August 7, 2014

RMMC Weekly Update

August 7, 2014

From Tim Ashburn

 

Greetings Rocky Mountain Mission Center!

           

            Friends, I just returned from the Rockies Family Camp!  It was a great experience of community.  It was also a most challenging event.  Apostle Linda Booth shared story after story of ordinary people responding to the call of God in their lives and making a difference, a real difference in people’s lives.  In some cases, whole congregations were established as numerous people responded to the invitation to be a part of Christ’s community and asked for baptism.  The stories were so strong and challenging that frankly one could be overwhelmed by the magnitude of response.

I paused many times, trying to understand my own response to what I was hearing.  I felt some reluctance, a little guilt, some doubt and then came numerous questions in the midst of a story that seemed way too easy.  Of course the stories were meant to challenge, they were meant to show what can happen when we are open to the Spirit and I am thankful for Linda sharing them.

I have come to realize that there is a difference between my head and my heart.  My head is more rationale, questioning and can see many obstacles before the sought after end result becomes reality.  My heart, on the other hand, is a dreamer. It tends to look at the possibilities, the vision, the hope of something not yet, but is nonetheless real.  I believe God’s Spirit while both rationale and dreamlike tends to reside more in my heart, at least for me.  You see, the stories of the movement and reality of the Spirit at some points, could only truly be grasped with my heart.  The response of the people longing for hope and wholeness, the willingness for disciples to bring relationship and invitation, touched my heart and the obstacles and doubt faded.

What if there are people at our doorstep, in our communities simply longing and waiting for the invitation into relationship.  What if you and I were to be open and respond to the Spirit that is trying to connect us with people that will not only connect with us, but us with them as well?  What if the one thing that is keeping relationships from being born has to do with our own disbelief or fear instead of anything based in reality?  Perhaps where the struggle is won or lost is in the midst of the messages we send ourselves.  This is why it is so important to dwell with the missional practices.  They assist us in hearing the movement of the Spirit and connect our own spirit with the one that calls.

Mission is what we are called to, mission is the movement of God’s Spirit in the world bringing reconciliation and healing, may we join with that movement and be healing, connecting agents of God’s hands.  I invite you to consider how the Spirit is moving in your surroundings and respond.

 

Blessings,

Tim

 

MISSION PRAYER:

“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!!!)

 

Discover Your True Capacity, Move Mission Forward: Contributors around the world gave an estimated $860,000 in mission tithes in May for worldwide ministries. Thank you for your generous giving, which put tithing at $11,097,793 toward the revised goal of $12,000,000 for the 2014 fiscal year (July 2013–June 2014). Thanks to special individual and congregational contributions made in June, on top of sustained giving, we remain hopeful about meeting the revised $12,000,000 goal.

The 2015 fiscal year (July 2014–June 2015) again has a tithing goal of $12,000,000. That will not be enough to cover ministry expenses approved by the World Church Finance Board at its June meeting. This places a challenge before us as a church: Each of us must consider our true capacity for giving to worldwide ministries to ensure Christ’s mission moves forward.  For more information go to www.cofchrist.org/give/update

 

Camp Paradise Women’s Retreat, September 5-7th, 2014. Ladies come join in on this wonderful weekend experience! The event begins on Friday evening with registration at 7:00pm, and runs through Sunday at noon. The cost to attend is $50.00 with no registration deadline.  Guest ministry will be announced at a later date.  Please contact director Sandy Burkey at sandytwo@prairieweb.com or (308) 641-1275 with questions or to register. We hope to see you there!

 

DON’T FORGET!!!Silent Retreat, September 12-14, 2014, Sacred Heart Retreat Center, Sedalia, Colorado, Silence is sometimes a difficult thing for us to do in this busy world of ours and it can be a little scary. The reward can be a quiet and reflective time between you and God. You can use the silence to listen for that still small voice or to rest in the Lord. The guest ministers for this retreat will be Dave and Carolyn Brock. The retreat director is Evangelist Marlene Krueger and the cost to attend is $140 per person. More information about this event as well as registration can be found online at www.cofchristrm.org.

 

Camp Paradise Men’s Retreat, September 12-14, 2014. The retreat will begin on Friday evening with a worship at 9 pm after arriving and settling in.  There will be time for classes, relaxation, and sharing.  The full retreat schedule can be seen at www.cofchristrm.org.  Please contact Jim Smith at smiths.villa@hotmail.com for registration information.

 

The Applewood congregation is celebrating its 50th year anniversary! Please come join the celebration on Sunday, September 21, 2014 for service at 11:00 a.m. followed by a pot-luck. The Applewood congregation has extended an invitation to anyone in the mission center who is interested in helping celebrate this special occasion.  The church is located at 3780 Ward Road, Wheat Ridge, CO 80033. Please contact pastor Tim Hakes for more details: applewood@cofchristrm.org.

 

The fall SITE (Seminars in Theological Education) class held September 26-28, 2014, will be: Christian Theology taught by Steven Hatch.  If you are interested in SITE, please contact Shandra Newcom at:  snewcom@cofchrist.org!

 

Prepare for the October 5 President’s Address when President Stephen M. Veazey will talk with the worldwide church through an interactive, webcast-only event. For this address, President Veazey said, “We will focus on the joy of generosity as a spiritual practice that draws one closer to God and others. I will also provide an official interpretation of the church’s teaching and practice of tithing to support Christ’s mission throughout the world.”

Following the address, President Veazey will answer your e-mail, Twitter, and Facebook questions live.

In preparation:

All addresses will be webcast live in English, French, and Spanish. Details about how to receive a webcast are at www.CofChrist.org/broadcast/webcast_help.asp.

 

Oct 24-26- Peace Colloquy and Jr./Sr. High Peace Colloquy Retreat.” 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

 

Rocky Mountain Mission Center Congregational Grants, The purpose of Congregational Grants in the Rocky Mountain Mission Center is to provide supplemental funding to congregations to achieve congregational mission goals of the Community of Christ.  The deadline for Fall applications is August 31, 2014.  This deadline can be extended if the mission center receives notice that an application is in process, but may not be able to meet the August 31 deadline.  There is funding available! Please consider your congregation’s mission apply if these funds would support your initiative.  Go to www.cofchristrm.org click on Information then on Mission Center Polices and Forms.

 

Rocky Mountain Mission Center Conference, November 7-9, 2014, YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park, Colorado.  Our guest ministry will be Becky Savage of the First Presidency, Zach McLaughlin, Congregational Support Minister and Daniel Harmon, Congregational Support Minister.  Zach and Daniel will be sharing their ministry of music with us.  Our theme is “Encounter.”  We will be exploring and providing opportunity for encountering the divine, each other, and community.  Please plan on joining us in Estes Park this November!

 

WORLD CHURCH ANNOUNCEMENTS

 

Health and Spirituality Workshop, August 21 &22, 2014, Community of Christ Temple, Independence, MO.

 

We need photos of your congregation’s meeting place! Thank you to the many who have already responded. We are building the new find-a-congregation directory that will be part of a redesigned Community of Christ website (coming soon). The directory will include a photo of your location/church building along with the congregation information. Submissions need to be sharp, high-resolution photos, framed as a landscape (horizontal) with sky and ground showing. This will allow for any necessary cropping. E-mail photos to webteam@CofChrist.net along with your congregation’s name, address, mission center, and pastor name(s).

 

Photos of priesthood in action are needed. The Ministry and Priesthood Team is preparing new classes for priesthood and are in need of photographs that illustrate priesthood serving to fulfill Christ’s mission. This includes sharing in worship, sacraments, priesthood meetings, talking with members, community action, and more. We want to show a wide variety of locations, situations, and cultures.  For more information go to www.cofchrist.org/new/10min/

 

The World Hunger-Tangible Love Team recently approved $372,665 on behalf of 21 projects in nine nations. This included funding for Bread for the World, a Christian citizen’s organization that seeks to alleviate extreme poverty throughout the world, and projects by Outreach International that fit the criteria for hunger proposals. Thank you for making these ministries possible by your continuing support for the Mission Initiative of Abolish Poverty, End Suffering.

 

World Hunger grants are available to mission centers and congregations for projects focused on hunger-related issues. By September 1, send your application to your field apostle or their assistant, and to your mission center president and financial officer. It will then need to go to the administrator for World Hunger programs by October 1. Learn more at www.CofChrist.org/hunger.

 

Tangible Love grants are available to mission centers and congregations that are willing to work with other agencies or groups in their communities on behalf of compassionate ministries that address justice and peace issues. By September 1, send your application to your field apostle or their assistant, and to your mission center president and financial officer. It will then need to go to the administrator for Tangible Love programs by October 1. Learn more at www.CofChrist.org/tlove.

 

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.)