Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond May 10 2009

Hello I write this letter as the rain gently falls outside of St. Luke’s in Medicine Bow. The congregation has finished up a lively meeting that started during the announcement and I will get to that in a moment. Looking around the county this is what it looks like; St. Thomas’ Ministry Support Team has completed a DiSC team building training; St. Paul continues to meet and go through the Bible on book at a time, and trying to keep the river waters within their banks; St. James is continuing in their bible study and shared with me a great story. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday (May 4, 2009) St. Thomas concluded their book study, “The Bible for Today’s Church” in which the group reflected upon what they learned. They discussed different ways of interpreting the bible and how the sessions have enriched their knowledge and appreciation of this life changing gift. The group is ready to break for the summer.

That Monday afternoon I made it LSRV (Little Snake River Valley) for the Spring Café bible reflection in which we wrapped up reading 2 Kings. This is a time for people to read the bible as a grand narrative and discover the stories in new ways. It was sure nice to walk in and see a member from St. David’s in Fort Bridger participating. The family networks in Wyoming know no physical boundaries.

On Tuesday I made a couple of calls and that is when I learned about what happened in Encampment a couple of weeks ago. The propane had run out at the church, so the congregation gathered in a home, had church and then made breakfast and continued the fellowship. That is sure is resourceful if you ask me. I love the flexibility this kind of ministry provides. I also had a chance to catch up with Arlen in Medicine Bow by the way of Laramie to discuss the up-coming service.

Wednesday and Thursday I was participating in a DiSC training with the Ministry Support Team of St. Thomas in Rawlins. DiSC has been around since the 1920’s. It is a body of work that helps people understands who they are and how they work with others. From that information groups of people have a better understanding of the group culture and now can build on strengths and adapt to needs and challenges that they face. The level of trust among the team members has been increased and I walked away from the experience with a greater and richer understanding of who I work with in the church.

Saturday I rode over to Laramie for the day to participate in the Region’s IV Confirmation as a sponsor of Ralph Vickrey (St. Thomas) as he was confirmed in the Episcopal Church. Ralph and I now share more history together in the church because I was also the priest who was asked to bless his marriage to Sheri (formally known as Glassburn) three years ago. Ralph was invited to read and St. Thomas made a strong showing at the service.

Sunday (May 10, 2009) I was in St. Luke’s in Medicine Bow. During the announcement period we started a conversation about the Mustard Seed and that started to take on a life of its own. At one point Arlen pointed out that the conversation could continue after the service, but we needed to move on to the Liturgy of the Table. Good leadership call! After the service the congregation gathered at the back of the church, had cookies, cheese, coffee and tea; and continued the conversation about the Mustard Seed. It was decided that the local community of Medicine Bow will invited into the discernment process by hosting a meal with the local leadership to seek both ideas and support for making the town of Medicine Bow a better place to visit. Upon the conclusion of that discussion St. Luke will start the “Wade in Water” education program to gain a better understanding of Shared Ministry. What a productive time!

This is how the upcoming week is look like – Monday I will be in Encampment for the bible study that starts at 9am. Monday evening I will meet with the Regional Reps on a web/phone meeting to discuss Safeguarding God’s Children among other items if needed. Tuesday is hanging around the office or even perhaps take a day off for Sabbath. Wednesday I have two web/phone meetings scheduled. The Ministry Developers will meet at 8am and the Delegates to General Convention will meet at 4pm. Thursday will be an administrative/sermon writing and etc. day. Friday I will be at Kraft Hall (Rawlins) between 10-12pm and the remainder of the day I will be in Laramie. Saturday I will be at Worship Breakfast (St. Thomas in Rawlins) and meet with the MST (Ministry Support Team) of St. Thomas to debrief and evaluate the DiSC training. Sunday I will be presiding at two services starting at St. James (Encampment) @ 9am and the 2^nd service will be at St. Paul’s (Dixon) @ 5pm.