August 27, 2014

Dear Friends,

 

What a summer it has been!  My personal life has been challenging but I’ve been able to find great strength and solace from my relationships with you, with our fantastic youth (who I spent time with at SPEC and IYF), and from my relationship with the one who created us all, the God of hope and peace.

 

It’s funny, isn’t it, that sometimes we find God in unexpected places.  God comes to us – is present always in and with us – and brings us deep love.  I take comfort in the truth that we are all loved, for exactly who we are.  You are loved.  Simple.  But profound.  You are loved when you feel alone.  You are loved when you’ve made the biggest mistake of your life.  You are loved when you’ve hurt someone deeply.  You are loved when you fall and wonder if you will be able to get back up.

 

You are loved.

 

So please know that even though it may not always feel like it, the love of God surrounds you and can bring you comfort.  Please know that we, the mission center staff, are praying for you always.  Please know that the invitation we give you to encounter God and one another in new and imaginative ways is for the long term.

 

May you encounter the God of hope who loves you completely in your journey this week.

 

In Christ,

Shandra

 

MISSION PRAYER: ( I invite you to say this prayer each day…)

 

“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! Guest ministry will be Field Specialists Shandra Newcom and DeziRae Astle from the Rocky Mountain Mission Center. We will be experiencing the book:  An Altar in the World written by Barbara Brown Taylor.  She says…” There is no spiritual treasure to be found apart from the bodily experiences of human life on earth.”  We will encounter spiritual conversation, practices, and moments that connect body and soul.  We will find our spiritual treasures together.  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.  Check out the event brochure online for schedule and event details at www.cofchristrm.org. Please contact director Sandy Burkey at sandytwo@prairieweb.com or (308) 641-1275 with questions or to register. We hope to see you there!

 

 

LAST DAY TO REGISTER IS September 4TH!!  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 atwww.cofchristrm.org.  Please contact Jim Smith at smiths.villa@hotmail.com for registration information.

 

 

4th Annual Retro Night- Saturday, September 20th 7:00pm at 607 Strong St, Brighton, CO 80601. The Brighton congregation would like to invite you to join them for a FUN and FREE evening of dancing, games, music, raffle door prizes, a costume contest, retro photo op and retro snacks. Come dressed up with your dancing shoes on- bring a retro snack and a friend! (some snack ideas may be Cool Ranch Doritos from the 80’s, Tang drink from the 60’s or even Tuna Noodle casserole with chips on top from the 50’s) Contact Mark Mauzey with any questions: 303-601-7853.

 

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.

 

 

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 atwww.CofChrist.org/peacecolloquy

 

Peace Colloquy Youth Retreat!  We are gearing up for the Peace Colloquy Youth Retreat held October 24-26 in Independence, MO. That means its time to purchase airfare and get kiddos registered. This year we will be handling airfare and registration differently. We are asking that parents purchase the airfare no later than September 8th, the mission center will then register the whole group together. Here is a note from our delegation leader, Naomi Barlow: (Naomi is an active and passionate young adult in the Grand Junction congregation where she directs the Knitathon and Hunger Drive every year. Naomi also directs the junior/senior high summer camp for our mission center.) “It’s time again to prepare for Peace Colloquy, and I’m excited to see you this year and share in another incredible, informative, and moving experience with the Rockies youth. The theme this year is, “Poverty: God weeps”, the first in a two-year series focusing on the Mission Initiative of Abolish Poverty, End Suffering. I’m passionate about this theme because we are faced with poverty in every community, in every city, in every corner of the world. I believe we will be successful in the mission Community of Christ has established through communal efforts inspired by events like Peace Colloquy and encouraging our youth. Dates for Peace Colloquy this year are October 24-26. For more information on this event, go to http://cofchrist.org/peacecolloquy/, or contact the Rocky Mountain Mission Center. I look forward to hearing from you and another fantastic year!” If you have questions about airfare or registration please contact me at dastle@cofchrist.org. If you have questions about anything else (where to meet, what to bring, expectations, etc.) please contact Naomi at nomebarlow@gmail.com.

 

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 towww.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!

 

 

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.)

Shandra Newcom Rocky Mountain Mission Center Community of Christ 303-426-5900