A Reconciling in Christ synod |
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from Living Lutheran, August 2020
Presiding Bishop Eaton - "Dark works"
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In her August column for Living Lutheran, Presiding Bishop Elizabeth Eaton says, "Darkness and blackness and night are too often contrasted with lightness and whiteness and day, and found deficient." She wants us to "consider the beautiful dark works of God." Read her column in English at https://bit.ly/3gF21O4 and in Spanish https://bit.ly/2PnQ9Ef or download here ( Word/ PDF) |
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ELCA and Lutheran World Relief partner to fight COVID-19 around the world |
CHICAGO (Aug. 4, 2020) - The Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA) has worked with Lutheran World Relief (LWR) to repurpose $160,000 in project funding for emergency responses to the COVID-19 pandemic in Latin America, Africa and Asia.
In Latin America, the funding will be used for food assistance in Guatemala, El Salvador and Honduras, which have been hard-hit by the coronavirus and the resulting economic disruption that is causing increased hunger. In Africa, the support will provide improved water, sanitation and hygiene, along with personal protective equipment, to displaced communities in South Sudan. And a project in Nepal will ensure that quarantine facilities are hygienic and comfortable, and that households economically affected by COVID-19 are able to cultivate their crops and sustain their small-scale businesses.
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eConnection Spotlight:
RMS in the Neighborhood
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from Sky Ranch Lutheran Camp
Cameron Peak Fire Letter from Brad Abbott, Executive Director
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...Here's the short story on what we know about the Cameron Peak Fire: The fire continues to burn near northern Colorado's Poudre Canyon. As of Tuesday (8/18), the fire remained at 0% containment, according to the incident command team.
People from all over the country have called or emailed asking how they can help. The answer is simple - as the fires spread throughout Colorado and the West I ask you to please pray for all those affected by the fire or currently fighting to protect the structures (like Sky Ranch) left behind. MORE>>
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RMS & ELCA News and Events |
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Theological Conference 2020
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Dr. Reggie Williams will be joining as our keynote for our 2020 Theological Conference. Dr. Williams is an Associate Professor of Christian Ethics at McCormick Theological Seminary and the author of Bonhoeffer’s Black Jesus: Harlem Renaissance Theology and an Ethic of Resistance.
Registration deadline is September 4.
Hotel Reservation Deadline is August 24.
$125 REGISTRATION FOR DIGITAL EVENT
The $200 registration cost covers all programming, keynote speaker, and event costs.
Digital Resource Registration
If you are unable to attend the event, but would like access to the digital content, there is a registration option to receive content post-event.
HOTEL RETREAT GUESTS: CONTACT ERIN BEFORE REGISTERING
If you are planning to stay at the hotel, please contact Deacon Erin Power for a registration code to unlock a reduced registration fee.
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Only 5 days left to register for the 2020-2022 Cohort! |
In this time of physical separation, finding community and connection is difficult. Excellence in Leadership does not only teach and strengthen skills in adaptive leadership, systems theory, and presence, which is directly applicable to this time, it also provides a brave space to build authentic community in small groups where we are able to discover a deeper understanding of self as well. If you have been thinking about registering for this course, but have not yet taken the leap, now is the time!
The final registration deadline is Sunday, August 23 for our 2020-2022 cohort and classes begin September 4. Slots are limited, so sign up today!
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Being Church in Times of Crisis
"Holy Three-Ring Circus:
Faith, Parenting, and Work in a Pandemic"
August 19 at 12 noon MDT
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For parents and everyone who ministers to parents, let's commiserate share and learn together about the Holy Three-Ring Circus that our lives have become and how we can best support each other. Join us on August 19 to hear from Rev. Kendra Mohn, PhD (Parent, Pastor, Spouse of a Bishop), and Rev. Jessica Harris Daum (Parent, Coach, DEM).
You are invited to join this weekly gathering designed to provide encouragement and support for ELCA leaders across the church. Participants will hear topical presentations related to how we are called to be Church in times of crisis, as well as an opportunity to be in small group discussions with an ELCA group coach facilitating the conversation. All of this is designed to help us process our feelings in this strange and fearful time and to create a space where we can each name our next most faithful step forward in our unique context. You are welcome to share this invitation with any other ELCA leader, rostered or lay. #ELCAChurchTogether
Questions from our presenters to consider before, during, and after our time together: If you are a person who has been balancing parenting and work in Covidtide, what have been the challenges and joys? What do you believe about Jesus' Church that could empower you to pursue reasonable balance in this time? What can you, as a coach or leader in the Church, do to support parents in the months to come?
Join Zoom Meeting:
Meeting ID: 180 439 412
Password: 648160
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Beginning a Culture of Generosity |
Beginning a Culture of Generosity (BCG) is a new and timely program presented by 3E and the Rocky Mountain Synod (RMS). It is designed for those congregations that have not yet participated in Stewardship for All Seasons. It will help guide you and provide tools for your fall appeal giving you and your stewardship team confidence right now while everyone is working through a variety of very real financial stressors.
Registration is open through August 15 with the first session scheduled for August 22.
The cost of the program is only $150 and congregations are responsible for their own printing costs (bulletins, brochures).
If you have questions or if you have been in SAS and want a refresher, contact Deb Elstad, 3E Associate Director, deb.elstad@gmail.com.
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Rick Steves, guidebook author and travel TV host; the Rev. Elizabeth A. Eaton, presiding bishop of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America (ELCA); and the Rev. Shelley Bryan Wee, bishop of the ELCA Northwest Washington Synod, invite you to an online benefit — the first of its kind — for ELCA World Hunger. Our goal is to raise $250,000 to confront hunger in the time of COVID-19.
When: Thursday, Sept. 24, 6:00 p.m. Mountain time
Where: Zoom virtual event
We are in a historic moment, facing a once-in-a-century pandemic and a global change in hunger unlike anything we have seen in our lifetimes. Domestically and internationally, hunger is increasing at alarming rates. At this event, you will learn about the unique ways ELCA World Hunger is responding. Our hosts will also discuss the ongoing root causes of hunger and poverty addressed in Rick Steves’ recent special Hunger and Hope: Lessons From Ethiopia and Guatemala. And you will hear from ELCA World Hunger partners on the front lines of the current hunger crisis, who will tell you firsthand how your gifts make a difference.
We are called by God to share hope in this time of challenge. Join us to face this global hunger crisis head-on and to continue moving toward a just world where all are fed.
Join us for this online event that will raise funds for ELCA World Hunger
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Ordination
Sara L. Wilson,
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary, Berkeley, CA
11:00am PDT, Saturday, August 22
Color of the day: Red
Installation
Rev. Ryan Jerome
Joy, Parker, CO
5:30pm, Saturday, August 22
Color of the day: Green
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RMS Prayer Cycle
AUGUST 2020
NORTH COLORADO CONFERENCE
- Week of August 23 -
Shepherd of the Hills - Fort Collins, CO
Jennifer Moser
Shepherd of the Mountains - Estes Park, CO
Ron Bockhaus
Shepherd of the Valley - LaSalle, CO
Wendy Kalan
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Join us in daily prayer
Download ELCA Prayer Ventures for 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.
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Sunday, August 23
Twelfth Sunday After Pentecost
Prayer of the Day
O God, with all your faithful followers of every age, we praise you, the rock of our life. Be our strong foundation and form us into the body of your Son, that we may gladly minister to all the world, through Jesus Christ, our Savior and Lord.
In God's Hands:
Ecumenical Prayer Cycle from the World Council of Churches
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Conversations for Connection
Thursdays via Zoom, 7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
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Thursday, August 20
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
"Connecting to Your Deeper Self"
Connecting to Your Deeper Self with Heidi Lindeman. Connecting to ourselves, to the spiritual aspect of who we are, can be challenging. However, when we are able to acknowledge all parts of ourselves, we create more space to know ourselves more deeply. When we know ourselves more deeply, we are more equipped to care for our emotional and spiritual needs. Each time you connect with any part of yourself, whether it be anxiety, depression, concern, worry, excitement, frustration, or anger you can learn new things about yourself. Come experience a deeper way to connect to your true Self. Heidi Lindeman, LPCC and IFS (internal family systems) therapist. guides people into a deeper authenticity with themselves.
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Thursday, August 27
7:00 - 8:00 p.m.
"The 6 Needs for Happiness and How to Meet Them during COVID!"
With Rev. Christine Ruth
One of the basic human needs we all need to have met to feel fulfilled and happy is to have some sense of certainty and predictability about our future. That need has definitely come under fire during this pandemic! Many are ruminating about the future- feeling stressed and helpless as we try to control things that are OUT of our control. We wonder: When will this pandemic end? How will my kids/grandkids go to school? What plans can I make? Will I be stuck at home forever? We all have 6 basic needs that are critical for us to feel fulfilled and happy in our lives and relationships. We'll explore those 6 needs, how to express them to others, and how to creatively meet them. Christine Ruth, M.Div., MS, LMFT is an ordained pastor, teacher, and licensed marriage and family therapist. She founded Niwot Counseling Center in Niwot, Colorado.
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Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
of California Lutheran University
invites you to Founders' Day
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Online via Zoom Webinar
Wednesday, September 16, 2020
Pacific Lutheran Theological Seminary
9:00am PT/10:00am MT - Gathering of Community
9:30am PT/10:30am MT - Welcome and Distinguished Alum Awards
10:00 am PT/11:00am MT - Lecture with Q&A
11:00am PT/Noon MT - Worship
Zoom Link Coming Soon
Climate Justice, Racial Justice and Divestment: The Call of the Church
Our moment in time is pivotal. Movements around the globe are aligning for powerful action toward climate justice, holding racial justice at the heart of the struggle to protect Earth’s fragile climate. Bill McKibben is recognized around the globe as a foremost leader in that struggle. His address will draw the links between racial justice, climate well-being, divestment/reinvestment, and the call of the church.
Continue reading about this event here.
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Speaker
Bill McKibben is a founder of the grassroots climate campaign 350.org and the Schumann Distinguished Professor in Residence at Middlebury College in Vermont. He was a 2014 recipient of the Right Livelihood Prize, sometimes called the ‘alternative Nobel,’ and the Gandhi Peace Award. He has written over a dozen books about the environment, including, The End of Nature, published 30 years ago, and his most recent, Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out?
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Preacher
Rev. Dr. Melanie Harris is professor of Religion and Ethics at Texas Christian University. She teaches in the areas of African American religion, environmental ethics, social justice, interfaith dialogue and womanist ethics. Rev. Dr. Melanie Harris lectures and conducts leadership and empowerment workshops throughout the country for faith based and non-profit organizations. Rev. Dr. Melanie Harris is also a professional performing artist and ordained minister in the African Methodist Episcopal Church.
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You are invited,
All Faith Community Nurses/Parish Nurses!
Tuesday, September 8 at 5:00 p.m.
To a Meet & Greet hosted by: Evangelical Lutheran Parish Nurse Association, Affiliated with the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
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Who: All ELCA Region 2 Faith Community Nurses/Parish Nurses in the Sierra Pacific, Southwest California, Pacifica, Grand Canyon, and Rocky Mountain Synods
When: Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Happy Hour!
5:00 p.m. MDT
Where: Zoom meeting in the comfort of your home or office!
Let your light so shine before others that they may see
your good works and glorify your Father in heaven.
Matthew 5:16
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Resource Corner
check back each week for a new or featured resource for your congregation
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Celebrate the Season of Creation 2020 in your Congregation
Tuesday, September 1 through Sunday, 0ctober 4, 2020
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The ecumenical Season of Creation lasts from 1 September (Day of Prayer for the Care of Creation) until 4 October (Feast day of St. Francis). This is an invitation to engage in a month of prayer, symbolic acts, and campaigns to give thanks for creation and renew our human vocation to care for it. The 2020 theme, “Jubilee for the Earth”, invites us to consider the integral relationship between rest for the earth and ecological, economic, social and political ways of living. This particular year, the need for just and sustainable systems has been revealed by the far-reaching effects of the global COVID-19 pandemic.
The LWF Celebration Guide contains liturgical resources, prayers and meditations, and calls to action and advocacy. It can be used by individuals or congregations to nurture the moral imagination to restore right, just, and sustainable relationships with the Earth and among all species. Young adults and others in the academic community have appreciated the church's focus on caring for the earth and all creatures. Check it out! Anyone can join our Rocky Mountain Synod Creation Care Team Facebook group at: https://www.facebook.com/groups/153008509368206/
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Preschool Staff
Joy Lutheran Church - Parker, CO
Joy Mission Preschool, 7051 Parker Hills Ct, Parker
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All Non-Rostered Listings |
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Preschool Staff
Joy Mission Preschool - Parker, CO
Faith Formation Coordinator for Children and Families
Atonement Lutheran Church - Boulder, CO
Organist & Choir Accompanist
Holy Shepherd Lutheran Church - Lakewood, CO
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Office of the Bishop This Week |
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Bishop Jim Gonia
- RMS Finance Team
- Next Faithful Step Campaign
- Excellence in Leadership
- Ordination of Sara Wilson
- Installation of Rev. Ryan Jerome, Joy, Parker, CO
- Our Saviour's Greeley, CO
- VACATION: August 24- September 6
ELCA DIRECTOR FOR EVANGELICAL MISSION
Pastor Dana Peterson
- Global Mission Committee
- Excellence in Leadership
- Peace, El Paso, TX
- Life of Faith Initiative Workshop
- Conference Dean's Meeting
LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY NEW MEXICO
Kurt Rager
- Excellence in Leadership
- Domestic Hunger Grants Review Team
LUTHERAN ADVOCACY MINISTRY COLORADO
Peter Severson
- Excellence in Leadership
- Domestic Hunger Grants Review Team
- Renter's Roundtable
ELCA REGIONAL GIFT PLANNER
Tina Kvitek
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ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR CONGREGATIONAL LIFE
Pastor Sarah Moening
- Congregation Transitions
- Excellence in Leadership
- Conference Dean's Meeting
ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR LEADERSHIP SUPPORT
Pastor Kent Mueller (1/2 time)
- Next Faithful Steps Campaign
- Excellence in Leadership
- Conference Dean's Meeting
ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR SYNODICAL LIFE
Deacon Erin Power
- Theological Conference Planning
- ELCA Committee on Appeals
- Domestic Hunger Grants Review Team
- Conference Dean's Meeting
ASSISTANT TO THE BISHOP FOR FAITH FORMATION & CANDIDACY
Pastor Leslie O'Callaghan
- Excellence in Leadership
- Candidacy Follow-up work
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Feel free to contact Andrew Nakatani, Communications Assistant, with your questions and comments about eConnection and our website!
Rocky Mountain Synod
Evangelical Lutheran Church in America
800-525-0462 / 303-777-6700 / fax 303-733-0750
Past issues of eConnection may be found here.
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