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April 24, 2019
A Reconciling in Christ synod
There will be NO eConnection next Wednesday, May 1 as the Office of the Bishop prepares for Synod Assembly

DATE CORRECTION!
Service of Holy Closure: Christ, Cheyenne, WY
May 17th, 5:30 p.m.
We invite your prayers for the community of Christ Lutheran in Cheyenne, WY as they journey toward Holy Closure.

Members of the RMS are invited to join the service of Holy Closure on Friday, May 17th at 5:30 p.m. A dinner will follow worship at the American Legion. Please RSVP by May 15th to council president Sandy Arnold: Arnoldsandi@charter.net
 

For this congregation’s ministries throughout its life, its gatherings for praise and prayer, its faithful use of the means of grace, and its study of the scriptures, we give our thanks and praise. For the work of mission this congregation has supported and for all the lives that have been affected by God’s work through them, we give our thanks and praise. ELW Occasional Service for the Assembly

Saturday marked the 20th anniversary of the Columbine High School shooting. We remember, we mourn, and we pray for peace in the face of violence.

O God, it is your will to hold both heaven and earth in a single peace. Let the design of your great love shine on the waste of our wraths and sorrows, and give peace to your people, peace among nations, peace in our schools, and peace in our hearts; through your Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Amen.

-ELW Occasional Services for the Assembly, adapted
Welcome and Respite in Albuquerque
From Jim Barclay, Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountain:

As you may already know, Albuquerque has recently been welcoming families that have been released from detention by federal immigration authorities.  This is very similar to the work that Lutheran Family Services Rocky Mountains (LFSRM) was engaged in last summer in partnership with the City of Albuquerque and many other dedicated organizations. This program is currently being provided as an extension of the Annunciation House network that until recently was made up of welcome sites in El Paso and Las Cruces. That effort has now expanded to include sites in Albuquerque, due to overwhelming numbers of detainees being released in El Paso and Las Cruces. 

LFSRM joined a broad collaborative of caring community organizations and congregations in welcoming 50 of nearly 350 family members to Albuquerque beginning March 16, 2019.   We were able to provide food, clothing, lodging, travel arrangements, and a short respite for families to join their sponsoring relatives elsewhere in the country. Since then, LFSRM has continued to welcome additional families (45-50 persons) once each week, and due to increasing demand, we have agreed to welcome 100 persons next week, with the hope that we can continue to welcome large numbers going forward. We expect that our “Welcome and Respite” program will extend well into the summer, or as long as federal policies/procedures and private funding allow. We may also need to expand the program to additional communities in New Mexico and perhaps Colorado, but there are no such plans underway at this time.

LFSRM feels incredibly fortunate to have had strong partners assisting us ever since the first group arrived.  Partners at the LFSRM welcome site include: the City of Albuquerque; Annunciation House; St. Timothy’s Lutheran Church; First Presbyterian Church; The Church of Jesus Christ of the Latter Day Saints; The Rocky Mountain Synod of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America; Lutheran Immigration and Refugee Service; Community of Joy Lutheran Church; All Saints Lutheran Church; Luther House; Albuquerque Mennonite Church; and volunteers from throughout the community.

LFSRM and all of our partners are stretched thin but are continuing to do heroic and holy work in welcoming the stranger and reunifying them with extended families across the country. We are honored to be able to do so and very grateful to work shoulder to shoulder with truly inspiring people and organizations in the communities of Albuquerque, El Paso and Las Cruces.

At this time, we are in need of additional congregational and individual involvement

eConnection Spotlight:
RMS in the Neighborhood
Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks
Father Quirino Cornejo (ECUSA), pastor at Latino Ministry West Denver (far right), preached at the annual Easter Sunrise Service at Red Rocks, hosted by the Colorado Council of Churches.

Watch the service, Father Q's sermon, and see other photos HERE
RMS-ELCA News and Events
Assembly Collection for Border Hospitality
FoCoLu Youth Ministry Network in Fort Collins is collecting items needed by our Border Hospitality Ministries and is inviting other congregations to join their efforts. Congregations and ministries can bring items to Synod Assembly and will be transported back to the Border. Requested Items are listed HERE

RMS Excellence in Leadership
“It’s not easy to be the church these days”. This is a common sentiment in mainline Christian denominations, and the ELCA is no exception. We know there is a need for hope and grace and the power of the gospel, but the ways of communicating that and the ways of being church in the world are shifting beneath our feet. We know this.

The Rocky Mountain Synod is rising to meet this changing paradigm with a new leadership training program – Excellence in Leadership . Beginning this fall, we will be offering a program grounded in authentically claiming our identity as individuals and as church. By engaging deeply in the studies of adaptive leadership, vulnerability, emotional intelligence, family systems, and spiritual practices, we will be stepping forward to meet the future boldly. We don't know exactly what the future holds, but we do know that it begins with each personal journey toward emotional and spiritual wholeness. Let’s embark on this journey together. 

Stay tuned for more information in the weeks to come.
For more info, contact katie.emery@firstluth.org
ELCA Domestic Hunger Grant application opens April 15!
The application window for 2020 ELCA World Hunger Domestic Hunger Grants will open April 15!

Visit ELCA.org/domestichungergrants to learn more about the grants and how to apply. We invite organizations applying for an ELCA grant for the first time to set up an account in ELCA GrantMaker in advance in order to access the application form immediately once the window opens. If your organization has already registered in ELCA GrantMaker, now is a great time to log back in and confirm that the contact information in the account is up to date.

ELCA World Hunger will be hosting two webinars to review granting priorities and cover the basics of applying. To call in, simply click on the link below for the date of your choice.


Application Timeline

  • Registration open: April 1-May 31, 2019
  • Application open: April 15-June 17, 2019
  • Application review: July-September 2019
  • Awards announced: November 2019
For Your Bulletin
Installations
RMS Prayer Cycle

 Week of April 28

Rocky Mountain Synod Council

The Rev. James Gonia - Bishop 
Ms. Earline Bohling - Vice President
Ms. Jody Hoelter - Secretary
Mr. Dennis Reynolds - Treasurer 
Diana Biggs 
Ray Ferry
Susan Mitchell 
Terry Cole 
Todd Herreid
Amelia Decker
Bunga Manurung
Jay Voth 
Debra Frank Dew
Jeff Fairfax
The Rev. Julie Brooks 
The Rev. Sara Wirth 
The Rev. Matthew Weber
The Rev. Terry Schjang
The Rev. Reba Kiger-Kolasch
The Rev. Dave Palma-Rue
Pontormo, Jacopo da, 1494-1556. Resurrection, from Art in the Christian Tradition, a project of the Vanderbilt Divinity Library, Nashville,

Join us in daily prayer:
Download  ELCA Prayer Ventures  for daily guides to prayer for the global, social and outreach ministries of the ELCA, as well as for the needs and circumstances of our neighbors, communities and world. 
Sunday, April 28
Second Sunday of Easter
Prayer of the Day

Almighty and eternal God, the strength of those who believe and the hope of those who doubt, may we, who have not seen, have faith in you and receive the fullness of Christ’s blessing, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

In God's Hands: Ecumenical Prayer Cycle from the World Council of Churches

28 April - 04 May  Afghanistan, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Mongolia, Tajikistan, Turkmenistan, Uzbekistan - Intercessions and Prayers
Around the Synod
Mental Health Sunday, Atonement, Boulder, CO
Colorado Women’s Chorale: Carnegie Hall Masterworks
Saturday May 11, 2019 at 7:30 p.m.
Celebrate the homecoming of Colorado Women's Choir tour from the Carnegie Festival for Treble Voices in New York City this spring.
Selections include masterworks of Brahms, Holst, Elgar, and more. Plus an exhilarating finale joined by the Colorado Men’s Chorale for Martin Palmeri’s Misa Tango, a brilliant orchestral work that celebrates the beauty, joy, and passion of Argentina.
Order your tickets at this link!
Bible as our Book of Faith
October 19, 9:00 a.m.- 3:00 p.m.
Dr. Mark Allan Powell will be at First Lutheran Church, the weekend of Oct 19. He will be presenting the “Bible as our Book of Faith” as well as preaching on the 20.
Mark Allan is a Professor of of New Testament at Trinity Lutheran Seminary and intentionally known biblical scholar. He is editor of the Harper Collins Bible Dictionary and author of more than 30 books on the Bible and religion, including the widely used textbook, introducing the New Testament (Baker Academic).

For more information contact Maria Sutton at maria.sutton@firstluth.org.
Camino de Vida invites you to a Multicultural Party 
Hispanic Ministry / Latin Way Of Life
3907 Isleta Boulevard Southwest
Albuquerque, NM 87105 ( map )

You are all invited to attend the Multicultural Festival, which will be full of cultural diversity - on Saturday, May 4.

We will have music, dance, food, games, and community organizations all day to stay and enjoy with family and friends.

Visit https://www.caminodevidanm.com/ for more information!
Our Life Together
Easter Alert 2019 from Kairos Palestine
Easter and Holy Week message from Palestine---Easter Blessings! Get yours here. Thank you for accompanying us in this journey to the cross.

The purpose of the annual Kairos alert is to shed light on the reality on the ground and provide a Christian commentary and analysis to this reality. Indeed, you have heard from voices on the ground and international activists on what it means to live as Palestinians and Palestinian Christians under systemic injustice and discrimination. Political pressure, collective punishment, restriction of movement, or the denial of entry to holy sites--all point to the severity of the situation.
Luther Academy of the Rockies 50th Anniversary
June 18 - June 28, 2019
Wartburg Theological Seminary invites YOU to join with us for 10 days of learning, recreation, and renewal for ministry at our annual LUTHER ACADEMY OF THE ROCKIES.

In keeping with Wartburg Theological Seminary's emphasis on daily worship, each day begins with opening devotions. In addition to educational programs for the adults, age-appropriate daily programs are provided for children and teens (age 4 - 18), as well as childcare for children 3 and under.

Come join us for 10 days in the beautiful Rockies with renowned speakers sharing their wisdom at an incredibly reasonable price! This opportunity is too great to miss!!!

For more info and to register, visit our website at: https://www.wartburgseminary.edu/lar/
Resource Corner
check back each week for a new or featured resource for your congregation
Here is the Stewardship Toolkit for Congregations - May 2019
This month's emphasis is Stewardship of community, brought to you by Rev. Rob Blezard, Assistant to the Bishop
Lower Susquehanna Synod.
Check out his blog: www.thestewardshipguy.com!

Good, thoughtful, consistent communication, education and action can help your congregation develop a healthy culture of stewardship and generosity. This kit can help get you there! Use the resources of this kit by themselves to educate and encourage stewardship, but they would be more effective as a monthly emphasis about a different aspect of stewardship. You could plan bible studies, temple talks, a preaching series and other activities. 

Click here to download the May toolkit. And save this link to always be able to get the most current toolkit.
Items for sale
Monday, April 22 through Friday, May 17, 9 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day

Bethany Lutheran
4500 E Hampden Ave.
Cherry Hills Village, CO 80113

We have several items available for sale; glass tea plates (approx. 80), small glass vases (approx. 10), communion wine glass trays (approx. 15), and many other communion pieces. Please contact Sarah for photos and information.
Employment Opportunities
All Non-Rostered Listings 
Assistant Preschool Director (part-time)
Christ Lutheran Church - Highlands Ranch, CO

Music Director
St. Barnabas Episcopal Church - 1280 Vine St, Denver CO

Community Life Coordinator
Urban Servant Corps - 1660 Ogden Street, Denver, CO

Organist/Accompanist (part-time)
St. Andrew - Arvada, CO
Office of the Bishop This Week
  Bishop Jim Gonia
  • In-office Assembly Prep
  • Conference Deans
  • Staff Meeting
  • LFS Gala
  • First St. Paul, Burlington, CO
  • Latino Ministry West Denver
  • ELCA Advocacy Convening

ELCA DIRECTOR FOR EVANGELICAL MISSION
Pastor Matt Barnhouse
  • Denver Office April 23
  • Staff Meeting
  • Mount Calvary, Boulder, CO
  • Rejoice, Erie, CO

LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY NEW MEXICO
Ruth Hoffman
  • Staff meeting
  • Advocacy Convening, Washington DC

LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY COLORADO
Peter Severson
  • Faithful Tuesdays
  • Staff Meeting
  • Mockingbird Ministries Conference
  • ELCA Advocacy Convening

ELCA REGIONAL GIFT PLANNER
Tina Kvitek
  • 1-1 Meetings
  • Staff Meeting
  • CU Boulder Campus Ministry
ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
Pastor Sarah Moening
  • Conference Deans
  • Staff Meeting
  • Congregation Transition
  • St. Phillip, Littleton, CO
  • Rejoice, Erie, CO

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
Pastor Kent Mueller (1/2 time)
  • Synod Assembly Prep
  • Staff Meeting
  • Conference Deans

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR SYNODICAL LIFE
Deacon Erin Power
  • Synod Assembly Prep
  • Staff Meeting
  • Conference Deans

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR FAITH FORMATION & CANDIDACY
Pastor Leslie Welton
  • Staff Meeting
  • Eben Ezer, Brush, CO
  • Synod Assembly Prep
  • In-office appointments
Quick Links
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Erin Power ,   Assistant to the Bishop
You are welcome to directly contact Andrew Nakatan i , Communications Assistant, with questions, comments, or concerns you may have about eConnection or our website!

Rocky Mountain Synod  
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
800-525-0462 / 303-777-6700 / fax 303-339-4744

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