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| January 3,
2007 |
eConnection
eNewsletter of
the Rocky Mountain Synod |
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prayer
for the new year
Everlasting God,
we are grateful and
hushed by the mystery of existence
as we stand on the threshold
of this new year.
We marvel in your love and gracious purpose
woven into the fabric of our days.
With confidence born of your
faithfulness
we offer our hopes and prayers:
. . .for
ourselves and all most dear to us . . .
. . .for the world, its
peoples and its leaders . . .
. . .for the mission and
faithfulness of the Church here and everywhere . . .
Amen.
Adapted from
The Daily Office: A Book of Hours for Daily Prayer, Vol. 1.
Copyright © 1998 Order of Saint Luke Publications.
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Prayers | |
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Cyclone in Madagascar
On Christmas Day, two people were
killed when Cyclone Bondo hit the northern coast of Madagascar on Tuesday,
before losing strength as it moved towards the south of the island. For
several days there was no electricity or running water. Prime Minister
Jacques Sylla welcomed the Ambassador of the USA to Mahajanga to bring
help for the homeless people. In Mahajanga, 38 households or about 300
people were affected, trees were cut, and roofs were damaged. One of those
whose home was destroyed is the family of a young man, Mamy, whom our
Madagascar delegation met in November.
Installation of Matt Converse at First, Ault, CO
The
installation of Pastor Matt Converse will take place at First Lutheran
Church, Ault, CO, on Sunday, January 21.
Synod Prayer Cycle: Metro West Conference
During the month of
January we give thanks for the ministry of our congregations and rostered
leaders in the Metro West Conference. You are encouraged to include these
congregations and leaders in your Sunday prayers of the people. The prayer
list for January is available
as a Word document.
to remember in prayer at worship on 1/7
Advent Westminster, CO
.....Michael Mordtvedt
All
Saints Austin, CO
.....Janice Johnson
American Grand
Junction, CO
.....Brian Bergum, Keith Miller
First Gypsum,
CO
.....Doris Nolan
Glory of God Wheat Ridge, CO
.....Paul
Olsen
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Rocky Mountain Synod | |
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Celebrate Treasures, Old and New
Exploring and
Expanding Worship Resources
Events are scheduled this winter
beginning again in January to introduce the new Evangelical Lutheran
Worship book. Cost for groups of six is $100 Cost for an individual is
$20 Cost includes lunch and a copy of the Worship book. A registration
form is available
to be downloaded.
Please register at least one week prior
to the event you will be attending so that appropriate arrangements may be
made for lunch.
January 20, 2007 Wyoming Event
Prince
of Peace, Casper, WY
Check-In 8:30-9:30 a.m. - Event 9:30 a.m. - 4
p.m.
February 10, 2007 (two events)
Texas Event: New Hope ,
El Paso,TX
Check-In 8:30-9:30 a.m. - Event 9:30 a.m. - 4
p.m.
Southern Colorado Event: First Lutheran, Colorado Springs,
CO
Check-In8-9 a.m. - Event 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
February 17, 2007
New Mexico Event
Cross of Hope, Albuquerque, NM
Check-In 8-9
a.m. - Event 9 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
Lutheran Student Movement National
Gathering
The Rocky Mountain Synod was very well represented at
the LSM National Gathering in New Orleans December 28-January 1, an annual
gathering of Lutheran Campus Ministry students and pastors. Anne Morawski
writes, "One of the most powerful things we did was take bus trips around
the city of New Orleans with folks who told their stories while we viewed
the devastation. There is still so much to be done. It is overwhelming and
difficult to describe the extent of the damage and the disruption in
people’s lives."
Attending the gathering were:
Pam Gonzales and
NCU 3 students
Laurel Alexander and 2 CU Boulder students
Joel Nau
and 8 U of U students
Corinne Thul and 5 Utah State students
Anne
Morawski and 10 UNM students
2 NMSU students
Corinne and Pam
along with their students stayed in LA to work with Lutheran Disaster
Relief and Anne and her students worked in Long Beach Mississippi with 17
Lutherans and Presbyterians from UNM working with Presbyterian Disaster
Assistance.
Theological Conference is January 29-31
While the
registration deadline has passed, it is still possible to attend the
Theological Conference provided the Conference Center has available rooms.
Contact Kent Mueller at kmueller@rmselca.org or call him at 303-777-6700
if you would like to inquire about attending. Currently, 180 are attending
this important annual event of learning, worship, and fellowship.
Middle School Youth Gathering: Jan 12-14
The 2007
Gathering will once again be held at the Sheraton in Colorado Springs! Eye
Witness will be our musical guest this year, helping us explore the theme
“GOD’S OWN/GOD’S ZONE.” The event takes place January 12-14. 2007. For
information visit www.rmsmsyg07.homestead.com/
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RMS Immigration DVD is Now Available
Hear stories from two
ELCA congregations in Denver: Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey and HKBP
Indonesian congregation. A DVD, created by the Rocky Mountain Synod Task
Force on Immigration, is now available. A study guide is nearly completed.
Go to to
request a copy to use and return. If the online form is not working
for you, send an email to kmueller@rmselca.org or call 303-777-6700.
Vision, Passion, Action Blog
Read and comment on the
blog!
A "blog" is short for "web log" and it is a way to invite
conversation about topics and issues. The new RMS weblog is designed to
facilitate conversation about the Vision, Passion, Action process. The
address of the RMS blog is www.rmselca.blogspot.com
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Synod Snippets | |
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The following was gleaned from congregational
newsletters received in the Synod office.
Serving the hungry and homeless...
Members of
Christ the Servant Lutheran Church, Louisville, Colorado are
banding together to prepare and serve a meal to families of seriously ill
children staying at the Ronald McDonald House in Denver who are in need of
fellowship, relaxation, and nourishment.
Christ the Servant
of Louisville, Colorado will once again be preparing and serving meals at
the Boulder Shelter for the homeless on the fourth Friday of each
month.
Trinity Lutheran Church of Boulder, Colorado serves
the homeless the second Sunday of the month as Trinity’s commitment to
being a “Mission Outpost in a Troubled World.
Lutheran Church of
Hope, Broomfield, Colorado serves the homeless in downtown Denver the
first and third Saturdays of the month.
Volunteers from Cross of
Christ Lutheran Church, Broomfield, Colorado make sandwiches to take
to Denver to hand out to the homeless people there on the third Friday of
the month. They bag various goodies donated by area grocery stores, tear
apart bananas and make coffee and hot soup. The men, women and children
greatly appreciate the food and drink. .
Grace Lutheran Church
and Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Casper, Wyoming serve dinner at
the Rescue Mission on the fourth Monday of each month.
Christ
Lutheran Church, Santa Fe, New Mexico provides supper for the brothers
and sisters at St. Elizabeth’s Shelter every third Saturday of every
month.
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Announcements | |
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Marty Haugen &
Susan Briehl Present Concerts and Workshop Feb. 9 & 10
That
You May Have Life is the theme of Haugen's new musical and a
pre-Lenten workshop focussing on the Three Days of Maundy Thursday, Good
Friday, and the Easter Vigil. An event
brochure and registration may be downloded as a .pdf
document.
Two concerts are February 9 and 10 at 7 p.m. at St.
Dominic Roman Catholic Parish, 3035 West 29th Avenue in Denver. A free
will offering will be received to benefit the music program at St.
Dominic. $20 is the suggested donation.
The workshop will take
place from 9 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Saturday, February 10 at Bethany
Lutheran Church, Cherry Hills Village, CO. Cost is $20 per person or $15
per person for congregational groups of three or more. The cost includes
lunch. Please mail the registration form so it is received in the RMS
office on or before February 1.
Metro East Women’s Epiphany Celebration
The event
will take place on January 6 from 9:00 to 12:00 at Christ the Savior
Lutheran Church. The church is located at 1092 South Nome Street in
Aurora. The program will include songs of the Christmas season, musical
entertainment, an Epiphany Litany, and a brief study of Epiphany – The
Twelfth Day, with a closing worship service. Brunch will be served and the
cost for brunch is $10.50 For more information about the celebration
itself, please call Kathy Renwalt at 303-699-0486. Registrations are due
by January 2 and should be sent to Pat French, 645 Buckley Way, Aurora,
Colorado 80011
Grants Available to Lutheran Congregations for Service to
Immigrants and Refugees
Wheat Ridge Ministries, in partnership
with Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS), is offering
financial assistance to Lutheran churches to encourage the development of
new programs and services for immigrants and refugees. In 2006, the Good
Samaritan Fund awarded grants totaling $75,000 to 20 churches across the
country to help implement a variety of innovative programs including
citizenship classes, literacy projects, children’s summer and after-school
programs, driver’s education, employment and entrepreneur training.
Applicant congregations will be expected to contribute at least 25 percent
of the project cost, either through cash or in-kind support. Funding
priority will be given to projects that demonstrate at least one of the
following services to immigrant communities: social ministry projects,
joint projects between community members and new residents, public
education or advocacy, and leadership development within the ethnic groups
served. Interested applicants may download the application packet or
review grant guidelines at www.lirs.org.
For more information on the Good Samaritan grant program, please contact
Pam Bloom, LIRS Senior Consultant for Organizational Capacity Building, at
410-230-2875 or pbloom@lirs.org
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Upcoming Events | |
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Day Apart at Iliff
This
spiritual retreat entitled Listening to Your Life is scheduled for
Saturday, January 6. Speakers are Brad and Rita Berglund. For more
information, contact Dave Lavinder at dlavinder@iliff.edu or call
303-765-3115 or Cathie Kelsey at ckelsey@iliff.edu or call her on
303-765-3103. To register for the event, contact Dave. Please register by
January 2.
Clergy Day Apart at Norbertine
Come to a
Called Back to the Well Clergy Day Apart January 15, 2007. All ministers
are invited to a monthly day apart at the Norbertine Center in
Albuquerque, continuing the 3rd Monday of each month. An RSVP would be
appreciated. Contact Sue Joiner for more information:
mailto:sjoiner@samaritancc.com or call 505.332.8020.
Abiding Hope
Adaptive Leadership Academy
January 15-18, 2007, in Littleton, CO:
A Story for the Questions: Forging Disciples in an Age of No Easy
Answers. Info at www.abidinghopelutheran.org.
Spirituality
Conference With Thomas Troeger
The conference is January 19–20,
2007 in Denver, CO, Friday from 6:30–8:30 p.m. and Saturday from 9 a.m. –
4 p.m.
2007 Ministry Incentive Awards
Apply before
February 15 for a Church
in Society Incentive Award of up to $1000.
Global Mission
Fiesta In Phoenix
Shepherd of the Valley Lutheran Church in
Phoenix, AZ, will host the ELCA’s Global Mission Fiesta, February 2-3,
2007. For information or registration visit
the web.
Healthy Congregations Facilitator Training
Denver Area on February 18-20, 2007. Contact Bill Behrens at
brbehrens@comcast.net or 303-424-6111.
Festival Of
Homiletics
One of the best preaching conferences in the country is
May 21-25, 2007. More information can be found at festivalofhomiletics.com/
or contact Pastor Garrett Struessel at 303-922-0596.
Mexico City
Trip is June of 2007
Information about the RMS trip to Mexico City
is now posted on the RMS
website. There is an information sheet and a registration form. If you
have any questions, please contact Madelyn Busse at the synod
office.
Rocky Boy Indian Reservation
Servant Learning Trip 3rd Week In Sept.2007
Native American Week at
Rocky Boy Indian Reservation co-sponsored by Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church
on the reservation and Lutheran Social Service of Utah. Email:
lssutah@yahoo.com for more information.
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ELCA Churchwide | |
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Where Does My Money Go?
The Area Ministry
Stewardship Staff (ArMMS) serves as part of the ELCA churchwide
stewardship ministry team. They provide stewardship leadership to synods
and congregations. Here are a few financial
response methods that may help your stewardship program in its
process. From the website, you will also be able to print out helpful one
page sheets in PDF format to use at your annual congregational meeting
describing where offerings go throughout the ELCA.
Once a year,
give members the opportunity to consider their gifts to the congregation
and that includes their time and talents. It is also important to consider
their financial giving by offering a structured way to make a commitment,
pledge or estimate of giving.
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Resources | |
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Poster Child: A Memoir
by Emily Rapp,
(daughter of
Pastor Roger Rapp, St. Paul Lutheran Church, Cheyenne, WY)
At the
age of six, Emily Rapp’s face was featured on posters throughout the
Midwest for the March of Dimes annual fundraising campaign. But whether as
an object of sympathy, ridicule, or triumph over adversity, Emily was
always staring back and observing. POSTER CHILD is her eloquent,
darkly comic, but also painfully blunt (about herself as much as society)
account of living and coping with her disability.
Emily Rapp was
born in Nebraska and grew up in Wyoming and Colorado. She was educated at
Harvard University, Saint Olaf College, and the University of Texas at
Austin, where she was a James A. Michener Fellow. She has received
numerous awards and recognition for her work and is currently a professor
in the MFA Program at Antioch University-Los Angeles.
Emily will be
having a book signing February 15, 2007 at 7:00 p.m. at the Tattered
Covered Bookstore (Colfax Avenue) in Denver. The phone number to the
Tattered Cover is 303-322-7727. To order the book now, visit the Amazon.com
website.
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Kent Mueller
phone: 303-777-6700
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