December 18, 2019
A Reconciling in Christ synod
Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton: Christmas Message 2019
Office of the Bishop Holiday Closure information
The Office of the Bishop will be closed December 21- January 1. Regular office hours will resume January 2. For pastoral emergencies during this time, please call the office: 303-777-6700, to be connected to our emergency number.

There will be no eConnection December 24 or 31.
eConnection Spotlight:
RMS in the Neighborhood
A Preschool Christmas Program for Donations to the Needy at Our Savior's Lutheran Church, Greeley, CO
Preschool Christmas program was a blessing to many! They also provided new pajamas and books to over 200 children in need in our community. Thanks for a great preschool staff and parents!
RMS-ELCA News and Events
2020 Rocky Mountain Synod Assembly
Voting Member Information Packet now available
The 2020 Synod Assembly is coming, May 1-2, save the date! See our website at https://www.rmselca.org/assembly . More information is coming in January.

The voting member info packet is now available here ( Word / PDF ).
Urban Servant Corps -- Apply Now!
Service! Simplicity! Intentional Community! Spirituality!

At Urban Servant Corps, we believe that doing a year of service will not only impact those you serve, but it will change who you are and how you show up in the world. This experience will offer concrete direct service skills, the opportunity to explore and live out your faith, and leave you with an understanding of what life might look like for marginalized and vulnerable populations in our country. This all happens as you build community with a group of like-minded people! Are you dedicated to social justice and a simpler way of life? Do you hope to explore your faith? Do you want to gain experience in the non-profit/service field? Join us!

For more info and to apply, go to: http://urbanservantcorps.org/volunteer/apply.html
We're excited to share that the ELCA has established a new vendor relationship with AudioEye for purposes of making more accessible ELCA resources available online as well as for navigating our websites, Living Lutheran and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America now have tools to assist visitors with low or partial vision. Readers needing large print will soon have simple ways to improve their access to ELCA information online!

Whether you can benefit from larger print, better color contrast, audio access or even the ability to connect to a device for braille conversion, AudioEye guides you through an accessible, easy-to-use icon and menu. Look for the man in the blue bubble on the lower-right section of a webpage to activate the features of AudioEye. As we phase in this new service, we anticipate full accessibility being available by early February 2020. Read about the new accessibility certification here - https://www.livinglutheran.org/accessibility-statement/ . We will track user activity to assess whether such improvements can be made on a longer-term basis in late 2020.
The ELCA is committed to learning how to better engage our members and their families living with visual impairments so that you can speak to the needs and interests of the church from your own unique perspectives. We thank the ELCA donors and development staff for their wonderful work in raising funds that make this service possible while we work toward developing our own methods of enhancing accessibility to our websites over the coming year. Meanwhile, we have also added a new resource on our webpage ( https://elca.org/disability ) on the resource tab for Visual Impairment. ELCA members can find selected ELCA worship prayers and cultural rites important to ministry across the ELCA. Email Carol at Disability.Ministry@elca.org for the protected password code for free access by members with low, no or partial vision.
Meet our Missionaries!
Global Mission Update - Rebecca Martin
Every year the ELCA's Young Adults in Global Missions (YAGM) program sends out dozens of young adults, ages 21-29, into a year-long journey of international service. This experience of global service invites young adults to serve as Jesus’ hands and feet in the world, as they form global friendships, provide critical support to communities in need, and reflect on how their identity connects with God’s work in the world.

For the next few months the Rocky Mountain Synod Global Mission Committee will be highlighting one of the eight current YAGM's hailing from the Rocky Mountain Synod with the hope that you as individuals and congregations will consider supporting them through prayer, communication and financial support.

This week's featured YAGM is Rebecca Martin, who is currently serving in Argentina and Uruguay. Rebecca considers Denver, CO home. If you would like to support Rebecca this year, please visit: https://support.elca.org/site/TR/Events/General?px=1059952&pg=personal&fr_id=1181

Over the years, Young Adults in Global Mission has proven to be one of the great pipelines for developing faith-filled leaders, both inside and outside of the church. If you would like to support or learn more about this exciting ministry, visit: https://www.elca.org/Our-Work/Global-Mission/Young-Adults-in-Global-Mission
For Your Bulletin
RMS Prayer Cycle
DECEMBER 2019
UTAH CONFERENCE

- Week of December 22 -
Shepherd of the Mountains - Park City, UT
Steve Leiser

St. Matthew’s - Salt Lake City, UT
Christine Higuerra-Street

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, December 22
Fourth Sunday of Advent
Prayer of the Day

Stir up your power, Lord Christ, and come. With your abundant grace and might, free us from the sin that hinders our faith, that eagerly we may receive your promises, for you live and reign with the Father and the Holy Spirit, one God, now and forever.

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

22 - 28 December : Japan, North Korea, South Korea, Taiwan - Intercessions and Prayers
Around the Synod
Purposeful Pastor Book Club
4th Thursday of each month beginning January 23, 2020
We'll explore a chapter of a book together each month with other faith leaders. Our first book will be She: Five Keys to Unlock the Power of Women in Ministry by Karoline M. Lewis

There are two options for meeting:

*IN PERSON in Niwot, Colorado. Bring a lunch and meet from 12:00-1:30 p.m. Once you sign up the address will be emailed to you.

*REMOTELY via Zoom. We'll gather via Zoom from 10:30-11:30 a.m. Once you sign up the Zoom information will be email to you.

For more information visit: https://www.purposefulpastor.com/book-club
Register for the Yoga as a Prayer retreat here or at peacelutheranelp.org.
Our Life Together
Theoprobe Continuing Education Event in Winter Park, CO
Sunday-Friday, February 9-14, 2020
Join a wonderful group of people for a continuing education event in Winter Park, CO. This event pairs re-creation and intentional learning. The gathering in the mornings and evenings for worship and learning. During the day the group skis at Winter Park or engages in other forms of winter re-creation. Come experience the perfect balance of life-giving things while preparing your teaching and preaching for 2020.
Contact Pastor Chad Kohlmeyer ( pastorchad@atonementboulder.org) for more information. Register at theoprobe.org.

Here are this years presenters and topics:

Faith Formation and the Gospel of John - Dr. Craig Koester
Faith formation is both opportunity and challenge for ministry. This series explores how the Gospel of John deals with patterns of faith and life in the experiences of those who meet Jesus. Texts will be taken from the passages from John 3, 4, 9, and 11, which will be the focus for preaching in many congregations during Lent.

Encountering God: Stories from the Old Testament - Dr. Kathryn Schifferdecker
The Old Testament is full of stories about deeply flawed individuals who encounter God and whose lives are transformed by that encounter. This series will explore some of those stories and ask the question, 'How can we invite our congregation members into the biblical narrative so that they see their own lives as part of the larger story of God's dealings with God's people?' Texts to be explored will be drawn in part from those assigned by the Revised Common Lectionary for the coming year.
Academy of Artful Leadership
Thursdays, January through December 2020, 10:00 a.m. to 11:30 a.m.
Coaching gifted pastors and laity to lead transformational change.

18 hours of coaching that includes:

  • eight monthly 90-minute group sessions designed to spark dynamic conversation around key themes in ministry
  • six individual one-on-one coaching sessions with a trained coach focusing on challenges and opportunities in ministry
  • Certificate of Leadership Development upon completion of the training
Resource Corner
check back each week for a new or featured resource for your congregation
Stewardship Toolkit for January 2020
Here's your January 2020 "Stewardship Toolkit!" It consists of an original newsletter article and RCL-based "stewardship snippets" that they can cut and paste into your publications. It also has web resources to explore January 2020's theme, "Steward your best year ever!"
Employment Opportunities
Non-Rostered Listings 
Accompanist (part-time)
Messiah Community Church - Denver, CO
Messiah Community Church , a small, progressive faith community for people of all ages near City Park, Denver, seeks a Part-Time Accompanist to support our Sunday morning worship life and accompany our choir(s). Music is an essential component of Lutheran worship, and we currently use piano and organ for accompaniment (primarily piano).  We believe music, both traditional and new, helps guide our spiritual life. Start date: January 2020. Questions or letter of application and resume can be sent to Pastor Inga Oyan Longbrake:  pastor@messiahdenver.org .
Non-Rostered Listings 
Accompanist (part-time)
Messiah Community Church - Denver, CO

Development Volunteers
LFS Rocky Mountains - Denver, co

Director of Youth Ministries
Glory of God Lutheran Church - Wheat Ridge, CO

Director of Music (part-time)
Messiah Community Church - Denver, CO

Administrative Assistant-Communications
Faith Lutheran Church - Golden, CO

High School Program Director
Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp - Fort Collins, CO
Office of the Bishop This Week
  Bishop Jim Gonia
  • Global Mission Consultation, Chicago, IL
  • In-office Appointments
  • All-Saints, Aurora, CO
  • Office Closed/Vacation Dec. 24-January 4

ELCA DIRECTOR FOR EVANGELICAL MISSION
Pastor Dana Peterson (Interim, 1/2 time)
  • New & Renewing Ministries
  • Office Closed/Vacation Dec. 24-January 5

LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY NEW MEXICO
Kurt Rager

LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY COLORADO
Peter Severson
  • In-office appointments
  • Office closed/vacation Dec 20-January 2

ELCA REGIONAL GIFT PLANNER
Tina Kvitek
  • Vacation Dec. 16- Jan. 2
ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
Pastor Sarah Moening
  • In-office appointments
  • Office closed/vacation December 20-January 6

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
Pastor Kent Mueller (1/2 time)

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR SYNODICAL LIFE
Deacon Erin Power
  • Office closed/vacation December 21-January 5

ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR FAITH FORMATION & CANDIDACY
Pastor Leslie Welton
  • Candidacy follow-up
  • Office closed/vacation December 23- January 12
Quick Links
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Feel free to contact Andrew Nakatan i , Communications Assistant, with your questions and comments about eConnection and our website!

Rocky Mountain Synod  
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
800-525-0462 / 303-777-6700 / fax  303-733-0750

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