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| February 6,
2007 |
eConnection
eNewsletter of
the Rocky Mountain Synod |
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Fifth Sunday After the Epiphany
Loving
God,
you have called forth disciples and prophets
to live and
speak you word.
Give us ears to hear,
lives to respond,
and
voices to proclaim the good news of salvation,
which we know in
our Savior Jesus Christ,
who lives and reigns with you and the
Holy Spirit,
one God, now and
forever.
Amen
from Revised
Common Lectionary Prayers
Consultation on Common Texts
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Prayers | |
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Pastor Strader Installed February 4
Pastor James Strader
was installed at Lutheran Church of Grace, Craig, Colorado, this past
Sunday, February 4.
Installation of Pastor Kevin
Meyer
The installation of Pastor Kevin Meyer will take place at
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church, Boulder, Colorado, on Sunday, February 11
at 9:30 a.m.
Synod Prayer Cycle: Border Conference
During
the month of February we give thanks for the ministry of our congregations
and rostered leaders in the Border Conference. You are encouraged to
include these congregations and leaders in your Sunday prayers of the
people. The prayer list for February is available
as a Word document.
to remember in prayer at worship on 2/11
Iglesia Luterano Cristo Rey El Paso, TX
.....Rose Mary
Sanchez-Guzman
Mount Hope El Paso, TX
.....Rodney
Hansen
New Hope El Paso, TX
.....Jeff St. Clair
Our
Savior Alamogordo, NM
.....Bruce Freeman
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Rocky Mountain Synod | |
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It's Not Too Late to Register
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.
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. An event
brochure may be downloaded as a .pdf document if you would like more
information. Please call the Synod office to register and you may bring
your check to the event. Please note: we must have a pre-registration to
guarantee lunch. Final deadline to reserve lunch is Thursday, February
8.
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.
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.
2007 Ministry Incentive Awards
Apply before February 15 for a
Church
in Society Incentive Award of up to $1000 The awards assist efforts in
this Synod that demonstrate an "inciting to action" of the church in
society.
Congregation Constitution Revisions
If your
congregation revised its constitution or bylaws recently, remember to send
a copy of the complete constitution and bylaws to Katherine Cruson,
Secretary of the RMS. A separate list of the changes is also helpful. Mail
to: Katherine Cruson, 12906 E. Villanova Dr., Aurora, CO 80014.
2008 Partnerships Intents Needed in Synod Office
Each congregation is asked to submit an intent of how much it will
share in partnership support with the wider church during 2008. If your
congregation has not yet submitted your intent, please call Cheryl at
303-777-6700 or complete an easy
online form.
Are the Conference Crosses Still Travelling?
The desire is
that the crosses presented and sent out at the conclusion of last year's
synod assembly will visit every congregation in the synod. The deadline
for their travels has been extended until May 1! Please be attentive to
welcoming the cross in your congregation and sending it on its
way!
RMS Immigration DVD and Study Guide are 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 now completed and will be sent along with the
DVD. 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.
March 19 is Lutheran Day at the Legislature -
Colorado
Lutheran Day at the Legislature & Bishop's Luncheon,
an annual program of Lutheran Advocacy Ministry - Colorado, will take
place Monday, March 19, from 9:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m. at the Colorado History
Museum, Denver. Topics will include:
Faith & Politics: a Lutheran Perspective
Caring for Creation: Environmental Issues
Issues Impacting Seniors
2007 Advocacy Priorities
Watch for registration materials in early
February.
2007 LOGM-NM Bishop’s Luncheon
The luncheon is
sponsored by the Lutheran Office of Governmental Ministry- New Mexico and
will take place Thursday, February 22, in Santa Fe. Bishop Allan Bjornberg
will be the main speaker for the luncheon and will also share a message
during the morning.
The day will begin at Christ Lutheran Church,
1701 Arroyo Chamiso, with fellowship and an opportunity to learn more
about the issues for which LOGM-NM will be advocating throughout 2007. The
luncheon will take place at the La Fonda Hotel at a cost of $25 per
person. If you make reservations and attend as a group from your
congregation, the cost for 5 people is $100 Please contact LOGM-NM
(505-984-8005) or rh@logmnm.org to make reservations or for more
details.
Discerning Vocation and Call to Ministry 2007 Retreat
You are
invited and encouraged to attend this retreat if you are currently
applying for or expecting to apply for Candidacy in the ELCA anytime in
the coming year. We also want to invite all those who may be considering
or are actively in discernment about whether God is calling you to serve
the church as an ordained pastor, consecrated diaconal minister, or
commissioned associate in ministry.
Pastors, rostered lay leaders
and youth ministry leaders are encouraged to extend this invitation to
anyone you think would benefit from this retreat. The retreat is designed
for both first and second career individuals. The retreat will be led by
members of the RMS Candidacy Committee, Madelyn Busse, Assistant to the
Bishop, and Pastor Greg Schaefer, Admissions Director at Pacific Lutheran
Theological Seminary, Berkeley. Held at Augustana Lutheran Church, 5000
East Alameda, Denver, the retreat will be April 11 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Please RSVP by March 15 to Janice at jladd-horkey@rmselca.org
Questions? Call Madelyn Busse at 303-777-6700 or email to
mbusse@rmselca.org
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
Get Ready for RMS Trip to Mexico: June 20- 28
The Rocky
Mountain Synod of the ELCA is home to many immigrants from Mexico. With
the Latino community being the fastest growing minority group in the USA,
ELCA congregations will be challenged more than ever to find effective
ways of serving their Spanish- speaking neighbors. This 2007 trip to the
Lutheran Center in Mexico City will increase our understanding of our
neighbors to the south, opening our eyes to the cultural, economic, and
political realities of Mexico.
If you are interested click to view
(Word document) information
and an application or contact Madelyn Busse at 303-777-6700.
Applications are due in the Synod office no later than April 15. Please
keep in mind that passports are now required for travel to Mexico.
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Announcements | |
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Dr. Mark Swanson to
Speak at Our Saviour's, Ft. Collins
On Sunday February 11th Dr.
Mark Swanson, Professor of Christian-Muslim Studies and Interfaith
Relations, Lutheran School of Theology Chicago (LSTC) will speak at Our
Saviour’s Lutheran Church, 2000 South Lemay Avenue, Fort Collins, Colorado
at 2P.M. The title of his Presentation is: “Living with
Difference”. The public is invited.
An ordained pastor of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church of America (ELCA), Mark Swanson came to LSTC
from Luther Seminary where he taught Islamic studies, Christian-Muslim
relations, Arabic language and early church history. Before that he served
for fourteen years on the faculty of the Evangelical Theological Seminary
in Cairo, Egypt.
Looking for a Discipline for Lent?
Spend
a couple of hours on one of the Mondays in Lent serving the neighbor—the
ones who are unemployed, homeless, or barely making ends meet on
disability pensions. They come to the Grant Avenue Street Reach meal at
St. Paul Lutheran in downtown Denver for a home-cooked spaghetti meal
every Monday, 1-5 pm. You can work any time from 10 am–7 pm. Afterward we
can spend a short time in conversation, reflecting on how this experience
speaks to us as we journey through Lent. Contact Jan Miller,
jan@stpauldenver.org, call the church at 720.274.4706 or visit the
website www.stpauldenver.org
Leadership in Ministry Workshop
Leadership in Ministry:
Ministering to Congregations as Family Systems, Franciscan Retreat Center,
Colorado Springs, April 30 - May 2 and October 1 - 3. Led by Dr. Lawrence
Matthews, one of Rabbi Friedman's faculty members, this workshop includes
presentations as well as case studies of congregations and families in
congregations, and family or origin work. Cost: $875, includes tuition,
lodging and meals for both sessions. Go to: www.leadershipinministry.com
for further information. (Recommended by Carol Jeunnette, Clergy Seminars
West.)
Retreat for Lutheran Foster Families
"Chosen and Beloved" is
the theme of a spiritual foster family retreat, March 16-18, 2007, from 6
p.m. Friday until 10 a.m. Sunday at Camp Idrahaje near Bailey,
Colorado.
As part of Mary Black's Diaconal Ministry project, she is
looking for five Lutheran foster families to connect with King of Glory
Lutheran Church congregation in Arvada for a weekend of conversation,
education and worship, lifting up this unique and often invisible
ministry. This retreat weekend will be at no cost to the families. Contact
Mary at mary@kog-arvada.org or 303-838-7125. Space is limited to
just these five families.
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Upcoming Events | |
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Spiritual Healing for Child
Abuse Survivors
The Women’s Crisis and Family Outreach Center
(WCFOC) in Castle Rock will host a workshop on healing and recovery from
profound childhood abuse. The workshop willl be presented by Mary’s Hope
Workshops, a Denver-based ecumenical organization, on Friday, February 9,
2007 at Philip S. Miller Library, 100 South Wilcox Street in Castle Rock.
For more information, call 303- 377-0293, 303-688-1094 or visit Mary’s
Hope Workshop's website www.maryshope.or
g
TIA-CO Public Policy Forum in February
A public
policy forum titled Re-discovering the Common Good in Colorado: Prospects
for 2007 will be held on Sunday, February 11 from 3-5 p.m. at Cameron
United Methodist Church. The church is located at 1600 South Pearl Street
in Denver. Featured at the forum will be: the Bell Policy Center; Terri
McMaster, Lutheran Advocacy Ministry; Pat Steadman of Mendez-Steadman and
Associates; and State Legislative Leadership (TBA)
Acts of the
Apostles / Hechos de los Apóstoles
All are welcome to join Good
Shepherd Lutheran Church and Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey in an experiment
with bilingual Bible study. The next study will be Monday, February 12, at
7pm, at Good Shepherd (770 South Federal Blvd, Denver. Call Pr. Jay
McDivitt (303.936.4859) with questions.
Rainbow Trail
Lutheran Camp's 50th Anniversary Gala
Come celebrate in Mile High
style when Rainbow Trail celebrates its anniversary with an evening of
dinner, dancing and reminiscing on Saturday, February 17 at 6:00 p.m. The
event will take place at Invesco Field at Mile High Stadium in Denver,
Colorado. Reservation and lodging information is available at rainbowtrail.org.
The deadline for reservations is February 1st.
Clergy Day Apart
at Norbertine
Come to a Called Back to the Well Clergy Day Apart
February 19, 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
Lutheran Missionary Experiences
of China
China Service Ventures, an affiliate organization of the
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America -Global Mission, will be hosting a
seminar on Saturday, February 17 from 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. at Augustana
Lutheran Church located at 5000 East Alameda in Denver. To register,
contact Augustana Lutheran Church (303-388-4768).
Healing the
Rift Between Religious Groups: Building Understanding and
Allies
Workshop on Monday, February 19, 2007 from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30
p.m., at University Park United Methodist Church, Fellowship Hall, 2180 S.
University Blvd., Denver. Interfaith Dinner at 5:30 p.m. Trainer and
Keynote Speaker is Cherie Brown. For registration information, contact
Carla Ficke, Director NCBI-Colorado, 720.937.2145, email,
cficke@estreet.com
Conference on Ministry:"Considering
Your Call"
Wartburg Theological Seminary's next “Considering Your
Call” Conference on Ministry is March 10-12, 2007. For more information,
contact the admissions office at 800-CALL-WTS or
admissions@wartburgseminary.edu. You may register online at www.wartburgseminary.edu
Reinventing Leadership: The
“Zen” of Rabbi Friedman & His Mentor
A leadership conference
drawing on the work of Rabbi Friedman and Dr. Murray Bowen will be held at
St. Malo Retreat Center, Allenspark, Colorado, March 12 – 14, 2007.
Presenters: Dr. Larry Foster and Pastor Carol Jeunnette. For more
information and online registration, go to www.clergyseminarswest.org,
or call Carol Jeunnette, (303) 909-3064.
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.
Trinity of Loveland Plans Trip
to Somoto, Nicaragua
Trinity Lutheran Church in Loveland, Colorado
invites you (anyone ages 14-80+) to join them on a work trip to Somoto,
Nicaragua this summer for 1, 2 or 3 weeks, beginning July 14. Please
contact Pastor Ed and Cheryl Smith for more information, 970-663- 0458 or
email to: csmit@frii.com .
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ELCA Churchwide | |
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"Making Christ Known 2007"
Making Christ Known is
available for free simply for shipping costs. A very helpful tool for
communicating the ministry we do together as the ELCA, nationally and
internationally, is available FREE in unlimited quantities to
congregations. To receive copies of "Making Christ Known 2007" contact
Augsburg Fortress at 1-800-328-4648 and reference ISBN #978-0002-1860-7.
Later in March, congregations will receive this resource on a DVD.
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Resources | |
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ELCA e-Cards to Share
Twelve new World Hunger e-cards are
in the works (Easter, Mother's Day, Father's Day, all-occasion, and Global
Barnyard). Two Valentine's Day e-cards, are now available at www.elca.org/ecards
Please help spread the word about e-cards by giving an offering to World
Hunger and sending an eCard!
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Kent Mueller
phone: 303-777-6700
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