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July 27, 2026
generally published Tuesday of each week
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About the Synod Artwork
Artists who created this beautiful rendition of the Synod Logo include:
Vicki Dannhaus - North New Mexico & Border Conference (El Paso, Texas included a part of New Mexico - See Artist's Statement)
Shelie Ingram - Utah Conference
Lynne Dohle - Colorado Conferences
Yvonne Wilken - Wyoming Conference
Read Artists' Statements
| | | Synod Staff Transitions & Gratitude | | |
Dear Rocky Mountain Synod,
As the Holy Spirit moves through our days, our world, and our church, change is always a part of our life together. With gratitude to God for what has been and trust in God for the future, we'd like to share that our synod office is now facing some transition. Jon Johnson, our synod minister for finance and human resources, is moving into a well-deserved retirement; and Yvonne Wilken, our synod minister for administration, has also discerned that her time in this ministry has come to a close and has accepted a new ministry position in a congregation of our synod. July 31 will be the last day for both Jon and Yvonne in our office. This news has been very bittersweet, and both Yvonne and Jon will be greatly missed. Yet we are deeply thankful for the gifts Jon and Yvonne have offered, especially in the transition to a new bishop and new team over the past two years; and it is a blessing that they will remain part of our synod community.
We are grateful for a healthy transition; and we ask your prayers and patience in this transition. Jon and Yvonne have offered invaluable advice and assistance in considering our next steps. Bishop Meghan is currently working in consultation with the synod council/executive committee to identify interim staffing support for our synod office operations, and we will share that information as soon as it is finalized.
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Our synod staff will continue working full time, and we encourage you to continue reaching out to Bishop Meghan and our Synod Minister team as you normally would. However, during the administrative and financial transition:
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Public office hours will be reduced beginningAugust 1 to Tuesdays through Thursdays, 9 a.m.–4 p.m. In-person visits to the synod office will be by advance appointment only. To schedule appointments and/or congregational visits with Bishop Meghan, please email both office@rmselca.org and maelabouni@rmselca.org.
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The main office phone number and the email addresses office@rmselca.org and finance@rmselca.org will remain active, but we anticipate some slower processing times for responses, and thank you in advance for your patience and flexibility.
Please join us in expressing our heartfelt thanks for the ministry of Jon Johnson and Yvonne Wilken and our best wishes for their next chapters of life and ministry.
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Gracious God,
we give thanks for Jon and Yvonne and for the many ways they have faithfully served the Rocky Mountain Synod. Bless Jon as he enters retirement, and guide Yvonne as she follows where you are calling her next. In this time of transition, hold them and the whole Office of the Bishop in your grace. Give us gratitude for what has been, trust for what is unfolding, and courage to follow your Spirit into the future. In Christ’s name we pray.
Amen.
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A Message from Jon Johnson:
As I complete my time as the “numbers guy” with the Rocky Mountain Synod – 5 years to the day that I arrived – I am overwhelmed with a variety of emotions. Having just reached the age where I have to take annual distributions from my 401 plan and having completed a 50-year career as a finance professional, I am ready to stop and rest. I have toyed with the idea of retirement on and off since I turned 65 but always felt there were still spreadsheets to create, financial statements to prepare, deposits to be made, bills to be paid and financial clarity to share.
Whether I worked for my church, for the Synod, for local governments, or for higher education, I have always felt that God was calling me to serve in that place and at that time and to faithfully use the gifts that were given to me. But in an amazing sermon on the meaning of “Sabbath” several months ago, I heard God speaking directly to me – it’s time to STOP and finally take all the days of vacation I never took, see all the people and places that I let work keep me from, and savor the time to sit and marvel at God’s creation without hurrying to the office. The sermon was clear – observing Sabbath is not a request or suggestion from God – it is a command. The time has come to heed that command.
Read More
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A Message from Yvonne Wilken:
I started my call at the Rocky Mountain Synod almost five years ago and it has been a roller coaster ride since the beginning. I am thankful for all the people who have supported me in this role and thankful for all the people I have gotten to know along the way. I will miss seeing you all at annual events and committee meetings. I hope and pray that God’s blessing will continue to flow throughout the Rocky Mountain Synod.
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Upcoming Events & Employment Opportunities at a Glance
(Visit the Synod Event Calendar for More Information)
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When members of Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Rock Springs, Wyoming look back over the last fifty years of ministry and ask where God was clearly at work, their answers are not polished theological statements. They are concrete and lived. | |
Mount of Olives Celebrates 50 Years of Ministry
ROCK SPRINGS, WYOMING — Mount of Olives Lutheran Church in Rock Springs describes itself as “a community centered in the gospel of Jesus Christ,” with a mission to share God’s love and saving grace “with our members, our community, and the world.” But if you ask the people who know this congregation best, they are likely to describe it with a different word.
Family.
That word comes up again and again in the stories members tell about Mount of Olives’ first fifty years. Not because the congregation has had an easy life together, but because through joy and heartbreak, new beginnings and painful transitions, they have kept finding ways to be church for one another.
Read More
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Prince of Peace Donation Items Available | | |
Prince of Peace Lutheran Church, Colorado Springs, held a Holy Closure service May 17, 2026. They have several items they are willing to donate.
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See LIST of donation items.
Those intersted please contact Pat Haar at plhaar@hotmail.com
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the Rocky Mountain Synod Second Fruits initiative is now LIVE on our website, and applications are open for the first round of grants with an application deadline of August 15. Grants will be awarded in the categories of:
- Ministry Development and Revitalization
- Leadership Development and Support
- Faith Formation
- Justice and Advocacy.
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Fall Theological Conference | | |
Registration is OPEN for this year's Rocky Mountain Synod, ELCA Conference for Rostered leaders, Synodically Authorized Ministers (SAM), Theological Education for Emerging Ministry (TEEM) and guests. Bishop Meghan Johnston Aelabouni invites you to get ready to be "Baptized in Muddy Waters", recognizing Jesus in times of change.
While it's not required, it is an expectation of our active rostered ministers. We recognize that costs can hinder participation. To help keep registration cost lower so travel and lodging costs are less taxing for participants—we are:
- Using funds remaining after the final tabulation of Synod Assembly revenue and expenses
- Pursuing additional sponsorships and grants
- Offering a limited number of host homes through Shepherd of the Mountains
- Leaving more meals open, giving participants flexibility to choose where they eat and enjoy fellowship together
- Continuing to explore gathering models that reduce overall conference expenses
These efforts keep registration below the 2024 fee of $400-$500, last year’s $200 fee and the projected cost of $250 per participant this year.
When: September 28–October 1, 2026
Where: Shepherd of The Mountains Lutheran Church, Park City, Utah.
Cost: $150/participant
Keynote Speaker: Rev. Leila M. Ortiz
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Urban Servant Corps Celebrates | | |
Urban Servant Corps recently celebrated this year’s community of young adults who completed a year of service across the Denver area. Alumni from every decade gathered to give thanks for nearly 40 years of ministry—forming young adults, strengthening communities and following where God leads. All also gave thanks to co-founder and founding director, Rev. Bonita Bock and current Executive Director, Krista Kilgus.
As Urban Servant Corps prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary next year, its mission continues to walk with young adults, communities in learning and in new ways: walking alongside formerly incarcerated women as they rebuild their lives and re-enter the community. We give thanks for this ministry and all who have been and will yet be a part of its story since 1987!
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Living Stones Lay Ministry School | |
SAM Mentor Training Registration
This training is intended for rostered ministers who are interested or who are currently acting as mentors for one or more Synodically Authorized Ministers (SAMs). The training will be September 28 before Theological Conference begins.
Register
Lutheran Theology and Confessions
This 5-week online class will from 6:30-8:00pm on Monday evenings from August 17-September 14. The course fulfills the Lutheran Theology and Confession requirement for SAM ministry, but you do not have to be involved in SAM to participate. The class is $25 for those serving in rural and small town communities and $50 for everyone else.
Register
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Rooted in God’s story, your story, and our story together, the Every Congregation Visit effort creates space to listen, build relationship, notice and celebrate where God is at work across the Rocky Mountain Synod, and discern how we can work together in shared ministry.
Over the next two years, Synod Ministers will visit every congregation in the Rocky Mountain Synod. Each visit creates space for regularly scheduled worship, informal conversation over coffee or a meal, an introduction to the wider work of the synod, and time for congregational leaders and members to share about their ministry, context, and hopes.
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Rather than a time for problem-solving, these visits are centered on mutual learning, gratitude, and connection as we give thanks for the ministry happening across our 150+ congregations and ministries in five states and considers the ways we can relate, connect, support and equip each other in ministry.
Congregations do not need to reach out to schedule these visits. A Synod Minister will contact you to schedule the visit.
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Shadin Nassar serves as the ELCA Regional Associate for the Middle East and North Africa, | |
Shadin Nassar to speak in the Rocky Mountain Synod!
Please register for one or more of these events:
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Tuesday, July 28, 6:30 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran in Denver (5000 E. Alameda Ave., Denver). The presentation will be in Christ Chapel with refreshments to follow.
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Wednesday, July 29, 6 p.m. at Trinity Lutheran in Boulder, CO (2200 Broadway, Boulder, CO ). Dinner with Shadin will begin at 6pm in the Fellowship Hall with her presentation at 7pm in the Sanctuary.
- If you can't be there in person, a YouTube link will be available via the registration.
Register
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Decade of Climate Justice Action
At the April Synod Assembly, the RMS Voting Members overwhelmingly passed a resolution sponsored by our RMS creation care team in recognition of our human vocation to be better stewards of the earth. Click the link below to download a bulletin insert to share with your congregations to learn more about the resolution and how you can be a part of the action.
Download Resource
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Please keep Pastor Kristi Beebe in your prayers as she continues to live with anti-phospholipid syndrome and the effects of recurrent brain bleeds. After extensive evaluation at Mayo Clinic, there are no additional treatment options at this time beyond carefully managing her condition. Kristi asks for prayers that her health remains stable and does not worsen.
Pray for strength, wisdom for her medical team, peace in the midst of uncertainty, and God's sustaining presence each day.
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ELCA Property Hub Resources | | The Church Property Resource Hub (CPRH) equips congregation and synod leaders with the expertise that will empower congregations to continue to steward their buildings and land as a witness to the gospel. This initiative was created in response to questions and needs voiced by synods and congregations regarding the use, management and support of church-held property. Check out what's new and explore resources. | | | | |
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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 Linden, Synod Minister for Lay and Rostered Leadership, 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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