Excellence in Leadership is an opportunity meant for you, whoever you are. So many opportunities we hear about are reserved for those with certain skills, certain degrees, certain positions. Excellence in Leadership is not one of those things. The tools, resources, and practices which are taught and engaged with during this two-year journey are helpful for many people in many walks of life. Listen to the Rev. Margot Wright's experience of Excellence in Leadership:

The Faster Pastors Team will be running the Flaming Foliage Relay from Idaho Springs to Buena Vista September 10-11. The course covers 165 miles, 30 legs, 3 mountain passes (Guanella, Georgia, and Fremont), and 31 miles of single track trails. 

If you would like to support the Faster Pastors, please reach out to one of the team members to find out how to contribute through them or email Joel Pancoast. If you contribute directly to LIRS at Make a Donation Today | LIRS, please let a team member know so that we can celebrate our total contributions.

On Sunday, Sept. 12, ELCA congregations will come together for “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday, a dedicated day of service. As church, we are guided by our life in Christ to share the love of Jesus and serve our neighbors — even if these acts of service take place from our homes, outdoors or from a safe distance because of ongoing pandemic concerns. As you explore opportunities to participate, visit ELCA.org/DayOfService for planning resources including a tool kit, videos, posters, social media graphics and a special hymn for the day.

Prayers, hymn suggestions and considerations for preaching for use on this Sunday are available in PDF and Word formats.

Custom graphics, posters and postcards to promote your day of service are available here! Join together in word and song with a worship resource and special hymn.

The Lutheran Center, home of the office of the bishop, has some projects to accomplish that could be excellent for a "God's Work. Our Hands" group. Contact Tina Kvitek if you would like to volunteer.

Parking lots may not be exciting to some of you, but we've been looking forward to this day for seven years! The Lutheran Center dedication after our remodeling and building project was May 8, 2014. The church building on the site was dedicated on January 24, 1965, which is most likely when the parking lot was first paved...49 years ago!!

The construction cost is right around $75,000, provided through gifts given to our campaign. Thank you! You'll be hearing much more about the campaign this fall as we get ready to move into Phase 2!

This week, the ELCA Youth Gathering Team hosted its official kick-off event. That video can be viewed here: https://fb.watch/6_EhEVTtPK/

And we are excited to start thinking about traveling to Minneapolis next summer! Bryan Jaster is serving as our synod coordinator for this gathering cycle, and we are hosting some monthly events to help adult leaders and youth ministry professionals be as prepared as possible.

Join us on ZOOM for an important information session on Sep 9! The webinars will be recorded. For more information contact: bryan@bethany-denver.org or locallaghan@rmselca.org

FAB's 6-week Fall Session begins on September 8 and will include both an in-person course and virtual courses! Registration is now open. Courses will explore subjects such as the history of the U.S. through the lens of baseball, an exploration of how the holidays we celebrate today were driven by historical forces, a look at the work of Vincent van Gogh and his influences, rock art in the ancient world, and more! Join us for these stimulating courses. 50+ are welcome, please share with your friends and family! Virtual courses are $35 each, and the In-Person course is $50.

For more information about Fifty and Better, see flyer here, and visit: www.callutheran.edu/fab, and join our contact list to receive updates as they are announced.

September 12, 2021, 9:30 a.m. – Adult Education Forum at First Lutheran in Colorado Springs, Colorado in the Fireside Room. Vicky Daub (Executive Director) will be teaching.

September 26, 2021, 9:00 a.m. – Vicky Daub (Executive Director) will be preaching at Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran, Canon City, Colorado.

October 17, 2021, 8:15 a.m. (Traditional Worship) and 10:45 a.m. (Contemporary Worship) – Vicky Daub (Executive Director) will be preaching at Zion Lutheran, Loveland, Colorado. To watch online, the Zoom link is https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81007308575?pwd=NC9VZ1czZFZ0VkVwT1EyRGxhSGFGdz09 (Meeting ID: 810 0730 8575 Passcode: 331760).

Visit the RMS website for the full VSCP calendar and more!

Have Veterans events at your church/community that you would like to publicize? Want Vicky or another VSCP board member to visit your church/community? Send all pertinent information to Vicky Daub at lvdaub2@gmail.com.

Are you looking for a way to deepen your relationship with God? Join us for a free workshop to learn the basics of Centering Prayer, a centuries old Christian contemplative practice. In this workshop you will learn the practice, experience it in a guided setting, and be able to ask questions and share experiences with the presenters and others. Register at: centeringprayer.net

Join us for a free workshop where our presenters will share their experience, strength and hope with Centering Prayer as an 11th step practice. We will present this simple method to help deepen contact with your Higher Power. Those who already practice Centering Prayer as a part of their 12 Step recovery and desire a refresher will also find the presentation useful. Register at: centeringprayer.net

On Sunday, Sept 12, the Rev. Dr. Darlene Bowden Muschett, by the grace and love of Jesus Christ, will celebrate 40 years of ordained ministry at Lord of the Mountains in Dillon, CO. Immediately following the 9am worship, she and her husband, Doug, will offer a vocal recital as a fundraiser for Doctors to the World. Dr. C. Lewis Perrinjaquet (aka Doc PJ), a 25 year participate in this ministry, will speak during the service. After the recital, light refreshments will be shared outdoors. All are welcome!

This Interim Ministry Training is based in the real-time real life work of an Intentional Interim Pastor. It will use a “coach-approach,” which believes that the participants are “creative, resourceful, and whole,” and is directed by a trained coach.

This training was initially designed by Fresh Thinking Coaching and Consulting and has been developed in cooperation with the Rocky Mountain Synod Office of the Bishop. The cost for the program is $585. To learn more and to register, please go to: https://www.purposefulpastor.com/interim-ministry

Coyote Howl Confirmation Retreats create sacred space for confirmation students to build upon a foundation which will travel back with them to their home congregations. Coyote Howl retreats offer community building, Bible study, worship and fellowship with youth from throughout the Rocky Mountain Synod. Alongside our dynamic, energetic and passionate staff, youth will explore the way that God is at work in their individual communities along with how their connection to one another essentially shapes their journey of faith. This program is designed to support congregational confirmation curriculum with time for congregations built in throughout the weekend.

Questions? Contact Jeff Fairfax at jeff@skyranchcolorado.org

For more information and to register for this Christian Church in the Southwest virtual gathering, go to ccsw.org/wine-in-wineskins-2021

Join NY Times best-selling author Maia Szalavitz to learn more about her new book, Undoing Drugs: The Untold Story of Harm Reduction and the Future of Addiction.

If you are not already familiar with it, may we introduce to you the bimonthly publication Administration Matters, an electronic newsletter for ELCA church leaders. It addresses common, practical issues including finance, governance, risk management, taxes and legal concerns, as well as other topics of interest relating to day-to-day operations and management in church settings.

You can subscribe to Administration Matters by going to https://blogs.elca.org/adminmatters/ (see left side of page to signup). Subscription is free, your name won’t be added to any other mailing lists, and you may unsubscribe at any time if you decide to opt out.

We hope that you will find Administration Matters to be a useful tool in managing your work on behalf of the ELCA. As always, don’t hesitate to reach out if we can assist you. The email address for the Office of the Treasurer is ot.info@elca.org.