Dear Friends,
I think about love a lot. As a Christian, love for me is primary to my faith, to my relationships, to my hopes and dreams for the future. Love is a feeling I experience, yes, but it is also a challenge: How do I love someone so different from me that we can barely have a conversation without getting frustrated? How can I love someone who looks or thinks or acts or believes so differently that I’m not sure where to even begin to find common ground? How can I love someone who voted that way or watches that tv news channel or reads those articles or uses that language or follows that way of being.
It is difficult.
But it is not impossible.
Jesus is our example. Look at what he has done for us! We are Zacchaeus. We are Saul way before we become Paul. We are the disciples, fighting and demanding to be first. We are the deniers and the sinners and the ones who would rather speak than listen. We are the ones Jesus eats with – not because we ar perfect but because we are not. We are blind, hem-touchers, caught in the act, alone at the well.
We are all in need of the radical love of Jesus Christ.
This love will not take away our differences but it may help us face them and engage in relationship with those who think and talk and learn and love and vote and believe differently. I’m not talking about accepting hate. I’m talking about living from love.
There will always be those who speak hate. This love refuses to listen.
In the next week there will be a lot of opportunity to share love with the world. As you speak to one another, as you use social media, as you march, as you watch TV, as you work or study – remember love.
1 John 4:19 says: “We, though, are going to love—love and be loved. First we were loved, now we love. He loved us first.”
May we take this love of God and now love first. May we love deeply. And may we love one another.
Have a good week.
Love,
Shandra Newcom
President
Rocky Mountain Mission Center
ROCKY MOUNTAIN MISSION CENTER ANNOUNCEMENTS:
** Please note that the Sr. High Winter Retreat which was scheduled for January 20-22nd has been cancelled due to low registration numbers.
Community Call:
On January 24, 2017 at 7 p.m. we will have a one hour community call during which we will open the discussion to those who want to talk about Camp Paradise and its future. There is no “agenda” behind this call. This is the time that was promised during Mission Center Conference for those who want their voices heard about this topic. The call in information is: Call 877-687-2481. Use PIN 04222. We will begin at 7:00 p.m. and end by 8:00 p.m.. Both Mission Center President, Shandra Newcom, and Mission Center Financial Officer, Steve Holloway, will be on the call to hear the thoughts of those who want to share.
SITE – January 27-29, 2017:
The topic for the upcoming SITE class is “Hebrew Scriptures” taught by Dale Luffman. There is still space remaining for this class for new or existing students! Please contact Rebecca Russell at the Mission Center office with questions or to register for SITE weekend: brussellcofchrist@gmail.com. Please also be sure to let us know if you have any dietary restrictions or housing needs when registering.
NEW! Front Range Nuts & Bolts Retreat, February 17-18, 2017, Fort Collins Congregation:
If you are wondering if this retreat is for you, the answer is: YES! This retreat is for Pastors, CFOs, congregational leaders and ministers who want to learn more about how to run a congregation – the “nuts and bolts” of being a congregational minister. We will talk about invitation and hospitality, generosity, the “how- tos” of leading a congregation (Priesthood calls, how to engage with the mission center and world church, leadership in the 21st Century) and more! We will begin on Friday night at 7:00 PM, and then reconvene Saturday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Fort Collins, CO congregation. The cost to attend is $30 per person and will include breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Please register online at www.cofchristrm.org.
**Pastors, please plan on attending this retreat or sending someone from your congregation. Alternately, this retreat will also be held in Grand Junction August 25-27, 2017.
Leadership Retreat, Fort Collins Congregation – March 10-11, 2017: This event is open to everyone and we invite all who are interested in attending to join in this retreat! We will experience the theme “Spirituality & Mission” through a variety of spiritual practices meant to deepen our relationship with the divine, respond to our cultural context, and move us out into the world. We will begin on Friday night at 7:00 PM, and then reconvene Saturday from 8:00 AM – 5:00 PM at the Fort Collins, CO congregation. The cost to attend is $30 per person and will include breakfast and lunch on Saturday. Please register online at www.cofchristrm.org . We hope to see you there!
Toronto Encounter World Religions Retreat:
The Toronto retreat over Memorial Day weekend will be for folks ages 21-50. We will leave Friday morning May 26 and return Monday night May 29, 2017. The cost for each person is $1000. This is all inclusive! The Mission Center plans to provide significant financial support. If you are planning on going we ask that you pay at least $200; if you can afford more that is great. We need at least 10 people to go in order for the trip to happen. Please e-mail Shandra right away if you plan to attend: snewcom@cofchrist.org – We need to hear from you by Thursday, January 26th if you are planning to attend!
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% 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! ***UPDATE*** We are pleased to report that in the first full year we have raised $7400 for mission!These revenues will be used to expand ministries that Develop Disciples to Serve in the Mission Center. Please ask members and friends of your congregation to join n this effort. To order cards, contact Rebecca Russell at 303-426-5900 x-1.