Church in Society Awards: Incentives for Ministry
The Rocky Mountain Synod Church in Society Board provides annual awards up to $1000.00 to assist efforts in this Synod that demonstrate an "inciting to action" of the church in society. The objective of the award is to provide incentive and support to assist the church's efforts and engagement in meeting the needs of society through projects that involve the members with those being served through ministry.

These projects should demonstrate ways of going beyond providing financial contributions to a charity. For example, projects might provide services for persons affected by poverty, homelessness, hunger, domestic or substance abuse, aging or health related issues. The project may represent the effort of a single congregation or the co-operative effort of several congregations, related agencies, or other entities; e.g. Interfaith Hospitality Network, Refugee Services, etc. The application may be downloaded. The deadline for application is February 15, 2008.

Where in the world did RMS folks reach out this summer?
We know that a lot of congregations were planning mission trips, service projects, and immersions. We'd like to highlight those trips and have created an easy form for you to click and complete to submit info about your trip. Please share your stories!

Video Contest:
How to Spot a Lutheran in the West
Two minute videos that capture the spirit of our "Lutheran Identity" in the Rocky Mountain Synod are to be submitted by April 1, 2008. The video may be a commercial, skit, story, song, art piece or any other means and will be judged in the areas of Lutheran identity, evangelism, diversity, variety of ages involved, and creativity. Prizes will be announced at Synod Assembly in May. First place will receive $1,000, second $600, third $250, fourth $150 (made out to the sponsoring congregation or ministry group.) The prize money is provided by a grant from ELCA Synodical Relations in support of communicating Lutheran identity within the synod. Download the details!

The Middle School Youth Gathering Registration is Underway!
The Junior High/Middle School Youth Gathering will take place January 11-13, 2008 at the Crowne Plaza Hotel in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Registration is now open! Be reminded that one adult must register for every four youth of the same gender. Regular registration deadline is December 10.

The Planning Team is looking for someone to help with taking video and editing it during the weekend. Ideally, this person would help during large group to do some "live" video of the gathering participants and speakers to put up on the big screen for large group times.

Also, the planning team is looking for EMT's (emergency medical technicians) who can be present to help in case of emergency. In the past, the Gathering has been fortunate to have folks who were participating in the weekend activities, but this year the Team is looking for a couple of dedicated medical technicians or emergency nurses who could be available throughout the weekend. Please contact Kim Sandfort at kimclym@qwest.net if you or someone you know would be interested.

Senior High Gathering Registration Is Underway!
The annual senior high gathering takes place November 16-18 at the YMCA of the Rockies under the theme, "Connected." Information about the gathering, as well as all the information you need for registration is posted online.

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.

Beginning in November, a series of gatherings will take place for you to gather with others to bring the Vision Passion Action conversations to your context. Each congregation should bring four or five lay leaders, along with rostered leaders.

Materials have been mailed to each congregation, but they are also available electronically. The events will take place as follows:

NOVEMBER
7 Salt Lake City-Zion (Call 801-582-2321 by November 1 to register)
14 Colorado Springs-Bethel (Call 719-570-9800 by November 8 to register)
15 Greeley-Our Savior (Call 970-352-4816 by November 8 to register)
26 Longmont-Faith Community (Call 303-776-8771 by November 19 to register)
27 Highlands Ranch-Christ (Call 303-791-0803 by November 20 to register)

DECEMBER
4 Aurora-All Saints
5 Wheat Ridge-Glory of God
9 El Paso-St. Timothy
10 Carlsbad-St. Peter
11 Albuquerque-St. Luke

JANUARY
22 Grand Junction-Shepherd of the Valley
26 Casper-Prince of Peace
TBD Durango-Christ the King

Network of Biblical Storytellers (NOBS ) Denver - Area Guild
Next Meeting: Monday, November 12, 12:30 p.m. The Passion Story from the Gospel of Mark will be told by Pam Faro, followed by discussion and/or additional biblical storytelling among attendees. We meet every month, alternating with evenings and afternoons, ( see full schedule here ) at Cross of Christ Lutheran, 12099 Lowell Blvd., Broomfield, Colorado (just north of 120th Avenue, about 3 miles west of I-25, 3.5 miles east of Boulder Turnpike). Do you have questions? Please contact Pam Faro at pamfaro@juno.com or call her at 303-828-2267. Bring a friend! Also, check out the NOBS website: www.nobs.org to see what else is going on with the organization.

The Rainbow Trail Brochures Are Here!
It's time to start thinking about camp at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp for next summer. Fill out a registration form or register on-line. The first date of the lottery is December 1, so you want to get your registration in by that date to have the best chance of getting your first choice. You can still register after December 1 but many weeks will be close to full or already closed. Spend a week of fun and growth as part of great Christian community in the beautiful Sangre de Cristo mountains. Go to www.rainbowtrail.org to register or for more details. Register soon!!

ADVENTFEST '07
Does the Christmas season make you crazy with all the hustling about and hurried shopping? Encourage your congregation to bring their families to Rainbow Trail's AdventFest and start the season off right. AdventFest is November 30 - December 2. This weekend is a wonderful spiritual weekend where we will walk through the four Sundays of Advent during our worship experiences. There will also be time to make great gifts such as woven baskets, stained glass, woodcarving, or quilted pillows, just to name a few, that will be treasures for you to give. Let this weekend become part of your family's Christmas traditions. Registration info is on Rainbow Trail's website: www.rainbowtrail.org . Register soon!

RTLC Youth Workers' Retreat
From January 21-23, 2008, Rainbow Trail is offering a free retreat for youth workers in the Rocky Mountain Synod to give you a chance to be renewed and refreshed to returned to your ministry. Marilyn Sharpe from the Youth and Family Institute will be our keynote speaker who will focus on Sabbath for the youth worker. Pastors, please encourage your youth worker to come and take advantage of this time of learning and growth. For more information and to register, go to the Rainbow Trail website: www.rainbowtrail.org.

The Office of the Presiding Bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has chosen the works of three Lutheran artists in a design competition to recognize the 20th anniversary of the ELCA. Replicas of the art pieces will be presented as gifts to global and ecumenical guests of the ELCA. The original winning entries will become part of the ELCA's permanent art collection, said Myrna J. Sheie, executive assistant to the ELCA presiding bishop for governance and institutional relations. There were about three dozen entries in the competition.

The winners are:
+ Hand-forged iron cross, Joel Miller, Roseau, Minnesota: Miller said he used traditional techniques to make the cross, using iron heated in a coal-fired forge. The piece was hammered on an anvil, and its parts -- a crown section and thorn/petals -- were riveted onto the cross. It took about one day to make, he said. Miller is a member of Pine Grove Lutheran Church, Roseau.

+ Paper cutting, Joan Blanton, Clinton, Miss.: Blanton created her piece using a single piece of paper and a paper-cutting knife. The piece features the ELCA emblem. It took six hours to make, though the design took longer to complete than the actual cutting, Blanton said. The symbols on each part of the cross represent the four gospels in the New Testament, she said. The piece will be the design on the ELCA presiding bishop's 2007 Christmas card. Blanton is a member of Trinity Lutheran Church, Jackson, Mississippi.

+ Savior of the World Cross, Sally Stewart, Johnstown, Pennsylvania: Stewart's entry is made of 50 different wood pieces from throughout the world. After the tragedy of September 11, 2001, Stewart said she began to make crosses with these woods to symbolize Christ's love. The diversity of the woods and patterns represents the scope of God's work and its variety, she said. Stewart is a member of Mt. Calvary Lutheran Church, Johnstown.

For information contact:
John Brooks, Director
(773) 380-2958 or
news@elca.org

by author Becky Garrison

The alternative worship/emerging church movement has been underway in various incarnations throughout the UK for more than twenty years, and has impacted the U.S. evangelical community since the 1990s. However, these influences are just now beginning to emerge within the mainline liturgical churches. What impact do these new ways of worshiping God have on the contemporary mainline church?

Rising from the Ashes engages these questions through interwoven oral history-style interviews with people working with mainline churches who at the forefront of exploring what it means to "be" the Church in the 21st century. Several worship leaders who do not self-identify with the emerging church movement are also included.

The diverse array of voices in Rising from the Ashes range from High Church Celtic Christians to Evangelical Anglicans and also includes a few spiritual souls who consider themselves to be post- church. The contributors to this book include: Diana Butler Bass, Jonny Baker, Kester Brewin (Signs of Emergence), Shane Claiborne, Brian McLaren, Peter Rollins, Phyllis Tickle, Karen Ward (Church of the Apostles, Seattle), and NT Wright. Our own Nadia Bolz-Weber, of the Rocky Mountain Synod, contributed to two of the chapters.

You may order your copy by visiting the Amazon.com website.

The Life of the Apostle Peter with Rick Steves is Tim Frakes' fifth collaboration with the noted author and PBS travel show host Rick Steves. Past programs include: Opening the Door to Luther, Weaving a Global Neighborhood, The Life of Apostle Peter with Rick Steves, Faithful Travel and In the City for Good.

Rick graciously offered his time and energy to not only host these programs on camera, but also do much of the writing and coordinate many of the travel arrangements.

This is the last installment of Mosaic, the video magazine of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America. The ELCA has decided to discontinue the series after a long (21 year) run.

Tim Frakes Productions
PO Box 2004
Glen Ellyn, IL 60137
Email: tim_frakes@comcast.net
Phone: 630.418.2439
Web: www.frakesproductions.com

The National Council of Churches has created two agriculturally-themed worship resources for congregations to use this Thanksgiving season. They both focus on the intersection of food, faith and farming and the importance of a healthy environment to make it all possible. Both resources contain background information, sermon starters, liturgy, and small group discussion guides.

At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving
At the Lord's Table: Everyday Thanksgiving is a worship resource with a guide for study, liturgies, sermon starters and ideas for youth, designed to teach communities how to eat mindfully- mindful of the farmers and rural communities, the rich soil and clean water, and God's plentiful provision- without which our tables would be empty. This resource is designed to instill thanksgiving and calls us to right relationship with all of creation. Explore and celebrate the blessing of every bite with this guide for study, worship, and action.

Celebrate God's Gifts for Which We Give Thanks!
Thanksgiving reminds us of overeating, spending time with family, and watching parades and football on TV. But true thanksgiving is about more than just one day. This Thanksgiving holiday, encourage your church to focus on the everyday gift of food, the farmers who plant and grow our food, and the need for healthy soil and clean water to sustain us.

These two resources are FREE and downloadable.

The Rocky Mountain Synod has been working with Iliff School of Theology in Denver and with Lutheran students at Iliff. Out of those discussions, two Lutheran courses have been developed. One of them - Lutheran Mission Identity - will be taught in the coming Winter Quarter. The course description says in part, "This course introduces (our) mission heritage. It explores contemporary ELCA commitments as a Church in mission and considers implications for 'leaders in mission'". Dr. Roger Fjeld, President Emeritus of Wartburg Seminary, will lead this two-credit course. Contact Roger by email at mfrf@juno.com. It will also include several resource specialists. It will meet Monday mornings from January 7 to March 10, at 10:00 - 11:50 a.m. Iliff School of Theology is located at 2201 South University Blvd. in Denver.

The second course invites those who are working professionally in the church, whether on a lay roster or not. The course is particularly recommended for all those in the "Candidacy" process. Iliff will welcome applications from qualified folks (college degree required) for Non-Degree Student participation in the course. Tuition as a non-degree student is $575/credit for a total of $1,150 and deadline for registering is December 3. Qualified auditors (college degree expected) may also register. Cost for auditors is $100/credit for a total of $200. Auditors must register by the end of December. For more information and access to application materials, contact Vincent Tango at the Iliff admissions office, email: vtango@iliff.edu.

Fostering Reconciliation: An Intergenerational Conference
The conference will be held on November 17 from 8:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at St. John Chrysostom Church in Golden, Colorado (near I-70). For a registration form and more information, please visit the Episcopal Peace Fellowship website. The registration deadline for the conference is November 9.

Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade Fair is Nov 17 & 18 at
Cross of Christ Lutheran Church
You're invited to a Lutheran World Relief Fair Trade Fair and Craft and Bake Sale on Saturday, November 17 from 9:00 am to noon and Sunday, November 18 from 7:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at Cross of Christ Lutheran Church, 12099 Lowell Blvd in Broomfield, one block north of 120th Avenue. Phone 303-469- 4004 for more information.

Presentation on the Role of the Church and HIV/AIDS in Africa
On Tuesday, November 20, at 7:00 pm in the Great Hall at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Avenue, Cherry Hills Village, Colorado, Dr. Donald Messer will present a talk about the role of the Church in the HIV/AIDS crisis as well as his latest trip to Africa. Call the church for more information (303- 758-2820).

Rainbow Trail Confirmation Retreat
January 4-6, 2008 . For more information, visit the Rainbow Trail website at www.rainbowtrail.org.