We have entered a new phase of pandemic church life – a phase that is at once hopeful and highly complicated. The hope comes from current efforts to vaccinate as much of the population as possible, which should eventually inhibit the ability of the virus to spread quickly and minimize risk of contracting COVID-19. The complexity comes from a combination of factors including:

Young Adults in Global Mission- A sad but wise decision announced- “After much consideration and thought, we have decided to cancel our 2021-2022 year of service for the Young Adults in Global Mission program. We will not be sending volunteers into service this year, resulting in two years in a row with no active volunteers.”

The International Women Leaders Endowment Fund- These students are still hard at work and your support is still vital for the equitable equipping of tomorrow’s church leaders.

Positions in Global Service that might have your name on them-On the ELCA Careers page, you can find positions that are being recruited for presently. Just a few of those include:

Congratulations to Pastor Doug Hill, Abiding Hope, Littleton CO on the release of his new book from Fortress Press, titled Cultural Architecture: A Path to Creating Vitalized Congregations.

Get your copy here: https://www.amazon.com/Cultural-Architecture-Creating-Vitalized-Congregations/dp/1506466974

Resolutions are requests for action by the Synod Council or Office of the Bishop. Memorials are passed on for consideration by the Churchwide Assembly.

To help the Assembly planning team anticipate the plenary time needed to address resolutions by the Assembly, the Committee on Reference and Council requests any congregation or team complete a Resolution Intent Form by Friday, February 19.

The final deadline for submitting Resolutions and Memorials is Friday, March 19, 2021.  Resolutions and Memorials should be emailed to Kristen Lee: klee@rmselca.org.

At this year's assembly, we will be electing our Synod Vice President, as well as voting members for the 2022 Churchwide Assembly.

The Nominating Committee of the Rocky Mountain Synod invites members of congregations to prayerfully consider if God is calling them to serve as the Vice President of our Synod. Important information about this office is attached here.

Specific openings and the nomination form can be found on our website.

This year, we invite you to drop-by (masked) between 9-11am for a self-guided tour of the neighborhood with your household. You will be warmly greeted outside of the USC Ogden St. house (1660 Ogden Street, Denver, CO 80218) and offered a prayer booklet, and walking route. You also have the opportunity to register for QUICHE and COFFEE CAKE, safely prepared by USC staff and volunteers, to take home for your Palm Sunday Brunch!

Afterwards, join us in a Prayer Service at 1:00 p.m. with Bishop Gonia via Zoom at: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83482567987?pwd=dWFLRm5CZW13UUpsckZIYlJ6clFVZz09

We have a few openings for Day Camp with Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp this summer. RTLC has developed and continue to modify In-Person COVID Protocols in order to keep you and your communities safe. As a licensed Child Care facility our staff will also have the opportunity to be vaccinated by summer. Day Camp is an incredibly fun and meaningful way for us to bring camp off the mountain and into your communities! For more information, contact maggie@rainbowtrail.org or visit https://www.rainbowtrail.org/summer-camps/day-camps/

You are invited to join your fellow Clergy and Veterans Administration Chaplains and Mental Health professionals for a virtual training and discussion event that will improve shared knowledge, relationships and cooperation for the good of Veterans and their loved ones in your communities. Clergy will learn how to create a Veteran support network in their own communities of faith, to enhance welcoming and integrating Veterans and their families into faith communities and support mental health recovery for Veterans.

Register at: https://veteransaffairs.webex.com/veteransaffairs/onstage/g.php?MTID=eabb4c0db470aa5c69399f1fd17c83a87

Eastern Colorado VA Health Care System, Chaplain Service: 720-723-6700 or 720-723-6746 (Speak with: Chaplain Ron Skaggs or Administrative Assistant Steven Gallegos)

Researchers have learned a lot about the psychology of suicide in the past 20 years, but much of this information is still not widely known. A better understanding of what Edwin Shniedman called "the suicidal mind" makes helpers more effective. We're better able to assess risk and thus to provide the aid most appropriate to the situation. Will do a brief review of recent research and then connect what the research tells us to "best practice" interventions like safety planning and restricting access to lethal means.

Jay Winstead, a licensed clinical social worker at Mental Health Partners, was part of the MHP crisis intervention team, where he worked with hundreds of people having suicidal thoughts. He is a trainer and suicide prevention project lead at MHP.

Join Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4264420220

The mission of Rise Against Suicide is to help youth at risk of suicide by removing the financial and social barriers to treatment, enabling them to find hope and healing. Rise provides funded counseling services for youth struggling with suicidal ideation. Youth to the age of 19 who are at elevated risk for suicide, uninsured, or under-insured are eligible for funded counseling services through Rise Against Suicide. How can we help our suicidal youth find the help they need and deserve? What do we look for? Who do we reach out to for immediate help?

Jenna Clinchard is Executive Director for Rise Against Suicide and a former General Sales Manager for iHeart Radio.

Join Zoom Meeting at https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4264420220

Join us for our 2021 Heart for the Arts: “Voyage on the Waves” from March 20-29. In lieu of our annual in-person gala, this 10-day fundraising journey will feature mini musical excursions that will highlight the talent of Stratus musicians, with the “New Dawn String Quartet” - Stratus’s principal string musicians - opening night with Handel’s Water Music. You can enjoy these mini-concerts each night at 7pm via VIMEO (link on our Facebook and website).

Our goal for this fundraising journey is to get 200 people to donate $20 to reserve a virtual Stateroom seating ticket. Tax Deductible Stateroom Seating Donations will benefit all programs of Augustana Arts including Stratus Chamber Orchestra, Colorado Women’s/Men’s Chorales, and Music Encounters. These donations can be made via our website or our GoFundMe. Help us keep music buoyed on the waves during these difficult times!

Celebrate the music teachers in our life who inspire and encourage young lives in the arts! Join us for an evening of uplifting music as the teachers from City Strings share their stories of their early encounters in music followed by a favorite composition or two. This virtual presentation will debut on Friday, April 16 at 7:00pm.

Let us know you can attend by making a reservation at https://www.augustanaarts.org/tickets. This is a FREE virtual concert, but your donations are always appreciated in support of the arts.

Here we are in Lent. Have you considered what you might do for creation during this season? Fasting has long been a part of Lent as a reminder that we are the created and not the creator. As we feel hunger or desire for something that we have put away for 40 days, we are reminded that we need a Savior, because we are just dust and to dust we shall return.

This year, as you contemplate being dust, consider all of creation, which is also made of dust. Consider Jesus who took dust on for us. Consider the animals hanging out with Jesus in the wilderness for 40 days after his baptism. All of us are made of the same stuff, and God took on that stuff for our benefit. Knowing that God became part of creation (the infinite became finite in Jesus), how might we treat creation with the same reverence God gives it?

Here are some things to consider.

If you have other ideas, join us on the Rocky Mountain Synod Creation Care FaceBook page and post your ideas - https://www.facebook.com/groups/153008509368206 - or email them to rmscreationcareteam@gmail.com

Join the National Lutheran Choir and guest artists, the Keith Hampton Singers, for a FREE virtual program blending spoken reflections, songs and familiar hymns of joy and hope with new music that speaks to our present time, inviting all people of faith to sing in joy together! More info here.

Sunday, March 14 @ 4pm (Central Daylight Time) @ NLCA.com

This online presentation is FREE for all.

For a Virtual Subscription to exclusive content ($10/month), visit NLCA.com

Many of those impacts remain unknown this far in advance of the event dates. We plan to provide an update on the Gathering’s viability later this summer (before registration opens) and again in late November or early December. We will continue sharing updates through Gathering communication as we learn more about the projected state of the virus in July 2022. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we work through these details with an ever-changing virus.

The Facilities Manager will ensure that the building and infrastructure is in good working order, maintain a high level of cleanliness and follow all safety guidelines. The Facilities Manager will maintain appropriate relationships with necessary vendors, staff and community partners, and will supervise the custodial staff. Additionally, the Facilities Manager will serve as chairman of several facility support committees. This is a part-time position working 20 hours per week. Compensation range, $17.00-19.50 per hour.

For a full job description & application, please go to: https://www.firstluth.org/blog/facilitiesapp/

King of Kings Lutheran Church is looking to hire a Director of Musical Ministry. This person would be responsible for: Playing for Sunday morning worship, directing and accompanying the choir (Sept - May), assisting in worship planning with pastor and staff, and being available to play for recorded services. Talents needed would include: Proficient at piano and/or organ, able to sight read music, available on Sunday mornings, some Wednesday evenings, and holidays. For more information and to submit your resume, please send email to pastorbill@kingofkingspueblo.org.

This is the last week of applications being open for 2021 summer staff! If you or anyone you know might interested in doing outdoor ministry this summer, have them check out https://www.rainbowtrail.org/downloads/applications/ or email cam@rainbowtrail.org with any questions. Applications are due February 28th!