Friends,
I hope that those of you affected by the blizzard are surviving! We were prepared with hot chocolate, marshmallows, movies, cookies to bake… and 120 eggs to boil and decorate!!!
Yes, you read that right, 120 eggs. The Greenwood Congregation provides dinner and an activity once a year at Warren Village. Its a pretty big undertaking with 40 children and 30 adults plus volunteers to feed and keep busy with an engaging activity. We have really enjoyed these opportunities because we get direct interaction with the people. We eat a meal and then participate in an activity together as a combined community. We have done crafts, a singalong and we were suppose to dye, marble, glitter, tie-dye and decorate eggs to celebrate Spring this time around but a crazy blizzard in the first week of Spring halted everything! And so I found myself not just boiling 120 eggs (30 of which cracked btw) but undertaking the task of decorating them too. It was actually a lot of fun and since my son was home from school with a snow day he got to help me. We thought we would be delivering what was suppose to be a community night on Wednesday and making it into a drive thru taco dinner with decorated eggs and candy for each family on Thursday. Well… the city couldn’t get rid of nearly 2 feet of snow cleared from everywhere they needed to so schools, some businesses and Warren village was closed for second night. I assessed the situation and while the lettuce and tomatoes had been cut and shredded nothing else had actually been prepared… except the now 90 decorated eggs (at least 8 hours of work). What to do with 90 decorated eggs?
Sometimes things don’t go as planned or as expected in life. Sometimes beautifully decorated eggs meant for children at risk of losing their homes become decorations for tables and then egg salad for other families. But in all seriousness… sometimes life takes us in unexpected directions, we may feel as if we have lost purpose but God always has another calling, another way, another meaningful use for our lives. As our church faces significant financial challenges, as more world church staff lose their jobs and perhaps sense of calling, as congregations dwindle and struggle for new identity and mission, may we remember that it is always darkest right before the dawn. May we remember that we must die to the old to birth the new, that transformation is at the heart of the Christian journey and that the tragedy of Good Friday came before the glory of Easter. We must struggle through these changes, together, in combined community as we venture boldly forward trusting God is leading the way and something glorious will be birthed in this transformation.
In hope,
DeziRae Astle
Rockies Mission Coordinator
dastle@cofchrist.org
303-426-5900 x4
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION CENTER ANNOUCEMENTS:
Impending Budget Cuts Inspire Generosity! President Steve Veazey talked with Apostle Linda Booth about the church’s difficult financial situation, as well as the grassroots effort that has released a growing spirit of generosity throughout the world. Watch the video. Thank you for making Christ’s mission real in the world! (Text will be released as soon as it is available at www.CofChrist.org/official-announcements.)
The First Presidency and World church leaders want to share financial updates and related information with the church. Please visit www.cofchrist.org to learn more about the financial situation facing the church at this time. If you have questions, concerns or comments, please contact Mission Center President, Shandra Newcom, at: snewcom@cofchrist.org.
Junior & Jr. High Retreat, April 8-10, 2016: Community IN Christ. We invite YOU to 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. The event will be held at the Ft. Collins Community of Christ located at 220 East Oak St, Ft Collins, CO 80524. Check in begins Friday at 6:00 p.m. and the retreat ends at noon on Sunday. The cost to attend is $40 per camper. To register, 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) with questions regarding junior campers, and Cherry Newcom (jcnewcom@comcast.net) with questions regarding Jr. High campers. See you soon!
Sr. High Street Retreat, April 22–24, 2016. Join us for an adventure on the streets of Denver. We will explore poverty as well as the use of art as self expression and social commentary by those in poverty. We will stay in a downtown hotel and do a service project benefitting a local shelter. We will also attend Denver Urban Ministries Urban Education Day, go on a walking art tour in the Rhino & Santa Fe Art Districts, walk/run the Denver Retro Graffiti Run, plus there will be fun activities on the 16th Street Mall. Cost: $150 (please speak to your congregation or the Mission Center if you need financial assistance to attend). Contact DeziRae Astle (dastle@cofchrist.org) with questions or Rebecca Russell (brussellcofchrist@gmail.com) to register for this event.
SITE, April 29- May 1, 2016: The upcoming SITE class will be held at the North Valley church and will be on Spiritual Formation, taught by Shandra Newcom. Our text will be: Soul Feast by Marjorie J. Thompson. Participants need to read Chapter 1, and select 5 additional chapters of their choice to read as well. Registration is limited and we are capping the class at 22 students; please register as soon as possible with Rebecca Russell at the Mission Center office: brussellcofchrist@gmail.com. When you register please also indicate any food restrictions and your housing needs. We are looking forward to a great class!
Leading Congregations in Mission, Saturday, April 30, 2016: Colorado Springs will be having its first Leading Congregations in Mission ‘Mini-retreat’. We feel the best way to ‘share’ the LCM experience is to provide a condensed version for our congregation. Since Apostle Ron Harmon is coming to lead this event, we are opening it up to folks in the RMMC. It would be best if you come as a group with others from your congregation. Date: Saturday April 30, 2016 from 8am to 5pm. [lunch and snacks provided]. Preparation: read the book “In The Name of Jesus” by Henri Nouwen. Please sign up with Jandy Barentine by April 20th at mjbarentine@comcast.net.
Graceland University Choir Concert, May 5, 2016:The Graceland University Choir will be performing at the Fort Collins Community of Christ Church, located at 220 East Oak St, Fort Collins, CO 80524. The choir will be presenting a concert to the congregation on the evening of Thursday, May 5th at 7:30 p.m. This performance is open to all in the mission center who would like to join. Hope you can make it!
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.
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.