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Synod Delegation Arrives Safely in Madagascar
Partnerships with our Companion Synods in Madagascar are being celebrated by nine synod representatives who departed November 16 and will be returning on November 30. By email we have learned that they arrived safely, and on Sunday they celebrated the 20th Anniversary of the Mahajanga Synod. Madelyn Busse writes that "it was a joyous occasion and we are overwhelmed by their generous hospitality." Prayers of Thanksgiving Judy Lounsberry to be Installed at LFS on December 7 | ||||||
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Consider A Hunger Sunday To Keep The Issue Front And
Center
Offerings for the ELCA World Hunger Appeal are one important way to express your gratitude to God during this Thanksgiving season. To give attention to world hunger, Christ the King Church in Durango celebrated “Bread for the World Sunday” on November 12. At all three services, they reflected on God’s many gifts, prayed for those in need and renewed their commitment to share their abundance with others. Their members were thanked for writing 70 letters to Congress during the “offering of letters” last May on behalf of Bread for the World. Christ the King has made help for the needy a “core conviction” in their congregation. High School Youth Celebrate That God Is "Forever!" A unique and contemplative spirit permeated this year's Senior High Gathering at Estes Park this last weekend. Our sincere thanks to the planning team and the many adults and volunteers who so faithfully organize and carry out this event each year! More Ideas For Old LBW's Immigration Issues Study Guide Now Available Celebrate Treasures, Old and New | ||||||
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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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Clarification On
Tax-free Gifts From IRA For Those Over 70 1/2
Last week information was included about charitable gifts given from IRA's. To clarify: the donor must be 70 1/2 or older, not 70. The rollover will not be counted as income for tax purposes and therefore will not taxed, but neither can the gift be deducted as a charitable contribution when the donor completes his or her taxes for the gift year. Please speak with your tax consultant for further clarification! Songs of Thanksgiving: An Interfaith Service of Gratitude The worship takes place on Wednesday, November 22, 7:00 p.m. at Atonement Lutheran Church, Boulder, CO. Free-will offering will benefit the Emergency Family Assistance Association (E.F.F.A.). Participating congregations include Atonement Lutheran Church, Community United Church of Christ, Congregation Har HaShem, Mountain View United Methodist Church, Saint Aidan’s Episcopal Church and Saint Andrew Presbyterian Church. All are invited to bring non-perishable canned goods and/or monetary gifts to benefit E.F.F.A. Thanksgiving pie and coffee fellowship will follow worship. For more information, call (303) 499-4567, ext. 4 Outlook Series Continues at Messiah, Denver The Outlook Series on Spirituality (an important topic especially for Lutherans) continues at Messiah Community Church, ELCA, 1750 Colorado Blvd., Denver Nov 28 at 7pm: Sr Anne Stedman, OSB, Prioress: Benedictine Spirituality for our time. Dec 5 at 7pm: Ellen Rosenthal, MDiv, Jewish Spirituality For information call 303-355-4471 or go to the web at www.messiahdenver.org. Imam Mahdi Bray Presentation is December 3 The Interfaith Alliance of Colorado presents Imam Mahdi Bray in a presentation titled, "Finding Our Voice Within Our Faith" on Sunday, December 3 at New Hope Baptist Church, 3701 Colorado Blvd, Denver. At 4 p.m., Interfaith Alliance Highlights will be presented, followed at 5 p.m. by the presentation by Imam Mahdi Bray. He is the Executive Director of the Muslim American Society (MAS) Freedom Foundation and a noted civil and human rights activist. Prayers for Peace Iliff Leadership Conference 2007 January 22- 24 | ||||||
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Holiday Shopping
For LSS Utah At Ten Thousand Villages Abiding Hope Adaptive Leadership
Academy Festival Of
Homiletics Rocky Boy Indian Reservation
Servant Learning Trip | ||||||
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A Message From Presiding Bishop Mark Hanson
"Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ." These words of greeting, with which the Apostle Paul begins his letter to the churches of Galatia, were heard in a special way this week by the ELCA Church Council. In the meeting that ended earlier this week, the council spent several hours engaged with the letter to the Galatians and Paul's strong invitation to those churches to live the freedom given to each of us through the Gospel in service to neighbor. At its meeting last month the Conference of Bishops heard the entire book of Galatians recited aloud, and then spent several hours discussing Paul's letter. We know that synod assemblies this spring and the churchwide assembly in August also will take time to dwell in Scripture, hearing the good news of the Gospel as spoken to us by Paul in Galatians. Why this focus on Galatians? In response to the action of the 2001 Churchwide Assembly, this church is in the process of preparing a social statement on human sexuality for consideration at the 2009 Churchwide Assembly. As with all ELCA social statements, materials are prepared for study and response, which is used as input into the deliberations of the task force that has the responsibility for drafting the social statement. I want you to know about the next phase of the process. On December 4, the task force for the ELCA Studies on Sexuality will release "Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk about Human Sexuality," a study that invites participants throughout this church into a discussion of human sexuality. The study is grounded in the New Testament book of Galatians and Martin Luther's essay, "On the Freedom of a Christian." Through its engagement with these texts, the task force found energy and insight for its conversation about human sexuality. This also was true for the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council. I am confident that those who participate in the study will find it a rich foundation for their own conversations as well. Over the last three years, I have been profoundly grateful for the key leadership roles that you and other leaders have played in this church's conversations about human sexuality. Thank you in advance for your continued commitment and leadership during the next phase of this church's study and conversation. I encourage you to participate in "Free in Christ to Serve the Neighbor: Lutherans Talk about Human Sexuality," as individuals, with congregations, and in synods, and to communicate with the task force concerning your responses to the study. Your comments about this study, as with those on the two previous ones, will help shape the social statement on human sexuality. The study will be available for download online at www.elca.org/faithfuljourney on December 4, 2006. Soon thereafter, each ELCA congregation will receive a printed copy of the study. Additional printed copies may be preordered at the URL above. As this church continues discernment regarding God's gracious gift of human sexuality, I pray with Paul, "May the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ be with your spirit, brothers and sisters. Amen." Living in God's amazing grace, Mark S. Hanson Presiding Bishop | ||||||
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Resources for Study and Reflection
"Living the Questions" offers several study series options, including "Saving Jesus from the Christian Right" and "Victory and Peace or Justice and Peace." Video segments and study guides feature leading religious voices, such as Walter Bueggemann, John Dominic Crossan, Hans Kung, Rebecca Ann Parker, Marcus Borg, and many more. Information at www.livingthequestions.com. "The Kerygma Program" offers a series of Bible Studies which help participants learn the basics and the complexities of the Bible while developing skillsl for interpreting Scripture. Ultimately, participants apply learning from the Bible to personal and corporate life in today's world. Information at www.kerygma.com. | ||||||
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