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!