“Lutherans for Love” is message of Utah Pride

The Utah Conference joined their ecumenical and interfaith partners to carry the block long Pride Flag in the Salt Lake City Pride Parade on June 5. The Utah Conference all wore "Lutherans For Love" t-shirts created by Darren Saunders, administrator at Our Saviour's Lutheran, Holladay.

Our Saviour's Lutheran hosted the Pride Parade Interfaith Communion worship service held on the street of the staging area for the parade. Bishop Jim joined us to preach for the service and to participate in carrying the flag! It takes 100 people to carry the Pride flag and it is carried each year by the Interfaith Churches Coalition. Thank you to Bishop Jim for your support of the Utah Conference! Pictures provided by Dave Allen of OSLC and Pastor Christine Higuera-Street of St. Matthew.

*Lutherans For Love t-shirts can be purchased here (all proceeds go to the Trevor Project and Utah Pride Center)

A message from Kris Adams, RMS treasurer

Our monthly expenses, like yours, are important to our mission as “church together”

Hello Rocky Mountain Synod Congregations!

It was great to meet and share our recent Assembly experience with you. Part of that experience was a budget presentation. This 2022 budget, which you overwhelming passed (thank you!), included congregation mission support of $2.2 million.

This amount remained unchanged from the previous year. We did not ask for more (although we are always open to that gift from you) but sadly, mission support remittance is currently 6% down from where it was last year.

Please check out your situation in your congregation. Are you up to date? Is there something we can help with or would you like to have a conversation with us?

We are here to help, we are here to listen, we are here to answer questions––and sometimes we are here to nudge.

Our monthly expenses, like yours, are important to our mission as “church together” (such as support payments to Campus Ministry, social ministry organizations, new churches, seminaries, support for churchwide, etc.). We would like to be able to keep these consistent.

Please review your mission support giving. Thank you for what you have given, thank you for your review, and thank you for your partnership.

You may contact me at: treasurer@rmselca.org

Kris Adams, Treasurer

ASSEMBLY HIGHLIGHTS!

Assembly videos now online

2022 Synod Assembly

May 9-11, 2022

Highlights:

• Adopted the resolution to encourage support for the ELCA World Hunger Fund. View the resolution.
• Adopted the budget. View the financial packet.
• Elected people to boards and committees. View election results.

Assembly videos

Pandemic Relief Grants "on pause"

We give thanks to God for the enthusiastic response to our new 3E Pandemic Relief Grant program. Many rostered ministers and congregations have been blessed to receive grants that have provided respite and renewal. 

However, our budget for 2022 has been fully allocated. Therefore, we are currently unable to receive any more grant applications this year.

The Pandemic Relief Grant program is designed to operate for three years. Our ability to do that will depend upon raising $125,000 within the Rocky Mountain Synod, which will trigger another gift from the Lilly Endowment of an equal amount of $125,000.

To inquire about a Pandemic Relief Grant in the future, and to be put on a waiting list, please fill out this inquiry form.

We thank you for sharing our hope and love for one another in the Rocky Mountain Synod.

ATTN STEWARDSHIP TEAM:

Beginning a Culture of Generosity Now

“Learned so much about stewardship, generosity, inspiring the desire to give, asking, and thanking, thanking, thanking.”

Join Beginning a Culture of Generosity (BCG). This program was curated in response to the pandemic and gives your stewardship team confidence right now while everyone is working through a variety of very real financial stressors.

BCG is a program to help guide congregations and provide the necessary tools to run a successful fall appeal. It is delivered online in six virtual sessions and begins August 20 ending December 3. In this final year of the Lilly Endowment stewardship scholarship grants, 3E is offering free tuition to five congregations that sign up before July 1. Questions, contact Deb Elstad at deb.elstad@gmail.com

BCG Print brochure/mail-in registration (here)

Register online at rmselca.org/3e-bcg-registration-2022

September 11 is God's Work. Our Hands. Sunday

We are a church energized by lively engagement in faith and life. As we continue our tradition of service to our neighbor, we remember the words of Martin Luther: “Our faith is a living, busy, active, mighty thing.” With our hands, we do God’s work of restoring and reconciling communities in the name of Jesus Christ. As you explore opportunities to participate in your community, ELCA.org/DayofService has everything you need to plan and promote your day:

• Planning toolkit.
• Worship resources
• Posters, postcards and social media graphics
• Spanish-language resources
• Promotional items
• Videos
• Special hymn text, sheet music and recording

Old Lutheran has T-shirts and other items available for purchase. The deadline for ordering your congregation’s personalized T-shirts is Aug. 19.

Don’t forget to share your congregation’s participation with us! Send stories and photos to LivingLutheran@elca.org so that together we can celebrate what God accomplishes through you. Participate on social media using #GodsWorkOurHands.

FROM VICKY DAUB, VSCP EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

" We Are All Here"

About midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns to God, and the prisoners were listening to them. Suddenly there was an earthquake, so violent that the foundations of the prison were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened and everyone’s chains were unfastened. When the jailer woke up and saw the prison doors wide open, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, since he supposed that the prisoners had escaped. But Paul shouted in a loud voice, “Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.”

Acts16:25-28

“Do not harm yourself, for we are all here.” Yesterday, I read these words as part of the reading for the 7^th Sunday of Easter during worship. In the past few days, I kept re-reading these words as I practiced for this reading.

In my role as the Executive Director of the Veteran Servant Corps Project (VSCP), a ministry of the Rocky Mountain Synod, I have been thinking about the phrase “we are all here”, especially in terms of the 18+ Veterans who complete suicide in our nation daily. Raising awareness around this issue is one our VSCP tenets.

Are you and your congregation interested in joining in conversation around this important issue? Contact me, Vicky Daub, at Director@veteranservantcorps.org.

Are you interested in being part of our “We Are All Here” initiative by donating? Click the button below to make a donation. Select the General Fund Gift option and enter "Veteran Servant Corps Project" in the note/memo line. If you prefer to mail your donation, send it to the Rocky Mountain Synod, 7375 Samuel Drive, Denver, CO 80221, adding Veteran Servant Corps Project to the note portion of your check.

VETERANS MUSEUM BROOMFIELD

SPECIAL EVENT

Colorado Front Range WWII Symposium

July 16, 2022

10:00 am - 1:00 pm

Broomfield Auditorium, 12 Garden Center, Broomfield, CO

broomfieldveterans.org 303-460-6801

Admission: FREE!

Mark your calendars now for this major event to honor Colorado's history and heritage in World War II.

An exciting agenda full of history presentations by major Authors and Historians, re-enactors, 1940s military vehicles, armaments, cars, and exhibit tables.

Featured Speakers include (see flyer):

• Guyleen Castriotta - Mayor of Broomfield, co
• Joe Neguse - Representative for US Congress
• Flint Whitlock - Author/Historian
• Gail Beaton - Author/Historian
• David Barrett - Author/Historian

ST. PHILIP - LITTLETON

Fine Arts Academy for grades 5 and above

Monday, July 11 through Thursday, July 14, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. each day

CALLED TO LOVE! St. Philip in Littleton is holding a Fine Arts Academy for youth entering grades 5 and above on Monday, July 11 through Thursday, July 14, 12:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m. Students will take music and a theme class, and can choose two other classes including woodwork, water colors, quilting, puppetry, dance, creation arts and Lego creations. Cost is $40 which includes all supplies. Sign up below or contact Melinda Swenkerud at msvenkerud@stphilip-co.org.

ONLINE MEETINGS

Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence about Mental Illness with Children and Teens

Thursdays: July 28, Aug 25, Sept 22

7:00-8:00 pm

“Our kids are not okay. Our children and youth are hurting!” Those who know this are also hurting. You are invited to join a series of Thursday Evening Connections about the book, Blessed Youth: Breaking the Silence on Mental Illness and Teens and Children, and the “Survival Guide” by the Rev. Sarah Lund.

This book shakes up any lethargy about the plight of our youth’s mental health. It is a crisis. These Connections will be at 7 pm on zoom and are free. The facilitator is Deborah Berghuis, PhD, a trauma-informed, gender-affirming therapist who enjoys working with the members of the LGBTQA+ community, faith leaders, clinicians, and healthcare professionals. Rev. Lund will be in Boulder in person on Oct. 9-10. Her books are available online. Join the zoom conversations: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4264420220.

This series is hosted by Atonement Lutheran Church, Boulder, Mental Health Ministry, and the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness (inmi.us). Questions, contact revalan2004@comcast.net.

Servant Stock: Urban Servant Corps' 35th Anniversary

Sunday, July 31 from 11am-4pm at Advent Lutheran (7979 Meade St)

Get ready to boogie like it's 1987 (USC's founding year) at this Music Festival Event!

Live music by USC alumni and supporting band "The Hip Replacements" (members of Bethany Lutheran) will be sure to put you in a great mood! The SAME Cafe food truck will be there, too, along with yard games, bubbles, and friends galore! Where would you rather be on a sunny summer day? AND in celebration of the meaningful and faithful service of USC volunteers -- event better!

urbanservantcorps.org/news-events

IRS Mileage Rate Increase

The IRS announced an increase in the standard mileage rate for the final 6 months of 2022. Effective July 1, the standard mileage rate for business travel will be 62.5 cents per mile, up 4 cents from the rate effective at the start of the year. 

Read more >

The Northwest Intermountain Synod was formerly known as the Eastern Washington-Idaho Synod. It encompasses congregations in the eastern portion of Washington state, Idaho, and two congregations in western Wyoming, and supports congregational mission throughout this territory.

OUR MISSION:

Together in Jesus Christ we are freed by grace to live faithfully, witness boldly and serve joyfully. 

OUR VISION:

A world experiencing the difference God’s grace and love in Christ makes for all people and creation.

Their Bishop, the Rev. Kristen Kuempel, is currently on sabbatical and will return on August 30, 2022.

Visit them at nwimsynod.org! Below is a map of the 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.Click on the map to view it larger.