Dear Church,

Centered in Christ, the 2019 Churchwide Assembly was significant in many ways: worship, thoughtful deliberation and prayer led to the adoption of memorials and resolutions that will shape this church for years to come. Among these decisions, this church was called to address the deadly power of racism and white supremacy. Martin Luther's clear exposition of the gospel — that God justifies, that we are redeemed by the death and resurrection of Jesus, and that grace is a gift — not only makes it possible to engage in this work but gives us a framework in which to do it. The doctrine of justification is a great leveler. It acknowledges that no one group of people can claim supremacy over others. We are all deeply in need of grace, and God gives this gift to all. Standing equally under the judgement and promise of the gospel, we, as a church, can recognize the overt and covert ways that a culture of white supremacy denies full humanity to all people, and we can work to dismantle it. 

Read more >

The 2019 Churchwide Assembly of the ELCA adopted a number of changes to the Model Constitution for Congregations of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America, and it has been posted to our website here . The 2019 Amendments to the Model Constitution for Congregations document is here.

The synod will provide guidance in the coming week about how to amend your current congregation's constitution to the new model.

Saturday, January 18, 5:00 p.m. to Monday, January 20, 11:00 a.m.

YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, CO

Get ready for a fun and faith-filled weekend as we delve into the transforming love of God and what it means to take that love into our everyday lives.

Register at rmselca.org/youthgathering, and get $10 off if your group registers by Oct 1.

Portico’s Board of Trustees has approved health plan and benefit changes for 2020, featuring new ways for ELCA-Primary members to save on out-of-pocket costs and strengthen their emotional well-being. You can read more here .

 

Later in August, Custom Comparison Reports will be available to congregations, which will make their selections in October. Members will complete benefits enrollment in November. 

For questions or assistance, the Portico Customer Care Center is available at 800-352-2876 or [email protected].

Lutheran Church of Hope

1305 West 10th Avenue, Broomfield, CO ( map )

You are invited to Lutheran Church of Hope's 5th annual Oktobeerfest! Come enjoy craft beer, brats and burgers, bingo, kid's games, polka, local vendors and more. Fun for the whole family. Entrance is free, drink tickets available at the door.

Friday, Sept. 27, 5:00 to 9:00 p.m. and Saturday, Sept. 28, 11:00 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.

St. Philip Lutheran Church

7531 S. Kendall Blvd.

Littleton, CO ( map )

Join us for an evening that will sizzle with sounds from Spain and Latin America. Guest performers include classical guitarist, Lorian Bartle and piano/cello duo, Carl Algermissen & Ethan Lazarus. Freewill offering will be collected to benefit Stepping Stone Communities.

For more information, go to: https://www.stphilip-co.org/concerts/.

Music holds all things together, it’s the connective tissue. With the help of the Ars Nova Singers, the Stratus Chamber Orchestra will perform for you magnificent and famous music written specifically to connect: Intermezzo from Mascagni’s Cavaleria Rusticana and Puccini’s Humming Chorus from Madama Butterfly. As these pieces served to connect acts and scenes, Randall Thompson uses music to connect text, music and the human heart, setting music to the poetry of Robert Frost. Get your tickets here!

Friday, Oct. 4, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. (Immersive Seating)

1st Plymouth Congregational Church

3501 S. Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO ( map)

Saturday, Oct. 5, 2019 at 7:30 p.m. (Traditional Seating)

Augustana Lutheran Church

5000 E. Alameda Ave., Denver, CO ( map)

Sunday, Oct. 6, 2019 at 4:00 p.m. (Immersive Seating)

First United Methodist Church

1421 Spruce Street, Boulder, CO ( map)

Roof Top Garden at The Gathering Place

1535 High St.

Denver, CO ( map )

At Urban Servant Corps, we believe that people need people – and it is in community that we are able to live more simple, faithful lives that are in service to others. As a way of expressing our mission and a human tendency to gather around food, we invite you to our LET’S EAT event!

You will have the opportunity to bid on specially-themed dinner parties and sample bites from the menus for you to EAT!

And a handful of restaurant gift cards will be available for bidding at the event. Our goal is to raise the budgeted amount our full-time volunteers are given for groceries for a year so they can EAT! Also, it’s the 10th Anniversary of Krista Kilgus serving as USC’s Executive Director. Let’s celebrate (and EAT)!

Go here for more information!

St. Michael and All Angels Episcopal Church

601 Montaño NW

Albuquerque, NM ( map )

This conference is open to everyone interested in learning more about advocating on public policies impacting our many neighbors living in poverty and experiencing hunger.

Breakout session topics will include advocacy basics as well as issues related to our Advocacy Agenda which are expected to come up during the 2020 New Mexico state legislative session.

Our keynote speaker is Dr. Larry Rasmussen, a resident of Santa Fe. He is the Reinhold Niebuhr Professor of Social Ethics Emeritus at Union Theological Seminary. He is author of Earth-honoring Faith: Religious Ethics in a New Key(2013) and Earth Community, Earth Ethics (1996) and coauthor of Bible and Ethics in the Christian Life (1976, 1989, 2018).

$15 per person, including materials and lunch.

Register here, deadline is November 9.

Bethany Lutheran Church

4500 E Hampden Ave

Cherry Hills Village, CO ( map )

This college fair is to connect Lutheran college representatives with prospective students and their families to share all of the exciting opportunities available to them on our campuses. We will also host sessions about financial aid and how to stand out in the college application process.

Participating Colleges and Universities include:

Augustana University (Sioux Falls, SD)

California Lutheran University (Thousand Oaks, CA)

Capital University (Columbus, OH)

Concordia University Chicago (River Forest, IL)

Concordia University Irvine (Irvine, CA)

Gustavus Adolphus (St. Peter, MN)

Luther College (Decorah, IA)

Pacific Lutheran University (Tacoma, WA)

Valparaiso University (Valparaiso, IN)

Wartburg College (Waverly, IA)

Go here to sign up!

Each year in Colorado, thousands of kids are unable to live with their biological parents because of abuse or neglect. Lutheran Family Services needs families who can provide temporary care until children reunify with their parent, as well as families willing to adopt children and teens if they can't return to their families.

No-cost, no-obligation, informational meetings are held throughout the Denver Metro area. Come find out if foster care is the right path for your family! Please register with Nicole at [email protected] or 303-217-5852. One-on-one meetings can also be arranged to work around your busy schedule.

Martin Luther once said: “The fewer the words, the better the prayer.” Some of the most powerful prayers have been like breathing in and breathing out… breathing in knowledge of God while reading Scripture and breathing out praise.



Breathing in God’s love and breathing out possibility that is in alignment with God’s will. Although breath and breathing seem very simple to all of us, do we really slow down in this fast-paced, high-tech world to listen to God’s Spirit? How do we establish ways to “be still and know that God is God”? Join us for this retreat time, and gathering to live into the breath and stillness of God.

Understanding ourselves helps us understand one another. Join in a weekend of exploring who you are in the safety of a community that trusts we are all created and beloved as God’s children- no exceptions.

We will explore the personality tools of the Enneagram and Meyer’s Brigg’s Type Indicator (MBTI). These will be used to deepen our self-awareness and how we can grow deeper in our relationships with God and one another. In small groups we will get a chance to allow ourselves to both know/and be known by one another. All of this takes place in the context of the beauty of God’s creation at Rainbow Trail Lutheran Camp. Trusting God fully knows us and loves us, we get to be courageous and vulnerable as we learn, play, sing, dance and celebrate

ELCA Disability Ministries introduces a new grant opportunity for ELCA congregations in diverse and divested communities for an Accessibility Reinvestment Grant. Applications will be accepted through Oct. 15, 2019, at  https://elca.fluxx.io  for up to $25,000 for small-scale property and large-impact programmatic plans. Questions can be directed to  [email protected] .

The inherent risk of guest Wi-Fi access at your congregation



With the myriad of wireless devices in constant use, many churches provide Wi-Fi for the convenience of employees and guests. However, this complimentary benefit can come with a heavy price if security is taken for granted. You may want to forward this information to your IT support specialist before deciding to provide Wi-Fi access to your congregation.

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Director for Leadership and Candidacy - Domestic Mission Unit

Evangelical Lutheran Church in America

Sound Production Minister

Lutheran Church of Hope - Broomfield, CO

Musicians for Ministry!

Zion Lutheran Church - Loveland, CO

Director of Lutheran Advocacy - New Mexico

Rocky Mountain Synod ELCA - Santa Fe, NM

Director of Youth Ministries

Cross of Christ Lutheran Church - Broomfield, CO

Choir Director (part-time)

Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church - Cañon City, CO