Zach Parris is recognized as a creative and dynamic Campus Pastor for the University of Colorado at Boulder who encourages students to develop their leadership skills, and to use their gifts and talents for the sake of others. Join us in congratulating Pastor Zach Parris as the recipient of Lutheran Campus Ministry’s 2017 Hess-Pierson Award.

The Hess-Pierson Award was established to honor Rhonda Hess and Roy Pierson, two students who served as Volunteers in Campus Ministry in California and who died in an automobile accident while driving to a Lutheran Student Movement retreat in 1985. It is given annually to a Lutheran Campus Ministry professional who shows exemplary dedication and service to Lutheran Student Movement-USA (LSM-USA). 

The 2018 Synod Assembly, May 3-5, 2018 in Westminster, CO will include an election for Bishop of the Rocky Mountain Synod. In the coming months, Bishop Jim Gonia will continue to discern whether or not he is open to the possibility of serving another term. He will have completed one six-year term in 2018 and there are no term limits in the Rocky Mountain Synod. He will communicate his discernment in early September. 

A Bishop Election Taskforce has been meeting to outline the process. The election process is carried out the same way whether or not a current bishop is open to serving another term. An “Ecclesiastical Ballot” is the nominating ballot at the assembly. Each voting member will write down the name of whomever they would like to nominate (any rostered minister in the ELCA), followed by subsequent ballots requiring certain percentage majorities for an election, as the number of candidates decreases for each ballot. 

A process for identifying potential candidates will be carried out in the months prior to the assembly. That process is for informational purposes only and does not limit the “Ecclesiastical Ballot” to those identified in advance of the assembly.

People who confess a Trinitarian God are people who believe that God is all about the relationship. Our congregations need leaders who can navigate and practice healthy relationships. 

The RMS can host a modified version of the Church Development Institute, which has been used extensively in the Colorado Episcopal Diocese and has equipped many congregations to find renewed meaning and purpose in their life together. 

Because the best learning happens when interacting with peers, we will only move forward with this class if we have a minimum number of people and congregations. Our deadline for registration is August 25, 2017. Please visit our website for information and to register, see our flyer, and let us know as soon as possible so we can confirm the class. 

Our monthly Eucharist has been moved to the first  Wednesday this month, August 2 at 11:30 a.m.

All are invited to join in this 30 minute worship. Our August preacher will be Kaari Von Bernuth, our Office of the Bishop Summer Intern! Come hear the Gospel from one of our young adult leaders in the church.

Imagine everything you know about migrants and refugees forced to flee from war, gang violence, persecution, abuse. The loss of home and loved ones. Fear and uncertainty. Survival often means a dangerous journey.

Now imagine that person fleeing for freedom is just a child. He or she might be 14 and on the run from turmoil in El Salvador. Or he or she might be 8 years old, alone after losing parents to military conflict in Africa, Southeast Asia, or the Middle East.

Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service (LIRS) partners with a network of heroic agencies across the country to provide foster homes which allow unaccompanied children to find refuge, safety and support with a loving family. LIRS is one of two organizations in the world that provides foster care services for resettled unaccompanied refugee children. Each year, thousands of children embark on dangerous journeys seeking shelter, after being torn from their families due to war, abuse, natural disasters or conflict in their home countries. A significant fragment of our client profile includes children from around the world, with a higher need to place males between ages 14-17, from Central America’s Northern Triangle.

We believe that the best way to make sure these children are both safe and equipped for a brighter tomorrow is to place them with a foster family, though consequently more foster families are urgently needed.

There are Central American children and youth in the Rocky Mountain Synod, specifically in Denver and Colorado Springs, CO that are in great need of either short or long term family foster care. These children and youth may have had family members in the US but for a variety of reasons, can’t be united with them.

It’s no small thing to ‘give the gift of family.’ It takes an open heart to accept a child or young person into your home from another culture. It takes time to provide an environment in which that young person can thrive. It takes passion for nurturing a young person into independent adulthood.

You might welcome a child into your family for a few weeks or several years. There will be challenges and there will be joys. Most importantly, the child will be better equipped for the future and your life will be forever enriched. Please get in touch with LaMar Rice, Program Manager for Foster Care. 

10:00 - 11:30 a.m.
Sunday, August 6

Join faith communities all across Cheyenne for an Interfaith Gathering. This event will kick off a week of celebrations. This service will include songs, prayers, a performance by a community choir, and a message from The Rev. Warren Murphy about the History of Faith in Cheyenne. You can lend your voice to the community choir by joining in the rehearsal on August 6 at 8:00 a.m. at the Civic Center. More info available at our Facebook Event page! Come and join in as we celebrate 150 years of faith!

Embracing Stewardship, by Charles Lane and Grace Duddy Pomroy, is an engaging read that helps us place stewardship at the heart of our response to God's grace. Coming from different generations and different backgrounds, the two authors give plenty of practical help and encouragement for congregations in 2017. Another reason for reading the book is that Grace Pomroy will be at our Theological Conference this year in her capacity as a resource developer for Portico, where she focuses on financial education for rostered ministers. Check out the book, and plan on meeting her in September. 

ELCA Federal Credit Union

As we celebrate our one-year anniversary today, we are excited about the positive financial impact the ELCA Federal Credit Union is having on our members’ lives. We invite you to watch our new video that explains how credit unions operate—and how we are helping our members do more with their money. Please feel free to share this video with members or employees of our congregations, synods and ministries; they are also eligible to enjoy the many great benefits of belonging to our credit union. 

Congregational Ethics Policy

The highest degree of stewardship and fiduciary responsibility is expected of all employees, including the receiving, reporting, and use of funds, property, and time. Employees are responsible for complying with laws, regulations, and congregation’s policies and procedures. >More

Administration Matters is a bimonthly e-newsletter for ELCA congregational and synodical leaders. It addresses common, practical issues including finance, governance, risk management, tax, legal concerns and topics of interest about day to day operations and management in church settings. 

Develop servant-hearted adult and teen leaders who create safe, joyful, discipling environments on Sunday mornings and in midweek ministries, for children birth through 6th grade and their families--while serving in a high-energy, good-humored, and growth-minded staff! 

Kaw Prairie is a 13-year-old ELCA-PCUSA church in the western Kansas City suburbs that's a mix of family-types, professions, ages, politics, and faith backgrounds, united by a common mission to change lives with Jesus' love, refueling weekly with contemporary band-led worship music, weekly eucharist, and exegetical and topical messages. We're seeking a gifted director/pastor to help revitalize and raise the bar for our children’s and family ministries who’s comfortable with high-capacity volunteers and passionate for helping grow children and families in faith and mission. AND you'd finally get to move to Kansas!

Bachelor's degree, experience in children’s ministry or education preferred. Additional information is available here. Send resume & cover here or questions to Pastor Dan McKnight. 

Grace Lutheran is seeking a Preschool Director/Teacher who must be able to design a developmentally appropriate play-based curriculum beginning with the 2017-18 school year, and is required to meet DFS licensing regulations.  A draft position description is here. To apply, fill out our  application and send it with a  resume here . Deadline for applications is July 24.