In the wilderness and in the river, on the margins of society, John the Baptizer offered faithful witness to the ongoing work of God. People went beyond the borders of their familiar lives to hear the words of a prophet, to seek renewed faith, to begin new journeys and to be transformed through baptism.

We love the creativity emerging in the midst of the pandemic! Shout out to Abiding Hope, Bethany, Evergreen, and Christ for their collaborative ministry!

In the first-ever event of its kind, ELCA World Hunger presents an online Christmas benefit concert featuring Peter Mayer, a longtime Lutheran and the lead guitarist for Jimmy Buffett.

Although we are in the midst of a difficult winter due to COVID-19, we know that, through God’s abundance, you have shown incredible generosity by supporting the necessary work of the church. This concert is a gift to you this Advent season. It is a way for us to say thank you and provide a place for you to gather online with the church community as we prepare for the birth of our Savior.

The concert is free and will premiere on the ELCA Facebook page, with a live chat so you can engage with the audience, ELCA staff and Peter Mayer himself. Donations to ELCA World Hunger are encouraged and will support our church’s work to respond to hunger and poverty in more than 60 countries around the world.

Your 2020 Annual Report covers are now available for download in two versions. One is individual pages. The other is a two-page spread across 11x17 paper. Both can be downloaded at Stewardship resources: https://www.elca.org/Resources/Stewardship#Leadership, or below.

The RMS insert for your annual reports is now available along with other resources to share about our life together as church:

This devotion uses traditional Christmas melodies, the ones we yearn to sing and experience. But since this is Advent, not Christmas, each Christmas melody will usually have a new Advent text. These new texts are written by pastors Pamela Gonzalez, Carolyn Winfrey-Gillett, or other lyricists. Each video will include a musical tidbit on the history of each melody or song as well. We close each devotional with a prayer to guide us in our journey this Advent season.

Our devotional series will be accessible and free to anyone via our social media platforms as well as at https://skyranchcolorado.virtual-camp.org/advent-resources/. Want more information or access for your congregation, please contact the Sky Ranch office (970-493-5258) or Brad@skyranchcolorado.org. A printed version of the material in the videos will also be available.

Join Luther House for our third annual Carols & Cheer, an afternoon of Christmas and holiday music! Since we want everyone to be safe, this will be an online-only event and everyone is invited to attend. Visit the Luther House website to register via Zoom.

Since our cheer will be enjoyed in our own homes, we hope you can make a cup of coffee or tea and warm up with us. If you make a donation to Luther House, you can receive a Luther House mug and a chance to get some piñon coffee! The form to get a mug is also on our website!

Our musicians will again be Pauleta Hendrickson, director of music at St. Luke Lutheran Church, and Clara Byom, director of music at St. Tim's Lutheran Church. Any questions? Reach out to Pastor Bre at pastor.bre.roberts@gmail.com.

Augustana Arts is pleased to present the world premiere performance of Happy Days for String Trio composed just a month ago by renowned composer Emma Lou Diemer. Diemer is an American composer, best known for her works for organ and choir. Dedicatee Philip Ficsor has released two recordings with Diemer at the keyboard and describes Happy Days as “breath-taking in its beauty and emotional power. It’s a light-hearted series of movements belie their compositional sophistication.” Ms. Diemer will share her insights about each, and will join us for the premier via Zoom from her home in Santa Barbara, California!

This event is presented in collaboration with Groupmuse, a virtual performance platform. The full program will feature Dvorak’s Terzetto after intermission and Q&A with the composer. Preregistration through Groupmuse is required and the entry cost to Groupmuse is $3. Visit augustanaarts.org/tickets for more information and to register.

Christmas is all about memories and celebrating with one another. We love to share our memories of the things we’ve done, important gatherings and experiences, the food we ate, and best of all, the great music we love. Join Stratus Chamber Orchestra’s Music Director David Rutherford and his wife Pearl for “At Home with the Rutherfords.” Throughout the evening, members of Stratus Chamber Orchestra will provide heartfelt performances of unforgettable Christmas and Holiday favorites.

Registration is required and a “shopping list” and menu will be available to download approx. two weeks prior to the event.. Join with your friends virtually as we also invite your comments, photos, and more throughout the culinary concert and holiday season. There is no admission fee, however, a suggested donation of $50 for two is appreciated in support of Stratus Chamber Orchestra and Augustana Arts. Go

The experience of having suicidal thoughts is far more common than many people realize. Because of the stigma attached to suicide in our society, however, many people who have these thoughts are afraid to reach out for help and feel terribly isolated. If we're having suicidal thoughts, where can we turn for help? How can we recognize when someone we know might be thinking of suicide, and when they are, how can we help?

Our presenter is Jay Winstead, a licensed clinical social worker at Mental Health Partners (MHP). From 2010-2019 he was part of the MHP crisis intervention team, where he worked with hundreds of people having suicidal thoughts. Since 2019, he's been a trainer and suicide prevention project lead at MHP.

Hosted by Atonement Lutheran Church, Boulder and the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness (www.inmi.us). Join Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4264420220

Discover the tools you need to safely explore the meanings of your dreams in small groups. If you want a chance of having a dream fragment explored, bring a snippet of a dream. A single scene or symbol is good for this introductory work, and it can be recent or from decades ago. With twenty years of experience, Laura is happy to help you explore your dreams.

Laura K. Deal is a certified Facilitator in Group Projective Dream Work through Jeremy Taylor’s Marin Institute for Projective Dream Work. Laura is the author of The Newcomer’s Guide to the Invisible Realm: A Journey Through Dreams, Metaphor, and Imagination. Learn more at www.FirstChurchofMetaphor.com.

Colorado Gives Day is an annual day of giving to non-profit organizations all across Colorado. Whether you live in Colorado or not, you can donate to Rainbow Trail on December 8. Your contributions make a huge difference to their ministry.

The gifts received on this day help RTLC to provide great staff, excellent facilities, and life-changing experiences for their campers. Each donation helps Rainbow Trail receive additional funds as part of $1.5 million from Community First Foundation that is divided among all participating non-profit organizations.

You can even pre-schedule your CO Gives Day gift NOW so you won't forget to donate! This feature, for a one-time donation on Colorado Gives Day will qualify for a boost from the FirstBank Incentive Fund. To pre-schedule, go here (link) to Rainbow Trail's Colorado Gives webpage, then simply click the “donate” button and in the "Donation frequency" section choose the radio button that says “Colorado Gives Day.” Support non-profits like Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp on Colorado Gives Day.

Give at https://www.coloradogives.org/rainbowtrail/overview.

For more information, visit https://www.rainbowtrail.org/donate/colorado-gives-day/.

We Have Gone Online! Join us in 2021 for Adapting to a New Reality: Living into a Fresh Vision for God’s Church. Monthly webinars focus on key areas:  

The Ignite the Church Conference movement continues to grow as leaders are encouraged and ministry is transformed!  From attendees of the 2020 Conference:  

“Best church conference I’ve ever attended!”  

Please go to www.IgniteTheChurch.net to see the outstanding line up of speakers and panel leaders and to get more information on how you can join the movement.  

All conference proceeds are donated to the ELCA Fund for Leaders. Last year's gift to future leaders totaled $6000.  

We hope to see you virtually! #ignitethechurch  

Views from the Rockies is produced by the Rocky Mountain Synodical Women's Organization (RMSWO). It provides information about current programs, projects, and more. Here women share their ideas, their thoughts, their concerns, and their joys. The Views from the Rockies seeks to provide the news that all women in the Rocky Mountain Synod need! Get your copy here.

Coming Dec. 15 -- Our Winter edition premieres one week before the Winter Solstice. It will include religious and ecological perspectives on the theme, Re-framing Darkness. We have often paired darkness with fear and evil. In the natural world, however, and in our human existence, darkness is essential and sacred. As we approach 12/21/20 -- the longest night in the Northern hemisphere and the shortest in the Southern, our contributors explore the power and beauty of night.

Visit AllCreation.org to read our next edition, Re-framing Darkness, which publishes on December 15 and features a keynote from Rev. Kwame Pitts (ELCA) and fresh content from our team.

AllCreation.org was founded by Chris Searles of BioIntegrity.net and Rev. Tom VandeStadt of the Congregational Church of Austin, UCC. It is currently edited by Pastor Carmen Retzlaff (ELCA), and is produced quarterly, at the times of the equinoxes and solstices - times that have been noted and held sacred by humans from many traditions in all times and places.

St. John's Lutheran Church in Thornton, Colorado is seeking a bi-lingual candidate for our Community Connection ministry to develop relationships in our local community through our Early Learning Center and technology ministries. We're a welcoming and inclusive community that fosters connection to God, each other and the community.

This part-time (20-25 hrs/wk) position reports to the Pastor and works with the Office Manager, ELC Director and Technology Team to support the congregation’s ministry.

Job description here. For more info, write to: gracepastor2@gmail.com.