From October 16-29, 2023, a group of 32 pilgrims – made up of Lutherans, Episcopalians and Roman Catholics, and including both English and Spanish speakers – traveled together to walk in the footsteps of the Apostle Paul in Greece, and to journey to both Rome and Assisi. Led by Father Quirino BCornejo (who serves both the Episcopal Church of Colorado and the Rocky Mountain Synod) as well as Bishop Kym Lucas and Bishop Jim Gonia, the pilgrimage was originally intended to include the Holy Land and Italy.

Thanks to hard work of Good Shepherd Travel, the trip was rescheduled within a week after the violent attacks by Hamas in Israel.

Accompanying the pilgrims was Shiraz Al Rishmawi, a resident of the West Bank and staff member of Good Shepherd Travel. Although the destination had changed, prayers for peace in the Holy Land were never far from the hearts of those who journeyed together.

As one whose current call involves regularly re3lecting on the life and witness of the church, it was both refreshing and humbling to walk in lands where the existence and ministry of the church date back millennium rather than decades or even a century or two. It became clear to me that a faith pilgrimage involves walking in the footsteps of those who have gone before us, learning from their struggles and shortcomings as well as being inspired by their courage and joy.

We are heirs of the faithful who have journeyed in Christ long before us, and they provide us with important legacies that continue to shape our current reality as the church. I was struck in particular by three specific legacies:

 (click on each link or download the full reflection below)

• We are heirs of the baptismal legacy of Lydia
• We are heirs of the preaching legacy of Paul
• We are heirs of the reformation legacy of Francis of Assisi and Martin Luther

Download Bishop Gonia's Reflections on our Ecumenical Pilgrimage

We give thanks for the life and ministry of Dot Quaintance, founding Director of the Border Servant Corps (BSC), a ministry of Peace Lutheran Church in Las Cruces, NM.

Pastor Steve Loy, who was Dot’s pastor at Peace shares,

Dot possessed a risky faith. She believed that things would go the way God intended and didn’t hesitate to take risks based on her confidence that God was leading her life. [In 1994, after the death of her husband Jack,] she sold her house and moved from Las Cruces to Denver to volunteer with the Urban Servant Corps. Then she decided to stay a second year to learn from Bonita [Bock, founding director of Urban Servant Corps,] how to start the BSC. When she returned to Las Cruces she used the funds from the sale of her house to buy the BSC house.

During the first year of BSC there was only one other volunteer in Las Cruces living with Dot and two in El Paso, but they laid the foundation for the future. Kirstin Maanum, who served as a BSC volunteer in El Paso from 1999-2000 shares,

Dot was a formative woman in my life. I loved that she had this vision…and chose to live it out. That vision is what brought me and so many others to the Border to live out the tenets of the Border Servant Corps, an experience that undoubtedly shaped so many of my future decisions, and an experience I still draw upon. She taught me to weave, she introduced me to great beer, knew so many interesting people and stories and shared those generously. She was a model of self-deprecation and was not too proud to laugh at herself and reminded me to do the same. She knew joy and justice and shared them both abundantly, and for those things and so many others, she will be sorely missed.

Every day, Border Servant Corps strives to live into the legacy Dot established. A creation she made with community members in some of BSC’s first years of ministry still serve as a centerpiece for the organization – both literally and figuratively. Barbed wire, strung across a picture frame, represents borders in all their forms. Pieces of cloth, interwoven through the wire, represent lives with stories that weave through barriers every day: A recognition of the challenges, and a continued call to collective service in our communities.

When Dot answered the call to service in Las Cruces, El Paso, and Ciudad Juárez, she didn’t do so alone. She combined faith and action with the creation of Border Servant Corps; saying “yes’ to service in the borderland community while welcoming faithful, dedicated people to serve alongside her. From church members and volunteers to nonprofit organizations and community groups, Dot brought people together – near and far – to learn, serve, reflect, and live in the borderlands.

Today, more than 25 years after Dot began BSC, the lives that have been touched by Dot’s steadfast passion and a ministry built on “stepping out in faith” continue to grow. Dot – we give thanks for your willingness to step into the unknown through faith, your enthusiasm for accompaniment – focused ministry in the border lands community, and your dedication and call to live our lives in the spirit of Micah 6:8: “What does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?”

Dot Quaintance died October 1, 2023, in Liberty, New York with family by her side. She was a wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, friend, aunt, servant, storyteller, caregiver and woman of risky faith. In lieu of flowers, her family requests donations be made to the BSC  (borderservantcorps.org/ways-to-support) , so they may continue their mission of doing justice, loving kindness, and walking humbly in the in the U.S./ México borderlands.

-Article written by Rev. Diana Linden-Johnson, who served as a BSC volunteer from 1998-2000, as the Director from 2001-2002, and now serves as the RMS Assistant to the Bishop for Rostered Ministers.

Have you wanted to participate in Excellence in Leadership, but haven't been able to find the time? Perhaps the cohort beginning in January is the right choice for you. On January 5, 2024 we will be launching a 13-month cohort which will meet from 9:00am-12:00pm on Friday mornings twice per month. You will have the opportunity to grow together with leaders from around the United States in resiliency, courage, and faithfulness. You will be equipped to face challenges and manage conflict. You will learn leadership practices and deepen spiritual practices.

Excellence in Leadership has been changing culture in congregations and building up healthy leaders for over 4 years. The tools learned, practices developed, and relationships built actually make a difference. Listen to Flip Wilson's testimony here:

Brave Experiments Round 2

Our first experiment with the Brave Experiments Zoom event clearly resonated with folks so we are going to do it again. We are looking for congregations and ministries that have conducted a brave experiment and might be willing to share at our next event. Do you or someone you know have something worth sharing? 

A brave experiment is something that came about because of a recognized need, required some risk and took a thoughtful process of making changes to adapt to new realities. Our first event highlighted new partnerships, targeted strategic planning and creative uses of property. The actual experiment is not as important as the process by which the idea was conceived and attempted. The goal of Brave Experiment is to guide us all in conducting our own ministry experiments that suit our specific context. 

Please use this form to share your ideas.

Look for the next event next year before Lent! 

If you missed Brave Experiments Round 1 (October Event) and you'd like to view the recordings click HERE

Produced by the Rocky Mountain Synod Church Ministries Committee

A LESSON FROM THE ROCKY MOUNTAIN SYNOD

GENEROSITY 101

"What is a Qualified Charitable Distribution?"

NOTICE: If you are 70.5-years or older (or plan to be), currently have retirement assets (or plan to have them), and give an offering to your church (or plan to give an offering to your church)...

THEN YOU SHOULD READ THIS!

I’d like to introduce you to my friend, Katie. She has been attending the ELCA Lutheran church in her neighborhood, and just received an invitation to fill out a pledge card during the fall Stewardship initiative. Last week, Katie and I were chatting on the phone when she shared how important her church is in her life - in between the worries and excitement she has about the future. And, almost like a gift from God, Katie shared the most innocent and casual comment that changed our whole conversation, she said... “I sure wish I had the ability to give more.”

Katie’s desire to be more generous is not unique – most people report they would be more generous if they were given the opportunity. However, there are some common situations where we actually could be more generous with the assets we already have... and decrease our taxation at the same time. Let’s take a look!

CASE STUDY:

Katie is 75 years old, and she has an IRA valued at $425,000 with a current annual Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) of $16,000. After state and federal tax withholding, approximately $12,000 will be deposited into her checking account this December. Katie has been giving $1,000/month to the church through the congregations online giving platform that pulls those offerings from Katie’s checking account – for an annual offering of $12,000. Katie certainly understood that her Required Minimum Distributions are... required, so not taking that distribution was not an option. Also, by receiving that RMD she was obligated to pay income tax on the distribution. And honestly, Katie is like most people, and she was spending the RMDs she was receiving, so she hadn’t actually considered an alternative... but there is another option! Instead of taking the RMD, Katie – can instruct her investment advisor to send that money directly to her congregation through a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD), which will not impose a tax on Katie – or the congregation! Now here is where it gets fun! Since Katie’s financial plan was already taking into consideration the RMD’s, but the QCD is eliminating $4,000 in direct taxes and maybe even more by reducing her taxable income – instead of sending the original $12,000 to her congregation, Katie is able to increase her pledge to $16,000 (the full RMD amount) with no financial impact to her overall financial plan!

CHECK FRAUD - PLEASE HELP

ENROLL IN RMS ACH DIRECT DEPOSIT

In response to our recent check fraud crisis, the synod has launched an ACH Direct Deposit system. Modeled after the process by which money is transferred to Portico, Clergy Financial, and ELCA Churchwide, congregations may enroll in our ACH Direct Deposit system. Once banking information is received and verified, the congregation will be set-up in our bank's secure ACH system and can start initiating electronic payment for all synod related payments.

Mission Support Remittance forms will be received via email. You will receive a Mission Support Remittance template to be completed according to your billing timeline in order to make a monthly mission support payment. Each congregation will continue to receive monthly contribution statements by email to verify that the correct funds have been withdrawn and distributed. It is extremely important to reconcile your monthly contribution statement to ensure that all transactions are recorded correctly. Discrepancies should be reported immediately.

ENROLL in the ACH Direct Deposit system by clicking the link below. To report missing contributions or if you have any questions, please contact Jon Johnson, Finance Director at finance@rmselca.org or Yvonne Wilken, Administrator at office@rmselca.org.

INTRODUCING

New RMS Synod Champion for 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering

July 16-20, 2024

We are “Church Better Together"! As we plan and prepare for the 2024 ELCA Youth Gathering in New Orleans we are putting together a Synod-wide team of youth and adults who will help plan our Synod Day at the Gathering. I recently agreed to serve as the Synod Champion for the RMSELCA so I am inviting you to get involved and connected in these months of preparing for the Gathering. Please email me if you are interested in helping serve on the Gathering Synod Day planning team. Do you have questions about the Gathering? Do you want to meet other RMSELCA youth and adult leaders who will also attend the Gathering? As your new Synod Champion please contact me, Pastor Margot Wright, by email pastor@lordofthehills.org or text or call my cell phone 720-427-8352 so we can work together to find ways to get questions answered, invite and encourage youth and adults from our Synod to participate in this milestone event. I look forward to hearing from you!

An update from Kinna -

Hello RMSFFNET! For those who don't know yet, I am in Tulsa, OK for a new call and my time with the Synod is drawing to a close in December. Since the Bishop's term is coming to an end, the decision has been made not to have a new Faith Formation Coordinator for the remaining few months. 

THIS MEANS our young people (especially) need YOUR HELP! We are most in need of: 

1. Volunteers for the RMS Youth Gathering - Presidents Day weekend.
2. A NEW SYNOD CHAMPION for the ELCA Youth Gathering. 

PLEASE EMAIL ME ASAP if you are feeling called to serve our Synod in these ways. 

Thank you for your friendship, your support, and participating in God's ministry, especially for the sake of young people in the First 3rd of life!

Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp Senior High Retreat

Friday, November 17 to Sunday, November 19

The Senior High Retreat is specifically geared for high school youth. This retreat can be an opportunity to connect on the real struggles that high school presents, explore what life after high school might look like, and how we can live faithfully through it all.

Don’t miss this opportunity to be immersed in community on the mountain, in which we will discover and affirm the gifts that God has given us. November in the mountains can be chilly, but also refreshing both physically and spiritually. Join us and other senior high youth in the Synod for a faith adventure in the mountains!

Sky Ranch Advent Retreat

December 1-3

Come join us in wonder and anticipation as we celebrate the season of Advent together! Our theme for this year’s retreat will be the Gifts of Advent: Love, Hope, Peace, and Joy. We will spend time in community as we worship, create, eat, and have fun together!

Join us on December 9th as we give thanks for and explore the creativity that lives inside of each of us!

If you have any questions, contact Bekah at bekah@skyranchcolorado.org!

ZOOM MEETING

RMS Environmental Advocacy

Saturday, November 11 at 10:00am

Peter Severson, Director of Lutheran Advocacy Colorado, and Kurt Rager, Director of New Mexico Advocacy, will join us to inform us about upcoming environmental issues at the state capitals and share with us ways that we can engage with our representatives.

ZOOM - us02web.zoom.us/j/83008940316

AUGUSTANA ARTS PRESENTS

Sounds of Stratus & Music Encounters

Saturday, Nov 11 at 1:00pm

Aurora First Presbyterian Church

1585 Kingston St., Aurora

Dive into a mesmerizing blend of harmony and skill as the Stratus Chamber Orchestra and Music Encounters students come together for a dynamic musical celebration. Delight in the timeless elegance of Bach's Brandenburg Concertos, interwoven with other beloved classics.

Pay What You Choose Tickets!

FREE PERFORMANCES

“As Foretold” Oratorio for Chorus and Orchestra

November 18 and 19

The choir of Shepherd of the Hills in Canon City, CO will join with the Ward Choir of the Church of Latter-day Saints, st. Michael's Episcopal Church in Colorado Springs, and the Air Force Academy Cadet Choir will present a new musical work for chorus,organ, and string orchestra that is FREE TO THE PUBLIC at the following dates and times:

• 5:00 PM on Saturday, November 18 at St. Michael's Episcopal Church, 7400 Tudor Rd., Colorado Springs, CO
• 4:00 PM on Sunday, November 19 at Steeple Event Center, Canon City, CO

THE VELVETEEN RABBIT

featuring Hazel Miller, Narrator, and Stratus Chamber Orchestra

Sunday, December 10 at 3:00pm

Augustana Lutheran Church

5000 E. Alameda Ave., Denver

Tickets: $20 adults/$10 children

(Financial constraints should not be a barrier to enjoying the arts. If you desire complimentary tickets, please reach out to us at info@augustanaarts.org.)

Experience the transformative power of love and imagination with Lowell Liebermann's "The Velveteen Rabbit," a musical journey inspired by the cherished children's story, narrated by Hazel Miller, singer of Colorado’s Hazel Miller & the Collective. Also, enjoy the timeless magic of Tchaikovsky's "Nutcracker Suite," as its delightful melodies transport you to a world of childhood wonder and enchantment. Alongside these captivating compositions, Stratus’s Music Director Adam Torres presents his own arrangements of beloved holiday favorites, infusing them with a unique twist that will leave you filled with warmth and holiday cheer.

Colorado Gives Day

Tuesday, December 5, 2023

Give to these organizations through the Colorado Gives Day website:

• Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains
• New Beginnings Worshipping Community
• Eben Ezer Lutheran Care Center
• Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp
• Urban Servant Corps
• Lutheran Campus Ministry at CSU

A NOTE FROM DAVE JARVIS: SUPPORT RAINBOW TRAIL!

Colorado Gives Day is an annual day of giving to non-profit organizations all across Colorado. Whether you live in Colorado or not, you can donate to Rainbow Trail on Tuesday, December 5. Each donation helps RTLC receive additional funds from Community First Foundation through a sum that's divided among all participating non-profit organizations and prizes at the end of the day. You can even make your CO Gives Day gift NOW so you won't forget to donate! Gifts made in November on the Colorado Gives website will count toward Rainbow Trail's Colorado Gives Day total on December 5. Help us reach our goal of $110,000 for Colorado Gives Day!

Join us at the Stanley Beer Hall (2501 Dallas St. Aurora CO) to celebrate the meaningful values of Urban Servant Corps!

Recently, the USC Board of Directors met with a consultant to help with our big picture visioning for the life of the USC community. We are excited to share about this conversation and would also love to hear your feedback!

No ticket purchase necessary, but please RSVP to krista@servantcorps.org so we can reserve the appropriate number of tables!

Food and beverage will be available for purchase. Bring your creativity of thought and generosity of spirit! We are grateful for your support!

The Contemplative Adventure - Spirituality Encounters Science speaker Rick Klein

Saturday November 11, 9:00am - noon via zoom

It seems that our contemporary world is obsessed with certainty and results. Who won the game? Who won the election? When will I get there? When will the project be completed? Am I cured? What is the correct answer? Is there a heaven and will I get there? What might be an unintended consequence of our obsession with certainty and endings? Might it be that we are not fully present to what is happening in the now. As Anthony de Mello insightfully says, “We go through life asleep!” Might this sleepwalking towards certainty and results creep into our practices of contemplation and meditation?

Our presenter, Rick Klein, believes that science offers insights to help us awaken from mindless sleepwalking. Building on Teilhard de Chardin’s teachings on evolution and Thomas Keating’s teachings on contemplation, together we’ll explore a rarely traveled terrain, the synthesis of science and spirituality.

Questions: staff@centeringprayer.net or call (303) 698-7729 to register.

Guard of The Heart (contemplative practice)

Saturday November 18, 9:00am - noon via zoom

“One practice to bring the effects of contemplative prayer into daily life is traditionally known as “Guard of the Heart.” This consists of letting go of every emotional disturbance as it arises and before we start thinking about it. This method is more sophisticated than dismantling the emotional programs for happiness because it deals with the whole of life. It expresses our ongoing intention to be with God in the present moment and sustains it.” (Fr. Thomas Keating, 2017)

This class will teach the practice of “Guard of the Heart” (Also referred to as “Watchfulness” or “Presence Practice”) and how it compliments our Centering Prayer, and the practices of the Welcoming Prayer and the Active Prayer Phrase. We will learn the three ways any afflictive thought or emotional disturbance can be instantly released as it arises. Join us for this enriching and deepening complementary practice.

Questions: staff@centeringprayer.net or call (303) 698-7729 to register.

Young Adults in the Denver/Northern Colorado area are welcome to join NoCo's Gather November "Friendsgiving"! This gathering is for those looking for fellowship, community, and connection. Young adults (18-35) from across faith backgrounds, sexuality, genders, and perspectives are welcome here to meet, to be, to gather.

Questions, contact pastorstephani@atonementboulder.org.

"The geographic area of the Pacifica Synod includes the state of Hawaii and portions of Southern California, including the counties of Orange, San Bernardino, Riverside, San Diego, Imperial and part of Los Angeles County. The number of ELCA congregations in the Pacifica Synod is currently 110, comprised of nearly 25,139 baptized members (2019 Synod totals based on congregational reports submitted). "

The Rev. David C. Nagler, San Diego, was elected May 20, 2022 to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Pacifica Synod.

See the Pacifica Synod Data Toolkit 2021, visit www.pacificasynod.org.org, and on Facebook.

Click here to view a Bishops and Synods map of our 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.