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| 8/11/2006 12:40:00 PM | Email this article • Print this article | Church purchases land in Pine Junction
Risen Lord making a place for itself in the mountain community
Cate Malek
Staff Writer
After 10 years, Risen Lord Lutheran Church is taking its first steps toward becoming a permanent part of the mountain community.
When it was started in 1996, Risen Lord Lutheran had 12 members. Now about 100 people regularly attend. Members live anywhere from Morrison all the way to Kenosha Pass.
The church's growth hasn't always been steady.
"There have been ups and downs. It's been like riding a roller coaster," said Pastor Beth Graham.
But now, the church is starting to cement. It has an active and growing congregation and the Evangelical Lutheran Church in America recently purchased almost four acres of land as a site for a permanent building for Risen Lord. The land is located off of Mount Evans Boulevard next to Fire Station 2 in Pine Junction.
The new church building will replace the community center near Shaffers Crossing that the congregation has been renting from the Mountain View Homeowners Association. And it will be a long way from where they were 10 years ago, when they held services in each other's homes.
"We wanted to get back with our roots," said Jim Davis, one of the founding members of the church.
Davis is easily recognized around town because of his collection of antique cars, including a pink Rolls Royce that makes him look like "the regional director for Mary Kay cosmetics," he said.
In fact, his cars were the reason he and his wife moved to the Pine Junction area. They wanted a smaller house and a bigger garage. But as members of the ELCA, the closest church to them was in Lakewood.
Davis was raised a Baptist, but he moved to the ELCA because he liked the values of the church - especially how friendly the members were and the fact that they condoned female ministers.
When Davis saw a newspaper ad announcing a meeting of people interested in forming an ELCA church in the mountains, he decided to attend.
The church moved from meeting in homes, to renting out a community center in Conifer, to their present location. Davis said they have a good relationship with the Mountain View HOA and both groups have worked to improve the building. But as the church continues to grow, the space is becoming too small.
"We're pushing the limit of what the fire departments want to have in there," Davis said.
Only two families are left from the founding group. Everyone else has either died or moved away, Davis said. Still, the congregation has formed a tight community over the years.
"It's an incredible group of people," Graham said. "They're fun to be around. We laugh a lot."
Church members pride themselves on being active in the mountain community. They contribute regularly to around 20 local organizations, including the Mountain Resource Center, the Mountain Peace Shelter and the food bank, among others.
Graham was asked to lead the church seven years ago. Before becoming a minister, she had been a teacher for 19 years at an inner-city elementary school near Denver.
She loved teaching, but had always been interested in the ministry. After a while she "couldn't say no anymore."
Although the church is going strong, it's been a slow process.
"It takes a long time to establish a group, and then you can lose it in a minute," Davis said.
Risen Lord is still not formally organized, which is why the ELCA purchased the land for them. When the congregation is able to pay off the land, then the members will formally organize and begin building their own church. How long that will be is still up in the air.
"You've got to walk before you can run, and we're still in the walking phase," Davis said.
The congregation will wait until the land is paid off until they begin designing a building.
Graham doesn't know what the building will look like yet. But, she said, "I've got wonderful dreams."
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