From the Pastor’s Keyboard

There are 2 books I have read recently and are somewhat connected by similar thoughts. Both I want to share

with you.

The 1st I am struggling with a little because the author, Diana Butler Bass, has a broad view of her topic so

sometimes gives me more information than I want., and because I have been mostly scanning so I could tell you about

it. Titled "Grateful" ,she shares her personal experiences like relating how difficult and unrewarding writing thank

you notes has always been. But she also talks about other practices of thanksgiving and how they can enrich your

life. One is making an effort to journal things for which you are thankful. And she remembers how hard that is to

do. She started when she had been let go from her 1st college teaching job. She didn't feel thankful, but told by more

than 1 person that some day she would. She thought more about how some negative headwinds turn us toward new

and perhaps better experiences. Gradually over time, she lists fewer disappointments and criticisms and more thank

-yous. She also talks about prayer at various times of time. An old custom in the church. Morning prayer, Evening

Prayer, Prayer at the close of the Day, meal time prayers. (All are in our hymnal) She sees all these things enlarging

our capacity for gratefulness and therefore our world view.

The other book is "Travel as a Political Act" Now I really enjoy Rick Steves and his travel shows on TV, and he

has done a couple for the ELCA. He also has a travel presentation on Wyoming Public Radio at 2pm on Sunday after-

noons which has made my drive to Denver on Sundays much easier. I enjoyed the travel portions of this book but was

thrilled by his chapter 10, "Homecoming" . Home is the best part he says. And the 1st morning back he always has the

same breakfast at the same diner, eggs over medium, hash browns, and sourdough toast. After a while he gets back

in the same routine. Part of his routine is enjoying the coffee hour after church. But while settling back in, travel

changes people. He has seen cities filled with poverty stricken shacks, he has seen the results of war. He has seen

how different cultures handle problems better or not so well as we do. "Travel helps us better see both sides of our

privileged reality: In addition to gaining a keen appreciation of how blessed we are, travelers also understand that

with these blessings come responsibilities." His idea of how to be responsible may not be yours, but it is interesting.

And he lists helpful books and organizations. Proceeds from this book go to Bread for the World . This book is worth

looking into.

Blessings to you all,

Pastor Judith

Tuesday, August 14, 2018 ACT 4 RMS: Awaken, Confront, Transform to End Racism

It shouldn't have happened, but it did. It shouldn't have happened at a church event, but it did. It certainly shouldn't have

happened at OUR church event, but it did. What happened took place at our Rocky Mountain Synod Youth Gathering in January. Some of our youth of color and their adult

sponsors experienced overt and painful expressions of racism directed towards them, including verbal racial slurs, and in at least one case, a threat of violence. Others were faced with more subtle yet still explicit expressions in word and deed that let them know they were not considered to be equal brothers and sisters in Christ. And this, in the context of a Youth Gathering that was specifically designed to expand our capacity to understand and experience our differences as diverse people of God.

This summer I met with some of our youth who experienced these racist incidences. We were at our ELCA Youth Gathering in Houston, and they shared with me both their pain and disappointment at what had happened as well as their determination to see that something changes. It would be so easy for them to simply walk away from a church like ours, a church that is more than 95% white, a church with so much still to do in addressing the systemic racism that is part of our life together. But these youth have decided to stay and be a catalyst for change. For that courage and commitment, I am immensely grateful.

If January was a low point, April signaled hope and a potential way forward. That month I joined three other members of our Rocky Mountain Synod in Washington DC for an event called ACT to End Racism sponsored by the National Council of Churches. ACT stands for Awaken, Confront, Transform. What a perfect way to describe the work that lies before us as we seek to honestly address the pain and sources of racism in our midst as a church.

Last week I met with the three colleagues who were present at the ACT Rally and we agreed to invite others to join us in forming a new team that will intentionally address racism in our life as a synod. We will begin by supporting the existing work of our upcoming RMS Theological Conference in addressing issues related to the Doctrine of Discovery and racism through large group conversation and Bible Study. Beyond that, ACT 4 RMS will have two additional immediate goals. This first will be to engage our Synod Council in order to better equip this cadre of synod leaders to understand their own relationship to racism and privilege. Our hope is to provide some in-depth training that helps Awaken, Confront, and Transform our Council members as individuals and as a leadership group.

A second goal for the ACT 4 RMS team will be to integrate into our new leadership development initiative (Excellence in Leadership) intentional anti-racism training. It is our hope that we will be able to identify and train a cohort of leaders who will be committed to leading our ACT work throughout our Synod.

As I write this we are recognizing the one-year anniversary of Charlottesville where white supremacists held a rally resulting in the injury and death of those who stood up to confront racism. It is a poignant reminder that our work to end this evil is one we carry out both as a nation and as the people of the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America.

I invite your active participation in the work of ACT 4 RMS. Whatever your race or nationality, it will take all of us to awaken to the racism that lies within, to confront the realities of systemic racism, and to both BE transformed and to become part of God's transforming power among us.

Our work will not be done until we live in a world what happened at our last Rocky Mountain Synod Youth Gathering never happens again.

In faith, Bishop Jim

COFFEE HOUR Remember

after-church fellowship with

coffee, cookies and other goodies every Sunday!!

THANK YOU to the sponsors of the after-church fellowship this month. They are: September 2: Pastor Judith September 9: Mattila September 16: ? September 23: ? September 30: ?

Men’s breakfast

September 8th,

7:30 am

Hitching Post,

Green River

We hope you enjoyed the

opportunity to visit with our

pastoral candidates.

A congregational meeting is

scheduled for September

9th, following worship. At this

meeting we will vote to

call a pastor, and consider a

motion on salary.

End of summer picnic at Firehole Beach (30 miles

from town) September 9th, 1 pm -?. Public restrooms

available. Bring food, drinks, dishes, utensils, stoves, coolers, canoes,

kayaks, tubes, etc.

We will be gathering at the end of

September to assemble school

kits for Lutheran World Relief. We

have purchased 36 backpacks.

A large number of other supplies

have been donated.

We currently have enough pens

and pencils to do 36 kits.

We are still in need of:

52 70-sheet notebooks

32 pairs of scissors (BLUNT TIPS)

13 boxes crayons (16 or 24 count)

10 2-1/2” erasers

10 pencil sharpeners

5 rulers (inches & centimeters)

Copies of the guidelines, which

can be used as a shopping list, are

on the first bulletin board to the

right as you enter the church.

WANTED

We are looking for a horizontal

filing cabinet, to be situated by

the piano to store music.

If you are aware of something

available, call the church

@ 382-4511.

LITTLE VISITORS

On Tuesday August 21 we had about

70 preschool children from the

YWCA walk over or be transported

in cribs or strollers, for a practice

evacuation. They sat around in

groups with their teachers and ate

graham crackers and drank

water. The littler ones drank from

their bottles. The YWCA had asked

us months back if we could be a

backup evacuation site. Their

primary site is Overland Elementary

School, but they realized that there

might be an occasion when both

places would be evacuating.

Everything went well, and the staff

said they had learned some things

about this trip they needed to

know. So it is good that we can be

of service

As I wandered through Staples picking out supplies for the school kits we will be sending to

Lutheran World Relief, I found my thoughts drifting back to my childhood. I remembered the list

that was handed out by our teachers on the first day of school each year (no online lists back then).

I remember shopping with Mom, picking out the items on the list, encountering other students and

parents doing the same thing. There was a sense of excitement and anticipation as we filled our

shopping baskets. A brand-new eraser– pristine, pink, perfect trapezoid shape. Notebooks with

blank pages waiting to be filled. Pencils with perfect, untouched erasers on top. New boxes of

crayons just waiting to create works of art. Peechee folders, pens, scissors… There was something

magical about them. They spoke of promise, new beginnings, new experiences to come, new things

to learn. I hope that the refugee children, who have experienced so much pain and loss, will feel

that same sense of joy and excitement when they receive their brightly-colored backpacks filled with

brand new school supplies; a promise of new beginnings, a brighter tomorrow, a future of hope and

promise.

Ann Maria

ADOPT A GERANIUM

Becky Herreid is looking for people

willing to foster a geranium over the

winter. They haven't grown enough to

overwinter them and she doesn’t have

room to keep them all. If you are able to

foster one (or more), please bring a

medium sized pot and contact Becky for

more information.

reherreid@hotmail.com

Thanks

Your Prayers

Will Be

Appreciated For:

Duke Bauman

Ellen Campbell

Cindy Hamblin

Margaret Hedgepath

Hughes family

Huntley

Terri Brown-Nations

Lamb family

Leesa Snyder

Donna Partington

Vanessa

Jack Waters

Shirley Ann Wells

Barbara Ann White

Joyce Wszalek

Rebecca Wszalek

Elsie Yates

Family & friends of Lance Sellars

Happy birthday to

Brodie Brisko ~ 1st

Jacob Bronstein ~ 4th

Sandy Andrews ~ 6th

Mary Schuck ~ 9th

Alexis Rogers ~ 10th

Ruby Hawkins ~ 15th

Isabelle Wasseen ~ 17th

Taylor Dittman ~ 19th

Makayla Weaver ~ 19th

Ray Tangen ~ 28th

Happy anniversary to

Duane & Joyce Bauman ~ 10th

Jim & Eva Wasseen ~ 26th

SCRIPTURE READINGS

September 2

Deuteronomy 4:1-2, 6-9 Psalm 15 James 1:17-27 Mark 7:1-8, 14-15, 21-23

September 9

Isaiah 35:4-7a Psalm 146 James 2:1-10 [11-13] 14-17 Mark 7:24-37

September 16

Isaiah 50:4-9a Psalm 116:1-9 James 3:1-12 Mark 8:27-38

September 23

Jeremiah 11:18-20 OR Wisdom 1:16--2:1, 12-22 Psalm 54 James 3:13--4:3, 7-8a Mark 9:30-37

September 30

Numbers 11:4-6, 10-16, 24-29 Psalm 19:7-14 James 5:13-20 Mark 9:38-50

Those speak foolishly who

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as offend them or to

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impatient, but proves that

they are impatient.

So everyone may learn

from tribulation how his

heart is constituted.

~ Martin Luther

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Mount of Olives

Lutheran Church

P.O. Box 1342

2916 Foothill Blvd.

Rock Springs, WY 82902

Phone: 382-4511

E-mail: moo1342@yahoo.com

www.mountofoliveslutheranchurch.com

Worship Service

Sunday 9:00 am