Our Vision Statement: ‘With the heart and mind of Christ, we transform the world.’

In Today's Bulletin

• OktoberFest - Tonight
• Fall Harvest Potluck - Tomorrow
• Family Housing - Hosting
• Table for 4
• Volunteer with the ECC Rocky Mtn Regional Council
• Last week for ISAAC donations!
• ....and more

26th Sunday of Ordinary Time

Sunday, September 27, 2026

Those who contemplate the Beauty

of the earth find reserves of strength

that will endure as long as life lasts.

—Rachel Carson

Join us tomorrow at 12:30 pm in the Sanctuary or on Zoom for Sunday Mass with Reverend Jane Reina presiding and delivering the homily.

Thank you to Pedro Engel and Vicki Johnson for serving as our lectors and also for Mary Lou Devlin and Jim Berry

for serving as our Eucharistic Ministers.

We are grateful to our marvelous Music Ministry, led by Bill Smith, for providing spirit-filled song.

To join us via Zoom

• Zoom Link: Here
• For Zoom App: 431 502 8167

Here is the worship aid (view or print) to assist with prayer.

Zoom attendees: if you have any prayers you want to offer, it's helpful to put them in the 'chat box' early.

Mary of Magdala Announcements

IT IS TONIGHT at 6:00 pm

We are excited about the celebration tonight! There will be hearty food, German beer and German music and fun fellowship with German Chocolate cake for dessert!

Join us Tonight Saturday, September 26, from 6–7:30 pm in the Fellowship Hall.

Most importantly, we’ll come together to support affordable homeownership through Habitat for Humanity in Fort Collins.

We still need a few more side dishes of potato salad, pasta salad, veg salad, baked beans, and fruit. Please SIGN UP TO BRING A DISH BELOW. We’re expecting 80 people.

But if you cannot join with us, consider donating here

Fall Harvest Luncheon TOMORROW!

FALL HARVEST POTLUCK LUNCHEON: Sunday September 27th right after Mass!

Time to celebrate cooler temperatures & the harvest of your gardens of corn, squash, tomatoes, carrots, apples, and pumpkin! Make (or buy) your best casserole, dessert, etc.

We will provide drinks including wine, table service, rolls & butter. Come one, come all & let us feast together!

Hosted by our wonderful Hospitality Ministry.

Weekly Morning Peace Prayer

Join us in a prayer for peace in the world and within ourselves. 20 minutes every Monday via Zoom. (Families invited!)



Monday Morning Peace Prayer

At 9:30 am on this  Zoom Link

Meeting ID: 844 1669 8343,

Passcode: 557026

Faith Family Hospitality Coming Up!

Our next rotation of Faith Family Hospitality ( Family Housing Network) will be the week of October 18. 

That means our nights are Monday 10/19 and Tuesday 10/20. 

Mark your calendars.  It's most likely that we will still be meeting at Christ United Methodist Church, as in the past. Stay tuned, as there is a remote chance we will be in the new facility.

But before that we have two wonderful opportunities to get up to date, as it has been quite a while since our last weeks in April. A lot has happened, and we may be a little rusty.  



1. Annual volunteer training (online) - 10/5 at 6 PM (the link will be sent out).

2. Tour of the new central location at 811 East Myrtle at 4:30 PM.  This is a great opportunity to see the facilities we will be using in the future. It will also help you to be acquainted with the kitchen, etc. 

The sign up genius can be found here. Please consider helping as a cook, an evening host or an overnight host.

Rocky Mountain ECC Regional Council

Three opportunities to volunteer !!

House of Laity Steering Committee

Mary Lu Stensen from Light of Christ will be stepping down from serving as a regional representative to the ECC House of Laity Steering Committee. 

The Steering Committee meets once monthly on Zoom to discuss ECC issues and concerns that pertain particularly to the lay members of the ECC. Ideally, the representative should be a lay delegate to the Synod. If you are interested in serving our region in this capacity, please contact Tom Moos (970 219-9441 or tjmoos@aol.com). Mary Lu is happy to provide training and guidance.

Board of Directors Member in the Colorado Council of Churches

The Colorado Council of Churches (CCC) is an interdenominational organization working together for justice focusing on affordable housing and housing justice, criminal restorative justice, education of children, Environment, Health Care, Poverty, Immigration, Racism, Sexuality, Families and Abuse. 

The CCC has historically also been the primary organizer of the Easter Sunrise Services at Redrocks. As vicar for ecumenical engagement, Fr Michael Nicosia served on the Board and eventually became Chairman, raising visibility for the ECC especially in the Denver area and northern Colorado. Bishop Kae Madden has continued to be an ECC presence as an Adjudicator but is not a member of the Board. 

The region is looking for someone to take Fr Nicosia’s place. Although many representatives to CCC are clergy, being ordained is not a requirement. If interested, please contact Tom Moos (970 219-9441 or tjmoos@aol.com) or Mother Rosean.

Serve on the Bishop Call Committee

(Representative of Mary of Magdala)

Our region needs to have a local bishop election in the spring of 2027.  Our Rocky Mountain Regional Council is beginning to assemble a Local Bishop Call Team to run the process of this election including clarifying the ministry description, running a nomination process, vetting candidates who accept their nomination, organizing gatherings of some sort so people can get to know the candidates, and implementing a local election.  The call committee would be working with the Regional Council but would be doing a lot of the work as a team. 

The goal is to have someone from each of the 5 communities on this team.  Mother Rosean and Tom Moos are already on the regional council and so cannot serve on the call committee.

Please take some time to prayerfully consider this finite role representing Mary of Magdala.  Most of the work of this team will be done on Zoom and we expect there to be 1-2 meetings per month from October through May, and some work outside of those meetings.  

We are not starting the process from scratch.  An election happened in 2021 and that process is well documented.  If you feel called to be part of this team, let Mother Rosean or Tom Moos know by the end of September.   If you do not feel called to this team, you do not need to respond. (970 219-9441 or tjmoos@aol.com).

Make a Reservation for Table for 4!



It's time to make a reservation for a Table for 4 for the last time for 2026. 

If you are looking for an opportunity to meet with friends or want to meet new friends at Mary of Magdala all you need to do is select the "sign up button" to join a Table for 4. You will be connected with 3-5 others to go out for a meal, coffee, or whatever you all decide to do sometime in October/November. 

The goal is to be paired with others you have not been paired with before depending on who signs up. All are welcome to join us for some fun, laughter, and good food.

For questions contact Joan Chapman Smith at jcs1320@gmail.com

301 Faith Partners

Parking Lot Project

We have three more days of inconvenience on the parking lot maintenance project.

Here is all we have left in this endeavor. They plan to start work about 8am Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. Once they are done working in an area we are able to drive on it again. So our evening meetings should not be impacted unless they are finishing up in a specific area.

• Monday: Seal coating the west & north parking lots - No access to these areas until they are done. East & South full normal access.
• Tuesday: Seal coating the east & south parking lots - No access to these areas until they are done. Striping the West & North parking lots. No access to these areas until they are done - This should not be a full day closer. The longer we are off the paint the better.
• Wednesday: Striping the East & South parking areas - No access to these areas until they are done - This should not be a full day closer. The longer we are off the paint the better.
• 
  

Thursday - back to normal!

Please be patient and or plan a later arrival on Tuesday while they stripe the west parking lot!

Help Keep Our Grounds Looking Great!

We’re looking for two volunteers each Saturday to help care for our shared church grounds.

Tasks include mowing, trimming, weed-whacking, blowing off walkways, and general grounds cleanup. No experience is necessary!

New volunteers will receive equipment training at 9:00 AM on their first Saturday.

Sign up with a friend or come meet someone new, together, we can keep our grounds looking neat, tidy, and green!

Sign up here!

***SAVE THE DATE***
America the Beautiful? History and faith as guides to understanding

the United States on its 250^th anniversary

October 29, 2026, 7-8:30pm

Trinity Lutheran Church, 301 East Stuart, Fort Collins, CO 80525

The 301 Faith Community will offer an Adult Education Evening Seminar

co-led by two members of Mary of Magdala, ECC: Ruth M. Alexander,

Professor Emerita of History (CSU) and Jared Orsi, Professor of History

(CSU).  

Jared and Ruth will share historical and ecumenical Christian perspectives

that deepen understanding of the complexity and contradictions in US

history, the existential challenges of the present day, and reasons to remain

committed to communities of faith and civil society. They will reference the

materials below. Participants are invited to review them in advance. (Click on each link.)

• “America the Beautiful,” by Katherine Lee Bates, song, 1911
• “Guilty of our own Innocence,” Cornel West, video, 2026
• “How Solzhenitsyn Found Faith," Gary Saul Morson, article, 2026
• “I Have a Dream,” Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., speech in audio and transcript,1963

Please RSVP to motherrosean@gmail.com

ISAAC’s Newcomer Winter Gear and Hygiene Kit Drive 2026

Ending Soon!

Each year ISAAC works with the Poudre School District's Newcomer office to provide newcomer middle and high school students with winter gear and hygiene kits. Here is the list of items needed.

If you purchase coats, choose dark or neutral colors and buy youth sizes (12, 14, 16) and adult sizes (S, M, L) for women or men. 

The drop off locations are: First Presbyterian, Trinity Lutheran Church, and Fort Collins Friends Meeting.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

NEW OPTION: You can use the Amazon Gift Registry link to purchase items for ISAAC.

And at the end of the day, if you do not have time to shop, here is the link to donate! Be sure to write in 'Newcomer Teens' under additional comments.

We also need volunteers to help us sort and prepare the items for distribution on October 5, 6 and 7. Here is the link to help sort the donated items.

Questions? Contact Judy Matthews at soc-ecojustice@stpauls-fc.org

301 Quilters 

301 Quilters meets Fridays from 10 am-12 pm in Room 2.

If you’d like to join us, please come! NO experience needed, NO need to have been coming last year, NO worries. Hope to see the old familiar as well as new faces.

We’re a fun and caring small group that has a purpose of aiding those in need.

HELP NEEDED

The 301 Quilters are asking for help this summer to sew some quilt tops. We have made kits that are put together with cut 11” squares and instructions. All you do is sew! The kits are in a box in front of the red tote used for Quilt Donations beside the west Fellowship Hall door.

If you are able, please pick up a kit, sew at your leisure and then return the top to the red tote.

Men's Spirituality Group

The men's spirituality group will continue meeting on 
Mondays at 6:30 PM in Room 5.

Carrying on the work of Fr. Richard Rohr (book reference) and Illuman, we will utilize the power of ritual, image, and story to expand the depth and breadth of love in ourselves to make a difference in the world, using a circle of structured sharing.

For anyone interested, please reach out to Peter here.

Chapter Two Book Club

Chapter Two Book Group is an open small group for 301 Faith Partners and the wider community, new participants are always welcome to join the casual discussion. No long-term commitment required! If you have trouble finding any of the books and would like Trinity to order a copy for the library, please let Maddie Fairfax know at any time. 


Our October book is The Things We Never Say by Elizabeth Strout. Our October meeting will be Thursday, October 22nd at 6pm in the Fireside Room.

Trinity Readers

Members of all of the 301 Faith Partner churches are invited to join the Trinity Readers on the first Monday of each month at 9:30 a.m. in the Fireside Room for a book discussion. 

On Monday, October 5, we will discuss the novel Penitence by Kristen Koval, a suspenseful novel, written by a Colorado lawyer. It is a story of family secrets, illness, tragedy, and death. The story explores personal and family relationships and how complex they can be. When a thirteen-year-old shoots her fourteen-year-old brother, the lawyer wrestles with forgiveness and acceptance of "the worst we have ever done."

Questions? Call Cheryl Smith at 970-218-5750.

From our Larger Community

ISAAC is proud to sponsor Teatro Latino’s fall events. Come and learn stories about our local Latino community. The Fort Collins Welcome Center is located at 7 Old Town Square, Suite 100.

Additional Ways to Contribute

to the Work of ISAAC

Ending Soon - Effort throughout September

Early this year, ISAAC started a program for families whose loved ones recently have been detained. ISAAC staff compile and deliver Comfort Bags containing items for children and adults that help relieve the stress these families in crisis are experiencing. 

At the May 9 ISAAC Faith Coalition Partners Spring Meeting, several of us from the 301 Faith Partnership agreed that this program is a project in which the Partnership and Immigration Task Force would like to participate.

To date, the ISAAC staff have had sufficient items for the comfort bags. But supplies are now running low. 

Throughout September, parishioners may contribute items for the baskets in a labeled container in Fellowship Hall. See below for the items used by ISAAC for this program.

Service Recordings

25th Sunday in Ordinary Time

The recording of readings and homily for September 20th can be found here. Associate Pastor Jane Reina presided and Art Bavoso delivered the homily.

Missed a homily or readings? Here is the link to past recorded services.

Prayer Requests

Praying for peace, health and well-being through challenging times.

+ Tyler Dahlquist, Kerrie Anderon's great niece's husband

+ Carlos Orsi, son of Jared Orsi, member

+Fr. Don Sutton, Pastor Emeritus, St. Paul, ECC, Denver

+ Jennifer Geraci, for discernment, member

+ Sean Raynes, grandson of Sandra Life

+ Rachel Devlin, daughter of MaryLou and David Devlin, members

+ Audrey Coleman, mother of Laura Williams, friend of ECC

+ Cindy Cloyd, member

+ Peter Postma son of Sharon Troyer, friend

+ Karen Neuman friend of Lisa Jones, member

+ Yvonne Keefe, member

+ Hannah Zehner, daughter of Cheryl

Zehner, member of ECC, East Rochester, NY

+ Cathy Engel, member

+ Lili Grimm, niece of Rosanna Bateman, member

+Ryan Mayer, nephew of Denise Mayer, member

+Deborah Hughes, for healing, spouse of Laura Templet, member

+Len Russ, member

+Fr. Frank Quintana, ECC priest

+Zoe Wahl, sister of Kristina Bulik-Hocum, member

+Courtney and Cache, family of Jean Christin, member

+Jane Kommrusch, spouse of Richard Kommrusch, member

+Jeff Klein, son of Debbie Klein

+Mary Powers and Katie Richards, members healing from long COVID

+Milo Pasquale Cushman, brother of Liz Urban, member

+Julie Lucas, daughter of Bruce & Carol Yeazell

+Pastor Rick Reiten, Pastor at Trinity Lutheran

~~~~~~~~~~~

A blessed and peaceful repose of souls for those who've passed and comfort for the friends and families.

+ Karen Johnson, member of Church of the Holy Family, ECC

+ Jim Barnes, spouse of Lynne Barnes, member

+ Audrey Coleman, mother of Laura Williams, friend of ECC

+Donna Colhour, mother of member Mark Colhour.

+Larry Johnson, father of Russ Johnson, member

+Lois Hug, mother of MaryAnne Heyman, member

+Richard Life, member of Mary of Magdala

+Donald Sherlock, brother-in-law of Dori Healy

+Joseph Grant, nephew of David and Cindy Cloyd

+Dennis Healy, Tom Healy's brother and Dori's brother-in-law

+Jim Carroll, husband of member Dori Carroll

Please send prayer requests to marymagdalafc@gmail.com. Prayers will be listed for one month unless requested for longer. Prayers for the repose of souls will be listed for six months unless requested for a longer time.

Wednesday Mass -

September 30 at 11:00 am

• In person in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available
• Mother Rosean presiding

Sunday Mass

October 4 at 12:30 pm

• In the Sanctuary and on Zoom
• Mother Rosean presiding

Wednesday Mass -

October 7 at 11:00 am

• In person in the Fireside Room
• No Zoom available
• Mother Rosean presiding

Sunday Mass

October 11, Synod Mass (from Minnesota) via Zoom only

--> 10:00 am Mountain Time <--

Zoom link available soon

No 12:30 pm Sunday Mass

Did you miss an article or announcement?



Past e-bulletins are posted on our website here. Below are links to some key articles:

• August news from the House of Laity here.
• Prayer request for Poland here.
• Read the ECC statement on immigration here.
• Ongoing Giving Opportunities in Fellowship hall; see list here.
• Dedicating Altar Flowers? Contact Joan Stepleton at JoanStepleton@gmail.com or 864-650-2816. A $25 dollar donation is kindly requested.

Mary of Magdala Parish Community

Members: Need to view, update information or download a copy of the member directory? Just click here.

-->If you are in need of a picture for the directory, contact David Cloyd via this email. Put 'Need Picture for the Directory' in the subject line and include your name and telephone number in your email <--

CONTRIBUTIONS TO MARY OF MAGDALA

If you would like to contribute to Mary of Magdala,

click here to schedule a single or recurring Sunday offertory.

All are invited and ALL are welcome to join our parish community. Here is the webpage with more information on membership

The ECC Regional Website - View here.

Newsletters of Trinity Lutheran Church and the St. Paul's Episcopal  

Click here for the Trinity Lutheran Church monthly newsletter, "Tidings". And here is St Paul's weekly bulletin.