CHECK FRAUD - UPDATE!

RMS ACH Direct Deposit for congregations is available - sign-up Today!

As you may be aware, the Synod Office has experienced very serious issues with mail delivery through the US Post Office. Due to on-going incidents of theft, the Synod has implemented a new payment option through our bank that will allow congregations to send mission support and other benevolence payments electronically and circumvent the use of mail through USPS.

Modeled after the process by which money is transferred to Portico, Clergy Financial and ELCA Churchwide, congregations will enroll in our "ACH Direct Deposit" system by providing the Synod with bank information through the secure link below. Once banking information is received and verified, the congregation will be set up in our bank's secure ACH system and can start initiating electronic payments. Each congregation will continue to receive monthly contribution statements by email to verify that the correct funds have been withdrawn and distributed as instructed. 

It is our hope that this system will provide a secure and efficient process for congregations to remit mission support payments. These contributions are vital to the ministry and work of the Rocky Mountain Synod as well as our many partners and programs. We are so very grateful for you, our partners in ministry, as we endeavor in this work that God has called us all to do.

When you are ready to enroll in this new payment option, simply click here or on the link below and complete the online form. Once your information is received, you will receive by email your, "Mission Support Remittance Form" template to be completed when you wish to make a mission support payment. 

Click here to download and read more detail and instructions. Please don't hesitate to reach out to Jon Johnson, Finance Director at finance@rmselca.org with any questions.

Thank you for your Generosity!

Assembly Offerings (including gift cards, online, and cash donations) totaled over $15,000! These donations primarily benefit Iglesia Luterana Cristo Rey - El Paso, Milagro de la Frontera - El Paso/Juarez, and Border Servant Corps - Las Cruces as well as other partner ministries. Thank you for your generosity in supporting these vital ministries of hospitality and care.

GIVE TODAY! select "Border Ministries Offering" in the drop-down menu

Bishop Gonia's call to action!

from Bishop Jim Gonia --

"Our Synod Assembly in El Paso – Cruzando Fronteras, Crossing Borders – was an embodied reminder of the critical need for new ways of thinking and acting in our country with respect to immigration. Those of us who participated in the Assembly immersion experiences heard firsthand the depth of human suffering as well as the resiliency of the human spirit that accompanies those who leave their homeland due to fear, violence and persecution, in hopes of finding peace and a new life. 

As a church called to public witness for the sake of the neighbor, we respond to Christ’s call to serve and to seek justice when we engage our elected legislators on matters of the common good. We advocate for the building of not walls but a fair and humane immigration system. My stated commitment in El Paso was to invite you to join me in reaching out to our elected officials for that precise purpose. In the material below, you will find specific information and an invitation to engage in this advocacy effort as Church, Better Together. Thank you in advance for your commitment to caring for God’s beloved people as we live out our baptismal promises."

Follow this link and learn how to contact your U.S. Senators and Representative by July 15. Follow the easy steps to share your story and ask your congregation members to join you in committing to bipartisan reform!

Telling the stories of the Rocky Mountain Synod

Bishop and Vice President’s Presentation

"Every time we cross a border, we take a risk, leaving behind that which is familiar, stepping into a new landscape where we don't yet know the ways, where we don't yet know how to :ind our way.

Crossing a border is an exercise in vulnerability, an exercise in letting go of assumptions and control, an opportunity to learn and grow, an opportunity to gain new perspective and understanding. For people of faith, crossing borders is an opportunity to trust the God who goes before us, behind us, and by our side every step of the way.

While Crossing Borders is an ideal theme for this assembly and everything we

are experiencing here in El Paso, it is also an apt description of our life as the

church as we step out of once familiar territory and enter a landscape where

we don't yet know the ways, where we don't yet know how to find our way."

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!

Telling the stories of

Cruzando Fronteras

Pastor Nate Preisinger interviews voting member Matthew Kirsten-Grey regarding his excitement and reflections as part of the Bethany "Together 4Good" podcast

Listen to the podcast HERE



Don't forget the merch!

Cruzando Fronteras t-shirts are an excellent conversation starters.

Order Assembly t-shirts HERE

June is PRIDE month!

As PRIDE celebrations begin, it is an important time to affirm and advocate for the LGBTQIA+ community. 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!

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.

Registration for 2024-25 cohorts now open!

Choose a 2-year program running from September 2023 through March 2025 or a 13-month program January 2024 through January 2025.

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. Register by July 15!

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

God's Work. Our Hands.

10 year Anniversary!

This year marks the 10th anniversary of “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday!

On Sunday, Sept. 10, congregations of the ELCA will join together for our annual day of service. “God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday began in 2013 in connection with the ELCA’s 25th anniversary. It continues to be an opportunity to celebrate who we are as the ELCA — one church, freed in Christ to serve and love our neighbor.

As you explore opportunities to participate in your community, ELCA.org/DayofService has the resources you need to plan and promote your day:

• Planning tool kit.
• Worship resources.
• [NEW] Slides for projection screens or online worship.
• Posters, postcards and social media graphics.
• Spanish-language resources.
• Promotional banners.
• 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. 18.

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.

If your congregation cannot participate on Sept. 10, you are welcome and encouraged to pick an alternate date that suits your schedule.

“God’s work. Our hands.” Sunday is an extension of the work you do every day to make your community a better place.

Join us in celebrating 10 years on Sept. 10!

Need a GWOH Project?

Growing Home, a Denver Metro Area nonprofit, has a long history with the Rocky Mountain Synod. These projects are intended to meet the basic needs of people anywhere. They start at ~$40 and scale upward. They are designed to work with the Growing Home food pantry which serves individuals and families throughout the Denver Metro Area. Providing food basics is healthy and economical and enables people to cook their own cultural dishes. And these projects can easily be adapted by non-Denver Metro locations. 

Simply buy bulk staples, spices, and/or laundry pods in smaller bags for the Growing Food Pantry -- Basics (rice, dried beans, flour, and sugar), Spices (Garlic, Cumin, Bay Leaves, Basil, Oregano, Tumeric, Chili Powder, Salt), Laundry (laundry pods of any brand). For example, the Rice Project redistributes a 50 lb. bag of rice into one hundred 2 cup plastic bags which will be given out at the Growing Home food pantry. A 2-cup bag of uncooked rice will feed 4 adults for 2 meals. The Growing Home food pantry will go through ~40 rice bags a day. If a congregation has access to a single $250 Thrivent Action Team award, they would be able to bag almost 200 bags of rice. Or for $75, they can make 45 bags of laundry pods. For $40, they can bag 30+ bags of spice, allowing families to cook their favorite comfort foods.

Contact Joy Concepcion (joy@growinghome.org) or Lynn Smith (lrsmith9646@gmail.com) for more information and detailed instructions.

EmployerLink Security Enhancements Coming Soon

Portico’s EmployerLink sign-in process will be changing as part of our ongoing commitment to data security and privacy protection. If you’re a registered EmployerLink user, later this summer we’ll walk you through setting up a new way to access your account that includes two-step phone verification every time you sign in. Remember: it’s important for each EmployerLink user to create their own sign-in credentials to protect your organization from people signing in who should no longer have access — for example, when someone completes their term as treasurer or leaves the organization.

Understanding and Supporting Gender-Expansive Christians

In the latest episode of Portico’s Being Here Podcast – Gender Identity and the Church – host Pastor Melissa Pohlman and guest Austen Hartke discuss ways we can seek to honor the image of God found in all of us and help our church embody a spirit of welcome and acceptance. Hartke brings his perspective as a Biblical scholar and founder of the Transmission Ministry Collective to offer practical resources and theological framework for starting these important conversations.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

The Seeds Monthly - June 2023

The June issue of Seeds Monthly is available here from the ELCA, featuring articles, events, and resources. Subscribe to Seed Monthly here.

IN CASE YOU MISSED IT!

Updates to the Young Adults in Global Mission application process

Two exciting changes to the YAGM application process were recently announced!

1) Young adults ages 21-35 are welcome to apply for YAGM. This expands the previous age range of 21-29 to align more closely with ELCA Young Adult Ministry.

2) Applications will be accepted on a rolling basis, year-round. The timeline for decisions and the period of service for program participants will remain the same as in previous years:

• Jan. 15 — Priority deadline for the upcoming service year.
• Feb. 1 — Final deadline for the upcoming service year.
• August — YAGM participants depart for service.

Through YAGM young adults learn what it means to serve in a spirit of accompaniment as they walk alongside global church companions. They become immersed in new communities and form deep relationships. And they confront issues of poverty, racial privilege, gender privilege, economic disparity and globalization, all through the lens of faith.

We hope these changes will make YAGM more accessible across our church community, giving more young adults the opportunity to step out into the world. If you have questions about these updates or would like to chat about anything YAGM-related, please reach out to Mae Helen Jackson, Interim Program Director, Young Adults in Global Mission at MaeHelen.Jackson@ELCA.org.

Memorials - Celebration of Life

Pastor Bill Behrens

Saturday, July 8 at 10:00am - Christ the Servant L.C. 506 Via Appia, Louisville, CO

Click HERE to view the live stream

Click HERE to read the full Obituary

Pastor Paul Blom - father of Pastor Nathan Boom, Parker CO

Saturday, July 8 at 11:00am at Christ Lutheran Church, Georgetown, Texas

Click HERE to view the live stream

Click HERE to read the full Obituary

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.

RMS CREATION CARE - ZOOM EVENT

The Great Displacement Book Discussion

Saturday, August 12, 10:00am

The Great Displacement, by Jake Bittle, 2023

Climate change is reshaping the U.S. in another way, "Each passing year brings disasters that disfigure new parts of the United States, and these disasters alter the course of human lives, pushing people from one place to another, destroying old communities and forcing new ones to emerge." His book takes a look at several communities that have been affected by climate change, and how the lives of their residents — the ones who have survived — have been altered by extreme weather. Twenty million Americans have been displaced by extreme events, to date. The Great Displacement is a fascinating look at how America has changed, and will continue to change, as climate change wreaks havoc on the nation and the people who live there.

For information: rmscreationcareteam@gmail.com

"We are 113 churches across seven counties of central Pennsylvania, located between Harrisburg and Pittsburgh. Towns that you may be familiar with in our Synod are State College (home of Penn State University), Clearfield, Altoona, Huntingdon, Bedford, Johnstown, and Somerset.

This is an Appalachian synod, and we are one of a few synods which is completely in the federally-designated Appalachian counties. Many of our people don’t consider themselves to be in Appalachia because of the negative stereotypes that are associated with the region."

Read more>

Bishop Paula J. Schmitt is the fourth bishop of the Allegheny Synod, elected to serve a six-year term which began September 1, 2021. Learn more about her in Living Lutheran and Facebook.

Visit alleghenysynod.org and on Facebook.

Click here to view a Bishops and Synods map of our 65 ELCA synods and 9 regions.