Synod Council Update

The Synod Council and Office of the Bishop Staff met last Friday and Saturday for the quarterly in-person and Zoom meeting.

The agenda featured training in diversity, equity, and inclusion lead by Pastor Barbara Berry-Bailey. The council and staff committed to continue this work by participating in the MasterClass, "Black History, Black Freedom, Black Love," and meeting monthly in small groups.

The business focused on staff updates including a new staffing plan, celebrating the ministry of Pastor Kent Mueller, and the proposed budget for 2023.

Additional information regarding the budget and our financial life together will be available soon through this email, the website, and pre-Synod Assembly meetings.

RMS NOMINATIONS NEEDED

Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church

Rocky Mountain Synod is to submit two nominees by February 13th

The 2022 ELCA Churchwide Assembly directed “the (ELCA) Church Council to establish a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church comprised of leaders of diverse representation from all three expressions that, working in consultation with the Conference of Bishops and the Church Council, shall reconsider the statements of purpose for each of the expressions of this church, the principles of its organizational structure, and all matters pertaining thereunto, being particularly attentive to our shared commitment to dismantle racism, and will present its findings and recommendations to the 2025 Churchwide Assembly in preparation for a possible reconstituting convention to be called under the rules for a special meeting of the Churchwide Assembly.” (CA22.01.06) 

Nomination process: At its November 2022 meeting, the ELCA Church Council authorized the establishment of a Commission for a Renewed Lutheran Church (CRLC) to consist of no more than 35 voting members and directed the Executive Committee of the Church Council to initiate the process of forming the Commission.

Each synod is being asked to submit two nominees. From the nominees submitted by each synod within the regions of the ELCA, the ELCA Church Council will appoint two voting members from each region. (The Rocky Mountain Synod is part of Region 2 which also includes the Sierra Pacific, Southwest California, Grand Canyon, and Pacifica synods. There are nine regions in the ELCA) In addition, a third voting member from each region will be appointed from the open nomination process facilitated by churchwide. Thus, 27 members of the Commission will come from the regions (9 regions X 3). Additionally, up to eight at-large voting members will be appointed from both synod nominations and from the open nomination process (Information about this process has been recently included in eConnection.) 

Each voting member's role will be to represent the interests of this whole church while also bringing the perspective of the member’s geographical area and being mindful of other considerations. For a full description of the task, the makeup of the commission, and the time commitment required clink the button below.

ASSEMBLY 2023

Cruzando Fronteras

May 16-18, 2023

El Paso, Texas

"Crossing Borders" Synod Assembly will provide an opportunities for participants to experience firsthand the gifts and challenges of ministry and mission on the southern border of the United States.

On Tuesday, May 16, the assembly will begin at 4:00 p.m. Wednesday will feature full-day immersion experiences. The assembly concludes at noon on Thursday, May 18. Additional details and registration will be posted soon!

If you are planning to attend, please secure a valid passport -- not everyone will have the opportunity to go to Ciudad Juarez as part of the immersion experiences, but you will not want to miss the opportunity, and you may want to cross on your own. Please also consider making travel arrangements sooner rather than later. Questions? contact Deacon Sarah Bjornebo HERE

LAM COLORADO

Join us for Colorado Lutheran Day at the Capitol

Thursday, February 16

8:00am to 1:00pm

beginning at St. Paul L.C.

1600 Grant Street, Denver 80203

Don't miss this opportunity to put your faith in action! This annual event will focus on learning, community building, and lobbying elected officials. You can join us online via Zoom or in-person. Registration is currently open!

Registration is $20 for full-day in-person (includes breakfast, lunch, and all materials. Registration is $5 to join the morning session only by Zoom

For more details and to register now, visit: Colorado Lutheran Day at the Capitol info + FAQ.

LAM NEW MEXICO

2023 NM Issue Briefing and Bishop's Luncheon!

Tuesday, February 21, 9:00am-noon

After pausing this annual event for the last two years, the New Mexico 2023 Legislative Issue Briefing is scheduled in person for Tuesday, February 21 from 9 a.m. to noon at the United Church of Santa Fe.  Sign-in and refreshments will be available beginning at 8:30 a.m. Following the protocols of United Church, masks will be required by participants in the building. The event will include morning devotions, a Bible study on advocacy with Bishop Jim, special guest presentations, and a legislative advocacy summary of priority bills still active.

Please note, there will be no Zoom option for the Issue Briefing.

At the conclusion of the Issue Briefing, participants will proceed to the La Fonda Hotel in downtown Santa Fe. The Bishop's Luncheon which will begin at 12:30 p.m. and conclude at about 2:30 p.m. The luncheon will include more with Bishop Jim, special presentations, and of course, a wonderful lunch. Masks are not required by La Fonda and thus are optional.

The cost for both NM events is $40 per person. (This amount covers just the charge for lunch at La Fonda. The event is not a fundraiser.)

Spring Cohort of Excellence in Leadership

Registration is open!

Excellence in Leadership is opening up a new Spring Cohort that begins March 12, 2023, and will meet about every other week until April 28, 2024. This type of leadership development is a good way for a newly formed Congregational Council to begin its work together.

If you have two or three people from your Council, including the deacon or pastor, who might be interested in exploring the intersection between spirituality and leading a faith community in these uncharted times, check out if this ministry might be right for your congregation. This small number of people participating in learning the tools and growing in leadership capacity can help the whole Council begin the process of healthy change.

CHECK FRAUD

Mission Support electronic payment option coming soon!

In an effort to deter fraud, the synod will offer an electronic payment option soon!

Please continue to send checks to the Office of the Bishop in standard business envelopes (no windows please).

Please ask treasurers and financial staff to reconcile the RMS Mission Support statement emailed or sent each month with your records to confirm that the RMS has received all payments and alert Jon Johnson, Finance Director if payments are missing. Questions? contact Jon Johnson HERE

RMS MINISTRIES

Resources for Veterans

Many veterans are unaware of the many resources available to them after their military service to help them navigate challenges they may face. These challenges may include medical and mental health issues, difficulties in personal relationships, as well as financial hardships. Taking the first step towards facing these challenges is often the most difficult for veterans.

If you are a veteran or you know of a veteran facing life challenges and don't know where to turn, the Veteran Servant Corps Project is here to help. We can help you or the veteran you know take that first step towards getting the needed assistance. Contact Vicky Daub at director@veteranservantcorps.org.

RMS FAITH FORMATION TEAM

Trauma Informed Youth Work Webinar

presented by Youth Ministry Consultants

TOMORROW February 9

at 9:00pm MT

Check out our new partnership with Youth Ministry Consultants (youthministryconsultants.org)! Not only do they offer monthly webinars, and different trainings/ cohorts, but you can also call Rebecca or me (Kinna Kemp at misskinna.cyf@gmail.com) for consulting. I hope everyone can take advantage of these free or highly reduced-cost resources, gifted by your Rocky Mountain Synod! 

ATTN: Youth Pastors & Ministry Leaders: Who else wants their ministry to be safe for hurting teens to find God’s healing? 

• 44% of teens nationwide are experiencing hopelessness
• 45% of children in the U.S. have had one traumatic experience and 1 in 10 have experienced 3 or more

We are ALL working with youth that have experienced trauma on some level. Youth Leaders need to know:

•  What trauma is and how it impacts teens
•  How to provide effective and compassionate support for teens
•  How to avoid causing more harm or getting overwhelmed

Don’t miss our Webinar addressing these needs with youth ministry expert Tim Cryer. For 20 years, Tim has specialized in creating healing environments for hurting students. Tim will equip youth leaders to adjust their ministry to give the care and support students need! You will also have the chance to ask questions about how to handle challenges in your ministry!

* Use Coupon Code: RMS23 to register for free! *

Update from Harper Bolz-Weber,

YAGM serving in Jerusalem/West Bank

Oh, boy. A lot has happened since my last newsletter! The biggest thing, of course, was the Christmas season and the start of a new year. As I’m sure you can imagine, Christmastime in Bethlehem is an especially rowdy time of year. People come from all over Palestine, and indeed from all over the world, to witness the tree lighting in Manger Square near the Church of Nativity, honored as the location of Jesus’ birth. The streets bustle with pop-up markets full of gifts, treats, and handicrafts. To be totally honest - I was overwhelmed! I chose a few activities to participate in, then took some time to get some much-needed rest.

Read the full story here.

<graphic credit: “Maryam” by Eman Haram - permanent collection of Dar Al Kalima University, Bethlehem>

YOUNG ADULTS IN GLOBAL MISSION

Young Adult Border Immersion Trip

Las Cruces, New Mexico

April 26-30, 2023

The ELCA Young Adult Ministries, AMMPARO, and LIRS invite young adults to apply for border immersion trip taking place from April 26-30 in Las Cruces, NM. This is an opportunity for young adults ages 18-35 to travel to the US-Mexico border to experience an accompaniment-style immersion program, where relationships and first-hand educational experiences are prioritized, and issues are linked to action. Submit your application by February 1st.

LUTHERAN WORLD RELIEF

Help for earthquake survivors in Turkey

Right now, congregations can rush aid to our neighbors devastated by the earthquake in Turkey. Lutheran World Relief teams are already coordinating a response, and it is your compassion and generosity that will rush emergency care. Gifts to LWR's emergency response fund will deliver critically needed care for families like water, medical care, shelter and essential supplies. You can give online at lwr.org/quake or mail a check to Lutheran World Relief, PO Box 17061, Baltimore, MD 21297-1061. Please write QUAKE in the memo.



IN-PERSON EVENT

Jazz Vespers

Second Saturdays at 6

Saturday, February 11 at 6:00pm

Saint Paul Lutheran Community of Faith

1600 Grant Street, Denver, CO 80203

303.839.1432

The Andrew Vogt Jazz Quartet swings in the spirit for a terrific Jazz Vespers service at Saint Paul Lutheran Community of Faith. All are welcome at this church. This is an historic old church building in Denver with a lot of history and a big high ceiling sanctuary great for listening to live jazz! The Andrew Vogt Jazz Quartet will perform several full-length jazz tunes during the hour! You will be able to hear and feel the spirit through the jazz music! Please join us!

ZOOM CONVERSATION

Reflecting on our collective experience of the pandemic

rescheduled due to Zoom issues:

TOMORROW, Thursday, February 9

from 11:00am-12:30pm MT

register in advance, below

Pastor Sarah Scherschligt, an ELCA pastor serving in Alexandria, VA, wrote a book during the pandemic called, God Holds You: A Pandemic Chronicle. Pastor Sarah is now offering to share about her book and lead an RMS small group conversation on our collective experience of the pandemic. 

In her blog she writes, “These gatherings have confirmed my hunch that the act of remembering the pandemic together—as church—is invaluable. It helps us grieve, heal, build community, and commit to the values that we discovered were so important. It also helps us lay the groundwork for future generations to look back on what we have done and use our stories to make sense of their own.”

Please register so we can contact you if there are any Zoom issues. Pastor Diana Linden-Johnson will provide the Zoom link to you prior to the event.

ZOOM CONVERSATION

"Sacred Nature" Book Discussion

Saturday, February 11, 10:00am

Join the Creation Care Team in discussing Sacred Nature by Karen Armstrong.

Read a review of Sacred Nature here. From the back cover - This book is an urgent manifesto and a practical guide on how to rekindle our spiritual bond with nature, drawing on the wisdom of the world's religious traditions.

Zoom - us02web.zoom.us/j/83008940316

SHARE THIS LENT DEVOTIONAL

"Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing"

February 22-April 9

Join the Creation Care Team and use the devotional "Wild Hope: Stories for Lent from the Vanishing (Volume 1)" by Gayle Boss.

From the cover - We share this planet with creatures magnificent, delicate, intricate—and now vanishing at a faster rate than at any other time in Earth’s history. Spend Lent with twenty-five of these endangered animals. Vivid descriptions of the miracle of each creature and the peril it faces will fill readers with wonder and grief at what these animals suffer on a planet shaped by human choices. Their true and difficult stories will wake readers to a greater compassion—which is what Lent, meaning “springtime,” has always been for. These stories also wake in us a wild hope that from all this death and ruin something new could rise. The promise of Lent is that something new will rise. In fact, as these stories attest, our hope, though wild, is not impossible and is already loose in the world.

Read more here, questions- rmscreationcareteam@gmail.com.

Intro to Lectio Divina

Saturday, February 11, 9:00am - noon

Lectio Divina, a Latin term for “divine reading,” is an ancient monastic practice of praying the Scriptures. In this workshop, you will learn the basics of Lectio Divina, experience it in a guided setting, and be able to ask questions and share experiences with the presenter and your fellow participants.

During Lectio Divina, the practitioner listens to the text of the Bible with the “ear of the heart,” as if one is in conversation with God. Lectio Divina includes moments of reading (lectio), reflecting on (meditatio), responding to (oratio) and resting in (contemplatio) the Word of God with the aim of nourishing and deepening one’s relationship with the Divine. Lectio Divina will bring you into a more intimate sense of the presence of God in the word of Scripture, and you will experience that grace this word has to influence, and indeed transform your life.

Click button below to register or call (303)698-7729

AURORA, CO

Join Rejoicing Spirits for Valentines!

Sunday, February 19, 4:00-6:00pm

Join Rejoicing Spirits at Lord of the Hills Lutheran Church 21755 E Smoky Hill Road in Aurora for dinner and worship!

We will unite in activities, singing, laughing and loving God. Rejoicing Spirits is an inclusive worship space for people with cognitive and intellectual disabilities, their caregivers, families and anyone who seeks an open, joyful and creative worship experience.

We will gather at LOTH on the third Sunday of each month in 2023.

If you would like more information regarding the Rejoicing Spirits experience or volunteering, please contact Pastor Margot Wright at pastor@lordofthehills.org or Pastor Ann Hultquist at hultquist@augustanadenver.org.

“We will know what it is to be created in God’s image when all are included."

ZOOM EVENT

Trauma & Its Healing

presented by Dr. Pat Fosarelli, M.D., D.Min

Tuesday, February 21

4-6 pm PT, 5-7 pm MT, 6-8 pm CT, 7-9 pm ET

Although we might think only of major crises when we hear the word “trauma,” trauma includes any disturbing experience that elicits a highly negative emotional response. Trauma is characterized in three ways: acute, chronic, and complex. This presentation will offer information as to the types of trauma (and examples thereof); how they present/how they can be recognized; what damage they can do to those experiencing them; strategies for beginning the healing process; and vicarious trauma (the trauma suffered by those witnessing trauma suffered by others, including caregivers). Download flyer here.

The Lutheran Faith Community Nurse Association is sponsoring this educational event. Non-members and non-nurses are welcome to attend.

Registration fee: $20 for LFCNA members/ $30 for non-members

"The Greater Milwaukee Synod (GMS) is a geographic grouping of congregations, extending from Sheboygan down to the Illinois border and from Lake Michigan to the western edge of Waukesha County. We are one of 65 synods of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA). This synod is made up of 116 congregations, 3 Synodically Authorized Worshiping Communities, and 59,143 baptized members in southeastern Wisconsin led by Bishop Paul D. Erickson and a 17-member synod council. <more>"

The Rev. Paul D. Erickson was elected June 4, 2016 to a six-year term as bishop of the Greater Milwaukee Synod.

Visit milwaukeesynod.org and on Facebook.

Click here for a map of our 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.