This year’s Gathering of the American Baptist Churches of the Rocky Mountains will be hosted by First Baptist Church in Colorado Springs where Mike Sayler is the pastor. Most of the events (with the exception of Friday night's worship, childcare, and the pre-Gathering clergy/spouse event) will be held at Antlers Hilton Hotel, near the church.

Gathering under the theme, "Discovering God Together," we will discover God through our worship, discovering sessions, fellowship and prayer times, and our worshipful work. We will be joined by Jeff Savage, the pastor of First Baptist Church in Springfield, Oregon. Jeff will also be a key presenter during the clergy/spouse event, scheduled for October 20. For more information about Jeff, click here. Youth events are also being planned in conjunction with the Gathering.

A packet of information has been mailed to each church. Ask your pastor or other staff for information on delegates, housing, and registration. Information about the clergy/spouse event has been mailed separately. Click here for the registration form in PDF format.

Click here to download the Proposed Interim Transitional Bylaws which will be considered by delegates at the 2005 ABCRM Gathering.

Ministry and Mission Clusters Launched First Discovery and Discernment Session Held in Ft. Collins

Upon the invitation of Dan Vincent, pastor of the American Baptist Church in Ft. Collins, American Baptists from Boulder, Greeley, Fort. Collins, Longmont, and Loveland gathered for the first Discovery and Discernment Session. Discovering God Together was the enveloping theme for this session in Fort Collins. From the opening thoughts, to the small group discussion format, to the presentations made by various staff members, to the concluding consensus drawn by the entire group of participants, the discovery of what it is God is doing and the discernment of what it is God wants us to do was front and center. Click to read more …

Rocky Mountain Region Seniors met September 13-15 for the last time at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center. Our theme was "Tell Me Your Old, Old Stories." We told stories of our life and faith and our memories of BFCCC. We told and heard stories from the Bible applied to life today. Next year we will meet September 12-14 at Horn Creek Conference Grounds located west of Pueblo, CO.

Our theme speaker, Timothy Ashley, an Old Testament scholar, shared Bible stories and their meanings today. Colorado-raised missionaries to Bulgaria, Tom and Terry Meyers, urged us to give generously to the World Mission Offering and shared information about their work in Bulgaria. Desmond Hoffmeister, Transition Executive Minister for the Region, presented the story of American Baptists Churches of the Rocky Mountain Region, and lead a talk back workshop session. Del Corrick lead a workshop "Your Spiritual Autobiography" in which we seniors were challenged to write a story of our personal spiritual journey.

Mason Brown chaired the committee to plan the Conference. Others on the planning committee were Ken and Karen Pinkham, John Pipe and Carol Willard, Bill and Mary Ann Kastning, Bill and Betty Moseley, Lolita and Mel Moyer, Mike Oldham, Lois and Larry Oswalt, Vada Patterson, and Jack and Loraine Stephenson. It was a good conference. If you have suggestions for next year’s conference, please contact Mason Brown at (303) 750-5838 or revmlb@msn.com.

Dear Rocky Mountain American Baptist Family,

Last weekend I was privileged to participate in celebration services at Black Forest Camp and Conference Center commemorating 55 years of exceptional ministries. It was moving to hear how so many people’s lives were touched. There was not a dry eye in the service when John Roberts, pastor of FBC/Sterling, CO and keynote speaker, recalled how a young man received his call to mission at Black Forest. He lifted up a book written by the man’s wife, now a widow, because he was killed in Iraq seeking to spread the gospel among the lost.

Earlier this week I joined with our senior adults in their conference as they remembered the "old, old stories." I was inspired by the living testimonies of those who labored for God and made the ministry of Black Forest a possibility. I was humbled by the grace demonstrated by those who had great difficulty accepting the need to sell the property in preparation for the new challenges of tomorrow. On both occasions the participants expressed the desire to look forward and make a major commitment to our youth. Click to read more …

The Community Church of Moab, Utah is now officially 100 years old. The church family would like to take this opportunity to thank all of their friends and colleagues for your prayers and kind remembrances during their centennial year.

The church celebrated initially in March with a special worship service marking the month in which the church was chartered. After the church service all enjoyed a catered dinner.

The "big celebration" took place on the weekend of June 25th and 26th. Click to read more …

International Ministries’ (IM) has a new model for missionary deputation: Missionary Partnership Networks (MPNs). In the past, IM has depended on generous support from American Baptist churches to the annual World Mission Offering (WMO) to fund its mission work around the world. In recent years, however, it has become evident that changes are needed for support and involvement, missionary deputation, and consistency in relationships. Click to read more …

Lauran Bethell, a global consultant for ministries with at-risk women, who is one of our Special Interest Missionaries, and whose work with women trapped in prostitution has received worldwide attention, was presented the Human Rights Award of the Baptist World Alliance at the Baptist World Centenary Congress.

Given every five years at the BWA’s congresses, the award was presented to Bethell by former U.S. President Jimmy Carter, himself a former recipient. Click to read more …

Jan McCormack of Denver Seminary and Mike Beresford of Smoky Hill Vineyard Church and the Billy Graham Training Center (BGTC) will present an intensive training for Christians who will find themselves ministering to crisis survivors and caregivers. It will be held on Saturday, September 24 from 9:00-12:30 in the Denver Seminary campus chapel (6399 S. Santa Fe Drive, Littleton).

The training is open to the entire seminary family as well as clergy, chaplains, counselors, and laity. Topics will include:

• The Role of Religion and Spirituality in Crises and Disasters;
• Pastoral Care in a Pluralistic Setting; How to Avoid Burn Out/Compassion Fatigue; and
• Appropriate Evangelism in Times of Disaster.

Please bring something solid to write your notes on as we will be in chapel chairs rather than in a classroom.

There is no cost for the training. Participants are asked to please register by September 22 to Susan Chadwick (susan.chadwick@denverseminary.edu ; 303-762-6902) as space is limited and will be on a first-registered basis.

Mel Moyer, retired American Baptist pastor, who lives in Grand Junction, CO, is the author/editor of Horizons of Hope: C-Word Letter. Mel, a cancer survivor who is currently living with yet another cancerous invasion, produces an electronic newsletter about the "C" word: cancer. In this publication, Mel shares of himself in ways Barnabas shared himself—as the encourager. In the current issue, he writes about his participation in the Relay for Life. Yes, he made it around the track for the Survivor’s Lap. Find out how by going to http://www.chromecow.com/melmoyer. Mel and Lolita are members of First Baptist Church in Grand Junction.

Many of you remember June Edwards. She passed away in June of this year. We include the following information in celebration of her life:

June Edwards, 81, passed away at her Palisade, CO home after a short illness. She was born from the union of Ralph and Ethel Saunders Ball in Scranton, PA on April 1, 1924. June graduated from the Scranton Technical School and later attended Denver University and Rangely College.

On January 30, 1943 in Scranton, PA, June was married to Kenneth Edwards. They celebrated 58 years of marriage until he passed away in 2001.

Mrs. Edwards was a longtime member of American Baptist Women’s Ministries and a member of First Baptist Church in Palisade, CO.

During her life June was a waitress, gas station attendant, welder, telephone operator, group piano and organ teacher, private kindergarten and preschool teacher, college music director and church choir director. But in her heart she was always a musician and pastor’s wife.

Save these dates: January 9-11, 2006. The American Baptist Seminary of the West hosts its annual pastoral leadership conference at Vallombrosa Retreat Center in Menlo Park, CA. Speaking to the theme of "Emerging Voices in Preaching and Worship" will be James Abbington of the Candler School of Theology in Atlanta, GA.

Contact Nancy Hall, Director of Continuing Education, nhall@absw.edu
In addition watch for updates at http://www.abswplc.net