RMMC Weekly Update
May 29, 2014
From Tim Ashburn
Greetings Rocky Mountain Mission Center!
Mission begins with encounter!
Do you ever feel drawn to something? Like there is a pull or tug or a nudge that just will not stop? Maybe it subsides for a while, but it reoccurs, that same feeling of being drawn, being pulled out of who we think we are or perhaps out of our comfortable lives.
When I was finishing my graduate degree in Recreation and Park Administration, there were many options as to the specific track that I could take. I felt drawn to nature, I wanted to be a park ranger or involved in wildlife management. I was very certain of this! Likewise, I knew what I didn’t want! I did not want to work in the realm of therapeutic recreation, especially in programs that dealt with adjudicated youth. Even if those experiences took me to view beautiful vistas in the wild outdoors. However, the bulletin boards in the university hall ways were filled with opportunities to work in places such as Alaska, Montana, and Colorado with programs that served this population. I steered clear. There was nothing drawing me to look at these challenging opportunities.
Within 6 months of graduating I found myself in the office of the Assistant Director of a program called Girls’ Adventure Trails, a program for teen girls and their families with challenges, I was interviewing for a trip counselor position. I would be one of three staff members taking groups of girls on month long camping trips, attempting to teach more effective socialization skills, establish boundaries and create the atmosphere for positive change. I was scared. I doubted my skills, my resolve and my stamina to deal with such intense relationships, but the door was open and I chose to step through. For the next 3 years my life was transformed. It was taken apart, I was uncomfortable, I was tested, I faced choices and decisions that impacted multiple lives that were seeking healing and wholeness. I was honed by the pain and hurt of these girls. I was tempered by the anger and hostility that struggled to be expressed. The natural elements of rain, cold, snow, heat all contributed to sharing in the human experience of life. Working with these girls and their families was one of the most difficult yet forming experiences of my life.
Initially, I was not drawn to work with people with challenges. I was more comfortable in other areas. My own sense, was changed by being open to the possibilities. There is great comfort in knowing what one wants, and there is great opportunity in being open to new and even sometimes uncomfortable situations. I am thankful for being drawn into experiences that constantly challenge me. These situations of encounter with God and others continue to create pathways of peace where the healing process can thrive. I feel drawn. I feel the nudging in my soul to encounter God in new ways. My heart beats with the excitement of the possibility of encounter!
Blessings,
Tim
The following is the mission prayer being used by participating congregations in the Leading Congregations in Mission Pilot. However all congregations are being encouraged to incorporate this prayer into the life of the congregation as well as in the lives of individual members. The prayer has been shared in various settings.
“God, where will your Spirit lead today? Help me be fully awake and ready to respond. Grant me courage to risk something new and become a blessing of your love and peace.” Amen
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION CENTER EVENTS: PLEASE SHARE THESE ANNOUNCEMENTS IN YOUR CONGREGATION!!!)
Youth Camps begin! Big Spruce Jr. Camp, June 5-8, Big Spruce Jr. High/Sr. High Camp, June 8-14, Camp Paradise Jr. Camp, June 22-25, Camp Paradise Jr. High Camp, June 22-27. As campers and staff prepare for camp, your prayers of support are appreciated!
Camp Paradise Family Camp: June 18-22, 2014. The theme for this year is Do We Know How to Show Christ’s Love? Guest ministry will be Central Mission Center President, Barbara Borkowski, and LCM Coordinator Rob Borkowski. The camp schedule is available online at www.cofchristrm.org. For more information and registration, please contact Jim Smith at smiths.villa@hotmail.com.
Street Retreat and IYF Preparation Gathering: These two events will happen together the weekend of June 20-22. Everyone grades 9-1st year college are welcome to attend both.
Street Retreat will go Friday evening through Sunday morning.
IYF Preparation Gathering will be June 21 from 9-noon in Denver. All people attending IYF are expected to attend. There will be a possibility of Skyping in so you don’t have to drive if you live far away. But if you can make it, please do! We will be getting to know each other and preparing for IYF by learning info and sharing in fellowship. Please note: You do not have to attend the whole Street Retreat in order to come to the IYF Prep gathering. (But we encourage you attendance!) STREET RETREAT INFO BELOW
Sr. High Street Retreat, ABOLISH POVERTY, Downtown Denver, CO.
Join your friends and awesome leaders in an experience of a lifetime. At past retreats we have made music videos, had crazy photo shoots, 16th street mall scavenger hunts, a grand tea party in hotel lounge area… We have worshipped on the 16th street mall and shared communion; we have learned about hunger, poverty and homelessness; and we have made breakfast burritos for the hungry and worked at SAME Cafe.
Grades: 9 – 1st Year College; Cost: $100 To register: call the mission center office at 303-426-5900 or email Rebecca at brussell@cofchristrm.org Youth Registration forms are online at www.cofchristrm.org
International Youth Forum (IYF): July 15-18, 2014 at the Community of Christ Temple in Independence, MO. Early registration deadline is June 10, 2014 and the theme this year is Courage. The cost to attend is $210, with transportation and delegation costs approximately $300 per person (transportation fees combine if attending both IYF and SPEC). Eligible students will have completed 9th grade through the first year of university (approximate ages 15-19). We are now accepting online donations for those wanting to support youth attending IYF at: www.cofchristrm.org.
Spectacular: July 18-26, 2014 at Graceland University. Expanded age range for this year; campers who have just completed 9th, 10th, 11th or 12th grades are invited to attend! The early registration deadline is June 10, 2014. The cost is $380 – sibling and first time friend discounts apply. Transportation will be coordinated by the mission center and will be approximately $300 (transportation fees will combine if attending both IYF and SPEC). Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to gather with nearly 1000 youth from around North America!
WORLD CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS
Order the new Jack & Jenn “Lights! Camera! Action!” for your Vacation Church School or camp. Join Jack and Jenn through this moviemaking-themed adventure that explores the Enduring Principles. The kit includes
New videos with accompanying lessons.
Director helps with sample schedules, craft ideas, and games.
Original music on CD to accompany videos and lessons.
T-shirt, banner, and publicity-material templates.
Order yours from Herald House at 1-800-767-8181 or www.HeraldHouse.org for $17.95 plus postage and handling.
New process for Registered Children and Youth Worker applications is now in effect.To become a Registered Children and Youth Worker, your application must be received by Legal Services at least two weeks before applicant proposes to begin working with children and youth. Processing cannot be guaranteed outside this timeframe. An applicant is not a Registered Children and Youth Worker until Legal Services has authorized and confirmed them as such. Neither completion of training nor submission of an application guarantees registration. Legal Services looks forward to working alongside you on this. For more information, contact Karen Waring, executive assistant to general counsel.
Plan to attend 21st annual Peace Colloquy October 24–26 on the theme, “Poverty: God Weeps.” The event will begin at 7:30 p.m. (CDT) Friday with the Community of Christ International Peace Award ceremony at the Temple in Independence, Missouri. Throughout the weekend we will explore many vital issues we need to understand to Abolish Poverty, End Suffering throughout the world. We will learn about root causes of poverty, poverty traps, and how our best intents may hurt rather than heal. Come learn how Community of Christ ministries and strategic partnerships can lead to approaches that work and are sustainable. The Colloquy will include programming for adults, junior and senior high students, and children in kindergarten through fifth grade. Learn more at www.CofChrist.org/peacecolloquy.
Please submit 2016 World Conference legislation by May 31, 2015.The principles and steps of the common consent process (www.CofChrist.org/wc2013/official/CommonConsentAdvisoryTeamReport.pdf) will be implemented at World Conference, June 4–11, 2016. Legislation (proposals) submitted early in the inter-Conference period will benefit from having ample time for translations, collaborative review by church leaders and mission centers, and more thorough church-wide discernment.
Even though the deadline for mission centers to submit items for 2016 World Conference consideration is February 5, 2016, mission centers are encouraged to submit items by May 31, 2015. All legislative items submitted by the final deadline (February 5, 2016) will be placed on the World Conference agenda.
A form for submitting legislative items (proposals) for 2016 World Conference consideration is at www.CofChrist.org/wc2016. The form can also be obtained from World Church Secretary Sue Sloan.
OTHER ITEMS:
10 Minute News: For more information from the World Church please go to
www.cofchrist.org/news/10min. The 10 Minutes News Report can be subscribed to electronically (see the side bar at the website titled E-Subscriptions.)