PRAYERS
Installations

Saturday, July 9, 11 a.m.
Our Redeemer, Fort Morgan, CO, and Bethlehem, Brush, CO
Pastor Wes Dunbar
Color is: green

Saturday, July 9, 5-6 p.m.
Ascension, Cheyenne, WY
Pastor Wes Ardahl
Color is: green

Sunday, July 10, 4 p.m.
St. Andrew, Arvada, CO
Pastor Claire Cassell
Color is: green

Saturday, July 23, 11 a.m.
Ascension St. Matthew, 
Price, UT
Pastor Jim Locke 
Color is: green


Prayer of the Day
Lord God, your mercy delights us, and the world longs for your loving care. Hear the cries of everyone in need, and turn our hearts to love our neighbors with the love of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
CONGREGATIONS


NORTH NEW MEXICO CONFERENCE
7/10
 
Christ the King, Durango, CO
Tim Orlowski

Community of Joy, Rio Rancho NM
Michael Bastian

Cross of Hope, Albuquerque, NM
Adam Berndt
Matthew Powell

Holy Cross, Albuquerque, NM
Julie LaHam

THIS WEEK
  
Bishop Jim Gonia
  • Installation- Wes Dunbar-Ft Morgan/Brush
  • Installation Wes Ardahl-Ascension Cheyenne
  • Installation-Claire Cassell-St Andrew
Pastor Sarah Moening 
  • Congregations in Transition
  • Vacation 
Pastor Judith VanOsdol
  • Continuing Education
Pastor Kent Mueller  
  • RMS Administration
  • Candidacy Meetings
  • First, Longmont, CO
Erin Power, Diaconal Minister
  • Madagascar Network 
  • Theological Conference Arrangements
Ruth Hoffman - 
Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, NM  
  • NM Coalition to End Homelessness
  • NM Conference of Churches
Peter Severson- Lutheran Advocacy Ministry, CO
  • CSLC planning team
  • No Slavery, No Exceptions team
  • Fall ballot issue planning

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CONGREGATIONS
CALENDAR
 

  

 

2016   



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

Marriott, Colorado Springs, CO

 

  

2018  

MAY 3-5
2018 Synod Assembly
Westin Hotel
Westminster, CO
 


 

  
 
Calling all Rostered and Congregational Leaders:
Lilly Grant survey deadline FRIDAY!
Rostered and congregation leaders are being asked to take part in online surveys to identify economic challenges being faced by rostered leaders. The Rocky Mountain Synod has been invited to do research as part of a possible three-year Lilly Endowment grant for a half million dollars to address these challenges. 

Surveys are being used to gather hard data so that the Lilly Grant Application Team will be able to determine what are the most pressing economic challenges rostered leaders face, and then design a grant proposal which will address these issues. 

A wide sample of responses is needed to allow the Grant Application Team to accurately assess the challenges for our particular context. The Lilly program is based upon the premise that a partnership among rostered leaders, congregations/agencies, and judicatories like the synod creates a stronger church.


 

 

Sanctuary and assent


Service honors the fallen from Orlando shooting

by Amy Hamilton, Grand Junction Sentinel
One by one on Sunday night, several dozen people who attended a service for the victims of last week's Orlando shootings lit a candle. Soon, the heat from the candles glowed with warmth at the altar draped in a rainbow-colored tapestry at American Lutheran Church.
 
Five pastors from area churches organized the gathering for residents to seek solitude, sanctuary and acceptance as people grapple with the horrific killings in the Florida nightclub that was frequented by many in the gay community.
People exchanged hugs, real hugs. Some wept into their hands. Others sat stunned through the ceremony that included a reading of each victim's name, followed by the low sound of a long chime.
"We felt like we needed to be here to support those who couldn't be," said a woman after the ceremony who didn't want to give her name. "It's just nice that they did this."

Read full article here.


Service of Lamentation and Reconciliation
Pastor Ray McKechnie, who serves at St. Matthew's Episcopal Church and created the litany for the service, reflected, "The service of lament and reconciliation was extremely cathartic. So many people expressed their deep gratitude that this event took place, so grateful that there was sanctuary, so grateful that there was a place to direct their anger and grief, to hear words and songs of hope from scripture. We need this. I need this."
Tonight we ask  the LGBTQ community for your forgiveness.  Tonight we pledge that our churches be places of sanctuary should you seek them or desire them.  Dear ones, you are God's beloved.

THEOLOGICAL CONFERENCE
 






September 19-22
Little America, Cheyenne, WY 

This year's Theological Conference inaugurates our synodical theme Re*Formation: Then. Now. Always. Our focus this fall will be on Re*Formation: Engaging Our Story. Through worship, breakout sessions, and large group conversation, we will begin to unpack our individual and shared stories. Our keynote speakers will offer their unique perspectives on two different aspects of our shared stories:  our shared story and relationship with our Roman Catholic brothers and sisters, and the connection of our story to identity and faith formation. Join us in Cheyenne, and let the Re*Formation begin!
 

Optional Events this year:
Pre-Conference Golf Scramble
Take advantage of the on-site golf course and join us Monday afternoon for a round of golf.  Club and cart rental available.   For more information, contact Pastor Scott McAnnally: 
 
Post-Conference Interim Pastors Gathering
Interim pastors are invited to stay for conversation and training on September 22, concluding after an early dinner. Contact Pastor Sarah Moening for more information


Partial event and commuter registration available
 REGISTRATION INFORMATION



GOD'S WORK OUR HANDS
 God's work. Our hands is Sunday, Sept. 11

"God's work. Our hands." Sunday is an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America - one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor. The suggested date for the 2016 dedicated day of service is Sunday, Sept. 11. This year's dedicated day of service will also mark the 15-year anniversary of the Sept. 11, 2011, terrorist attacks on the United States.
Here is the link to order the t shirts: Old Lutheran

 


OUR LIFE TOGETHER
Rostered leader transitions and openings
Rostered leaders include pastors, diaconal ministers, associates in ministry, and deaconesses. View the list of congregations in transition at this link on the new RMS website:


TO THE POINT

Monthly RMS Eucharist
We invite you to join us the second Wednesday of each month for a staff/community Eucharist Service at 11:30 am at the Office of the Bishop. Email Maria Sutton if you are interested in leading worship!  

EMPLOYMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Non-rostered positions available
View positions at this link

Lutheran Church of Hope, Broomfield, CO
 is seeking a music director for its
children's and youth music ensembles. click on the above link for more information.

Joy Lutheran Church, Parker, CO
is looking for a Lead qualified preschool Teacher, click on the above link for more details.


UTAH
WYOMING
NEW MEXICO / TEXAS
COLORADO
Free Concert at St Philip Lutheran, July 17th
The Columbine Music Teachers Association teams up with the newly organized "Ken Caryl Concerts" at St Philip Lutheran Church to present a free concert for the community.  The program will offer a wide variety of musical selections by CMTA teachers, students, and friends, including Lisa Downing, a founding member of the group who now performs her original piano compositions world-wide with Grammy Award winning musicians such as Liz Story, David Lanz, Suzanne Ciani, and Peter Kater.  The concert will be held at St Philip Lutheran Church - 7531 S Kendall Blvd, Littleton - on Sunday, July 17 at
2:30 pm. For more information on the concert and the series, visit stphilip-co.org/events



Faith, Golden, invites you to World Vision Experience

Step out of your world ... and into some of the world's hardest places.  The World Vision Experience transports you into the lives of the forgotten and oppressed. Through powerful, challenging images and stories, you'll experience life through the eyes of people enduring unimaginable adversity, and you will be forever changed! During your 20-minute journey, you will witness despair and hope in a brothel in Southeast Asia, see how God is working in the midst of the Syrian refugee crisis, and join Christ in the midst of extreme poverty in Africa.
  
Reserve your FREE front-of -the-line pass to this award-winning 20-minutes experience
 
Thursday, July 7: noon - 8 p.m.
Friday, July 8: noon - 8 p.m.
Saturday, July 9: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Sunday, July 10: 10:30 a.m. - 7 p.m




Annual Holy Cross Pilgrimage is July 16
Mount of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church banner
Again this year Mount of the Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Vail, Colorado, will sponsor a pilgrimage hike climbing Notch Mountain (13,237), in order to view the Mount of the Holy Cross (14,005).  Because of the popularity of this hike and due to U.S. Forest Service regulations which limit the group to no more than 15 persons at a time, reservations are required.
 
The date is Saturday July 16, 2016.  The event will last from approximately 6:30 AM to 4:00 PM.  This is a fairly strenuous hike and requires proper hiking gear for a trek in the back country. While there are NO fees, pre-registration is required.  Call (970) 476-6610 for a registration form or for more details you can log on the church web page, www.mountholy.com and click on the Pilgrimage link. Pastor Scott Beebe is the hike leader.

 



Kent Mueller - Assistant to the Bishop
Maria Sutton - Communications Assistant 
Rocky Mountain Synod
800-525-0462 / 303-777-6700 / fax 303-339-4744

Announcements for eConnection are due before noon on Monday for the issue the following Wednesday. Event announcements are included for about two weeks. Please submit your announcement at the time it should appear, ready to copy and paste into the newsletter, with a link to your website for more information.

the Rocky Mountain Synod is a Reconciling in Christ synod