Together, we proclaim and embody God's unconditional love for the sake of the world.
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JUNE 7, 2023
a reconciling in Christ Synod
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June is PRIDE month!
As PRIDE celebrations begin, it is an important time to affirm and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. PRIDE events will be taking place throughout the synod:
- Cheyenne, WY -- June 3-10
- Albuquerque, NM -- June 5-10
Check your local community and congregation for events! Click HERE for Congregational Resources
If you live in or around the Denver metro area, PRIDE events will include a Lutheran Booth at Civic Center Park and an ecumenical march on Sunday, June 25th.
Bishops March - Sunday, June 25th
Bishop Jim Gonia, Bishop Kym Lucas from The Episcopal Church in Colorado, and Bishop Karen Oliveto from the United Methodist Church have invited all area Episcopalians, Lutherans, and Methodists to march with them in the Denver Pride Parade -- Let's show our support for equality and justice for all, walk together, and show that love always wins!
The parade will start at 9:30 am, but we encourage everyone to gather on the outside steps of St. John's Cathedral 1350 N. Washington St. at 8:00 am and we will walk to Cheesman Park to line up together.
- Be prepared to spend about 2 hours total for the march and be prepared to walk approximately 2 miles.
- Alternatively, you can meet the group no later than 8:30 am on Sunday, June 25 at the northernmost loop of Cheesman Park with our parade unit (Red #39).
- Coordinate with other members of your church or diocese to have a pole banner, matching shirts, or signs to hold. Be creative and have fun!
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Volunteer at the Denver Pride Lutheran Booth
- Volunteers are needed to help staff the booth in 2-hour shifts between 11:00 am and 7:00 pm on Saturday, June 24 and from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm on Sunday, June 25
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The RMS Lutheran Booth is D36, the Episcopal Booth is D34, and the Methodist Booth is D35 (Map of Pride Fest 2023)
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Cruzando Fronteras - the RMS 2023 "Crossing Borders" Assembly
-- Are you still thinking about it?!
Please enjoy the highlight reel below! More information and follow-up will be coming soon!
At this year's Assembly, Bishop Jim Gonia pledged that voting members would be invited to participate in a coordinated advocacy action to build on their experience at the border. We are currently crafting the details of that action with our synod's advocacy staff in Colorado and New Mexico and our ELCA Washington Office. Stay tuned for more information in just a few weeks! (And if you weren't a voting member at synod assembly, no problem: you will be invited to join the action, too!)
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Telling the story of Mission Support in your congregation?
RMS Treasurer, Susan Sharkey's Assembly report is available to share, click HERE.
And read the May 2023 ELCA Mission Support Memo with its story from the Grand Canyon Synod HERE!
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Innovation Vitality Grants - Apply TODAY!
Have you ever said “this would be such a great idea for our church, if we only had some money to get it started!”?
Here’s your congregation’s opportunity to move toward making that idea happen!
Congregations may apply for a 2023 RMS “Innovation-Vitality Grant” to fund innovative experiments or programs designed to increase congregational vitality, aid congregations in carrying out their mission and helping them to realize their vision.
There is $30,000 of grant money to be awarded in amounts between $1000 and $7500 to between seven and ten congregations. Grant applications will be processed on a rolling basis, beginning in June, so get your team together and apply soon! Grants will be available until the funds are all disbursed. This opportunity is funded through the RMS 3E Phase 2 Lilly Endowment Grant - "it's for you!"
For more information Click HERE!
If you have any questions, please contact Dana Peterson HERE
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Best Skills, Best Churches | |
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3E Lilly Grant is partnering with the Arizona State University Lodestar Center for Philanthropy and Nonprofit Innovation to offer Best Skills Best Churches
Best Skills, Best Churches, offered online, is a graduate/executive level certificate program designed to advance rostered ministers' and lay leaders’ knowledge and skills for effective management of congregations and ministries.
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Best Skills, Best Churches will cover:
- Volunteers in Service
- Legal Aspects of Governance
- Effective Communication and Handling Conflict
- Marketing and Community Presence
- Financial Management for Effective Service
- Fundraising Aspects of Stewardship.
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Best Skills, Best Churches will meet from 6:30– 9:30 pm (except in December from 5:30–8:30 pm) on the following dates:
- July 11 & 13
- August 1 & 3
- September 5 & 7
- October 3 & 5
- October 31 & November 2
- December 5 & 7
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Upon satisfactory course completion, participants will receive a certificate in Non-Profit Management.
The cost is only $150 per participant - a $775 value made possible by the 3E Lilly Grant! Click the link below to enroll.
Questions? contact Deacon Sarah Bjornebo HERE
The cohort is almost full -- Register TODAY!
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RMS & ELCA news and events | |
Registration for 2024-25 classes now open!
Choose a 2-year program running from September 2023 through March 2025 or a 13-month program January 2024 through January 2025.
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EXCELLENCE IN LEADERSHIP
Resiliency, Community, and the Loneliness of Leadership Retreat
August 3-5, 2023
Leaders are asked to navigate many situations in their roles in the church, at work, and in social situations. These demands have only increased in the recent times of political and social division, COVID-19 challenges, and generalized anxiety that runs rampant. Leaders are depleted, exhausted, and struggling to feel connected.
In response to these realities, Excellence in leadership has created a retreat, "Resiliency, Community, and the Loneliness of Leadership". Using tools from the ministry's curriculum and resources from some of the leading experts on mental health and leadership, we will spend 3 days together discovering how we may lead boldly and with vitality as we move into the future.
Join us on August 3-5 at the Franciscan Retreat Center in Colorado Springs. It will be helpful if you have completed or are currently enrolled in Excellence in Leadership.
The retreat is $375 per person. Get more info and to register, click button below!
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ELCA YOUNG ADULT MINISTRY
Announcing the ELCA Young Adult Fellowship
The ELCA is excited to announce a new program for Young Adults! The ELCA Young Adult Vocational Fellowship is an exciting program that offers young adults an amazing opportunity to discover their calling while gaining valuable professional experience. In partnership with new and existing year-long opportunities at ELCA affiliated ministries, participants are equipped with the necessary tools and knowledge to explore their faith and vocational aspirations, all while receiving support from a network of peers and experienced ELCA coaches. The program is designed to prepare communities and ministry organizations to welcome new, young, and diverse leaders, paving the way for a more inclusive and dynamic future. Additionally, fellows receive competitive compensation and benefits, including access to mental health resources, relocation assistance, coaching, and a small group cohort.
The program has partnered with several sites for the 2023-2024 year, including The Dwelling, All Places Together, National Lutheran Communities & Services, Together Lab, Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp, The Hunger Advocacy Fellow Program, Building Resilient Communities with the ELCA Churchwide Organization, Pine Ridge Reconciliation Center, the Minneapolis Area Synod, and Capital University. This program truly embodies the ELCA's commitment to empowering young adults and building a brighter tomorrow. For more information about the program and these partner sites, please visit http://www.elca.org/Vocational-Fellowship.
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The ELCA Coaching Ministry received requests for evening coach trainings to be offered in order for lay persons to attend. They now have a session that will begin June 6th. Details are available HERE.
ELCA Segment 1 BASIC SKILLS COACH TRAINING
(formerly called Level 1) Tuesdays - June 6, 13, 20, 27, July 11 (first triad), July 18, August 1, 8 (second triad), August 15 (final triad) [Please note we are skipping July 4 and July 25] - 7-9pm Central times* Cost = $375 Instructor = Nathan Swenson-Reinhold Required attendance for "live"...
www.elcacoaching.org
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INDIGENOUS MINISTRIES & TRIBAL RELATIONS
ELCA Truth and Healing Movement
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Learn more about Indigenous Ministries and Tribal Relations. And visit Truth & Healing Movement for activities and ideas for May and June.
Film Screening: “Native Nations” June 7, 6:00-7:00pm MT
You are invited to join the screening of “Native Nations: Standing Together for Civil Rights,” a one-hour documentary exploring the role of the Lutheran church in the American Indian civil rights movement of the 1970s and 1980s. In the documentary you will learn how Lutherans were first convinced by the American Indian Movement to respond, how Lutherans responded by standing in solidarity with the Movement and Indigenous people in the United States, and about the creation and work of the National Indian Lutheran Board.
A panel discussion about the National Indian Lutheran Board will be hosted on June 21.
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RMS WOMEN'S ORGANIZATION
Views From the Rockies May 2023 and more!
Get the latest issue of the Views of the Rockies here. The registration form for the Southeast Colorado Cluster retreat is also here and a copy of Elsie.
Who is Elsie? Did you get a letter from RMSWO President Anna Thompson in January asking to color Flat Elsie and take photos? So share your stories and photos by sending them to anna498.at@gmail.com and we will include them in the next issue of the Views.
Our RMSWO Fall Gathering is in Colorado Springs, October 6-9. Be watching the next issue of the Views for more information about it. It will be good to see and share the experience with all of you. Save the date!
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Reclaim: Embody, Embolden, Liberate
by African Descent Ministries
September 14 - 17, 2023
RECLAIM is a curated gathering for people of African Descent of all ages and gender identities brought to us by African Descent Ministries. Building on well established community traditions and principles like Umoja, Sankofa, and Ubuntu, we will gather together to grow across generations. The African Descent community thrives most when gathered. This event is meant for our siblings in the pulpits, pews, and brunch.
Follow us on social media as we announce our workshop leaders and keynote speakers. Join African Descent Ministries and our community on September 14th through the 17th in Minneapolis, MN.
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Support Veterans Homes in our synod
Each area of the Rocky Mountain Synod has at least one Veterans Home. The Vision Statement of one of these homes is “Working together to provide the highest quality of care and the best quality of life for veterans and their families.”
Get information about Veterans homes in our synod:
The Veteran Servant Corps Project (VSCP), a ministry of the Rocky Mountain Synod (RMS), is currently offering regular worship services at three of these homes. VSCP pays $200 plus expenses to ordained clergy for each of these services.
Veteran Servant Corps Project is a self-funded ministry of the RMS. As such, a minimum of $600 in monthly donations is needed to enable VSCP to continue offering these worship services. There are more of these Veterans Homes desiring worship services. At this point, VSCP can add no more worship services until supporting donations are received.
Please prayerfully consider donating to help us expand our ministry. This is a marvelous opportunity to honor a Military Member and/or Veteran in your life as Memorial Day 2023 approaches. Click the button below and select "Veterans Servant Corps Project" from the drop down list.
If you would prefer to send a check, please send it to the Rocky Mountain Synod, (7375 Samuel Drive, Denver, CO 80221), noting that the donation is for the Veteran Servant Corps Project. Thank you.
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JUNE 11, 2023
Second Sunday After Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
O God, you are the source of life and the ground of our being. By the power of your Spirit bring healing to this wounded world, and raise us to the new life of your Son, Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
In God's Hands
Ecumenical Prayer Cycle from the World Council of Churches
11 - 17 June : Botswana, Zimbabwe
Join us in daily prayer
ELCA Prayer Ventures are 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.
ELCA Prayer Ventures (monthly) and Prayer Ventures, Living Lutheran (daily)
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WEEK OF JUNE 4
RMS Prayer Cycle
June 2023 - Southeast Conference
First Lutheran Church
Colorado Springs, CO
Pastor Carrie Baylis
Pastor Travis Norton
Grace Lutheran Church
Colorado Springs, CO
Pastor Kelsey Fauser
Mount Calvary Lutheran Church
Colorado Springs, CO
Pastor Sung (Kevin) Cho
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church
Colorado Springs, CO
Pastor Dave Cruson
UC Health
Colorado Springs, CO
Pastor Julie Britsch
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Installations
Pastor Julie Brooks
Holy Shepherd, Lakewood, CO
Saturday, June 10 at 5:00pm
Color of the day is Green
Pastor Kim Loeliger Gonia
Holy Shepherd, Lakewood, CO
Saturday, June 10 at 5:00pm
Color of the day is Green
Pastor Alwen Bledsoe
Lutheran Church of the Master, Lakewood, CO
Sunday, July 16 at 1:00pm
Color of the day is Green
Pastor Carmen Retzlaff
El Pueblilito UMC, El Prado, NM
Sunday, July 23 at 11:00am
Color of the day is Green
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SAVE THE DATE!
LFSRM 2023 Tee of Hope Golf Tournament
July 31 @ Red Rocks Golf Club
The 2023 LFSRM Tee of for Hope Golf Tournament will be held on July 31, 2023 at the Red Rocks Golf Club. This exclusive venue is stunning and provides a perfect backdrop for a day of golfing with friends all in support of the many programs of LFS. To sign up, visit www.lfsrm.org/golf.
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HOUSE FOR ALL SINNERS AND SAINTS
Practicing Reparations Training
Saturday, June 17 at 10:00am
(23 Lincoln Street)
House For All Sinners and Saints' anti-racism ministry, St Harriet's Guild and Welcome Home, invites you to a reparations training for church leaders to cover the basics of reparations and lessons learned from House and Welcome Home. Welcome Home cultivates conciliatory and reciprocal relationships and reparations towards mutual healing. Help us imagine and actualize a future of liberation together. We see to practice reparations by helping Black women healers to improve and purchase their homes. Join us on June 17 at 10:00am (23 Lincoln Street). The Housekeepers (church council) at House have made a $5,000 donation to Welcome Home and encourages and challenges participants in this training to collectively match this incredible gift.
Questions, contact Becky at welcomehomereparations@gmail.com.
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Northwestern Pennsylvania (8A) | |
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"Our synod is comprised of 74 congregations in the northwest corner of Pennsylvania. Our territory covers all or part of 15 counties: Armstrong, Cameron, Crawford, Clarion, Elk, Erie, Forest, Indiana, Jefferson, McKean, Mercer, Potter, Venango, Warren, and Westmoreland. "
The Rev. Michael L. Lozano, Sharon, Pa., was elected June 15 (2019) to serve a six-year term as bishop of the Northwestern Pennsylvania Synod.
Visit northwesternpasynodelca.org and on Facebook.
Click here to view a Bishops and Synods map of our 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.
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Children, Youth, and Family Director (full-time)
Office Manager (part-time)
Engagement and Education Coordinator
Director of School Ministry
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Bookkeeper (part-time)
Early Childhood Teacher
Bethany Lutheran / Bethany Early Childhood Center - Cherry Hills Village, CO
Preschool Teachers
Joyful Mission Preschool - Parker, CO
Church Administrator
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