 Annual
Conference 2007: Making The Invisible Visible
Embracing diversity *
Racial Acceptance *
Celebrating inclusiveness
June 13-16, 2007, Denver
 News
of the Conference Session
Offering Totals
- Clergy Covenant Fund (from golf tourney): $3,453.74
- Clergy Covenant Fund (from Clergy Session): $2,340.29
- Central Conference Pension Initiative (Saturday Ordination Service):
$2,685.18
- Global AIDS (Friday Memorial Service): $2,595.94
- Graceworks (Wednesday Communion Service): $2,729.71
- Laity Session (Rod Anderson Lay Leadership Scholarship
Fund): $876.37
- Bridge of Love: $9,851.12
Conference Childcare Provides Enriching Experience For Children
By Stuart and Megan Davis
From making bears to making a video to making new friends, the children
who attended the Annual Conference Session childcare program got
to play quite a bit more than the adults who were over at the Marriott.
Six children made up the small (but enthusiastic!) contingent of
charges for the dedicated staff of providers. Childcare was offsite
this year at Hope UMC-just a short drive from the Marriott-and was
available from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Thursday, Friday and Saturday,
as well as Wednesday evening.
While there was some grumbling about the early ending time making
evening sessions and worship problematic, childcare coordinator Tommy
Gleaton explained that there is a
Colorado state law that prohibits children being in daycare more
than 12 hours per day.
“Our hands were tied,” Gleaton said. “So we had
to set it up this way with the understanding that it might either
limit what the parents could do in the evenings, although we knew
the children were welcome at evening worship, too.”
Hope UMC’s childcare coordinator Donna Tromontano and her
trained crew put in countless extra hours and led the children in
a variety of activities, such as arts & crafts, story time and
games. The kids also had time on the playground and just enough free
time to visit and get to know each other. Three wholesome, tasty
meals were provided each day.
An unplanned event was the close encounter with a young deer, who
had bedded down in the shade outside one of the rooms. The children
all got a close up look at “Hope,” as they named her,
and extended that hope so that she could make her way back through
the busy neighborhood to the safety of the state park. (Photo on
web at rmcumc.org/COI/ac/ac2007/photos/, image near bottom: IMG_2898.JPG.)
Friday and Saturday featured fieldtrips that included a meal out
and a movie Friday and Build a Bear on Saturday.
“It was all really fun,” said eight-year-old Megan Davis. “The
teachers were really nice. I liked Build a Bear the best.”
Each child received a shopping bag that included a special coloring
book, markers, other goodies and a nametag just like their parents
had.
As goodbyes were said-and numbers exchanged-on Saturday, one couldn’t
see much difference between the folks leaving the Marriott Center
and the children leaving Hope UMC. All had made connections in Christ,
worshiped, learned, listened, played, and been enriched by the whole
Annual Conference Session experience.
Another thing shared by all was the need for a really long nap.
Bridge of Love News!
Thank you, Churches of the Rocky Mountain Conference for your generous
gifts. The need continues and we ask for your help to make a step
forward.
The mission project, “Bridge of Love”, has collected
more than $37,000.00 in the past four years. As sponsors of this
mission project, the Board of Lay Ministry expresses appreciation
for your generous response.
The funds collected 2003 - 2006 have been divided equally between
the East and West Angola Conferences. This is truly a witness of
your care and concern for the people of these two Conferences. Providing
water has been a major emphasis for our giving and the recent “VISION” shares
how these funds made a difference.
The Board of Lay Ministry adopted this “Bridge of Love” for
five years. The offering at the 2007 Annual Session will complete
our role in this project. The Conference Board of Global Ministry
has voted to continue leadership in the Rocky Mountain and Angola
Conferences connection.
Bishop Gaspar Domingos of West Angola Conference will join with the
laity at the Laity Session at Annual Conference to celebrate in worship
the “Bridge of Love” that now exists. In our closure
we pay tribute to our memories of this work. We recognize the continued
needs in Angola with our gifts and prayers.
Again this year we ask you to promote the “Bridge of Love” offering
in your churches and bring to the 2007 Annual Conference. The loose
change offering will be received at the Plenary Session, Thursday,
evening, June 14, 7 P. M. The offering will be divided between the
two Angola Conferences for the medical needs of their children.
Thank you churches of Rocky Mountain Conference! Wouldn’t it
be great to raise $13,000.00 this year bringing our total to $50,000.00
Please contact Judy Hill if you have questions, 970-358-4389 or e-mail
Hillej@plains.net.
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