When Reunion-based author Andrea Lende wanted to honor her father, the Rev. Dr. Richard J. Einerson, his words were what came to mind – specifically, ten sermons he wrote recently.

“My dad was a pastor for many years. He’s 89 and turns 90 in July. Recently, he sent me about 10 sermons he wrote during his later years, after retirement,” Lende said.

Lende helped dedicate his recently published book, “Still Speaking: Sermons from a Pastor Who Walked with the People,” featuring those sermons from late in his career, including his experiences in the South during racial unrest. 

Beatitudes Publishing has just published the book, along with two others by Einerson: “Can You Trust the Bible,” which discusses the Bible’s origins and composition, and a book of prayers he wrote, called “Prayers for the People.”

Lende said they were all released in time for his 70th wedding anniversary.

“He was asked to step in as interim pastor for several different churches, and so he found some sermons that we could publish in a book and leave as a legacy to his kids, his grandkids,” Lende said. “We’re thrilled with the cover of this book; it’s a picture that we have in our home, and it’s probably my favorite picture of my Dad.”

Lende said the picture of him on the cover of the book was taken at Sayles Memorial Church in the Providence, Rhode Island suburb of Lincoln, where some of her best years were spent on the East Coast, she said.

“He took a picture of that portrait, and it now hangs in his office. Our cover designer did an amazing job of creating our cover. I was brought to tears when I saw this.”

College to Civil Rights

Lende said her father attended Warner Pacific College and graduated in 1957 with a Bachelor of Science degree. He subsequently pursued his Master of Divinity degree at the Pacific School of Religion, graduating in 1961. He earned a Danforth Foundation Grant and spent a year at Vanderbilt University in Nashville, TN, where he worked with students and studied with a historical theology professor, Dr. Langdon Gilkey, Lende said. 

“In February of 1960, while he was at Vanderbilt University, the South began to hemorrhage with the civil rights movement. The black students of that era created an organization called the Student Non-Violent Coordinating Committee.”

Lende said that Civil Rights leader John Lewis, later a United States Congressman for Georgia, became the first president of the organization as these young adults came together in the community to quietly advocate for their rights.

Her dad was profoundly affected by this movement and he integrated it into his ministry and years of service. 

“The kids were sitting at the counters where they weren’t supposed to be sitting, and people were putting cigarettes on their backs. It was a horrible time,” Lende said. “It did affect him for the rest of his life, shaping how he saw things, how he pastored, and his philosophy on various matters in one of his sermons.”

He began his Doctor of Ministry training at Andover Newton Theological School in Newton, Massachusetts. After earning his degree in 1972, he moved to North Dakota to take a chaplain position at St. Luke’s Hospital. 

“He served as a chaplain for St. Luke’s, now MeritCare, for eighteen years, ushering many through the corridor of life into death, praying with numerous individuals,” she said.

He retired from his chaplaincy career in 1995 but served as the interim pastor for several churches until his final retirement at the age of 77. His interim pastor career took him to several churches across the country, from Minnesota to Colorado.

“I think he served as interim for three different churches after retirement; he had a hard time retiring. He just kept serving,” she said.

Lende said that quote in the book by Charles Spurgeon says, “One of the greatest rewards that we ever received for serving God is the permission to do still more for him.”

“That’s been my dad,” Lende said. 

Charting his ministry

Lende said my father’s book gives readers insight into the history of his ministry featuring sermons from a pastor who walked with the people.

“It is a blessing to be able to publish this book for him as his daughter, and have it ready for his 70th wedding anniversary, which was last week, Lende said.

“We finished the book in time to have five copies ready for him so he could sign them for the grandkids and my twin sister. Therefore, we had a small book signing in Phoenix, Arizona, last week, just for our family. He is so pleased at his age and to have published his words in print.”

Lende said her father published a book last year called “Can You Trust the Bible, a Biblical Primer for Lay People.” As a preacher who studied theology extensively and learned Hebrew, Greek and other languages used in writing the Bible, he had gained significant knowledge, she said. 

“He wanted to give laypeople, like myself, who haven’t studied the Bible in a theological sense insight into how the Bible was put together and how they found all the books,” Lende said. 

“The title was a little scary: Can you trust the Bible? Ultimately, yes, you can trust the Bible, but we must exercise caution in our approach to it. After all, it took many years — hundreds, even thousands — to compile it all.”

Lende said her dad explains how the books were formed and assembled, including what came first and who came first, which is fascinating.

“He offers valuable insights for those of us who are detectives and wish to learn about the Bible and its origins. It was gratifying to assemble that, and he completed it before he could no longer continue,” Lende said. 

The post Reunion author publishes her father’s sermons as an homage appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

A group of relatives and members of Knights of Columbus have stepped forward to help care for an aging graveyard northwest of Fort Lupton.

Bill Knox, 93, a neighbor of the abandoned St. Francis Volmar Cemetery near Fort Lupton, said he’s spent many years caring for the cemetery, trimming weeds and picking up trash. His grandson, Andrew Mockerman has been helping him to clean up the cemetery, too, Knox said. 

“What we are doing is digging all the sand out around the perimeter, and the fence is buried on the west side with three feet of sand, so we have to haul it away,” Knox said. 

Knox even managed to take over the deed in his effort to locate a family, neighbors or a willing volunteers to care for the forgotten plot.

Now that effort has been paid off.

News of Knox’s search for relatives came to the attention of Fort Lupton and Brighton Knights of Columbus who have stepped forward to help him take on the project and help preserve and care for the cemetery. 

“If the Knights of Columbus takes it on as a project. It’s going to be great,” Knox said. “So, one thing led a person to another, and Trudy Wise from Fort Lupton has a lot to do with it and was the first one who came out to see the cemetery after the newspaper article.”

Knox said Dr. Holly Norton from the State Archeologist is working on trying to find a grant to bring in the Ground Penetrating Radar machine that can search for buried bodies. 

Rallying the Knights

Cesar Espinoza with the Brighton Knights of Columbus said he was talking to his aunt and asking her why the St. Francis Volmar cemetery was so unkempt. The tiny memorial markers are regularly hidden behind giant tumbleweeds as tall eight feet. It’s an ugly place, he said. 

“The last time I went to the cemetery was 20 years ago when my grandfather died. He used to go out there every year to clean my grandmother’s grave site, but then he passed away, and nobody else went out after that,” Espinoza said. “I told my aunt, I’m going to look into it and see if I could bring the Knight to Columbus to help revitalize that cemetery.”

Espinoza said while speaking to a priest in Fort Lupton, a church secretary, overheard their conversation and suggested he check with Mr. Knox.

“She said, he’s investigating that cemetery, and there’s a chance that he might be getting a grant to help him fix that it,” Espinoza said. 

Knox said he met Espinoza and his Aunt Teresa Garcia, who also lives in Volmar, at the cemetery after he had cleaned it off.

“We started talking about the cemetery and Cesar brought up the subject he belonged to Knights of Columbus and would love to get involved with the project,” Knox said. “So, he invited me to come and talk to the people.”

Knox said the meeting warmed his heart. An office manager at Fort Lupton St. Williams Catholic Church had already been talking to the Fort Lupton Knights about the cemetery and Mr. Knox’s plans.

Fort Lupton Knights of Columbus member Joe Hogelin said he met Espinoza.

“So, a couple of days later, three of us drove out to the site and looked around the cemetery,” Hogelin said. “We felt that we should team up with our brothers, the Knights in Brighton, and make a big group effort to help restore this cemetery because it is sacred ground; people are buried there and they need to be.

“It just needs to be cleaned up, and this is part of what the Knights are all about. And we are so happy to be involved with the Brighton Knights of Columbus council to help remedy the situation to make it look better as it should be.”

His Brighton compatriots agreed.

“I am very pleased; this is a nice project, and it helps us connect with the community, you know, both the past community and the future community, so it will bring everyone together. It’s a great thing to do, so looking forward to it,” said Brighton Knight of Columbus Clark Musser. 

Ruth Ann Garcia, another relative of Espinoza, said that her grandfather and several cousins are buried at St. Francis Volmar Cemetery. 

“Unfortunately, my older relatives have passed already, and they’re not buried out there. But you know, it’s hard to get that information, but I do know for sure my grandfather is buried there. My husband Raymond’s mom is also buried at St. Francis Cemetery.”

Espinoza is originally from Ventura, California but his family is originally from Volmar. 

“My mom was born in Volmar in 1931. She would have been the same age as Mr. Knox and passed away about four years ago,” Espinoza said. “She went to school with Mr. Knox at the same schoolhouse and my grandmother’s Elvira Torrez was buried at St. Francis in 1957. She married Pedro Garcia, and they’ve lived there since the early 20s.”

Espinoza said his grandfather Garcia lived in a house in Volmar at the end of a hill facing east where the railroad used to go through.

“My mom says all the migrants who farmed the sugar beets would come on the train, and they would dump sugar beets on the train,” he said. “There used to be 70 families that lived in Volmar, and it was my grandfather who gave them half a lot of land for them to build the church there, La Sagrada Familia, the holy family church. It was my uncles that built it until it finally fell in about 1995.”

Moving forward

Espinoza said the Knights are in the planning stages, but are confident they project has the council’s backing.

“I brought it up to the council, because we are a Catholic fraternal men’s organization, and it’s a Catholic cemetery, they want to get behind it, and help Mr. Knox facilitate it, through donations,” he said. “Whatever we raise in donations, it’s going to go directly to Mr. Knox and the cemetery. The Brighton and Fort Lupton Knights Council are going to match the funds so that it doubles, triples his funds.”

If interested in donating to preserve the cemetery contact Cesar Espinoza, the Brighton Knights of Columbus at 303 659-0661. They are located at 1096 East Bridge St. in Brighton.

The post Relatives, volunteers step forward to reclaim St. Francis Volmar Cemetery appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

In March 2020, Christian churches across the Denver area shut their doors during the initial COVID-19 shutdowns. Many hoped the doors would be reopened for Easter in April. 

But they weren’t.

Instead, local Christians watched their churches’ Easter celebrations online while their pastors preached and their musicians played for empty churches.

The Very Rev. Richard Lawson of St. John’s Cathedral — the Episcopal cathedral in central Denver — recalled that Easter, saying, “There were less than five people in the entire cathedral, and two of them were priests.”

Meanwhile, some smaller congregations like the United Church of Idaho Springs held its Easter service via video conference, where everyone logged in to worship together.

Five years later, local church leaders expected this Easter would look more normal. But even then, they couched it as “the new normal,” outlining how much their churches have changed in terms of technology, membership, ministry and more in the last five years.

In March 2025, Colorado Community Media spoke with Christians leading six churches across five denominations and four counties in the Denver area. While experiences varied, they all said their congregations have changed permanently since March 2020.

“It has been a really hard journey,” said the Rev. Susan Otey of the First United Methodist Church of Golden. “Pastoring during COVID was some of the hardest work I have ever done. … I could see that God was working to make something good out of a terrible situation.”

Disciples in the digital age

Across the board, leaders from the six churches said technology was far and away the biggest change.

Before, none of them offered online options for Sunday services; now, all of them either livestream or allow people to join via video conference.

In general, they said it’s a great help, as church members can now join when they are homebound, sick or traveling. The United Church of Idaho Springs has a member who moved to Minnesota but still joins remotely, and some churches said they also livestream funerals so loved ones can watch from anywhere.

Figuring out how to livestream services in spring 2020 was rough going, as churches had to get creative with the limited resources they had.

For instance, the First United Methodist Church of Fort Lupton started by taping an iPad to a tripod. Now, the church has a dedicated camera in the sanctuary, and Church Council Chair Neena Hagans monitors the livestream from the choir loft.

Otey said the pandemic pushed her congregation to invest in the technology necessary to livestream services, which might not have happened until 2030 otherwise.

“COVID taught us that virtual services are essential in this day and age,” she continued. “(The pandemic) pushed us several years into the future.”

Along with Sunday services, technology is now a key aspect in other parts of church life, from online giving to hybrid Bible studies, church leaders said.

Daren Forbes, who’s on the Arvada Stake communications council for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, said there is “an abundance of podcasts” that he and his fellow church members use to help them study scripture, church history and similar topics.

In fact, the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints has its own app with all its holy texts, the given year’s curriculum, videos and other resources “to augment study in the home,” he described.

Forbes and other Christians throughout Denver clarified how these technologies don’t replace in-person services or fellowship opportunities. They are simply another option.

Lawson believes that, especially after the pandemic, “people are hungry for community,” whether that’s in-person or online.

“Livestreaming has expanded our reach beyond what we ever could’ve imagined,” Lawson said. “It’s too bad it took COVID to teach us that.”

Parishioners in the pews

In general, the number of Coloradans identifying as Christian has declined, mirroring a national trend, according to Colorado Public Radio; and the Associated Press has reported how Protestant denominations’ national membership has been declining for years.

Regarding their own flocks, leaders from the six churches had mixed experiences.

Otey and Lawson said their congregations in Golden and Denver, respectively, have actually grown over the last five years, especially if one includes online attendance. Their biggest demographic changes have been with young families and young adults, respectively.

Otey believed it was because people are seeking out a community that shares their values and beliefs, with the idea of raising their children in it, too. She summarized those parents’ experiences as: “I want to teach my kids about loving and serving our neighbors.”

Meanwhile, Forbes said the Arvada Stake’s overall membership hasn’t changed significantly, but there have been a few demographic shifts over the last five years.

As western Arvada has grown, so has church membership in that area. Members from western Arvada tend to be young families, while eastern Arvada is more older people who’ve lived in the area for decades, Forbes described.

Additionally, he said the Arvada Stake has seen significant growth among its Spanish-speaking population.

Contrastingly, membership at the United Church of Idaho Springs and the First United Methodist Church of Fort Lupton have declined slightly.

Vivian Simpson, chair of the church council, said the United Church of Idaho Springs was averaging about 30 people at Sunday services before the pandemic. Now, it’s about 20 people in-person with another five online.

Fort Lupton church leaders said their congregation averaged 80 to 100 people on Sundays before the pandemic. Now, it’s down to about 60 in the pews, with some joining online.

For the First Baptist Church of Denver, while its attendance and overall membership haven’t changed much, its space utilization has.

Kurt Kaufman, a member of the pastoral team, said the church used to have a high demand for facility rentals and parking-space leases before the pandemic. Now, demand for both has gone down significantly, impacting the church’s budget.

“We haven’t had a parking waitlist since 2019,” Kaufman said. “We’ve had to rethink what we do to make money and how to survive as a congregation.”

Pastors in the pulpit

Both the First Baptist Church of Denver and the United Church of Idaho Springs said their previous pastors left within the last five years, and they’ve struggled to find replacements.

Kaufman said he and fellow members of the First Baptist Church’s pastoral team are rotating responsibilities, including preaching on Sundays.

Similarly, Simpson said the Idaho Springs church has been looking for a part-time pastor since its former pastor retired in 2021.

Because it’s a combined Methodist and Presbyterian congregation, Simpson said the church has looked through Methodist, Presbyterian and unaffiliated channels. It’s had some interest, but nothing that worked out long-term, she described.

“Nationwide, there’s a shortage of ordained ministers for Methodist and Presbyterian (churches),” she said. 

Simpson added that the Idaho Springs church can only afford a part-time pastor, which makes the search more difficult.

In a similar vein, the First United Methodist Church of Fort Lupton has had a dedicated pastor in the Rev. Anna Viehland since 2022, but she splits her time between Fort Lupton and another Methodist church in Erie.

On March 29, St. John’s Cathedral ordained four people as deacons. They’re now scheduled to be ordained as priests in October.

Lawson said four ordained ministers in a year is about average for the Episcopal Church’s Diocese of Colorado.

However, with the influx of young adults at the cathedral, Lawson said he’s seen increasing interest in ordination among his congregation. In 2025, St. John’s Cathedral will have five members attend seminary, including one of the newly ordained, he said.

Charity in the community

In terms of ministry — both for their members and for the wider community — there were some common threads among the six churches.

Along with a greater push for online or hybrid events, church leaders said they’ve seen more demand for small-group events, such as Bible studies, parent groups and in-home ministering.

On top of their continued interfaith partnerships, the two Denver churches said they’ve seen more demand for social justice-focused events and groups.

In addition to its Faith in Action ministry, Lawson said St. John’s Cathedral now has the Re-Imagining Justice group that focuses on racial healing, and the Migrant Interest Group that does pro-immigration work.

Kaufman said the First Baptist Church is now “more attuned to hunger and social justice issues around our community” than it was pre-pandemic. Part of that is because of its new outdoor community fridge, which has distributed about 30,000 pounds of food since February 2023.

Additionally, because its parking lot isn’t as full as it once was, Kaufman said the church has been able to host a shower trailer and a safe parking program.

The other four churches said they’ve likewise seen increased demand among their safe parking programs, free weekly meals and similar ministries; and they’ve worked to meet that demand alongside other churches and nonprofits.

“Some things that started during COVID really defined who we are as a church,” Otey said. “We increased our services tremendously.”

During the COVID-19 shutdowns, Otey described how her church worked with the larger Golden community to distribute free food to the homebound and unsheltered — even distributing food outside when indoor gatherings were restricted.

And that work has continued to the present day, she said, as the church has expanded from free meals once a week to three times a week.

Forbes encouraged people to visit justserve.org to find service opportunities near them. These events are open to anyone, not just Christians, he emphasized, saying it could be anything from painting a house to working at a local food bank.

“It’s become even more apparent how important those service opportunities are because of COVID and what we’re experiencing in society,” Forbes said. “We have more in common with our neighbors than we think … (and) when we have an opportunity to serve one another, those differences dissipate.”

‘Best of all, God is with us’

Another common thread among the six churches was how difficult the last five years have been, in one form or another.

Church leaders discussed loneliness among their members, concern about the declining number of Christians locally and nationally, and burnout among their volunteers and ordained ministers.

Viehland, Fort Lupton’s pastor, described how she’s seen not only laypeople but also clergy struggle with the pandemic’s immediate and long-term fallout.

She believed some clergy members — not necessarily local ones — were already burnt-out, and the pandemic was a deciding factor in them leaving ordained ministry. And Viehland said she didn’t blame them.

“Five years out, we’re just starting to reckon with the spiritual and emotional trauma that came from (the pandemic),” Viehland said.

Kaufman said the First Baptist Church was full of hope and joy when he joined in 2019. Now, he said it’s been “a struggle to find joy with anything” and that the congregation has shifted to one that’s “less hopeful and more fearful.”

Still, leaders from all six churches offered messages of hope and faith, especially with Easter approaching.

“It’s been very challenging to find hope in earthly, worldly things,” Kaufman said. “‘Where is it that I find hope?’ The only place is in my faith.”

Similarly, Fort Lupton church leaders summarized the experience of faith by quoting Methodist Church founder John Wesley: “Best of all, God is with us.”

Kaufman, Forbes and Simpson invited fellow Christians to celebrate Easter by deepening their relationships with God and with one another.

They also encouraged those “who are searching for something” to visit a local church and ground themselves in a loving God and a welcoming community.

Otey also emphasized how God’s love is unconditional and how the Holy Spirit is at work in everyone’s lives, community and shared world, even if they don’t know it.

Reflecting on the changes of the last five years, and all the changes that are to come, Lawson said: “God is as real as God has ever been.”

The post Denver-area churches share how they’ve changed since March 2020 appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Every spring, Christians around the world recreate and reflect on Jesus Christ’s death by praying along with the Stations of the Cross.

On Fridays during Lent — the 40 days preceding Easter — Catholic churches like Lakewood’s Our Lady of Fatima host the Stations of the Cross, typically led by a priest or deacon.

However, on March 28, it was the children’s turn.

A group of about 20 young parishioners walked along the perimeter of the sanctuary, taking turns reading each station’s prayer for the Our Lady of Fatima congregation, as the group stopped at the corresponding piece of artwork. The 14 stations depict Jesus taking up his cross, meeting people on the way through Jerusalem, and then his death and burial.

Afterward, many attendees stopped by the parish hall for a meatless soup supper hosted by the local Knights of Columbus council.

Mazie Jackson, 14, said Lenten traditions like Stations of the Cross and meatless meals are a great way to “practice your faith” and “build community.”

In general, the season of Lent — which Catholics and some other Christian denominations observe — starts on Ash Wednesday and helps people spiritually prepare to celebrate Jesus Christ’s resurrection at Easter.

Similarly, Tim Young of the parish’s Knights of Columbus described it as a season of “repentance and reflection.”

Jackson added, “It’s about cleansing our souls and preparing for Easter. (Lent) helps us refresh our faith.”

To that end, Our Lady of Fatima hosts a children’s Stations of the Cross one Friday each Lent.

This year’s group had participants as young as 5, although all the readers were between first and seventh grade, Director of Children’s Faith Formation Elisabeth Krick explained.

Some are students at Our Lady of Fatima Catholic School, while others are in the parish’s religious education program, Krick said.

The Rev. Henri Tshibambe, Our Lady of Fatima’s pastor, said it’s important for young parishioners to have opportunities to learn about the faith and lead others in it. He said they’re learning to do “what Jesus Christ did” by reflecting on his journey to the cross.

This is especially important as many of the participating children are preparing to receive sacraments later this year, he said.

Afterward in the parish hall, Young and other Knights of Columbus served a selection of vegetable- and seafood-based soups, along with grilled cheese. Catholics abstain from meat on Fridays during Lent, although fish and other seafood is allowed.

Our Lady of Fatima’s soup suppers are free, although donations are welcome, Young said.

The parish was scheduled to host Stations of the Cross and soup supper on April 4 and April 11 but won’t on April 18 as it will be hosting Good Friday services.

Young also invited people to stop by the Knights of Columbus’ free pancake and burrito breakfast on April 13. It will have additional free breakfast events in May.

For more information, visit fatimalakewood.com.

Click through additional photos from the March 28 event:

The post Children lead Lakewood church’s Lenten tradition during season of ‘repentance, reflection’ appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

The post Ashes and fresh air in Northglenn appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Barbara Dillavou has been coming to the Grace United Methodist Church in the University Hills neighborhood since the 1960s, or, to put in her words, “forever.”

Her place of worship was heavily damaged by a fire in May 2023 when the outside brush was set ablaze, damaging the roof and sending a destructive amount of smoke into the main hall. 

“It damaged almost everything in here,” Dillavou said. “They had to replace, clean all the pews and the books and everything. It was a big job, and so then they just decided at the same time to make some other improvements.” 

Services were held in the fellowship hall until the repairs could be made. Since reopening in mid-October of this year, Dillavou said it’s been “marvelous, very good to be back.” 

“It was a real celebration,” she said.  

The church, located at 4905 E. Yale Ave., is colloquially known as “the pumpkin church” in the neighborhood, as it hosts a large pumpkin patch each fall before Halloween. 

Rev. Seth O’Kegley, who has overseen the church since July 2022, said some of the repairs included replacing ceiling panels (that was because someone had thrown a cinder block through it during repairs) as well as removing the pews after smoke had billowed in from the outside. 

The total cost of repairs was about $600,000, O’Kegley said, which was partially covered by the church’s insurance. Other funding came from the church’s endowment account. 
“We had a row of bushes on the side, and I’m not sure if someone was warming themselves, I don’t know, not my place to judge, but someone caught the bushes on fire and it spread and caught the roof on fire,” O’Kegley said. “Although we did not have fire in the room, the smoke had ruined everything.” 

The reverend said the carpet had to be replaced and the pews and the interior had to be deep-cleaned. Large beams also had to be replaced. 

“What we had to do was take half of the roof off, fly new beams in and put the roof back on,” he said. “The damage was pretty intense for not even having fire in the room. It was kind of the perfect storm of circumstances.” 

According to city of Denver documents, Grace United Methodist Church was constructed in 1955, although O’Kegley said the main worship center was completed in the 1960s and the campus was built in “chunks.” The property has a little more than 26,000 square feet of building space.

O’Kegley said the architecture of the worship center was inspired by the story of Noah’s Ark, which can be seen in the curvature of the tall wooden ceiling in the form of the hull of a giant ship. Delays due to waiting for the insurance check to come and winter weather set the church back several months from reopening the worship center. 

But once everything was ready, the church was able to not only make the area functioning again but also to build an addition to the stage and get rid of some excess closet space. 

“We’ve just got a few touch-ups left,” O’Kegley said. “We try to recreate the Noah’s Ark look, both in reference to God protecting Noah and the family, but also the Ark of the Covenant that held and protected the word of god.” 

O’Kegley said there may have been deeper meaning in the disaster that nearly destroyed the worship center, as the Methodist faith calls its followers to “a life that is kind of dispersed,” to love and serve people anywhere. 

“The church is not just a building by any means,” he said. “It’s the people, and that was affirmed in our fire because we had to move to the other side of the building. Having a home is very important and this room has been our home … to gather, to worship, to marry people, to bury people. We do all the pastoral functions in this room, but then we’re inspired and we’re changed here to go out … and really love the world in the way that Christ calls us to.”

The post Church reopens sanctuary after last year’s fire appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Members of the Beth Evergreen synagogue all speak of it in similar tones: With a mix of joy and reverence, and a touch of seeming awe that they have found and become part of such a place.

“This is special,” said board member Mike Schneider. “It’s the vibe, the warmth and friendliness, the musical Shabbats.”

“For me, there’s a freedom in the spiritual connection,” said Beth Evergreen’s director of operations Sarah Hess. “I feel like I can go directly to my relationship with God here in a way I’ve been searching for my whole life.”

“I like the service, I love the rabbi, I love the whole thing,” said Joanne Greenberg, one of Beth Evergreen’s founders. “I had no idea what it would come to be, but it hasn’t disappointed. A lot of us had escaped from rigid Judaism back east, and this is easier but not wimpy. We still practice a lot of the things that are more conventional, but we’re liberal in our doing.”

Beth Evergreen celebrated its 50^th year in early September.

The synagogue is strong and vibrant, say both its members and its 19-year Rabbi Benjamin “Jamie” Arnold. That’s due in part to challenges in the global Jewish community that have bonded the local congregation more tightly, but also to more elusive qualities unique to the Colorado foothills site.

Beth Evergreen is the only synagogue between Morrison and Vail, and consequently draws a wide variety of people. While Jewish people in Denver may be able to choose among synagogues with unique ideologies, Beth Evergreen’s congregants include a mix of conservative, reform and interfaith families.

“We’re sort of a one-shul town,” Arnold said. “So we may have a larger diversity of political and religious ways of thinking, and be more spiritually than ideologically driven.

“Here, people are not just coming because of their belief system, but simply to be connected to Jewish culture and community.”

It’s what the synagogue’s founders had in mind.

Congregation Beth Evergreen launched in 1974 after New York transplant Bernie Goldman put a small article in the Canyon Courier, seeking other area Jews with which to celebrate the high holidays. But in those early days, foothills area Jews weren’t sure they’d have enough support for a building.

“There was a sense among the founders was that if you came to live in Evergreen and you were Jewish, you did so to get away from organized religion,” Arnold said. “There was a question if there would be an interest in a synagogue.”

Greenberg, now 91, said the early days were rough and often uncertain.

“We started out with no rabbi, no building and none of us knew what the hell we were doing,” said Greenburg, 91. “We had some moments where we thought we were done.”

Helping continue and further refine Beth Evergreen’s unique culture drew Arnold to the synagogue, and what’s kept him there for nearly two decades.

“Part of the joy for me of serving the community has been trying to keep that spirt of innovation and independence alive, of setting aside some of the trappings of organized religion and being a laboratory for spiritual expression and connection that draws on the best of the past and traditional practice while actively being engaged in evolving the next generation of Jewish community,” he said.

The Rochester, New York native fell in love with Colorado on a high school ski trip and vowed then to someday live there. That dream came true in 2005, when he became Beth Evergreen’s first full-time rabbi. At the time, the synagogue had about 100 families and had just finished its sanctuary overlooking Elk Meadow.

Arnold was drawn to all those elements, but sold on the people on Beth Evergreen’s search committee. One of his earliest meetings with some of them took place on a Loveland ski lift.

“It was just the openness to innovation and creativity, the connection to the land and nature,” he said. “They described themselves as a congregation united more by geography than ideology at the time. That’s probably not as much the case now, but that appealed to me.”

In the three years after his arrival, Beth Evergreen’s congregation almost doubled in size. It has hovered at around 200 families since then. In the past year, almost 40 new households have joined, which Arnold attributes in large part to the Israel-Hamas war and a post-pandemic desire for community.

“I think Oct. 7 and the ongoing war in Israel really was a trigger point for a lot of Jewish families and individuals,” he said, referring to the 2023 Hamas terrorist attack. “You don’t realize how important something is until it has the threat of going away. We certainly also have some individuals who’ve felt the rise in anti-Semitism that has been occurring.”

While those tragedies have bonded the congregation more tightly, they’ve also required Beth Evergreen to invest in heightened security measures.

“We spent tens of thousands of dollars this year on providing armed, professional security at every gathering that has more than 10 people,” Arnold said. “That’s been a substantial budgetary shift. That was not something we ever had to worry about before.”

Security and global issues aside, Arnold’s primary focus is on creating joyful, meaningful ways for his congregants to gather. Unlike many Christian churches, Jewish congregants are not obligated to attend weekly sabbath services. A synagogue is viewed more as a gathering place, and at Beth Evergreen, people gather in havurah — small groups sharing communal experiences.

“We have a huge array of ways people can gather intentionally,” Arnold said. “We have a hiking havurah, a biking havurah. We have a needlework group that draws members drawing from local community, and a mahjong group.”

Every third Friday, Beth Evergreen hosts a musical service in its outdoor amphitheater, adapting liturgy to popular music. It recently hosted a John Denver musical service, as well as a Grateful Dead and Billy Joel shabbat. The synagogue has an in-house band that produces “some pretty robust music,” Arnold said.

“It can be hopefully engaging and meaningful for a diverse group, whether you’re someone who prays or celebrates shabbat or just one who enjoys good music and likes to be with people,” he said. “I’m just looking for new ways around which people can meaningfully gather.”

The amphitheater was built during the pandemic to help continue services and has since been used by the larger Evergreen community for theater productions, weddings and other events. It served its original purpose well; in contrast to many other synagogues, Beth Evergreen saw only a small drop in its membership during the pandemic.

Arnold regularly reaches out to other congregations, both in the Jewish community and beyond.

During the pandemic, he helped coordinate a Rosh Hashana celebration with four other congregations at Lair of the Bear park. In 2023, Beth Evergreen hosted a song-writing workshop for those specializing in Reconstructionist Judaism, which drew musicians from across the country.

Beth Evergreen also hosts a weekly musar, a Jewish spiritual practice that offers instructions on living a meaningful and ethical life. It includes attendees from local Episcopal, Methodist and other churches who study specific character traits.

Before Arnold’s 2005 arrival, Beth Evergreen formed an interfaith clergy group that continues to meet. That group helped create a 2008 affordable housing initiative that eventually led to the creation of the Evergreen Christian Church (Echo) overnight shelter. 

“I think in general we have had an outsized impact on both the Evergreen community, not just the Jewish community,” Arnold said.

Arnold still loves skiing, and does so regularly. It dovetails with his love for his mountain community, which he intends to call home for a long time to come.   

“It’s becoming more and more rare for clergy to be in a place as long as I have, but as long as the congregation and the rabbi are content, we can stay in one place for as long as we like,” Arnold said.

“I have what we call an Evergreen contract,” he added with a grin. “I plan to stay here until retirement.” 

The post Beth Evergreen celebrates 50 years appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

UPDATE at 4:55 p.m. on Tuesday, Aug. 13: The Elizabeth School District released the following statement.

At last night’s Elizabeth School District board meeting, board members approved a measure that would direct that no classroom libraries of books are maintained within our schools.  This is in conjunction with our library protocol and sensitive topic lists.  The purpose of the measure is to relieve the burden of teachers and principals from having to determine what is appropriate for different family values.  Under the measure, students are encouraged to keep a book either from the school library or from home in their desk to utilize when necessary.

As of Tuesday evening, through individual conversations, the ESD board has directed the Superintendent to hold on that decision.  Board members would like to get further feedback from staff as they work to merge their library protocol with student access to classroom materials.  This is an opportunity for further dialogue from teachers as to the best practices of handling sensitive literature in classrooms.

The board is open to modifying its decision once information is gathered from school staff including teachers and principals.

The original Elbert County News story continues below:

The Elizabeth School Board voted at its Aug. 12 meeting to create a Sensitive Topic Book List and to eliminate classroom libraries from Elizabeth classrooms. The new Library Services Guiding Protocols, a list of 19 temporarily suspended books, and a draft of books on the ESD Sensitive Topics List can be found online at tinyurl.com/elizbooks.

The board unanimously decided to remove classroom libraries. “I move that the board direct that no classroom libraries of books are to be maintained within the Elizabeth School District and that students are encouraged to keep a book either from the school library or from home in their desks to utilize when necessary,” said School Board President Rhonda Olsen.

Regarding the book that can be kept in a child’s desk, students will only have access to books that parents have given them at home or from the board-approved school library. Olsen also clarified that “books from home are not to be shared with other students.”

“We’re just saying that if you bring something in that someone else’s parent might not agree with, you know, that’s yours to read but it’s not yours to share,” she went on.

Superintendent Dan Snowberger said the decision to remove classroom libraries relieves the burden on teachers to maintain their own collections. “We feel it would be counterproductive to have classroom libraries that do not undergo the same review process,” he said. “The library ‘sensitive topic list’ will most likely grow and change in the classrooms. We felt that this process would take the burden away from teachers so that they can remain focused on the curriculum versus having to update a changing list of books on their shelves. Utilizing our libraries instead of classroom materials will ensure that the school district respects the decisions our parents are making for their children.”

Kerry Jiblits, a retired Elizabeth elementary teacher and a reading interventionist, had strong words about the decision. “I am saddened, appalled, and angry with the Elizabeth School Board’s decision to ban classroom libraries,” she said.

“As an elementary teacher of 35 years (almost 30 of them in Elizabeth),” she went on, “I know firsthand how a robust classroom library is the key to not only teaching students to read, but to LOVE reading. Research shows the importance of large, multi-leveled classroom libraries in improving students’ reading performance. As teachers, it is our job to provide an environment that fosters a love of reading and an interest in books — an impossible task without a classroom library. The classroom library should be the heart of a classroom — a place of joy as well as learning. The school board should be making MORE books available to our students, not removing them from the classroom. How can we expect our children to succeed, when they aren’t given adequate access to books? A once a week, 15 minute visit to the school library will not suffice.”

When asked about lack of access to reading material, Snowberger said, “There should be no change to a student’s access to reading material as a result of any of these policy changes. Teachers and students will be able to use the school libraries as needed to supplement their reading materials that no longer exist in the classroom. Teachers may also check out a selection of books on key topics relevant to their unit of studies that are not on the sensitive topic list and make those available to students should they need a book during the day.”

School Board Directors Mary Powell and Heather Booth spent the most time on the school library review, Olsen said. The review largely fell under the Curriculum Review Committee’s purview.

The motion for the “board to approve the attached Library Sensitive Topic Protocol, the attached list of materials to be flagged with sensitive topics, and to display the list for public feedback to determine the final disposition” came before the discussion about the library review itself and was also passed unanimously.

Powell explained that the committee started reviewing school library collections using challenged book lists found online. She added that they did their due diligence and did not flag a book just because it was included on a challenged books list.

Powell added that the committee sees library books as part of the district curriculum that also falls under Policy IMB, Teaching About Controversial Issues and Materials. “We need to be sure that we are protecting our students from things that are controversial,” she said.

“We also came up with this idea of a Sensitive Topic Protocol,” Powell shared. “There were multiple reasons that something might be called ‘sensitive topics.’ The categories are Graphic Violence, Sexual Content, Profanity & Obscenity, Ideations of Self Harm or Mental Illness, Drug or Excessive Alcohol Use, Racism/Discrimination, and Religious Viewpoints.” The list is likely to change over time.

“We are trying to be very aware that not all of us in this school district have the same values,” Powell said. “A parent who does not want their child to read the Bible should be notified that their child checked out the Bible. A parent who does not want their child to read the Koran should be notified that their child has checked out the Koran. And then they can do what they want with it. That’s why we have religious viewpoints on there too, along with these other things, so that a parent can be aware and that their values are not being trampled upon.”

If a student checks out a book identified as “sensitive,” it will be flagged and parents will receive an email notification that their child has checked it out. Powell says this ties in with Parents Rights and Responsibilities. “It’s their right to know what their child is checking out,” Powell went on. She also noted that a student’s library borrowing history has been and still is accessible and available to parents.

Powell explained that any parent can opt-out of allowing their student to borrow any book at all on the Sensitive Topics list. The student’s account will be prohibited from checking out books on the list but students can speak to their parents about making an exception for specific titles.

Snowberger said that by identifying books with sensitive material, “we empower parents to make these important decisions for their own children without taking away the freedom of anyone to access the material of their choosing. We feel this is a much more balanced approach than removing materials from our library so that we can respect the individual choices of our families and respect the rights of our parents to make those decisions for their children.”

The district is asking for parent feedback and admitted it will be an ongoing process as new books are added to school libraries. “We’re not going to be able to find every book that might be objectionable,” Powell said, “…and we are asking parents, through this process of knowing what your kid is checking out, even if it’s not on the Sensitive List right now, to talk to their students…”

If there is something that a parent believes should be added to the Sensitive Topic List, Powell said, there is now a form to submit to the school librarian, who will then pass it on to the Curriculum Review Committee.

The committee also physically removed and temporarily suspended some books, the list is available at tinyurl.com/elizbooks.

Those books, in addition to whatever else is suspended in the coming months, will be available in the district office for parents to review for 30 days. Parents are encouraged to come in, take a look, and fill out a form to vote on whether or not the book should be withdrawn from the collection or added to the Sensitive Topics list. An email with more information about the process will be sent from the district this week.

“I’ll just deal with the elephant in the room,” Powell said, “this is not book banning. They are not on our shelf because we do not feel that they fulfill the educational protocols that we believe in for this district.” The board agreed that the measures were “just a protection” for students.

Last year ESD decided to move from Scholastic Book Fairs to SkyTree Book Fairs, connected to Kirk Cameron’s Brave Books. BRAVE Books describes itself as a “Christian publishing company that makes books for kids that reinforce biblically-based, foundational values.”

More information about the Curriculum Review Committee/Council can be found here https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/Page/3746.

Policy IMB is available to read at https://tinyurl.com/7j9nth4m.

The Aug. 12 board meeting is available to watch in its entirety here https://tinyurl.com/4595f3vf.

Past board meetings are available at https://www.elizabethschooldistrict.org/domain/124.

The post Elizabeth School Board votes to eliminate classroom libraries, then pauses on decision; some books are suspended appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

Winner of four 2021 Ophir Awards (Israeli Academy Awards), the film by Gidi Dar details events surrounding the fall of the Second Temple in 70 CE, a pivotal event in Jewish history. 

The film, set during Roman rule, portrays a society plagued by social inequalities, corruption and injustice, and where a fervent cry for freedom, justice, and equality swept throughout the Holy Land. The film explores themes of greed, exploitation, corruption, political hubris and religious fanaticism.

The free screening will take place from 4 to 6 p.m. Aug. 13.

To register and for more information, visit bmh-bj.org.

The post BMH-BJ Congregation to screen ‘Legend of Destruction’ Aug. 13 appeared first on Colorado Community Media.

The Rock Church will be allowed to continue offering temporary shelter on its site while its lawsuit against the Town of Castle Rock procedes in federal district court.

The church sued Castle Rock in May, arguing the town is violating the church’s religious freedom by prohibiting it from offering short-term shelter to people in need. 

The church has used an RV and a trailer on its property since 2019 to temporarily house people who otherwise would have nowhere to stay. Last year, town officials shut down the arrangement, arguing it was not permitted by the church’s zoning. 

The church hasn’t provided shelter since and asked the courts for an injunction that would reopen its temporary shelters.

U.S. District Court Judge Daniel Domenico granted that injunction on July 19. Domenico found that the town’s zoning enforcement may violate the Religious Land Use and Institutionalized Persons Act by creating a substantial burden on the church’s religious belief that its ministry includes providing shelter to people in need on church property. 

The town had argued that the zoning is neutral and generally applicable, noting the church could find other ways to satisfy its religious obligations to provide for those in need, such as by providing hotel rooms or housing in other areas that are zoned for residential use.

Domenico said it’s not up to the town to define the church’s religious beliefs. 

“To the extent there is a dispute about whether the Church’s stated beliefs actually require it to provide shelter on its own property, there is no reason to second-guess the Church at this point, regardless of how idiosyncratic or mistaken the Town may find its beliefs to be,” Domenico wrote in the injunction.

Domenico also found that the town didn’t have a compelling reason to prevent the shelters because there have been no safety issues reported and the church is taking safety precautions, such as background checks. 

Domenico said the church demonstrated there would be irreparable harm if the injunction was not granted, noting the town hasn’t argued it would be materially harmed by allowing the temporary shelters. 

“The fact that the Church has already had to turn away homeless families in need, in violation of its sincerely held beliefs that it must serve and house them on its property, makes this harm all too clear,” he wrote. 

Domenico said the injunction is narrow and doesn’t apply to other kinds of housing the church may want to provide. The Rock Church had been planning to develop income-restricted housing on its site, but that project was paused after the Douglas County Housing Partnership ended its role in the project. 

“This injunction is limited to the facts of this case, which show that the Church has a large lot and the concomitant ability to keep its shelter at a distance from nearby residential areas, that its shelter only consists of two vehicles, and that it has received no complaints about drug use or experienced any crime as a result of its ministry,” Domenico wrote. 

Jeremy Dys, an attorney for the Rock Church from First Liberty Institute, said in a statement that the church is pleased with the court’s decision. 

“The court reopened the door of a caring church whose mission has always been to offer a warm environment for the homeless living on the cold, hard streets,” Dys said. 

The town has previously said that it doesn’t comment on ongoing litigation.

The post Judge clears way for Castle Rock church to provide shelter to unhoused people during legal action appeared first on Colorado Community Media.