Letter to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Dec 15 2009

December 15, 2009

Hey! I realized that Christmas is about 10 days away and that time will quickly pass by! As pondered on what to say much has taken place in the span of a couple of hours. The big news for St. Thomas is that Karen is scheduled to be ordained into the priesthood on January 30, 2010 @ 9am in Rawlins Wyoming. More details will be coming out after Christmas. As for other events, I was interviewed by the local newspaper about the Mustard Seed Project and it was a good article, Arlen Rounds and John Masters contributed to the article was well. St. James in Encampment continues to plug along and I have received news that last week the area (Saratoga and Encampment) had 5 funerals in 48 hours; much grieving taking place there. The bishop search continues to unfold along with more information about the candidates and the discernment process is made public. As normal for this time of year, the children presentation in Dixon was hosted with snow falling. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday (Dec 7) I started my day helping the members of St. Thomas put up their Christmas Tree in the church (not to worry it will be lit after Christmas) and waited anxiously for the release of the “slate” of names for the next Bishop of Wyoming. During this morning the snow was falling and I was in contact with Linda Fleming in Dixon about developments of the falling snow in that part of the state. We decided by mid-morning that the Wade in the Water session will be moved to the next available Monday which is December 21, 2009. So I worked on other various tasks and goals and had a light day.

Tuesday I caught up with a community leader of Rawlins for a cup of coffee. We discussed what she is working on and possibilities of areas that “communities of faith” could contribute to the development of downtown Rawlins. I also told her about what St. Thomas has been working on with their Mustard Seed Project with the Blessing Bundles. I later found out that conversation lead to a phone call from the local paper as they wanted to learn more about this wonderful opportunity. It is great when a community’s networking flows.

Wednesday was its usual full day. It started with the weekly Ministry Developer web/phone call in which we discussed the up-coming ethics course, the slate, and some general check in. Then spend about an hour at Kraft Hall with the extreme cold keeping me from moving around too much. At noon Karen arrived at Kraft Hall and we (through the use of WebEx) had a learning event in which Linda Wilson facilitated a conversation using family system’s theory from real life situation in the parish at St. Thomas. Good stuff.

Thursday was more like a day of recovery. I took things a bit slower and made a couple of calls and relaxed. Friday was a busy day of travel. It started with my attendance of a funeral in Saratoga. That was perhaps a glimpse of the future. We had four clergy members present. Melinda Bobo, Ray Grieb, and Susan Dyer (she was not vested) a deacon from Colorado and I were all there. As the priests got ready for the service we quickly decided on who would take what part of the service and it was standing room only in both the church and the parish hall. As the service concluded I saw people from all around the County from different Episcopal Churches in attendance we are a remarkable family. That afternoon I headed to Casper to participate in the open house of the newly renovated office building. I like the use of space (it is open) and I am looking forward to learning how to use this new tool for building the church here in Wyoming.

Sunday was another full day and it was nice to follow the biblical principle that people are to travel in pairs. Pat Walsh drove over from Laramie that morning and made a presentation about the Wyoming Wilderness Camp. The camp is close to wrapping up a fund drive and are close to reaching their goal of raising about $40,000 that will be matched by the Foundation. That news is encouraging. The camp itself is currently looking at sewer and water up-dates to continue to provide a safe and wonderful experience for all who attend camp. That evening Pat volunteered to drive with me to St. Paul’s Dixon for the Christmas Program in which the community has a Jesus birthday party. The roads were slick and so we arrived at the end of the presentation and got a slice of pizza and a piece of cake. Pat was impressed with the vitality and the attendance and expressed to me that St. Paul is an example of what a small church vitality could look like throughout the Diocese. Hats off to the leadership of St. Paul and all that they do in that community. This is the second time this year I was blessed with having a travel companion from the Diocese as we visit the churches that I work with in the region.

Monday I had a great conversation with the Boys and Girls Club of Wyoming in Rawlins. Pat for the past couple of years has been working with Boys and Girls Clubs throughout the state and has made important strides in building relationships beyond the walls of our local churches. Pat shared a story about how one child expressed during a quite reflection time that being at the camp was the first time they felt safe in their lives. That is a powerful statement. So, on Monday I talked to the director about looking at opportunities in which we can collaborate together for the sake of our children in Wyoming and I have discovered potential ministry in this area of our world. There is something bubbling waiting to be born into our reality. Tuesday I was pleased to announced that Karen Buckingham will be ordained (God and the People are willing) into the priesthood on January 30, 2010 @ 9am at St. Thomas Episcopal Church in Rawlins Wyoming. All are welcomed to attend.

Ok what is going on this week? This evening I will be on a web/phone call for the Evangelism Team as we continue to discover God in our world and build on the spirit of hospitality as people come and worship with us. Wednesday I will be spending most of my time using WebEx as the Ministry Developers get together for our all day meeting followed by another meeting with the Regional Reps that evening using WebEx platform to host the gathering. Thursday I have two meetings in the evenings the first one is with St. Thomas’ Ministry Support Team and then I will be participating in a Wyoming Wilderness Camp Programming web/phone session. On Friday I head to Laramie to continue to work on my personal project. As for Sunday I will be in Region 5 and preside at Fort Bridger @ 9am, Green River @ 11 am and if I have the energy and the time, preside at Dixon that evening. Oh come Emanuel (so that the priests can rest!).