Heart of the Rockies Hosts for December Business Meeting

The Program Team confirmed the following places to meet for the first six months of 2012, with programs announced through April.

• January 5, 2012 - Crossroads Safehouse, (new location) 421 Parker St.: Tour
• February 2 - St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church: Annual Meeting
• March 1 -   Foothills Unitarian Universalist Church: Family Faith Shelter
• March 22 - Christ United Methodist Church: Annual Appreciation/Awards Supper    
• April 5 - Catholic Charities: SAVA and Tour of new space at Catholic Charities
• May 5 - Fort Collins Housing Authority
• June 7 - Trinity Lutheran Church

 It was noted that IFC is going to the one combined business/program meeting per month through June on a trial basis on the first Thursday at 9:00 am, except for the March 22nd 6:00 pm Supper. By mid-year, the vote will be taken as to whether to continue permanently on this monthly basis. 

 The Communications/Membership Team reminded both faith communities and agency affiliates to return their covenant forms as soon as possible, ahead of the February 2nd Annual Meeting. 

Finally, Bill Brown, liaison to the newly organized Family Faith Shelter, updated IFC on this overnight service for up to four homeless families, in which nine congregations have agreed to provide for a week on a rotating basis, with other congregations providing support. Modeled on the national Interfaith Hospitality Network model, conversations are on-going with the IHN affiliate in Loveland toward a cooperative effort. In the meantime, the Sister Mary Alice Murphy Center for Hope has agreed to provide Day Center and referral/case management services, in cooperation with Catholic Charities of Larimer County. United Way of Larimer County has agreed to serve as fiscal agent, with IFC providing 501c3 status, as it has done to newly forming services over its thirty-year history.

So with such an exciting meeting to have ended the year, we have every reason to believe that 2012 will be no less so. In the meantime, may all the miracles of this holiday season be yours.

Rich Thompson

HISTORICAL HIGHLIGHTS

Heart of the Rockies Christian Church

Heart of the Rockies Christian Church was established on March 28, 1993, a mission of the Central Rocky Mountain Region of the Christian Church (Disciples of Christ). Forty-nine Disciples congregations throughout Colorado, Wyoming, Utah, and northern New Mexico provided our eleven-acre site at the northwest corner of Trilby and Lemay, on which we built our current building in 1999.

Our wider church family includes members and friends around the world and ecumenical partners in nearly every nation. The Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) began on the frontier in the early 1800s as a movement to unify Christians and restore the church along the lines of New Testament authority and practice. Disciples, as we call ourselves, don't claim to be the only Christians, but see ourselves as part of the larger Body of Christ. Along with most Disciples congregations, Heart of the Rockies practices open communion celebrated weekly, baptism by immersion (although other traditions are honored), and the ministry of all. Both ministers and lay people lead in worship, service and spiritual growth.

Our congregation seeks to reach into the community and beyond.  Locally, we support several Mission Partners through our gifts of time, energy and money, including Homelessness Prevention Initiative, Faith Volunteers in Poudre Schools, The Mission, Fort Collins Area Interfaith Council, United Campus Ministries at CSU, Habitat for Humanity, and theColorado Christian Home/Tennyson Center for Children and Families. We created and run a respite program for foster, kin and adoptive families called Kids at Heart. Each year our youth and adults travel beyond Fort Collins in mission - Alamosa, Oakland, Mexico, Costa Rica, Chicago, Shiprock, New Mexico and more.

Our congregation is served by two pastors: our founding pastor, Jeff Wright, and Scott Hardin-Nieri.

                                    Submitted by Sue Anderson, Heart of the Rockies Representative to IFC

OFFICER NOMINATIONS

INTERFAITH COUNCIL

IFC officer nomination will be presented at the Annual Meeting on February 2, 2012.  Nominations include Richard Thompson - President, Sandra Brown - Vice President, Diane Cohn - Recording Secretary.

Join millions of people all over the world at Noon Greenwich Mean Time to focus on world peace and inner peace for 2012.  The theme of the Fort Collins event is "Make Peace:  One Piece At A Time" and the program includes the John Randolph Price World Healing Meditation along with music, prayers, speakers and information from a variety of local faith, peace and humanitarian groups.  

26th Annual International Hour For Peace will take place Saturday, December 31 from 4:45-6:15am at Blessed John XXIII University Center, 1220 University Avenue.  

For more information, contact Dr. Vickie (970-407-1351) or visit www.fortnet.org/hr4peace.

Give us your info!

Communications Team

We want your faith group and agency information to display on the Member Group section of our website! Sending us your group information is easy, just follow these steps:

1. Click here if you are a member faith group

    Click here if you are a member agency

2. Fill out the online form

3. Click the "Submit" button

4. You're done!

These forms are also available on the website at http://www.ftcollinsinterfaithcouncil.org/FormsReports.html

There are also printed copies of these forms available at the IFC meetings which can be filled out and returned to the communications team. Please let us know if you need a printed form.

This holiday season, Homeless Gear and the Young Masters Art Gallery, a Northern Colorado showcase for the art work of local youth, are collaborating to launch the first annual Homeless Gear Calendar for 2012.  The Calendar features the art work of children served by Homeless Gear and other Larimer County nonprofits!

When you think of your favorite people on your holiday gift list, consider the 2012 Homeless Gear Calendar as a unique and affordable gift that keeps giving all year long.   Every calendar sold will generate funds to support Homeless Gear and our programs to help the homeless men, women, and children in our community and throughout Colorado.

Each colorful monthly page features an original masterpiece created by a local child who lives with the reality or threat of homelessness every day. 

For more information, contact Sarah Bennett (970-227-5027) with the Young Masters Art Gallery.

The Salvation Army Christmas program, Angels Among Us, needs help to provide Christmas gifts for local children. Currently, we have 450 families (and still counting!) in need of new clothes and toys for children ages 16 and younger. 
 

Host an Angel Tree - Your church/organization can set up a tree at your location that would have Christmas angel tags as ornaments. 

Sponsor an individual child or several children - Each Paper Angel represents a real child and includes their age and a list of wishes. Anybody can pick an angel off the tree, purchase gifts, and then return the items back to the tree location or to The Salvation Army. 

Adopt an entire family - You can contact our office and arrange to adopt an entire family or several families. You can choose the family size, age and gender of the children in the family. When adopting the entire family, we ask if you could provide food in the form of a grocery gift certificate, so that the family can purchase their holiday meal. 

The MLK Day March and Celebration honors the legacy and dream of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., bringing together hundreds of community members to express their support of King's vision of equality, justice, peace and service. 

Your organization is invited to participate in this event by staffing a table at the Volunteer Fair in Fort Collins.  The focus is on service, so please come prepared to speak with people about specific ways they can get involved in helping your organization and/or the community. Space is limited, so please make your reservation soon.

What: MLK Day Celebration Nonprofit Volunteer Fair

When: Monday, January 16, 2012 (10am-2pm)

Where: Lory Student Center Food Court, Colorado State University

Fee: Free; Includes Parking

Agency fair exhibitors may set up between 10am-11pm. A table and two chairs will be provided.

Contact Jami McMannes (970-407-7055) for more information and to RSVP.