by Rev. Erin Gilmore, Transitional Conference Minister

I am writing this from my hotel room in Kansas City, MO where hundreds of others in the United Church of Christ have gathered for the 2025 General Synod, Into the Deep. Our nine delegates from the Rocky Mountain Conference will be serving on Committees that will deliberate together on the Resolutions that will come before the General Synod.  In addition, we will worship together, learn together, and equip one another to be courageous and faithful as the church that we might meet this moment with resilience, clarity, and grace. In the weeks and months following General Synod, we will create opportunities for you to hear from our delegates and to learn about how individuals, churches, and our conference can continue to participate in the ministry of the wider church.

As I prepare for this national gathering, I am thinking back to just a few weeks ago when we gathered as a conference in Loveland for Annual Celebration 2025: Faithful Next Steps.  I am so deeply grateful to each of you who participated, whether in person, online, or in spirit. The energy, clarity, and shared commitment to being the church in this particular moment we find ourselves filled me with courage, resolve, and hope.  Thank you for the ways you showed up for your churches, for each other, and for the future we are shaping together.

Beginning next week, I’ll be taking a time of renewal and will be heading out to hike the Colorado Trail with my brother, Chris Gilmore. We’ll be taking a 400+ mile journey through the Rocky Mountains, immersing ourselves in creation, silence, play and soulfulness. As I step away from email and meetings for a time, I do so with deep trust in our staff and leadership, and with deep gratitude for the work we are doing together.

Rev. Leslie Etheredge will be adding a few hours to support our churches in Search and Call, Rev. Diane Weible will be on call as needed, and Allison Radomski, Brianna Gillmore and Melissa, McCarl will continue to carry forward the ministry of the conference with their incredible gifts and commitment to our shared ministry.

I leave you with this blessing for the time we are apart:

May the Spirit who stirs in the deep stir something in you—
a dream, a question, a longing for a gospel-shaped world.
May you feel held by the steady presence of God,
even as the ground continues to tremble.
And may this season be one of surprising clarity,
abundant grace, and the quiet assurance that
you are not alone.

I look forward to rejoining you in August — renewed, restored, and ready to keep going together.

With gratitude and peace,
Erin