Letter to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Oct 25 2009

Hello folks of Carbon County and beyond. How is life treating you these days? October strikes me as a month of transition from the activities of summer, playing, and warm days to activities of school, homecoming (more like reunions), longer nights, and colder days. It is a funny place to be where we are not in once place and yet we have not completely arrived in the other. Life as a way of carrying us forward, sometimes this happens on our own effort and other times it is done by the effort of God; and there are times when we all work with God. I hope this letter finds you well.

It has been a busy week of travel (more than usual) starting last Monday I drove to Little Snake River Valley (Baggs, Dixon, and Savory) for the Fall Café Bible Study in which the group from St. Paul’s has gathered faithfully for a couple of years to read the bible one book and one chapter at a time. The group likes to cover about 10 chapters every two weeks and they are about ready to wrap-up the book of Job. I also noted with delight that the readings that we hear on Sundays in church for the past couple of weeks have been coming from the book of Job. What timing!

Tuesday was a day to get most of my administrative tasks taken care of and boy was my list long. I did manage to write a chapter report, a contribution to the printed eSpirit about Region 4, and submit an article for St. Thomas’ Livingstones (their monthly news letter). I also set up a web/phone meeting for the Apostolic Teams for both Regions 4 & 5 for this up-coming Monday. That does not include all the other activities such as making phone calls and running about in town.

Wednesday and Thursday I was in Thomas the Apostle Center in Cody for the Ministry Developer’s face to face meeting. We took most of our time together to discuss and discern what we will be doing for the next nine months and beyond. We too are aware of the changing of leadership and the effects it has with the congregations that we work with. We also shared what is taking place both in our professional and personal lives. Meeting in Cody is a blessing.

Friday I caught up on some phone calls and mostly took a half day off. Saturday was another full day with St. Thomas. I met with the Worship Team to plan the services for the month of November and finalize Christmas Eve services. St. Thomas also will be having a baptism at the end of the month because it was a good time for the greater family to participate. At 1pm I was once again at St. Thomas with my girls to help put together “Bundle Blessings” which are bundles of a couple of items that will be given to children who are placed in foster care homes. Following that activity my girls received some Acolyte training. It was a full Saturday.

Sunday I was in Medicine Bow to preside and to facilitate a discussion of Wade in the Water following the service. One of the members of the church really wanted to host a lunch at her house and so after the conclusion of the service we re-assembled at Lillian’s house, had lunch and watched Wade in the Water that talked about moving the furniture. It was a good time to check in and fellowship.

The up-coming week looks like this – Monday I will be in Laramie to work on my personal project and be back in Rawlins in time for the joint Apostolic Team meeting for Regions 4 & 5 that starts at six pm. Tuesday I will be in Saratoga to help with a preaching discernment process. Wednesday my day starts with a web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers at 8am then I will be hosting office hours at Kraft Hall from 10am to 12pm. That evening starting at 5:30pm I will be on a web/phone meeting with the Regional Reps and Ministry Developers for an hour and then getting on another web/phone meeting with the Evangelism team starting at 7pm. Thursday I will be meeting with Karen Buckingham to review where she is on the check list for those in process for the priesthood with another meeting with Karen to debrief from her first retreat where she is learning about Family Systems. Friday I will be on the road to Denver (kind of a day off). Saturday is Halloween and I hope everybody gets a treat! Sunday I will be at St. Paul’s in Dixon to preside with at Ministry Support Team meeting following the service.

Just Because

This is an interesting and fun way to use web-cams! Have fun with it. As you watch it check out the action in the background.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - October 11, 2009

October 11, 2009

Hello fine folks of Wyoming. It sure looks like winter is upon us (roads were closed on Saturday and off and on for Sunday). Now I say it looks like winter is ALMOST upon us because next week it the weather will return to seasonal normal patterns (temps in the 40s and 50s). I had a thought; do church seasons also operate the same way (moving from one state of condition to another)? I don’t know food for thought! Looking around the county this is what I am seeing – St. Thomas had hosted a brunch that was put on by the Choir Loft and they received a report from Gerry back from the Convention about what others did with the Mustard Seed Projects; St. Paul showed some flexibility in regards to their bishop’s visit and made some quick changes and is going to reschedule their visit for another date; St. Luke’s had a Sunday with the Methodist Church (I hope Rev Gary made it from Laramie); St. James is getting ready for their bishop visit next Sunday. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday (October 5^th) was a full day. It started at St. Thomas in Rawlins for the Gospel study and reflection. It is good time to listen to the concerns and hopes for St. Thomas. The group is faithful in their meeting and it helps to hear what is going on. It is also a good time to challenge myself in my own work with St. Thomas. That afternoon I arrived in LSRV (Little Snake River Valley) for another bible reflection time. This group is going through the bible one chapter at a time and we are currently reading the book of Job. We came across the same passage that is read at funerals and for a while we were listening to different versions of the bible and most of us decided to stick with what is written in the Book of Common Prayer and quite possibility the King James.

Tuesday (October 6^th) I drove to Saratoga and listened in on a sermon preaching group for Ralph Hicks. The conversation that we had is going with depth. Ralph is going through the study questions in the study guide and sharing his responses with the group. Ralph has entered this process with a discerning heart and mind, and so has the group. Ray Grieb even made it over from Elk Mountain to participate. We are moving quite nicely through the process.

Wednesday (October 7^th) I was on the weekly web/phone call with the Ministry Developers. We continue to become more familiar with the use of this technology and in doing so I assisted one member through the use of a “soft phone.” We debriefed from the Convention and started to plan for our face to face meeting in Cody next week.

Thursday (October 8^th) was an “administrative day” in which I was able to write my sermon, put together a vestry report for St. Thomas and assemble a liturgy for a brief closure service that will be held next week in Rawlins. The “to do list” was long, yet I was able to accomplish everything I wanted that day.

Friday (October 9^th) I spent most of the day in Laramie. I have picked up a tool for community building called relational meetings. These meetings are designed to discover personal passions and to get to know others at a deeper level. So, I had a meeting with a member of St. Luke’s last Friday. I pleasantly discovered that this person has been in the midst of Baptismal/Mutual/Shared Ministry most of his adult life with the Church and he still finds himself working with those churches that are the fringe of the larger church. What a discovery. Working with small groups of people is this person’s natural inclination. Good to have this person around! That afternoon I met with Pat and we are starting to gather names of people who we want to invite to develop programming for the next year at Wyoming Wilderness Camp.

OK now for the up-coming week – October 12-18^th. Monday I will be at a Gospel Reflection and a private memorial service at St. Thomas in Rawlins. Tuesday looks like an administrative day. Wednesday is the weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers. Thursday I will be meeting with Karen (St. Thomas) and attending St. Thomas’ vestry meeting that evening. Saturday I will be heading to Encampment to have dinner with the Bishop and then head to Rock Springs to spend the night. Why Rock Springs on Saturday night? The next day (Sunday) I will be presiding at three services starting at Fort Bridger at 9am, the second service in Green River with Wade in the Water Session 1 following the service. The third service will be in Dixon starting at 5pm. It is going to be a full day of worship and travel!

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Oct 4 2009

October 4, 2009

Hello folks of the Diocese of Wyoming and a Wyoming hello to those who receive this letter from beyond the boarders of this great state. The Diocesan Convention is in the books. It was a good one. The Diocese had made a major and important commitment to the youth of this state by working intentionally by asking the Diocesan Counsel and the Foundation to support the Wyoming Wilderness Camp in making the plant safe for all kids and staff members. This in my humble opinion was a movement from talk to action. Hats off to this group! On to other important matters, we blessed Bishop Bruce Caldwell wonderful leadership for the past 12 years and we now begin to look toward the next bishop. Bruce will be around, but he will also be missed. I hope this letter finds you well.


Monday was doing pretty good in following my plan for the week. I was able to meet with Andy and Margaret to work on interview questions and briefly discussed when we would present the answers. Then that afternoon I headed out to meet with Linda in Baggs to discuss the case study presentation for the Mustard Seed Money’s. As I worked through the day I was working with our optometric doctor in Cheyenne about Alexis’ eyes. Alexis complained that she lost sight in her left eye (that really got her parents concerned). As it turned out the eye is fine, but it will need to corrected (Alexis has a lazy eye) by surgery and so we scheduled to see the surgeon in Denver for Wednesday. I was not really sure if I would have to remain in Denver for a procedure on Thursday morning or not. As it turned out everything is ok and we now have a plan to address the eye and all is well. Whew! Nevertheless that took up all of the first part the week.

Thursday was the opening night of Convention. We had the privilege of having the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as the keynote speaker and presided at the opening Eucharist. I was pretty tired and headed to bed promptly after that event. The next day we listed to the Presiding Bishop and she is a non-anxious presence (I almost fell asleep she was so calm) and was very astute in addressing questions directly and calmly. That evening we had a banquet and acknowledged all the work that was done through the Mustard Seed projects with the hope that they will continue.

Saturday was a business day. I will not report much on what was done, but highlight a couple of things about the sessions. Wyoming Wilderness Camp is facing some serious and large challenges to keep operating. To address the challenges it would require a significant contribution of money. Money always gets people’s anxiety going and so the conversations about what to do were tense. At one point a person stood up and mentioned a dollar amount that clearly got others upset, yet Bruce addressed the speaker gracefully and told others that everybody has permission to speak and to be heard. He was a calming presence and was able to lead us all through the conversation. Also I noted that the conversation included many different groups of people ranging from the delegates, rectors, local priests, and laity. Everybody truly had a voice in the conversation. Also I noted that the leadership of the Diocese had a “can do” attitude in addressing making sure that the canons were being followed. We had to make some slight adjustments on how we conducted our business to make sure that we followed the process without making the overall process cumbersome and de-motivating (not an easy task!). The blessing and acknowledgement of Bruce’s leadership as our bishop was a touching event. Having people sing, share stories, and present gifts was a wonderful to end our day together.

Sunday worship was moving for me. The reading of the Psalm overwhelmed my soul and I long for more of that experience. The Psalm was read with passion; the music in the background added a rich dimension to the message as I was caught up in the warmth of the words and images that were painted in my soul. It was stunning and awesome.

Ok now to come back to earth and to look at what is on my horizon for the up-coming week. Monday I will be begin my day with Gospel Reflection at St. Thomas at 9am and then head to Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) for another bible reflection activity. Tuesday I will be heading to Saratoga for a preaching discernment meeting starting at 4pm. Wednesday I will be on a weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers. Thursday will be a day to catch up on administrative items to and work on reading a book that the Ministry Developers are reading together. Friday I will be in Laramie to meet with a friend to discover some that person’s passion for ministry. Saturday will be a family day was the Wasingers of Wyoming will be attending their annual Wyoming Football game. Sunday I will be presiding at St. Thomas in Rawlins and the service begins at 9:30am with a meal following the service.