SYNOD COUNCIL

Thank you, Kris Adams!

Her service as RMS Treasurer concludes October 31

Kris Adams, a member of Shepherd of the Mountains Lutheran Church, Estes Park, had been serving on our RMS Finance Task Force when our previous treasurer departed, and a short time later, we had a vacancy in our financial office. At that time, she went way "above and beyond" by learning the staff job and serving as a volunteer for several months until Jon Johnson joined the staff.

"With all sincerity, I do not know what we would have done without Kris's commitment to our financial life in a time of complicated transition," said Pastor Kent Mueller, Assistant to the Bishop for Administration and Communication. "Few people realize that she drove to Denver every day from Estes Park for several months to keep our business life operating smoothly, because of her deep faithfulness and love of the Church. We are forever grateful."

She is concluding her service as treasurer on October 31, but she intends to remain involved in our Finance Committee. She has a particular passion for assisting congregations with financial expertise so their finances are in good order.

We extend an an enthusiastic round of applause and gratitude for Kris' work as the Rocky Mountain Synod Treasurer!

ADVOCACY

Being a Public Church

What's OK and not OK when mixing church and elections?

As we prepare for the upcoming election season, the ELCA understands government as a means through which God works to preserve creation and build a more peaceful and just social order in a broken world.

These resources help clarify how churches can appropriately be involved in elections and advocacy:

ELCA Civic Engagement Guide

A resource guide to encourage, empower and equip voter education and other responsible civic participation shaped by faith values.

Being a Public Church

Guidance for churches and clergy participating in the electoral process

ELCA Advocacy Website Resource Page

OUTDOOR MINISTRY

Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp

Join us for educational & spiritual conversation about the RIC process

Help the Sky Ranch faith community deepen and expand our welcome to people of all sexual orientations, gender identities, and gender expressions. We are committed to work for racial equity/anti-racism. We hope to vote on a revised Welcome Statement and whether Sky Ranch will become an RIC camp at our Annual Meeting in February 2023. 

We will hold three Zoom meetings over the next few months to discuss Sky Ranch's decision to look at becoming a Reconciling in Christ organization. We encourage you to join us for one of the meetings, ask questions, listen to stories and experiences from the community, and learn more about what is means to be RIC. Please consider one of these dates. 

• Sunday: October 16, 2022, 3:00 - 4:00pm MST
• Weekday: Wednesday, October 26, 12 noon -1:00pm MST
• Weekday: Monday, November 7, 7:00 - 8:00pm MST

Zoom link for all meetings: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88648275039

Visit skyranchcolorado.org/reconciling-in-christ for more information and to take a short survey. 

If you have questions or would like more information, please call Lori Bode @ 970-493-5258 or lori@skyranchcolorado.org.

ADVOCACY COLORADO

Lutheran Advocacy Ministry Colorado Voter Guides are here!

Our 2022 Voter Guide is here! Through the faithful discernment of our Policy Committee, this Voter Guide offers recommendations on how to think about our eleven Colorado ballot measures. Lutheran Advocacy has taken a position on four of the measures, including YES on Prop FF (Healthy School Meals for All).

You can download our Voter Guide electronically on our website at rmselca.org/ColoradoBallot2022. To request printed copies, please reach out to our office at advocacyco@rmselca.org.

For more info visit rmselca.org/ColoradoBallot2022

ZOOM MEETING

Zoom Meeting ID: 992 2724 5869

Passcode: 274795

"You are not alone! Join us every Third Thursday for our RMS Faith Formation Network meetings! (next meeting is October 20)

We are primarily online now due to the surge of COVID cases. Stay in the loop with all things Children Youth and Family Faith Formation in the Rocky Mountain Synod!"

FAITH FORMATION

Western States Youth Gathering '23

July 6-9, 2023

The Western States Youth Gathering (WSYG) and Western States Multicultural Youth Leadership Event (WYLE) is back! Coming to California Lutheran University in Thousand Oaks, CA from July 4-9, 2023, the Western States Youth Gathering is open to high school aged youth in Regions 1-4 of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). The Western States Multicultural Youth Leadership Pre-Event (WYLE) will be held July 4-6, 2023.

WSYG and WYLE will gather around the theme, “Revive, Reunite, Rejoice”, grounded in Acts 2:1 “When the day [of WSYG] came, they were all together in one place.”

Early-Bird registration for the Western States Youth Gathering is now OPEN!

Learn more and register your group for the lowest possible prices at wsyg.com/registration!

VETERANS MINISTRY

SHOWERING MILITARY CHAPLAINS WITH PRAYERS AND SUPPORT 

Veterans Day 2022 is Friday November 11, 2022. Veteran Servant Corps Project’s initiative this year will be to shower chaplains with prayers, love and support. Please share how your congregation chooses to do this. Pictures, stories, etc. are all welcome. Please send them to me at Director@veteranservantcorps.org. I will share them via eConnection in the weeks to come.

Are you interested in being part of our Veterans Day 2022 initiative by donating? Click here then select the General Fund Gift option, enter “Veteran Servant Corps Project” in the note/memo line. If you prefer to mail a donation, send it to the Rocky Mountain Synod, 7375 Samuel Drive, Denver, CO 80221, adding Veteran Servant Corps Project to the Note portion of your check.

RMS COMPANION SYNODS

RMS Sends Video Greeting to the Women Theologians of Madagascar

Around 250 women theologians from across Madagascar gathered in the capital of Antananarivo from September 27-October 2 for the National Conference of the Malagasy Lutheran Church Women Theologians Association. The RMS has companion relationships with four synods in Madagascar, and the president of the Malagasy Lutheran Church invited leaders from the RMS to attend. However, the short timeline and and cost of travel prevented us from sending a delegation.

Nonetheless, the RMS Companion Synods Team wanted to show our support for the women who have been able to study theology since 1974 and serve in a wide variety of ministries, but are still not allow to be ordained. Please watch the beautiful video greeting, created by Deacon Mary Stoneback, which she filmed during the RMS Theological Conference in September and which we shared with the Malagasy women during their conference.

And please keep the Malagasy Lutheran Church and women theologians in your prayers as they continue to seek full partnership in the life and ministry of the church!

AUGUSTANA, DENVER

All Saints Vespers

October 30 at 3:00p.

Enjoy a special afternoon of music, scripture, and prayer. Augustana’s Chancel Choir, directed by Kevin Padworski, along with the Augustana Vocal Ensemble (AVE) and organist Andrew Peters present Mass in G by Franz Schubert. This worship is free and open to the public. Invite a friend and come to this event in celebration and anticipation of All Saints Sunday.



OUTDOOR MINISTRY

Rainbow Trail 2023 Summer Registration Opens November 1

DON’T WAIT! Registration for the 2023 Summer season at Rainbow Trail opens on November 1st for Rocky Mountain Synod congregations. All of our summer weeks fill quickly; by January 1, registration is open to anyone. Register online starting November 1!

UTAH HYBRID EVENT

Allies in Earth Work Inside and Outside of Church

Thursday, Oct 27 at 7pm MDT

Episcopal and ELCA conversation partners invite your participation virtually or in-person as The Rev. Wes Aardahl, retired ELCA pastor; Ron Barness, Creation Care Minister and volunteer with The Episcopal Diocese of Utah; and Dave Pacheco, Utah Faith Organizer for Southern Utah Wilderness Alliance, meet in-person at Ascension St. Matthew's (ASM) Church, Price, Utah. 

Pastor Wes will provide biblical and theological grounding for the urgent response of the faithful to collaborate with allies to act for the sake of our home, the earth. Ron Barness and Dave Pacheco will raise the "beyond Utah" call as they report about the Utah Episcopal Church's Wilderness Resolution, which they wrote with Diocesan Vice Chancellor Branden Burningham.

Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/83582903923?pwd=ZzUxOFhvckEwQ3Y1YXFNUkR6VWp6dz09

Meeting ID: 835 8290 3923 Passcode: 703880

Get flyer here

AUGUSTANA ARTS

Snarey Sounds

& Scary Stories

Halloween fun and music for families

Sunday, Oct 30

3:00 p.m.

Experience exciting percussion music and sounds paired with scary stories for the perfect Halloween celebration. Enjoy music from Harry Potter, Frozen, and Encanto, along with “the scariest" music by Beethoven, Grieg and Mussorgsky. A concert sure to be funsational for kids of ALL ages, and everyone is encouraged to wear a costume for the rhythmic parade!

Also, enjoy a "trunk or treat" hosted by Music Director Adam Torres immediately after the concert! You’ll hear unique instruments as they click, clank, rattle, whirl, and see the strangest looking instruments that create sounds sure to make you jump, march, tap, or twirl. Join us for an afternoon of soundsational fun!

Pay-What-You-Can Tickets

For too long the Religious Right has masqueraded as a social movement preoccupied with a number of cultural issues, such as abortion and same-sex marriage. But in her deeply reported investigation, Katherine Stewart reveals a disturbing truth: America’s Religious Right has evolved into a Christian nationalist movement. It seeks to gain political power and to impose its vision on all of society. It isn’t fighting a culture war, it is waging a political war on the norms and institutions of American democracy. 

Katherine Stewart, the author of The Power Worshipers, will be interviewed by Rabbi Daniel Bogard and Pastor Dohle to probe into what this rise means for Christians and non-Christians alike.

The Social Concerns Forum at Bethany Lutheran Church in Denver, is sponsoring a program on understanding and dealing effectively with racism.

Join us in Bethany's Great Hall for a morning of focused learning, coffee, food and dialogue. We will use small group and large group conversations to deepen our understanding about the surrounding racism, and how it impacts all of us people of faith.

Although all are welcome, the initial program is primarily designed for white people who are seeking to understand race more deeply, and who are wanting to understand to understand their role in this conversation. We are aware that sometimes what white people honestly and openly share, can nevertheless be inadvertently wounding , and hard on people of color. Debbie's approach is very gracious, courteous yet non-threatening. Please know that this is a personal, spiritual, informational and non-partisan approach to deepen our understanding about the issues surrounding racism, and how it impacts all of us as people of faith.

Join Stratus Chamber Orchestra along with Grammy-nominated Soprano Lindsay Kesselman, hailed by Fanfare Magazine as an “artist of growing reputation for her artistry and intelligence…with a voice of goddess-like splendor.”

Adam Torres and the Stratus Chamber Orchestra will search for new perspectives and unheard voices through John Mackey’s Songs from the End of the World alongside works by Borodin, Piazzolla, Whitacre, and Verdi.

Special Wine, Music, and Cheese Pairing Experience

Saturday, November 12, 2022 at 7:00pm

Historic Grant Theater - 216 S Grant St, Denver, CO 80209

Seats are limited to 100 people!

Get tickets before November 11 for exclusive early bird pricing, for $60 per person or $100 per couple (after 11/10, prices are $65 and $110).

Free parking is available on the street or lot for this event.

OUTDOOR MINISTRY

Sky Ranch

High School Retreat!

Nov 11-13, 2022

Students will learn more about how they can recharge in the midst of a busy life "down the mountain." Sky Ranch is a place to step back and take time to breath fresh air in a place we love. During this weekend there will be time to grow in community as well as time to reflect on the school year and other parts of life "down the mountain."

For any questions contact Cole Hemmah - cole@skyranchcolorado.org or call (970)493-5258

OUTDOOR MINISTRY

Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp Senior High Retreat

Friday, November 18 to Sunday, November 20

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!

Get more info and signup at: rainbowtrail.org/retreats/rtlc-senior-high-retreat

SOUTHEAST COLORADO

As Foretold

an oratorio for chorus, strings and organ

CANÕN CITY

Saturday, November 19, 4 pm

The Steeple Community Events Center, 701 Macon Ave

COLORADO SPRINGS

Sunday, November 20, 4 pm

Saint Michael's Episcopal Church, 7400 Tudor Road

The Royal Gorge Philharmonic presents As Foretold, an oratorio for chorus, strings and organ with performing choral groups from Shepherd of the Hills ELCA, Air Force Academy Cadet Choir, Church of Latter-Day Saints Ward One Choir and Saint Michaels Episcopal Church Choir.

Questions, contact bearblanca@aol.com.

CAMPUS MINISTRY

Luther House Presents "Queer Theology" Series at UNM

Friday, October 28 through Friday, December 9

12:00pm-1:00pm each Friday

Luther House is proud to present our "Queer Theology" series. Come Curious, Leave Courageous! Join us at the University of New Mexico Student Union Building each Friday during lunch to explore Queer Theology from the perspective of those living it out and their allies.

Our 6-week series begins on October 28, 2022 and runs through December 9, 2022. Learn from local clergy and religious leaders while building community and meeting progressive Christians. For more information visit our website, or @LutherHouseNM on Instagram, Luther House UNM & CNM on Facebook, or e-mail us at LcmUnmCnm@gmail.com.

DENVER AREA INVITATION

Colorado Hosting Asylum Network seeks host churches

The Colorado Hosting Asylum Network (CHAN) is working to house asylum seekers and others who are currently arriving in Denver with no place to go and knowing no one. Because "welcoming the stranger" is a basic tenet of our faith, we are asking churches to "Each One Welcome One". Welcoming an individual or family includes finding stable housing, enrolling children in school, providing basic furniture and initial groceries, etc. If your congregation would like to help, please contact DChang@HostingAsylum.org or visit HostingAsylum.org.

Here's a recent video from the AP that talks about the issue and includes CHAN. Denise Chang is the Director: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vdhxHE4a11g

ZOOM MEETING

AMMPARO Quarterly Meeting

Saturday, November 5 at 10:00am

Get an update about Migrant Ministries in the Rocky Mountain Synod, hear about the Becoming Summit that happened in August, and learn about an accompaniment trip that is being planned to visit the Border of Mexico/Guatemala to meet migrants on their way to the USA and visit AMMPARO ministry sites in that area.

Questions, send email to rmsAMMPARO@gmail.com. 

Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/88514349858

Meeting ID: 885 1434 9858

Call in - (312) 626-6799

ZOOM MEETING

Discussion of ELCA Social Message on Climate Change

Saturday, Nov 12, 10:00am

The Creation Care Team will be holding an online discussion of the new ELCA Social Message on Climate Change. Everyone is invited to join us in this conversation.

Zoom: us02web.zoom.us/j/83008940316

"Acting upon a request from several sources, in November 2021 the ELCA Church Council authorized the development of an ELCA social message on climate care. Social messages are ELCA teaching documents that address a focused social topic. Drawing from existing social teaching, they provide theological rationale and social analysis to foster discernment and engagement on a relatively narrow social issue. This project was authorized in light of the grim contemporary situation affecting our global home and the need for fresh action on the part of this church. It draws its framing themes from several social statements, particularly Caring for Creation: Vision, Hope, and Justice.

The draft social message is now available for public feedback! Read the social message draft here and then use this survey to share your input by Friday, December 2, 2022.

The draft will be edited, guided by the feedback, and presented to the ELCA Church Council to be voted on this coming spring."

"There are many congregations or ministries in the A-OK Synod. There are churches that are over 100 years old with beautiful stained glass and organs that will fill the sanctuary with glorious music. There are some that have music that will please a more modern ear. We have a congregation in Tulsa that holds its services in Spanish. One group meets twice a month in a pub for group discussion and a dinner church that meets weekly in a different restaurant."

Rev. Mike Girlinghouse has served as Bishop of the Arkansas-Oklahoma Synod since July of 2011.

Visit aokelca.org and on Facebook.

Click here for a map of our 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.