El Paso Assembly Rescheduled

Loveland Assembly Registration opens later this week

The 2022 Assembly will take place Monday, May 9 at 2 p.m. through Wednesday, May 11 at noon at the Embassy Suites in Loveland, CO. The El Paso Assembly has been rescheduled for 2023. Later this week the registration link will be available with a deadline of April 1.

Also, a form will be available for these opportunities, due March 1.

• Intent to submit a resolution or memorial
• Sign up for a display table as an exhibitor (limited to RMS and ELCA ministries)
• Reserve a page in our annual "ministry magazine" featuring a page for each RMS/ELCA ministry.

Also watch for information about open positions and nominations.

As part of registration, all assembly participants will be required to show proof of "up-to-date" vaccinations and boosters as appropriate for the individual's age. Other COVID protocols will be determined closer to the event.

All hotel reservations made through the RMS link for El Paso have been cancelled. We are in conversation with Southwest Airlines to confirm that flights may be rebooked for travel next year as long as the reservation is made within one year of the original booking date.

Questions? Concerns? More Information? Please contact Deacon Sarah Bjornebo.

Have a mountain getaway to share with fire-impacted folks?

These are a couple way you may share the love of Christ with those in need:

1. Do you have a mountain cabin or condo that you would offer at no cost as a place of respite and refreshment for those who are faced daily by loss and the burned out and devasted neighborhoods? Trinity and Christ the Servant (CtS) families would be most grateful. The CtS Chrysalis Team is coordinating this ministry. Send an email to ctschrysalisteam@gmail.com. Read about the Chrysalis Initiative here.
2. If you have some gifts and abilities to share, you may offer your expertise on the form below. There is a specific need for CPA’s or those with extensive tax preparation skills.

Ten $100 Scholarships Available

White Privilege Conference

March 9-12

The Privilege Institute (TPI) provides challenging, informative, and practical strategies to equip and empower people, organizations, institutions, and communities committed to action and accountability related to issues of diversity, power, privilege, and leadership.

This year's annual conference is in person at Charlotte, North Carolina, or online. The registration fee is the same. The Rocky Mountain Synod Council is making available ten $100 scholarships to attend either in person or online.

Information and registration is available. If you would like to be one of the first ten to request a scholarship, please email Pastor Barbara Berry-Bailey.

Register NOW for Colorado Lutheran Day at the Capitol

Thursday, February 17

8:00am to 1:00pm

Colorado Lutheran Day at the Capitol is back! Join us on February 17 for a morning of learning, sharing and action. Even if you're new to the lobbying process, have never met a legislator, or have never even stepped inside the State Capitol, we want you to join us. Advocates will gather to learn about what's happening this year under the Gold Dome, better understand the connection between advocacy and our faith, and go to the State Capitol in downtown Denver to meet our legislators in person.

A remote participation option is also available for the morning portion (non-Capitol) of the event, and remote participants will be equipped with the tools to schedule virtual visits with their legislators. The morning event is at St. Paul Lutheran Church, 1600 Grant Street, Denver.

Registration is $20 and includes all materials as well as breakfast and lunch. Join us and make a difference through advocacy

Lutheran Men in Mission

BOLD GATHERING is a day for men to come together to learn, to network, and be equipped to BOLDY live out their faith! There are two gatherings planned for 2022. A virtual meeting on Saturday, April 22, registration will open in March. And a Fall National Gathering is planned for October 7-9 at the Carol Joy Holling Conference & Retreat Center in Ashland, NE. More info will be available in April. Visit the Bold Gathering website.

Also, consider attending the upcoming One Year to Live retreat that will be held at Camp Santa Maria in Grant, CO from April 22-24. Get a brochure here!

ONLINE EVENT

for such a time as this

from the Women of the ELCA

Do you serve on the board of a synodical women’s organization? Or are you a conference or cluster leader? Then you are invited to attend the 2022 leadership event, For Such a Time as This: Spirit fed, Spirit led.

The main sessions take place February 18 – 19, 2022 (that’s a Friday and Saturday), from 12 noon – 4:00 p.m. MST via Zoom. There will also be individual gatherings, by region, on Thursday, February 17, at 7 p.m. in a region-friendly time zone (for those regions that span two or more time zones). Register to attend via Zoom.

Share the new Veterans Servant Corps Project brochure! Get it here: print or online version.

April 22-24, 2022 – VSCP first Veterans Couples retreat at Rainbow Trail Lutheran camp. This retreat is free for any/all Veteran couples. Interested in participating? Click here to contact Vicky Daub.

Have Veterans events at your church/community that you would like to publicize; want Vicky or another VSCP board member to visit your church/community? Contact Vicky Daub.

AUGUSTANA ARTS EVENT AT BETHANY

Music of the Vine - A French Excursion

ONE NIGHT ONLY

Friday, February 11 at 7:00pm

Enjoy this memorable evening with Gossamer Winds side-by-side with Claude Robbins, Master Wine Educator with the International Wine and Spirits Guild. Join us at Bethany Lutheran Church, 4500 E. Hampden Ave., Cherry Hills Village, CO

You are invited to a rare opportunity to experience the French region through a sophisticated collage of music, wine, and cheese. Well-known and barrier-breaking woodwind quintet, Gossamer Winds, will perform French classical and popular music plus other Valentine's Day selections. And distinguished wine expert, author, and educator, Claude Robbins, will share his expertise and enthusiasm for the fine art of wine and cheese pairing - an evening sure to set the mood for your Valentine's weekend.

Limited seating for safe distancing. A special date night and/or weekend getaway to France in the relaxing atmosphere of a picturesque "Cherry Hills Village" Riviera (without the flight). Augustana Arts invites you!

$10 Discount for ELCA members! Use code ELCA 10

$35pp /$60 couple. Masks required; Proof of Vacc./ID verified. Must be 21+ to attend.

IOOV In Our Own Voice!

Sunday, February 20 at 4:00pm

In Our Own Voice presentation provides a personal perspective of mental health conditions, as leaders with lived experience talk openly about what it's like to have a mental health condition. Hosted by the Interfaith Network on Mental Illness and provided with Atonement Lutheran Church, Boulder. This program provides:

• An opportunity to hear open and honest perspectives on a highly misunderstood topic,
• A chance to ask leaders questions, allowing for a deeper understanding of mental health conditions and dispelling of stereotypes and misconceptions, and
• "What Happened," What Helps," and "What's Next?"

Use the zoom link in the flyer, or here.

Questions, contact Pastor Alan Johnson.

The Concordia Choir at Colorado Springs and Denver

You are invited to hear the 69-voice a cappella Concordia Choir as they are on their 2022 spring tour.

• Colorado Springs on Thursday, March 10 at 7 p.m. at First United Methodis Churcht: Tickets
• Denver, Colorado on Friday, March 11 at 7 p.m. at Augustana Lutheran Church: Tickets

Making something old, new again!

Pew Flipping Competition 2022

Similar to the popular TV Show ‘Flea Market Flip’, we are calling for crafty/creative teams from all corners of the RMS to sign up and compete in our “Pew Flipping Competition.” We have a few rows of solid wood pews that will be removed from the Lutheran Center Sanctuary to accommodate our renovation plans.

The flipped pews will be auctioned off at this year’s Synod Assembly! Each team will name an ELCA Charity or related Ministry Partner they will be playing for.

Each team will be provided a small (~2 person sized, 5' to 6') pew section. You must use a 'majority' of the pew material provided to either make something artistic, or create something entirely different. You are allowed to supplement your flip with whatever materials/supplies the team deems necessary. There are no limitations on the tools or flip methods you can use to carry out your vision. Contact Tina Kvitek for more information.

Information and Registration for Pew Flipping Competition

ONLINE EVENT

February Creation Care Support Group Meeting

Saturday, February 12, 10:00am

This month we will be discussing Synod Assembly, Earth Day, and other events. This is a general meeting of sharing ideas and getting advice.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/83008940316



ONLINE EVENT

Quarterly RMS AMMPARO meeting

Saturday, February 19, 10:00am

Anyone who is interested in immigration issues in the Rocky Mountain Synod is invited to join the AMMPARO group. We meet quarterly for discussion and support. This month we are discussing "The World is About to Turn" by Rouse and Ingram. You need not have read the book to attend. We will be discussing what to do at Synod Assembly. Send email for infofor info.

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88514349858

Co-Sheltering Conference: Housing humans and animal companions together

Tuesday, March 1 through Thursday, March 3, 10 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.

My Dog Is My Home seeks "to increase access to shelter and housing for people experiencing homelessness with companion animals. By securing their ability to maintain their most important relationships and find adequate shelter, we ensure every family’s right to build a home."

This Co-Sheltering Conference will have great speakers, workshops and storytelling. On Thursday of the conference, there will be a workshop called "Partnering with Faith Communities." Please join the conversation and learn how you too can be an innovator in this way of serving and expand care for those experiencing homelessness with animal companions. Who knows, maybe YOUR congregation has the resources/facility to help. Register here, online today!

Lenten Resources from ELCA World Hunger

We invite you to study, pray, reflect and give with us during ELCA World Hunger’s 40 Days of Giving — for our families, our neighbors and communities around the world.

As the world has reeled from the effects of a deadly pandemic, we have seen the number of hungry people around the world rise, watched as food pantries and soup kitchens expanded to serve an ever-growing number of guests, and longed together for the time when we “will hunger no more, and thirst no more ... and God will wipe away every tear from [our] eyes” (Revelation 7:16-17). This very yearning is at the heart of who we are as church together. Yet our longing has never led to inertia or despair, despite the discouraging forecasts. We are an Easter people, ever journeying toward the cross but trusting in faith that God’s story does not end on that hill.

ELCA Introduces “Now Is the Time” Study Guide

Introducing “Now Is the Time: A Study Guide for ELCA Declaration to People of African Descent” to help congregations wrestle with the meaning of the declaration, adopted at the 2019 Churchwide Assembly. In the declaration, the ELCA “apologizes to people of African descent for its historical complicity in slavery and its enduring legacy of racism in the United States and globally. We lament the white church’s failure to work for the abolition of slavery and the perpetuation of racism in this church.”

“Now Is the Time” stresses realism, self-examination and accountability as the church acknowledges and apologizes for the history and impact of slavery and systemic racism in the United States and globally. The study guide focuses on deepening our understanding of this history as participants engage in often-difficult conversation and reflection to move the church toward racial healing and justice.

The Explanation of the Declaration, a Study Guide, and Participant Materials, are available at elca.org/Resources/Racial-Justice.