REGISTRATIONS STILL BEING RECEIVED!

Assembly information now posted

2022 Synod Assembly

May 9-11, 2022

Loveland, Colorado

Embassy Suites Hotel and Conference Center

2:00 p.m. on Monday, May 9 through Noon on Wednesday, May 11

Treasurer's Reports & Pre-Assembly Zoom, May 2

2022 Proposed Budget

• Rocky Mountain Synod 2022 Proposed Budget

2021 Financial Reports

• Congregation Giving by Conference
• Designated Giving
• Balance Sheet
• Summary & Budget vs Actual
• (all 2021 reports combined)

The 2022 proposed budget will be presented to the Assembly for approval. Please take time to review the document ahead of time and attend the Pre-Assembly Synod Treasurer Zoom meeting on Monday, May 2 at 4:30 p.m. MDT. This meeting will provide time to discuss any of the financial documents, answer questions, and review the proposed budget. You are encouraged to attend this meeting prior to the Assembly session. There will not be time for an in-depth review of the budget at Assembly. Here is the Zoom link for that session:

The Zoom link for this Pre-Assembly Zoom meeting is:

zoom.us/j/98049988778?pwd=Q1hhQS9IUUI4VklBbGVHYitoUHN4QT09

Meeting ID: 980 4998 8778

Passcode: 617701

Phone:  +1 346 248 7799

Nomination Materials

• Please review the candidate materials here

Registration and Hotel Rooms

The hotel is allowing us to extend their meal count deadline and there are still hotel rooms available. Thus, you may still register! Questions? Concerns? More Information? Please contact Deacon Sarah Bjornebo.

Wonderfully Made – An RMS High School Summer Experience

Registration is OPEN! Deadline May 31!

With the news of the cancellation of the ELCA Youth Gathering this Summer, many leaders from around the Synod stepped up and said "we need to offer something."

So we are proud and excited to announce that the Rocky Mountain Synod, in partnership with Other + Wise, will be hosting a Summer event for your high school youth! Price is TBD, however, it is sure to be less expensive than the ELCA Youth Gathering, with even further cost savings with the option to sleep on a church floor, or a hotel/Airbnb of your choice!

The large group gatherings will take place at Bethany Lutheran Church, just south of Denver in Cherry Hills Village. Immersion experiences will take place each afternoon. Registration deadline is May 31.

Each group must secure their own transportation as this experience includes travel exploration. More info at 2022myj.com and otherwise.info.

For any questions, contact our RMS Faith Formation Coordinator - Kinna Nordstrom Kemp at 303-889-9844 (call/ text) or email [email protected].

If you be holding a Memorial Day tribute for veterans at your church/community, please share it by contacting Vicky Daub at: [email protected].

Lutheran Campus Ministry Regions 1 & 2

Staff Retreat June 26-29

We are on for June 26-29 at the Dumas Bay Center in Federal Way, Washington. Staff, please fill out this form to register. Synod folks, encourage the staff in your part of the world to join us for this important and life-giving event!

The cost is only be $150 per person for 3 nights in single dorm rooms with catered food and a lovely view of the bay. We'll start Sunday night with dinner and check-in. We'll have time to share about our ministries, experiences, and to have practical conversations about our work within our regional and historical context. We'll make sure we have time for prayer, rest, outdoor and urban exploring.

Lutheran Campus Ministry Network (LuMin) is a network of inclusive faith communities celebrating God’s love and grace on or near the campuses of over 230 colleges and universities across the United States.

Checks or paypal accepted. Checks should be mailed to: LCMNet, c/o Agape San Diego, 6556 Park Ridge Rd, San Diego, CA 92120-3236. To pay online go to paypal.me/LCMNet

AUGUSTANA ARTS PRESENTS:

Synergy of Stratus II: For the Love of Music

Saturday, April 23 at 7:30 p.m.

Augustana Lutheran Church (5000 E. Alameda Ave.

Enter code WelcomeBack2022 at checkout for $10 OFF all ticket price levels.

Our final Stratus concert of the season transcends all the challenges of the year with a synergistic concert of exciting works.

Join Stratus for ONE NIGHT ONLY as they also perform Vaughan Williams’ Serenade to Music, Beethoven’s Symphony No. 6 (Pastorale), a Haydn cello concerto, and the premier of a great new piece called Tin Lizzies on Fall River Road.

AUGUSTANA ARTS PRESENTS:

Dr. Kris Rizzotto - In Concert!

Sunday, May 8 at 3:00pm

Augustana Lutheran Church (5000 E. Alameda Ave.)

Don’t miss this unparalleled matinee performance forthis ONE-TIME performance!

Join Augustana Arts and the Rocky Mountain Guild of Organists for our 2021-22 season finale featuring organist, composer, and international recitalist Dr. Kris Rizzotto. The organ, likely an instrument you hear very seldomly, is the world’s most powerful instrument, with an enthralling range of sounds and sheer volume reminiscent of a full orchestra. Kindle your love of this extraordinary instrument with a colorful and invigorating performance featuring the world’s best organ repertoire.

Dr. Rizzotto is a Latvian Brazilian organist who is currently the Director of Music at Lake of the Isles Lutheran Church in Minneapolis. They have played concerts in Argentina, Brazil, Italy, Latvia, Lithuania, Norway, Poland, and in 20 American states.

Dr. Rizzotto holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Organ Performance from the American Organ Institute at the University of Oklahoma, a Master of Music in Organ Performance and Sacred Music from East Carolina University, and a Bachelor’s degree in Piano Performance from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. Their first published composition, “Toccata,” was released in 2014 by Wayne Leupold Editions, and they now find success as a self-published composer.

Masks and proof of vaccination may be requested at the time of this concert and will follow prescribed state, city and church guidelines.

The Summit:

A Retreat for Faith Formation Leaders

Monday, April 25 through Wednesday, April 27

Calling all faith formation leaders! Come spend time at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp in Colorado for personal reflection, renewal, and professional development with other youth, family, children, young adult, and faith formation leaders!

This is a FREE retreat for folks in the Rocky Mountain Synod! Folks outside of the synod are welcome to join. Professional Counselor, Julie Miller, and other speakers will facilitate conversations about Managing Mental Health: A two part training for ministry professionals.

More info and registration at rainbowtrail.org/retreats/the-summit and email: [email protected]

"Breaking the Silence About Mental Illness" and "Transforming Stigma into Hope: Storytelling and Mental Illness"

Sunday, May 1 at 9:30am and 11:00am

What can we do to help reduce stigma about mental illness in our communities? Together we will explore how and why personal storytelling is so effective in removing the barriers of stigma and shame.

Dr. Sarah Lund's prerecorded sermon is "Resurrecting Friendship" at 9:30 and the forum is at 11:00 where Sarah will be live on zoom from Indiana. Sarah’s 16 year old niece died by suicide in the fall of 2020 and after her death the family learned that stigma was one of the barriers to getting help. Sarah currently serves as Minister for Disabilities and Mental Health Justice on the national staff of the United Church of Christ and as senior pastor of First Congregational UCC of Indianapolis, IN. Sarah joined two US Department of Health and Human Services national Think Tanks, the first about faith communities and suicide, and the second Think Tank about faith communities and youth mental health.

Women's Ministry Event

Hosted by St. Philip Lutheran Church, Littleton, CO

Get more info and register at stphilip-co.org/womens-ministry-event!

IN-PERSON EVENT

REAL SABBATH

Pub Theology Retreat at Sky Ranch

May 6-8

Friday night to Sunday 11am

A Young Adult retreat for those age 18-35!

Use QR code to register.

ONLINE ZOOM EVENTS

Feeling overwhelmed?

Join us for learning, conversation, and support

For more than two years, many people have used the term "overwhelmed’ to describe how they're feeling. We've struggled with a pandemic, including deaths and severe illnesses in our families and communities, social division, economic disruption, and more. There's a clinical word that can be used to describe this feeling: trauma.

Join us as we find paths to understanding what we're coping with, and ways to support one another through these unusual times. The facilitator, Dr. Edward Mooney, an ELCA pastoral ministry candidate in Colorado, is a researcher and educator who has spent years studying the effects of trauma in schools.

Join us for one of these three Zoom opportunities for learning and conversation:

Tuesday, May 24, 2022 from 6:30-9 p.m.

Thursday, June 2, 2022 from 6:30-9 p.m.

Saturday, June 11 from 9-11:30 a.m.

United for Immigration Reform

March 21 - May 1

A group of Colorado undocumented immigrants and allies are setting out on a 40-day bicycle ride from Denver to D.C. to push the federal government to pass immigration reform before the November 2022 elections.

We believe that immigrants and allies have a responsibility to take action to create change… even if it requires sacrifice. We invite ELCA members to join us - by bicycle and car, in demonstrations, and in prayer and meditation - during this journey. Please visit the united4immigrationreform.org to learn more about this effort and how you can support, and please share with your friends and family!

from the RMS Creation Care Team -

Earth Day is April 22

Earth Sunday will be celebrated in many ELCA churches on April 24. The actual Earth Day is April 22 and is observed by about 200 countries around the world. Some countries call it International Mother Earth Day.

The first Earth Day was March 22, 1970. Oil spills, pesticides, lake and river pollution, and smog were prevalent. Cleveland’s Cuyahoga River actually caught on fire. Sen. Gaylord Nelson, of Wisconsin, had been campaigning for a decade before the cause of environmental action caught on. Earth Day has remained an important way to raise awareness about environmental issues each year. Remember, there was no EPA, no Clean Air Act, no Clean Water Act--no regulation at all to care for our environment. Senator Nelson proposed to Congress that there be a special day to honor and promote “care of creation”—our Mother Earth. We are grateful for this planet and its amazing natural resources.

There is hope and there are solutions to the climate change crisis. We have the technologies. State and local governments are leading the way. Faith-based organizations must encourage this leadership. Every fraction of a degree of warm avoided will save lives. Together we can protect the climate and a livable future for our children. It is our sacred trust.

Follow the Rocky Mountain Synod Creation Care Team on FB!

Lutheran Alliance for Faith, Science and Technology, March 2022

Covalence Magazine: The old and new story of faith and science

This month we are exploring again with Jim Miller some of the key aspects of historical faith and science interactions as part of his ongoing series of articles providing a wealth of ancient wisdom in a new way. Indeed, much more can be done in bringing these ideas to...

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