Celebrate Bishop Jim Gonia!

Join us Saturday, June 29 at 3:00 p.m. at First L.C., Colorado Springs for a celebration of ministry

Click HERE to view the invitation with additional information.

A Message from BSC

Good afternoon, 

We are pleased to share that on Friday, May 24, the Emergency Food and Shelter Program (EFSP) National Board approved a 30-day extension of EFSP-Humanitarian grant funding until June 30, 2024. 

Sending our immense gratitude to all who helped assist with this effort to extend continuous support services to our newly-arrived neighbors alongside our community partners.

Thank you all,

Kari

Kari Lenander

Executive Director

As we receive updates regarding their funding and if further advocacy is needed, we will share.

Emanuel Nine & Juneteenth Worship Resources

Worship resources for the commemoration of the Emanuel Nine (June 17) are available in PDF and Word formats, including Scripture suggestions for a commemoration service. Additional resources for marking this commemoration in synods and congregations can be found on the ELCA website. Additionally, worship resources are available for Juneteenth (June 19), a holiday that commemorates the end of slavery in the United States. This resource may be used in whole or adapted based on your local traditions. Additional assembly songs may reflect the theme and text of the day.

Introduce Your Congregation/Ministry to the Bishop-Elect

The Bishop Transition Team invites every congregation and non-congregational ministry to fill out a survey to introduce your ministry site in advance of Bishop-elect Rev. Dr. Meghan Johnston Aelabouni beginning her term on August 1. We ask that you prayerfully consider your responses on behalf of the whole congregation/ministry.

Please submit your response by June 15 by using this link: https://rmselca.org/congregation-introduction. 

Bishop Transition Team: Deb Elstad (Chair), Nolan Bly, Dr. Jack Lindsey, Rev. Ruth Ann Loughry, Rev. Dr. Kate Schlechter

Web address and/or email for additional information: deb.elstad@gmail.com

The results of this submission may be viewed at:

https://rmselca.org/node/1064/submission/10431

Sumud: A Request for Advocacy

From the ELCA's Sumud (formerly Peace Not Walls), comes a request for advocacy regarding bills that are currently under consideration by the Senate regarding the tax-exempt status of organizations that "support terrorism." The terms of the bill have been applied subjectively and indiscriminately in attempts to revoke the tax-exempt status of organizations that have advocated for Palestinian rights.

Read more; take action now.

Denver PRIDE 

Saturday, June 22 and

Sunday, June 23



Volunteer at the Lutheran

(RMS-ELCA) Booth

• Click here to sign-up to staff the booth!
• Volunteers are needed to help staff the booth in 2-hour shifts between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm on Saturday, June 22, and from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 23, with set-up and tear-down options as well.
• The Rocky Mountain Synod, ELCA Booth is D35, The Episcopal Church in Colorado Booth is D34 - Map not currently available, but will be sent to participants when known.

March in the Parade

• Click here to sign up to march!
• Bishop Jim Gonia and Bishop Kym Lucas encourage all area Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists to march in the Parade on Sunday, June 23.
• Be prepared to spend about 2 hours total for the march and be prepared to walk approximately 2 miles.
• Everyone who signs up to march will be notified where to meet once we have our parade assignment. Please note: we will receive our parade assignment a few days before the parade. Please plan on meeting at the assigned location by 9:00a to join in worship before we begin marching.
• Please coordinate with other members of your church or group to have a pole banner, matching shirts, or signs to hold. Be creative and have fun!
• Per PrideFest regulations, only service animals are allowed in the parade.

Help Supply Items for Hurricane Relief Kits 

You can be part of our exciting ELCA 2024 Youth Gathering in New Orleans even if you aren't sending youth from your adults. We invite you to help be part of our Service Learning Day by donating small personal battery operated fans from the Target Gift Registry. In the aftermath of a storm, hurricane or tornado New Orleans residents can find themselves without electricity and in a crisis. Each of the 9 Regions of the ELCA is sending to New Orleans items to make disaster relief kits. Your donation of our Region 2 in-kind offering (the small fans) will be used to make up 3000 kits. It is simple to make this donation. Donations are sent right to New Orleans follow this link https://www.target.com/gift-registry/gift-giver?registryId=e7018790-eb8c-11ee-8811-17f737ff4d39&type=CHARITY to make your donation. 

Companion Synod Visit 2024

The Rocky Mountain Synod will be hosting the presidents from our four companion synods in Madagascar September 28-October 6, 2024!

Our hope is to introduce the presidents to different areas and ministries of the synod as they make their way from El Paso, TX to Denver, CO for the installation of our new bishop on Saturday, October 5, 2024. If you would like to be part of a planning team for the visit, please contact Terry Cole, Companion Synod rep on the Global Church Network, at tecole51@comcast.net. And if your ministry is in El Paso, TX, northern New Mexico, Durango, CO, Price, UT, the Salt Lake City area, Laramie or Cheyenne, WY and the Denver Metro area and you are interested in meeting and providing hospitability for our guests, please contact Terry, as well!

Thank you for joining New Beginnings at Synod Assembly! 

If you missed our video or would like to share our video with your congregation, watch & share it HERE!

New Beginnings Worshipping Community is a congregation that worships inside the Denver Women's Correctional Facility. We worship every other Sunday at 2:20pm with 100-150 people. We are our own congregation, with our own called Pastor (Pr. Samm Melton-Hill), a resident band led by a local musician (Sarah Adams), and our own leadership team of residents that make up the Inside Council (pictured above). Our congregation is thriving inside the walls of the prison! We can't provide the support or sustain our community without the support of congregations and individuals like you as we are entirely funded by grants, congregational giving, and individual donors. 

If you would like to visit New Beginnings for service at the Denver Women's Correctional Facility or would like Pr. Samm to visit your congregation to share about New Beginnings, please email us at nbwcstaff@gmail.com.

Office Clerk Position at the Office of the Bishop

We are seeking a part-time Office Clerk to assist operations staff with basic clerical functions. The main focus will be accounts payable, cash receipts, filing, and reconciliations. The position will require 10-12 hours per week on-site at the Office of the Bishop.

Click HERE to view the job description

El Pueblito is hosting a 3-day core Godly Play training! 

June 21 10:30 am - June 23 4:00 pm

Godly Play is a Montessori-based approach to children's religious education. The experience of a Godly Play training is one of a spiritual retreat. The setting - Taos, and El Pueblito - are stunning, and you'll enjoy the beauty of nature while learning this unique Montessori-based approach to children's religious education. Trainer Sharolyn Browning is outstanding. 

Training spaces are limited (limit of 12 unless an additional trainer is added). Thanks to a generous Bishop's Award grant from the New Mexico Conference of the United Methodist Church, we are able to offer a scholarship rate to all participants if you register by May 15. 

Information also availble soon on the Godly Play Foundation website:

https://www.godlyplayfoundation.org/events/trainings

Saturday, September 28th

Healthy Congregations Workshop

with the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center.

Save the Date! Pass the word!

Healthy Congregations workshop, Saturday, September 28th, First Lutheran Church, Longmont. This workshop is open to anyone interested in any denomination or synagogue. More registration materials to come in August.

Healthy Congregations uses the insights of Bowen Family Systems theory to help church leaders become more effective stewards of their congregations. This workshop was developed by Dr. Peter Steinke and is based on the work of Dr. Edwin Friedman, author of Generation to Generation: Family Process in Church and Synagogue. The Healthy Congregations workshop is designed to equip leaders to respond to the presence or potential threat of anxiety in a congregational system in ways that prevent destructive conflict and help the church stay focused on its unique mission and purpose.

• Learn how you as a leader can positively influence the health your congregation
• Learn how to keep anxiety from being infectious
• Gain confidence in responding to challenges and opportunities
• Learn how to limit invasive behavior, manage reactivity, and overcome sabotage Learn to focus on strengths, resources, options, and the future.

Who Will Benefit:

• Clergy who are interested in learning a proactive approach to managing anxiety in their church
• Church lay leaders who want to gain confidence in their position and how to best manage challenges
• Anyone interested in learning how to manage oneself and become a positive representative of the church

Hosted by Rev. Jay Wittmeyer, who is the Executive Director of the Lombard Mennonite Peace Center. Jay is an educator, organizational development consultant, and mediator with

broad experience, serving conflicted churches and organizations in the U.S. and

international settings. Grounded in an Anabaptist peace-building tradition and working from a Bowen family systems perspective, LMPC works to transform conflict in a healthy manner.

July Renewal Opportunity in Albuquerque

Saturday, July 13 - 10 a.m. to 3 p.m.

All Saints Lutheran Church

4800 All Saints Rd. NW 87120 

Interpreting the Bible with Grace

Join us for a half-day conversation about the Bible with Rev. Dr. Mark Allen Powell! We’ll talk about where the Bible comes from, how to interpret it in context, and how we are to understand the Bible for our own times. The session reflects on seven questions about Lutherans and the Bible. He does not prescribe “the Lutheran way" to read the Bible nor does he dismiss the way you may have come to understand the Bible. Instead, Dr. Powell presents a variety of Lutheran perspectives for interpreting the Bible.

Dr. Powell was a Professor of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary in Columbus, Ohio until his retirement in 2018. He is editor of the HarperCollins Bible Dictionary and author of more than 100 articles and 35 books on the Bible and religion. He has also worked as a professional music critic, with more than 1000 published reviews in the fields of rock and pop music. The two fields of music criticism and religious scholarship come together in the Encyclopedia of Contemporary Christian Music, his critical survey and analysis of artists in both the religious and mainstream markets who have produced faith-oriented products.

RSVP to Krysta at All Saint by phone (505-898-3932) or email (office@allsaintsabq.org) by July 1. Lunch is included. When you RSVP, please let Krysta know if you have any dietary needs.

Encountering Luke with Dr. Adam Braun

hosted by the Northern Colorado Conference

Rostered leaders are invited to join colleagues for a continuing education retreat at Sky Ranch! Dr. Adam Braun, Assistant Professor in New Testament and Theology at Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, will join us as our keynote speaker, focusing on the gospel of Luke as we prepare for Year C of the RCL and Year 3 of the Narrative Lectionary. Sessions will include seminars, as well as workshop time to develop a preaching or faith formation series you can use in your community in the coming year.

Between sessions there will be plenty of time to relax and enjoy the quiet and beauty of Sky Ranch. We’ll eat and worship together each day, with options for hiking, high ropes, or just kicking back and enjoying the time away. Open to rostered leaders. Partners may attend and must register separately.

Location: Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp

Dates: Sunday, August 4 - Wednesday, August 7

Check in: 4-6pm Sunday. Departure: 10am Wednesday.

Costs

Lodging ($XXX) + Program & Food ($275)

Lodge Single: $195 + $275 = $470

Lodge Double: $98 + $275 = $373

Cabin (Shared): $33 + $275 = $308

Tent Campground: $105 + $275 = $380

RV Campground: $135 + $275 = $410

Optional High Ropes: $35

Lodge rooms are limited and are available on a first come first served basis. Once your registration is received you will receive a confirmation notice of housing and an invoice. 

Registration deadline: May 31, 2024

Questions? Contact Pr. Kaari Nieuwlandt: pastorkaari@trinityloveland.org

Sky Ranch Family Camps!

Sky Ranch has two amazing Family Camp weeks planned for this summer with incredible leaders for both weeks! Our traditional family camp week that falls during the 4^th of July is being led by our own Pastor Joe Natwick and his wife Becca. New this year, is a “Christmas in July” Family Camp! Pastors Tim and Mary Canniff-Kuhn are known throughout LOM and the ELCA. They have many years of experience leading Outdoor Ministry/Family Camps. We still have some space available, and we would LOVE for these weeks to be very full! 

Holy Cross Lutheran Church

Vacation Bible School

4500 Wadsworth Blvd.,

Wheat Ridge, CO 80033

(303) 423-5654   www.holycrosswheatridge.org

July 29^th – August 2^nd 2024

9:00 – 3:00 Monday – Thursday and

9:00 – Noon on Friday 

We partner with Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp to provide this wonderful experience to your children. Trained Rainbow Trail staff join with adults from our congregation who want to see their children’s faith grow. The week will include music, creative worship, arts and crafts, games, Bible study and many more fun activities. 

The focus of our study through the week is “Created to Be” In Psalm 139, we celebrate the creator and God’s handiwork in creating each of us as unique and special beings. We were loved by God even before we came into being, and God has been with us from the very beginning. But God didn’t create us to just exist in this world. We were created to share God’s love, created to live as Christ’s disciples, and created to be agents of change in our world. In our studies, we will look at what it means to truly live our lives as precious creations of God. We are called to serve others, not only at camp but everywhere in our lives.

The program is for kids from kindergarten through 6^th grade. Your child/children will be placed in the grade that they will be going into in the fall of 2024. Youth may volunteer to help if they have completed the 6^th grade as of spring 2024.

The cost of Vacation Bible School is $50 per child.

• Space is limited so please register as soon as possible. 
• This fee covers all crafts and snacks and must be paid at the time of registration.
• Please have family and friends fill out a separate registration form so that we can get individualized health information and a parent’s signature on this permission slip.  Thank you!
• Kids will be grouped based on their upcoming school year.
• All campers will need to bring their own sack lunch and a bottle of water. A morning snack will be provided each day.

No child is turned down due to financial hardship. If you are in need of assistance, or would like to register, please contact Holy Cross (contact information listed above).

Graduate Theological Education for Everyday People

Iliff School of Theology has offered graduate level education for more than 125 years through a range of degree programs. Now, through TIER, Iliff is bringing its unique approach to theological education to the public with a series of summer courses that offer our world-class teaching outside of a traditional degree program.

TIER is designed for people considering a graduate degree, people in ministry and community leadership who want to dive deeper into study, or anyone who is ready to transform their understanding of religion and spirituality. TIER allows you to innovate your approach to your life’s biggest challenges and to realize the truths that matter most to you.

Learn more about Tier HERE

Transform your understanding of religion and spirituality.

Innovate your approach to life’s biggest challenges.

Explore your beliefs and the beliefs of others.

Realize the truths that matter most to you.

Caffeinated Church Conference September 9-12, 2024

Denver, CO

WHO SHOULD ATTEND?

• Church Administrators
• Communication Directors
• Pastors/Clergy & Lay Ministry Leaders
• Volunteers involved in church management

We are excited to announce an in-person conference, September 9-12, 2024! Early Bird Registration is $250 (through April 30!) and no membership to Caffeinated Church is required to attend. And if you are a church with an Average Sunday Attendance (ASA) of less than 100, you will receive 50% off your registration. We are excited to gather together