Prayer from Revised Common Lectionary Prayers,
Consultation on English Texts, 2002.
Photo taken by Allan Bjornberg in Madagascar.

New Relationship for Lutheran Social Services of Utah
Lutheran Social Services of Utah is delighted to announce that they have been approved as an affiliate adoption agency for All God's Children International. They ask that you keep them in prayer as they begin this new relationship.

Synod Prayer Cycle: Wyoming Conference
During the month of April we give thanks for the ministry of our congregations and rostered leaders in the Wyoming Conference. You are encouraged to include these congregations and leaders in your Sunday prayers of the people. The prayer list for April is available as a Word document.

to remember in prayer at worship on 4/29
St. Paul's Cheyenne, WY
.....Roger Rapp, Robert Schmidt
Trinity Laramie, WY
.....Ralph Rohr
Trinity Evanston, WY
.....Richard Meyer

"For the living of these days..."
prayers for ministries & meetings this week:

The conference crosses, made of metal, have been travelling from congregation to congregation since last synod assembly. Congregations with a cross today need to send them to Durango, Colorado, so they arrive there before May 1. The crosses will be welded together into one large cross and fashioned into a processional cross. Send the crosses to: Pastor John Knutson
Christ the King Lutheran Church,
495 Florida Road
Durango, Colorado 81301

Notebooks have been travelling with the crosses. They may be returned to the synod office or to Judy Dunlavy, 7501 Marshall Street, Arvada, Colorado 80003.

Get Ready for RMS Trip to Mexico: June 20- 28
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.

Please keep in mind that passports are now required for travel to Mexico.
 

RMS 3rd Annual Bishop's Scramble for World Hunger
Get ready to hit the links June 7th while at the same time benefitting the efforts to end world hunger. A $115 registration fee (includes golf cart and lunch) will afford the lucky winning team bragging rights and a trophy. Don't play golf? Well, the congregation that donates the most money to the "Scramble" will also win a trophy. The event will be held at Pelican Lakes Golf & Country Club in beautiful Windsor, Colorado. What a deal! Download a registration form.

Are you a Mission Partner?
If so, we would like your help in raising awareness of Mission Partners at Synod Assembly. Please submit a 15-second video recording or a digital photograph with accompanying printed text, thanking your Mission Partner congregation for the opportunity of mission partnership. If you are a congregation that has received Mission Partner support, submit a video or photo expressing appreciation for the support or gift. Use a script like this: "This is (name of person) from (name) Lutheran Church in (name of community) and we would like to thank (name) Lutheran Church of (name of community) for the opportunity to be a Mission Partner with them. Thanks Mission Partners!" Send your video clip on DV video, on a DVD, or as a video file in Quicktime or Windows Media to kmueller@rmselca.org by May 15. Send your digital photo and accompanying printed text to the same address by May 15. Thank you!

Vision, Passion, Action 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. If you post a comment please include your name and congregation. If you would like to post an entry, send your entry to kmueller@rmselca.org.

A View From the Underside: The Legacy of Dietrich Bonhoeffer!
A 1-hour stage presentation adapted and performed by Al Staggs will be on Wednesday, April 25, 7:30 p.m. in the Great Hall at Iliff School of Theology, 2201 S. University Blvd. (Come early for best parking)

In the play, twentieth century theologian and ethicist, Dietrich Bonhoeffer, tells of the profound influence of fellow Union Theological student, Frank Fisher, an African-American friend who introduced Dietrich to the blight of racism in America. Prisoner Bonhoeffer expresses moral outrage against the Nazi treatment of Jews and explains how that outrage led him to become involved in the German resistance movement, a commitment that would result in his being executed by hanging on April 9, 1945.

Cokesbury texts on Bonhoeffer will be for sale. Refreshments will also be served. The greater Denver community has been invited. Contact David Carlson dcarlson@iliff.edu for more information. Hope to see you there!
Lisa Schrader and David Carlson: co-chairs, Iliff Lutheran Student Organization

Interfaith Hospitality Network's 2nd Annual
Pancake Breakfast April 28
Please join us on Saturday, April 28 between 7 am and 10 am at Calvary Baptist Church (northeast corner of Hampden and Monaco) to help raise money for the IHN of Greater Denver. For $10 adults and $5 children 10 and under, you can eat pancakes and sausages, enjoy musical entertainment and see celebrity flippers Jason Luber with Channel 7, Station 22 firemen, and Katie Vigil, president of Interfaith Hospitality Network's board. We'd like to raise $5,000 this year for the needs of the new day site. Please call Pat Hagen at 303-713-1368 with questions or to purchase tickets.

Rally Against Hate Crimes in the Metroplex
You and the members of your organization are invited to join the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado, Denver Mayor John Hickenlooper and others in a rally against hate crimes on Thursday, May 3.

Join the Interfaith Alliance in its call for equal protection for all people in all places regardless of their race, religion, national origin, gender, age, sexual orientation or ability on Thursday, May 3 in front of Denver's City and County Building beginning at 4:45pm. To get more information about this event, please go to the Interfaith Alliance of Colorado website.

Denver Lutheran Servant Event May 5th
On Saturday, May 5th, Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Denver will again be the gathering site and staging area for the Lutheran Servant Event. Folks from Lutheran churches from around the Denver area will spend the morning in service projects for agencies throughout the community. They will return to Our Savior's for lunch and closing worship. If you would like to be a part of this effort, contact the church office (303-831-7023) to register. For more information, you may also contact Pam McClune 303-623- 7558.

A Sabbath Invitation
Come to a Called Back to the Well Clergy Day Apart May 21st. All ministers are invited to a monthly day apart at the Norbertine Center in Albuquerque. The next Clergy Sabbath will be Monday, May 21st, continuing the 3rd Monday of each month. We will begin at 9:30 am and end by 4:00 pm. Cost for the day is $20 and includes lunch. You may choose to attend one day or all of the days. There will be some time for us to gather as a group and time for you to spend in silence. Bring your journal. An RSVP would be appreciated. Contact Sue Joiner for more information: sjoiner@samaritancc.com or call 505.332.8020

The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies New Center Beginning in September in Evergreen, Colorado
As you begin planning your continuing education for the coming year, you might want to consider The Center for Pastoral Effectiveness of the Rockies. Now in its eight year, over 220 clergy have attended The Center from five different denominations in Colorado, Utah, Wyoming, Nebraska, Montana, Iowa, and Kansas. There are (6) three-day retreats scheduled over eighteen months.

The Center is a program which focuses on Family Systems in the Church. It is unique in that it is a "pastoral" model instead of the more common therapeutic or academic models. Everything we do together enables clergy to be healthier leaders of their church.

Terrorism, the war, economics, water, sexual issues, the changing face of the small town as well as the city, all add anxiety to the country. These anxieties ALWAYS end up impacting the church and especially the life of clergy, personally, professionally, and their families. It is absolutely imperative that clergy reflect on how they can deal with this anxiety because, much of the time, the anxiety gets focused, even fixated, on the clergy. How do we manage ourselves so that we can stay the leader for self, for family, for the church? The quality of the Center's retreat experience can help in this area.

Every denomination, no matter the theological or biblical bent, has the same systemic issues. The stress is the same for us all. Feel free to talk to ELCA Pastors Jeff Louden in Park City, UT, Brenda Baalhorn in Casper, WY, or Dennis Reich in Iowa for their personal recommendations. Asst to the Bishop (RMS), Pastor Jim Hytjan is also aware of the Center and has flyers you can read.

To sign up or for more information, visit the website www.pastoraleffectiveness.org or write Rev. Bill Selby, Center Mentor at integrit4u@comcast.net.

Grace Matters is the weekly 30-minute radio program of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The program, formally called Lutheran Vespers, first aired in 1947 on a single station, WNAX, in Yankton, South Dakota. Over the years, each of the six speakers has added his personal touch to the program to make it a dynamic voice for the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

The program is currently broadcast weekly on 175 radio stations in the United States, on the American Forces Network, two cable televisions stations, and by Trans World Radio (TWR) to many parts of the world through transmitters in Central Africa and Guam. The program is aired in Australia, Denmark, New Zealand, and Puerto Rico. It can also be heard online around the world.

There are several stations in the Rocky Mountain Synod that broadcast Grace Matters. Tune into:

• KLWD - FM 91.9 Gillette, WY 7:30am Saturday or 4:30pm Sunday
• KTRZ - FM 95.7 Lander, WY 8:00am Sunday
• KTRZ - FM 93.1 Riverton, WY 8:00am Sunday
• KHOW - AM 630 Denver, CO 7:06am Sunday
• KEZZ - AM 1470 Estes Park, CO 8:00am Sunday
• KRKY - AM 930 Grand County, CO 7:00am Sunday
• KCRT - AM 240 Trinidad, CO 10:30am Sunday
• KSL   - AM 1160 Salt Lake City, UT 9:00pm Sunday