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May 19, 2026
generally published Tuesday of each week
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National Mental Health Awareness Month
Soul Shop is Empowering faith communities to be sources of hope and social connection
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"I find that churches don't know what to be about and as they decline, and as they age, they've started to tell themselves a story about their relevance in the world, or irrelevance in the world as the case may be. The reality is that if what the world is desperate for is hope and social connection, we actually in the church have something to say about that. We are actually good at those two things."
Michelle Snyder
(Soul Shop Executive Director & Trainer)
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May is National Mental Health Awareness Month, a time to reduce stigma, encourage honest conversation, and remind one another that help and hope are available. Soul Shop offers suicide prevention training for faith communities, equipping leaders and congregations to recognize and respond to suicidal desperation with care and connection. Check out the Soul Shop Workshops help at Abiding Hope Church this past fall and learn how you can bring Soul Shop to your faith community. Upcoming Soul Shop trainings.
If you or someone you know is in a mental health, substance use, suicide, or emotional crisis, call or text 988, or chat at 988lifeline.org, for free, confidential, 24/7 support. 988 connects people across the U.S. with trained crisis counselors and local crisis support. If there is immediate danger, call 911.
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2026 RMS Pride Guide
Share what's happening in your aread of the synod
| | Is your congregation or organization hosting a Pride event, worship service, gathering, or other opportunity to support and celebrate our LGBTQ+ siblings in Christ? Share what’s happening in your area of the Synod so we can lift it up together. Click the button below. Once submissions are compiled, a webpage will be created to share upcoming Pride-related happenings across the Synod. | | |
2026 Vizzy Denver Pride Parade
Sunday, June 28, 9:30am – 12:30pm
17th Ave. from Franklin St. to Lincoln St.
This is a ONE DAY EVENT and is FREE to participate
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Denver Pride Parade
When: Sunday June 28, 9:30am–12:30pm
RMS Pride Table
When: following the parade to 6pm (two shifts available)
The Rocky Mountain Synod invites you and your congregations to sign up to march in the 2026 Vizzy Denver Pride Parade, Sunday, June 28, 9:30am–12:30pm. Then, consider helping out at the RMS Pride Table along the parade route. Shifts will be worked out earlier to the event date. The parade route is 17th Ave. from Franklin St. to Lincoln St.
Note: This is a one-day event this year. It is FREE to participate!
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Synodically Authorized Ministry
Information Sessions
| | Questions? Contact Pastor Diana Linden (dlinden@rmselca.org) | | | | |
Campus Ministry Committee | | |
"To me Campus Ministry is an open and inclusive space where everybody is welcome no matter where you are on your walk of faith."
Rowan Adams
| | Rowan Adams is a Junior at the University of New Mexico in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rowan is studying History and has been a part of Luther House for about four years. Hear how Campus Ministry is a place where Rowan has grown in her faith in Christ. | | | | |
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Wine Tasting Event to Benefit
New Beginnings Worshipping Community
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"We're really casting the net out wide, hoping the church answers the call."
Pastor Nic Leither
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When: June 13, 1-4pm
Where: 615 Fourth St, Castle Rock, CO 80104
(Christ's Episcopal Church in Castle Rock)
20 different vendors will be presenting 4 different wines for tasting. Purchases can
be made at the event to be picked up at a later date at Bubbles Liquor World. The tickets for this event and a portion of the wine sold will all go to help great
ministries in our area like New Beginnings Prison Ministry in the Women's
correctional facility.
We are so thankful for everyone in Castle Rock, coming together to make this a wonderful event and are especially thankful to Bubbles Liquor world in Castle Rock for
helping to make it possible.
Come enjoy an afternoon of wonderful wine, community, and generosity. Together,
we can make a difference to people in our community!
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Ordinations & Installations | | | |  | |
Deacon Linda Sue Akers will be both Ordained and Installed at Our Saviour's Lutheran Church in Greeley, Colorado on May 31, 2:30pm. The color of the day is red. All are welcome!
Loving God, we thank you for the ministry you are working in and through Deacon Linda. Bless her and the leadership and members of Our Saviour's in this time of celebration. Amen.
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Synod Prayers
We prayer for the rostered ministers, congregations, and ministries throughout the Metro East Conference.
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Our Deepest Sympathies
Glenn Allen Isernhagen, 84, died at Morningstar Assisted Living in Littleton, Colorado on April 12, 2026 with his wife, Louanne, and other family members taking turns keeping vigil at his bedside. He died of complications from Parkinson's Disease.
A memorial service for Glenn was held on Monday, April 20, 2026 at St. Philip Lutheran Church, in Littleton, Colorado.
Loving God, thank you for the faithful witness of your love and grace in this world through your servant, Glenn. We especially pray for loved ones who mourn and live into this new understanding of life after loss. Amen.
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Help Shape New Ecumenical Resource | | |
The CaSTLE Project at Wartburg Theological Seminary is seeking your insight to help shape new ecumenical resources.
We know that ecumenical partnerships are often essential for the vitality and survival of rural congregations. However, leaders frequently face significant hurdles when navigating shared polity and praxis. To address this, our grant with the Lilly Endowment’s “Ministry in Rural Areas and Small Towns Initiative” has designated funds to develop and amplify high-quality resources, and we want to ensure they meet the practical needs of the field.
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We are hosting three 60-minute listening sessions to determine the need for specific resource tools and a potential Ecumenical Leadership Certificate. We are bringing adjudicatory leaders and practitioners from full communion partnerships together into the same virtual room so we can hear from one another before moving into a design phase later this year.
You are invited to attend one of the following 60-minute Zoom sessions by clicking on the link to register for the date/time that works best:
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ELCA's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women Toolkit | | |
Osiyo Tsunalii (Hello Friends),
The ELCA's Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women's Sub-Task Force (of the Repudiation of the Doctrine of Discovery Task Force) has been hard at work to prepare for May 5th, which is designated as National Day of Awareness for MMIW.
A toolkit for action leading up to May 5, throughout May, and for the rest of the year has been developed, and they are hoping for your support by participating in awareness-building, communicating the toolkit to your congregations, and including it in your synod communication outlets.
At the 2025 ELCA Churchwide Assembly a memorial was adopted en bloc, titled "Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women" and the first bullet point in the memorial reads "Encourage congregations, synods and the churchwide organization to observe annually MMIW Awareness Day on May 5 and to promote the wearing of red to raise awareness of MMIW;" for which we are grateful.
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It's now time to wear red and raise awareness as advocates and allies to our Indigenous siblings who are missing and who are still searching for their family members and friends
Be sure to check out the suggested social media graphics provided in the toolkit. They are powerful and beautiful.
If you have any questions, please reach out to me or our MMIW Sub-Task Force Chair, Brenda Blackhawk (Winnebago/Ho-Chunk) at bblackhawk@centralmpls.org.
Wado,
Vance Blackfox
Member
MMIW Sub-Task Force
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Lutheran Summer Music Camp
Register by June 1, 2026
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Spring Updates
Lutheran Men in Mission ministers to men of all ages. Lutheran Men in Mission objectives are:
- To expand the ministry of Lutheran Men in Mission with new programs for its ongoing mission of ministry to the Lord and to men
- To inform and motivate members of the ELCA about the needs and opportunities of men's ministry and to provide the necessary resources to assist individual congregations and synods in starting men's programs
- To raise necessary funds through individual gifts to meet the needs of men's ministry in local congregations and to insure that we will continue to reach more men for Christ. Support Lutheran Men in Mission with your donation.
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The Center of Addiction and Faith
How to Love Someone in Recovery
Wednesday, May 27th
Noon Central, 1:00 p.m. Eastern
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OFFICE OF THE BISHOP STAFF | |
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Rev. Barbara Berry-Bailey (she/her), Synod Minister for Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, bberry-bailey@rmselca.org
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Rev. Quirino Cornejo (he/him), Director for Evangelical Mission-South & Synod Minister for Multicultural Witness, qcornejo@rmselca.org
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Rev. Chris Davis (he/him), Director for Evangelical Mission-North and Synod Minister for Generosity, cdavis@rmselca.org
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Jon Johnson (he/him), Synod Minister for Finance and Human Resources, finance@rmselca.org
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Rev. Diana Johnson, Synod Minister for Rostered Ministry, dlinden-johnson@rmselca.org
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Kurt Rager, Synod Minister for Advocacy, New Mexico, krager@rmselca.org
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Deacon Mary Stoneback (she/her), Synod Minister for Strategic Communications and Events, mstoneback@rmselca.org
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Yvonne Wilken (she/her), Synod Minister for Adminstration, office@rmselca.org
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Pastor Sara Wirth (she/her), Synod Minister for Transitions and Healthy Ministries, swirth@rmselca.org
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| | Rocky Mountain Synod | 2323 E. Iliff Ave., | Denver, CO 80210 US |
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