Dear Friends,
During this time of Lent I want to invite you to consider what it means for you to prepare for Easter. How do you, and how does your congregation, prepare for the risen Christ in the world? I know we aren’t there yet. Resurrection hasn’t come. We are still on that long road to death and we still have a great deal of the story to hear before we get there.
But we know the ending and every year we choose whether or not we will prepare ourselves for the outcome of this journey. We decide if we will get to know the Jesus story anew by dwelling in scripture. We decide of we will walk the path with the disciples as they heard and didn’t quite understand what was to come. We decide if we will open our hearts and find ourselves in barren land as we prepare for the death of the one we love.
We decide if we will walk in the Spirit.
The life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ is a story that forms and transforms us. It is more than that, too. It is our history. And we are it’s legacy. Jesus Christ, the embodiment of God on earth, came that we might have healing and wholeness in a broken and despairing world. Jesus walked straight through death and returned to us. He became our life-giver and he lives on today.
How are you preparing to honor him?
I suggest to you that such honoring takes place in more than one way. We are called to spend time with the Spirit in practice, deepening our relationship with God. We are also called to spend time in our communities, deepening our relationship with one another. How will you do both this Lenten season?
Preparing for Jesus brings us to our knees. It also moves us to action. May we prepare for the next part of this miraculous and life-changing story through connection and relationship. And may we know that God loves us radically, and that love’s name is Jesus.
With love,
Shandra
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION CENTER ANNOUCEMENTS:
The Mission Center staff are updating and revising some of the forms and policies used by the Mission Center. Please refer to the web site each time you need to access the latest versions. When traveling for the Mission Center, please be sure to use the current expense reimbursement request form posted at: cofchristrm.org under MC Forms.
Leadership Weekend– March 4-5, 2016– Fort Collins Congregation: 220 East Oak St, Ft Collins, CO 80524. We invite you to join us for the upcoming Leadership Weekend- the theme this year is: Generosity. Our guest ministers are: Robin Linkhart and Craig Perryman. The retreat starts at 7 p.m. on March 4 and ends at 5 p.m. on March 5. The cost to attend is $30. Online registration for this event is now available. You may also register for this event by contacting Rebecca Russell at: brussellcofchrist@gmail.com.
Junior & Jr. High Retreat, April 8-10, 2016: Community IN Christ: Junior & Junior High Retreats: Join us for a weekend adventure! We will explore relationships with one another and Christ using exciting team building activities, unique youth focused worships, meal times and fun fellowship to build a deep and meaningful community, together, In Christ. April 8-10th, 2016, Ft. Collins Community of Christ, Cost is TBD. Check in begins Friday the 8th at 6:00 p.m., retreat ends at noon Sunday. For registration please contact Rebecca Russell at the Mission Center office: brussellcofchrist@gmail.com. Register before April 1st to avoid a late fee! Please contact DeziRae Astle, dastle@cofchrist.org for Jr’s, and Cherry Newcom at jcnewcom@comcast.net for Jr.Hi’s regarding questions.
Sr. High Street Retreat, April 22–24, 2016: SAVE THE DATE for this unique and memorable event which will be held in downtown Denver. More information will be announced at a later date. Please contact DeziRae Astle with questions or to register for this event: dastle@cofchrist.org.
Developing Disciples to Serve is an important ministry of the Mission Center. Grocery cards are available for sale to support this initiative. When you use these cards at King Soopers, City Market or Safeway, you help earn FREE MONEY for ministry. The Mission Center is selling grocery cards for $10 (they are preloaded with that amount). Every time you buy groceries, you can add funds to the card for your purchase. The stores then donate 5 percent of your purchase back to the Mission Center. It is fast, free to you, easy, and a very effective way to raise money for our ministries in the Rocky Mountain region! In just the first month, we raised $463. We expect to earn much more in the coming months. If you would like to purchase a grocery card, please contact Phyllis Modica at 303-426-5900 x-1, or pmodica@cofchristrm.org.