baptismal life in the world--the way you respond to God 's call and grace. It is as big as your life in the world. Dr. Kurt Hendel, recently retired faculty member from Lutheran School of Theology at Chicago, joins Pastors Zach Parris and Ron Roschke to explore how we engage in this baptismal vocation. The workshop will offer tools and practices for discerning your vocation. This retreat is part of El Camino Colorado, the vocational discernment program of Lutheran Campus Ministry-CU Boulder. For more information, including registration, please visit this link.
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Senior High Youth Gathering
November 20 - 22, 2015
Denver Marriott West
West Denver, Colorado
We have big changes in store for the High School Synod Gathering this November 20-22! If you have been doing the gathering for years or this is your first time, this is going to be a great retreat. This year's theme is "The Pursuit". We will be focusing on our individual giftedness and how those gifts fit into and help to forms the greater community of faith.
Middle School
Youth Gathering
January 15 - 17, 2016
Hotel Elegant�
& Conference Center
Colorado Springs, Colorado
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| 2015 MISSIONAL GATHERINGS |
Eleven fall gatherings throughout
the RMS invite your participation
 This year's Missional Gatherings in each conference will help us explore our theme for the year, "Many Voices, One Song." The church is made of many voices, and each voice is as distinctive as the person or the community that sings it. The wonder of the project is how the voices all come together to make one song.
But really, the voices don't make the song; the song invites the voices to take up the project of making God's music. That is because the song is God's-God's love song for this world loved so deeply and always unfolding in Jesus' good news. We come together this fall to listen for the song and join our voices to the "Gospel music" God is making in the world.
REGISTER NOW AT THIS LINK
| Mountain West | Sat 9/19 | Good Shepherd
Glenwood Springs | 2-4 p.m. | | Metro East | Sun 9/20 | Augustana
Denver | 1:30-3:30 p.m. | | Metro West | Sat 9/26 | Holy Cross
Wheat Ridge | 10 a.m.-noon | | North Colorado | Sun 9/27 | Our Redeemer
Fort Morgan | 2-4 p.m. | | Wyoming | Sat 10/10 | Grace
Casper | Noon-3 p.m. | |
SE Colorado
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Sun 10/25
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First
Colorado Springs
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2-4 p.m.
| Boulder-
Broomfield | Sat 10/31 | Church of Hope
Broomfield | 10 a.m.-noon | |
Metro South
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Sun 11/1
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Christ the King
Denver
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1:30-3:30 p.m.
| | Utah | Sat 11/7 | Zion
Salt Lake City | 10 a.m.-noon | |
Border
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Sat 11/14
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St. Mark
Roswell
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10 a.m.-noon
| | N New Mexico | Sat 12/5 | Community of Joy
Rio Rancho, NM | 10 a.m.-noon |
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Consider a gift to the Better Together Fund
The Scriptures remind us that we are the Body of Christ, woven together for the sake of our witness to God's love and grace. As members of the ELCA we claim the power of being Christ's Church-Better Together.
At our Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly in May the Synod Council announced the Better Together Fund, an opportunity for those passionate about our shared ministry as a synod and as a global church to set aside one dollar a day (or more) for the foundational work we do together.Learn more and give a gift online.
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A Palestinian Arts Celebration
Denver - Boulder - Fort Collins
Week of September 20-27, 2015
Music, Dance, Fine Arts, Film, Food, Learning
Connect with sisters and brothers from the Holy Land
Meet talented students and faculty from Dar al-Kalima
University, Bethlehem, Palestine
Sponsored by Bright Stars of Bethlehem
and Peace Not Walls, Rocky Mountain Synod
Denver: Bethany, Augustana and Abiding Hope Lutheran;
Iliff School of Theology, DU, Ten Thousand Villages
Fort Collins: Trinity Lutheran, Redeemer Lutheran, and Ten
Thousand Villages. Boulder: First United Methodist Church
RMS Resolution on Israel: Resources For congregational study and action
In May, voting members to the 2015 Synod Assembly passed a resolution, calling on the US to make its aid to Israel contingent on Israel ending its settlement construction in the West Bank, including East Jerusalem.
* The text of the resolution
* List of resources and links
* A sample letter to senator/representative
* Kairos Palestine document in English
* Kairos Palestine document in Spaniksh
* Study guide for reading Kairos Palestine
Please contact members of Peace Not Walls if you would like speakers or help. Contact information is on the list of resources.
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 Connect students you know with any Lutheran Campus Ministry in the country!
Help your students find a welcoming and supportive community when they go to college by connecting them with Lutheran Campus Ministry! Please go to www.elcacampusministry.org to connect a student with any Lutheran Campus Ministry in the country or contact a campus ministry in the Rocky Mountain Synod directly:
University of Colorado - Boulder
Pastor Zach Parris
lcmpastor@colorado.edu
Colorado State University
pastor@lcmcsu.org
University of Northern Colorado
Pastor Deb Abbott
lcm.unco@gmail.com
University of Wyoming
Pastor Rachel Larson
pastorrachel@qwestoffice.net
Utah State University
Pastor Scott Thalacker
pastorpop7@gmail.com
University of New Mexico and
Central New Mexico Community College
Pastor Anne Morawski
lcm@unm.edu
New Mexico State University
Pastor Jared Carson
carsonj@peacelutheranlc.com
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Making Effective Decisions
in the Congregation
Tuesday, September 15, 3 to 8:00pm
at the Lutheran Center, Denver, CO
Making effective decisions allows pastors, councils and congregations to work together to bring our many voices into the song of the Gospel. Understanding how we make decisions and how groups make decisions is a critical aspect of being church together-carrying out our Mission-and building God's kingdom.
The workshop explores three key elements of effective decision-making:
- Communications styles and how they affect understanding
- The role of interests in individual and group decision-making
- The importance of active listening in decision-making and problem-solving
Workshop leaders are Rev Sarah Moening, Assistant to the Bishop, RMSELCA, and Rich Nelson, a member of Community of Joy Lutheran Church in Rio Rancho, NM, with more than forty years experience in helping groups make effective decisions.The workshop is part of the Congregational Ministry Board's program in the Rocky Mountain Synod.
We are encouraging pastors, council presidents, church councils, and congregational leaders to attend. Please register with Rich Nelson: richnelson@cableone.net
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Adult Yoga Retreat at Sky Ranch, September 18-20
Join us at Sky Ranch for a unique experience as we explore the mind, body, and spirit through the practice of yoga! Whether you are a seasoned yogi or new to the whole practice, we would love you to join us for a beautiful fall retreat, at the peak of the aspen fall colors. Former staff member, pastor, and certified yoga instructor, Rachel Bass-Guennewig will be our leader for the weekend.
The Yoga Retreat will be September 18-20 and is $200 per person. To register visit www.skyranchcolorado.org or call 970-493-5258.
Confirmation Retreats at Sky Ranch
Our Coyote Howl Confirmation Retreat creates sacred space for confirmation students to build upon a foundation which will travel back with them to their home congregations. Coyote Howl offers community building, Bible study, worship and fellowship with youth from throughout the Rocky Mountain Synod. Alongside our dynamic, energetic and passionate staff, your youth will explore the way that God is at work in their individual communities along with how their connection to one another essentially shapes their journey of faith.
This program is designed to support your confirmation curriculum with time for congregations built in throughout the weekend.
Coyote Howl dates are September 25-27 and October 2-4. Cost: $105.
Contact our Program Director Kathryn Seyfarth via e-mail at kathryn@skyranchcolorado.org or at the office-970-493-5258 with questions or to register for the weekend.
Sky Ranch New Shower House Dedication
Yes, the shower house is now completed! This event has been years in the making as the old shower house was built as a temporary solution over 30 years ago. The shower house is the most-utilized building on site and we rejoice as it is replaced, preparing Sky Ranch for the next generation of ministry!
We would like to invite you to the dedication of the new shower house on Saturday, August 29 at 2:00 pm. A light lunch buffet will be served starting at noon.
Please RSVP to the Sky Ranch Camp office at 970-493-5258 by August 16.
Great Fall and Winter Retreat
Dates Available At Rainbow Trail
 As you begin planning another year of ministry consider the many benefits of taking time away to retreat with your groups at Rainbow Trail. Amazing hospitality in a peaceful and beautiful mountain setting provides the space for growing in community, reflecting on life, and preparing for the future. Dates are available from September - May. Please contact Ben Larson, ben@rainbowtrail.org, for special deals in January and February. More information available at www.rainbowtrail.org/retreats.
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GOD'S WORK. OUR HANDS
DAY OF SERVICE: SEPT 13
"God's work. Our hands." Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America as one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.
 The date for the 2015 dedicated day of service is Sunday, September 13. Mark your congregation's calendar today! In speaking about his congregation's 2014 experience, a 10-year-old member from St. Andrew Lutheran Church in Whittier, Calif., puts it best: "It feels good to give." More information at this link.
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500th REFORMATION OBSERVANCE
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 Oct. 31, 2017, will mark the observance of 500 years since Martin Luther posted his 95 Theses on the church door in Wittenberg, Germany, an act that sparked the Lutheran Reformation. A little more than a year before the anniversary, on Aug. 10-13, 2016, we will be hosting the Grace Gathering in conjunction with the ELCA Churchwide Assembly in New Orleans. Please save these dates now and make plans to attend the Grace Gathering.
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ATTENTION--The early registration date for the RMSWO Fall Gathering has been extended from July 31 to September 10, 2015. Please use the Form to send in check for $60 to the registrar!
Register for the
2015 RMSWO Fall Gathering
REGISTRATION FORM
REGISTRATION EXPLANATION
 The RMSWO 2015 Fall Gathering is Sept. 18-20, 2015, in Colorado Springs, CO at First Lutheran Church. The theme will be "Walking Side by Side-Part 2"-Mark 6:7.
Please use the Gathering Registration form above which includes the correct mailing address. Further information is included on the Walking Side by Side Registration Explanation sheet above, such as the early bird deadline of JULY 31 and recommended hotels. See you in Colorado Springs September 18-20, 2015!
Your sister in Christ,
Anna Thompson
President, RMSWO
307-221-3218
anna498.at@gmail.com
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'Confronting Racism' webcast available
How do we talk about race, systemic racism and becoming a more inclusive church? Watch the webcast of the Aug. 6 conversation as ELCA Presiding Bishop Elizabeth A. Eaton and William B. Horne II, a member of the ELCA Church Council, discuss the complexity and implications of racism. This page includes many resources to support this important conversation in your congregation.
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Eucharist is second Wednesday of each month
We invite you to join us the second Wednesday of each month for a staff/community Eucharist Service at 11:30am at the Office of the Bishop. Email Maria Sutton if you are interested in leading worship!
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Who lives in your neighborhood or community?
If your congregation is considering strategic planning for mission, consider learning more about your neighborhood by finding demographic data for your ZIP code. Demographics are useful because you can learn about the makeup of the population in your area. To obtain a demographic report of your congregation's ZIP code, or neighboring ZIP code areas, visit www.ELCA.org/research and look for the "Demographic Reports" box on the right side. Make sure you have your synod code and congregation ID number close at hand to enter. Contact the RMS Office of the Bishop for assistance.
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Non-rostered positions available
Congregations and agencies are seeking non-rostered positions, such as office administrators, musicians, faith formation staff, and more. View positions at this link.
Office and Communication Manager
Our Saviour's, Fort Collins, CO
The Office and Communications Manager works together with church leadership, staff, and volunteers to organize people, resources and communications promoting OSLC's mission, ministries, and events to congregation members, partner congregations and groups, and the local community.
Music/Choir Director
Grace Lutheran Church, Boulder, CO
Nursery Assistant Position Available
Augustana Lutheran Church, Denver, CO
Augustana Lutheran Church (5000 E Alameda Ave, Denver, 80246) is seeking a part-time nursery assistant who will work as part of a team in charge of nursery coverage during worship and special events. Usual schedule will include two Sundays a month, 7:45 a.m. to noon, with occasional weekday or evening hours as needed for special services. Must be at least 21 years of age, have experience working with young children, and be able to pass a background check. Send r�sum�s and inquiries to Yvonne Wilken ( yandertwilken@gmail.com).
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Call Alena Lamarato at 307.684.7872
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Training offered for married and engaged couples
Prepare/Enrich Facilitator Training is being offered on Friday, September 11, 2015, at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Avenue, in Cherry Hills Village. The workshop is designed to teach facilitators to utilize this tool to assist both premarital and married couples in understanding and improving their relationship. For more information or to register, please contact Beth Walker at bethdwalker@gmail.com or 720.352.9915 tel: 720.352.9915, or go to
Mental Health First Aid course is October 22 at Bethany A "Mental Health First Aid" course will take place at Bethany Lutheran on October 22, 2015. It is designed to equip anyone to recognize and better respond to a situation where someone is or may be having trouble effectively coping with a mental health condition. Who: All are invited. It should be noted that this is a tremendous outreach program not only for the RMS, but also for the general community. At previous workshops, 75% of the participants were from outside the Bethany community. Limit of 25 participants. What: 8 hour certification course where Depression, Anxiety, Psychosis, and Substance Abuse are covered When: Thursday, October 22, 2015, 8am - 5pm Where: Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Avenue, Cherry Hills Village, CO Cost: $20 per participant for the course manual, which is a required part of this workshop. Snacks and beverages will be provided by Bethany. Lunch: will not be provided.
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