Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond

It is the first Sunday of Advent for the Episcopal Church. A parishioner of St. Paul has this to say about Advent (in a round about way): It is sure nice to be a part of a church that thinks and acts with liturgical seasons. Welcome to the new year. Advent is about preparing for the arrival of God in our midst. Incarnational in spirit and by through living and being in relationship through the church and our local communities we see the the physical manifestation of this reality. I hope this letter finds you well.

St Luke's (Medicine Bow): As I write I am sitting in Medicine Bow. I finished with a brief meeting with the leadership of the church. It turns out this was outreach Sunday! They decided to make some contributions to the following organizations: Nets for Life (ERD); the local museum; the Medicine Bow's Methodist Church to support the the parish hall community outreach activities; Medicine Bow's senior center; and Lion's club. Talk about being the physical presence of Christ in the local community. There has been some talk about a coal to fuel plant being built in the Medicine Bow area. Surveys are taking place with plans to break ground in 2012. This has been a long process; however the upside is employment of about 400 people is in the mix. This is promising news.

St Paul's (Dixon/LSRV): Not much to report from last week. I want to keep with the weekly discipline of writing about activities throughout the region. As it turns out this was a short week (only three days) and so I move on to the next church in this posting!

St. Thomas (Rawlins): Again not much to report. I do know that the Wednesday Morning Prayer was canceled last week because of Thanksgiving. This is not a bad because people had a chance to worship and give thanks for God's many blessings the next day. On to the next church.

St. James (Encampment): I trust that the Rev. Jess Smith made it to preach and preside this Sunday the first Sunday of Advent. I made some changes in my schedule and will be preaching and presiding twice in December of 2010. Next.

What is coming up? Ok here we go … Monday is the weekly WebEx meeting with the Ministry Developers starting at 8:30 am. Tuesday I will be attending the Gospel Study group at St. Thomas for preparation for sermons. Wednesday I drive to Casper for a face to face meeting with the Evangelism Team and return to Rawlins for a marriage counseling session. Thursday is my sermon writing day. Friday there is another WebEx meeting with the Regional Reps and Ministry Developers at 5:30 pm. Sunday I will start my day at St. Thomas in Rawlins, head to 3 Latter Ranch for a pastoral visit and preach and preside at St. Paul's at 3pm. Also this week I am the on call Chaplain for the Rawlins Police Department. It is going to be a fun week. Take care.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Nov 23 2010

Good morning folks. I trust that your preparations for the pending and long anticipated Thanksgiving Holiday is fruitful! I was talking to a friend in Rawlins yesterday and she has a friend coming down from Canada. It was noted that perhaps her friend would like to spend time with her family on the holidays. When it was pointed out that Thanksgiving is a United States Holiday I started to laugh! Talk about not being in tuned with other countries. Well it is good that the spirit of being together is recognized throughout the world and where the United States has a holiday in November I am sure many other countries have their own days of celebration. I hope this letter finds you well.

St. Paul's (Dixon aka LRSV): Last week I wrote up the discernment process for Linda Fleming as we (Linda, the Diocese, and myself) work through the process of getting all the paper work put together in regards for those who are entering Holy Orders. The process is bit front loaded with the administrative tasks, but that makes the final steps a bit easier. I also responded to a couple of question from a parishioner from St. Paul's. She is eager to learn and asked informed questions. The result from our brief interchange of e-mails was Linda Fleming now has a “study-buddy”. An example of studying in community. Sunday I preached and presided at St. Paul's. There were children in abundance as the boys remained in the church and the girls played in the parish hall, some things never change. During communion I saw a mother, with her husband and three boys all lined up at the communion rail. I laughed because that is an image of my household only in reverse! Later that afternoon I drove up to 3 Latter Ranch and visited with George Salisbury. My children accompanied me and so as we shared communion we once again had children dancing about us and the laughter was delightful.

St. James (Encampment): I have some great news to report. The hard working folks of St. James submitted a grant request to start building a parish hall that will include a bathroom, handicap accessibility, and a gathering place for the town of Encampment. They received the full amount that they could receive which is close to half of the total project. Now they need to gather bids and could be “breaking ground” in the spring. This is a fine example of what a group of committed people can accomplish when they work toward a common goal. I am looking forward to seeing how this work unfolds in the future.

St. Luke (Medicine Bow): I talked to Arlend last Friday about next week. He graciously extended the invitation to preach (it is a good way to keep his skills sharp). We are working on his licensing for preaching. I also received a report that St. Luke didn't have church a couple of Sundays ago due to the weather. The snow was blowing and visibility was bad. It was decided that Rev. Jess Smith would remain in Laramie and wait for another day. I am heading up to “the Bow” next Sunday and it will be good to hear what they are up to. Advent starts that Sunday and the Episcopal Church begins another liturgical year.

St. Thomas (Rawlins): I received a request from St. Paul Episcopal Church in LRSV to let people of St. Thomas know that a “bi-member” of both St. Paul's and St. Thomas was in the hospital and if anybody from St. Thomas could stop by and say hi, pray, and offer to visit would be greatly appreciated. The Pastoral Team jumped right into action and visited this person twice a day for a week straight! Nice response. The VTC (video teleconferencing) equipment is now fully operational! I was a bit nervous as the technician and I walked around the building trying t locate an ideal location to set-up the receiving and sending unit as it turned out St. Thomas as the near perfect location. By the time all was said and done St. Thomas has a near perfect connection and everything is working well. It is a “win” for St. Thomas and the Diocese as a whole. St. Thomas is also working on establishing a worship experience for families with special needs with children. The Rev Karen Buckingham has discovered a wonderful resource called Rhythm of Grace that provides direction and structure for this very kind of outreach work. This has great potential as outreach to the community of Rawlins and I am looking forward to seeing how this work unfolds in the future.

What is coming up? Yesterday (Monday) I drove down to LSRV for their bi-monthly bible study. They are working through the bible one book at a time and they are currently reading Isaiah. Plenty of justice issues being addressed and the outcomes are prickly (what a surprise) yet there is hope woven into the the selections. This time around there was much “review” as names of groups of people in the bible were brought up. Tuesday (today) is working around the home office day. I am planning on wrapping up a couple of administrative tasks before entering the holiday spirit. We are planning on traveling this year, but we will have to wait and see about the weather. Next Sunday (Nov 28^th) I will be presiding at St. Luke's in Medicine Bow and listing to what Arlend has to share with his preaching. I hope your week is full of good cheer and wonderful fellowship.

I end this posting my work with the HR Wilderness Camp aka Wyoming Wilderness camp. I am a member of the programing group that has gathered to begin looking at programing ideas and recommendations to the Board as to what could be accomplished in 2011. The work is challenging, but I trust that in time God will reveal a direction. It is important to stay in touch with one another and try to be honest about your feelings and thoughts about the Camp. You can contact Bruce Hellbaum (chair of the HR Wilderness Camp) at bhellbaum@netcommander.com; Rev. Tristan English (Diocesan Office) at Tristan@wyomingdiocese.org for more information.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond

This time of year seems to invite memories. The summer events are now slowly fading into the past and the more recent fun of hunting (for those in Wyoming), high school football (LSRV won their 6 man state championship last weekend), Halloween along with other fall activities are now complete. In some ways November is a harvest month in which we as a nation will take a day of the month, gather around family and friends to celebrate the blessings of our lives. I understand that not everybody will be in good cheer, but the fact that we do gather could provide hope for a better future. With Pat Walsh leaving the position of the Director of the Wyoming Wilderness Camp aka HR Wilderness Camp brings about mixed feelings for me. Pat has done wonderful work with the camp and was a loyal and dedicated member of the Diocese of Wyoming. I admire his spiritual courage to face the challenges ahead by asking me to honor him by doing what I can to continue to honor the ministry of the youth of Wyoming. Where the future may be unknown to him at this time, I am sure that God will continue to honor his personal integrity as a person and as a baptized member of the church. During my conversation with Pat on Saturday he wanted others to know that he would like to here from you when you get a chance. His contact information will be sent in a different e-mail. I will have fond memories of when Pat and I worked together during presentations of Safe Guarding God's Children, two sessions of Middler Camp II in 2009 and 2010, and our lively talks. I pray that the Episcopal Church will continue to harvest the fruits of the seeds that Pat, through the prompting of God, have planted over the past eleven years in Wyoming. Pat was, and still is, a good friend. Ok, now onto the events and happenings of Carbon County. I hope this letter finds you well.

St. James (Encampment): I was heading out the door yesterday with my middle child and my youngest surprised me by quickly getting dressed and ran out the door with me. I have decided a couple of years ago that I would not talk my daughters out of going to church. If they want to come along they are more than welcome to do so. We arrived and the faithful were present. This time of year ranching operations change and selling and breeding of cattle become an important aspect of the landscape (I hope I got that right!). Also the fact that other members of St. James were away on a long anticipated vacation the when two or more are gathered God will be there was in full effect. It was nice to catchup and inform them that I will be preaching and presiding on our normal rotation in the month of December. They await to hear any word about their grant proposal from the Foundation. I am optimistic about what is to come. The girls enjoyed their time in Encampment.

St. Thomas (Rawlins): Last Tuesday I participated in the weekly Gospel Study which has been rewarding and helpful for my sermon preparation. Wednesday I stuck around for short period of time at Kraft Hall and headed home to get some resources on my laptop for the parish administrator. Thursday I sat down with the Ministry Support Team aka MST and we decided as a group that in our future gatherings it would be held an hour before the vestry meeting and they will review five areas – Worship, Pastoral Care, Administration, Formation, and Transformation and share what is taking place in these areas. What is helpful is the agenda for the meeting is set along with the time and date. Everybody can participate and see the large picture.

St. Paul (Dixon/LRSV): Now I have a funny story (well for others it may be funny it could have ended poorly but it didn't) about driving on the “Baggs Highway.” Last Monday I headed out of Rawlins and noticed that I had a ½ tank of gas according to my gauge in my car. I was south of Cresten Junction which is 24 miles west of Rawlins on I-80 where a person turns south to head for Dixon when the gas gauge dropped to low fuel status. I did ok until I was about 19 miles north of Baggs when the fuel ran out. How do I know the exact location? My GPS told me. Any ways I surrendered to the fact that I was about to share a similar experience with Jesus and walk about the same distance they covered in a day. As it turned out God had other plans. I was given a ride into town, found a friend who had a 5 gallon gas can which we filled up and he drove me back to my car. I arrived at my scheduled event just in time to enjoy the goodies. Whew! That was a close one. Thursday I drove back to the Little Snake River Valley (this time with plenty of fuel) and talked to different people from St. Paul's about the next steps for Linda to move forward to the priesthood.

St. Luke (Medicine Bow): Not much to report other than I am heading to St. Luke's in a couple of weeks to preach and preside. These smaller churches provide an icon into God's gracious and wonderful blessing. Spending time with smaller churches give me a deeper appreciation of the depth and range of the church and how it takes all kinds of churches to make the entire body healthy and vital. The Diocese of Wyoming landscape provides a nice diversity when it comes to sizes of congregations.

What is coming up? This morning (Monday) I was on the weekly WebEx meeting with Ministry Developers in which we welcomed two new members to the team – (Rev) Roy Walworth and (Rev) Joel Dingman. Tuesday I will be working with (Rev) Tristan English on exploring seeing if we are one more step closer to getting the VTC up and running. Wednesday I am planning on hosting and participating on a WebEx meeting with the Wyoming Wilderness aka HR Wilderness Camp spiritual planning team. Thursday is my write my sermon day and Friday I will be on another WebEx meeting with the Evangelism Team that Kathy Robinson has put together. This upcoming Sunday I head to St. Paul's in Dixon to preach and preside and to eat at the senior center following the service. That evening Rawlins will be having a Community Thanksgiving Event at the Jeffery Center starting at 5pm. Have a great week.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond

The snow is starting to fly here in Rawlins Wyoming. It is hard to imagine what winter looks like due to the mild and very pleasant Fall that we have been experiencing. My youngest daughter awoke on Tuesday morning, looked out the window and saw the snow on the ground. She said, “Dad! It is Christmas Time!” Talking about daughters, my middle child asked me the other day why do I go to meetings at the church? I told her that is my job. She asked me if I am going to be the the bishop and I laughed and said, “No, that is too much for me to handle right now, and I like what I am doing right now.” Then she replied, “You know Dad I like what I am doing, being an Acolyte.” The church is drawing toward an end of a liturgical season and soon will begin another year. As this takes place, I take pause and give thanks that the God that I have come to know and love is always stirring about and prompting new and wonder blessings, planted, growing, harvesting, and surrendering. The Diocese of Wyoming is entering its first (or second depending upon how one looks at it) month of listening and learning to discover God's calling for the future. With change comes grief and with this grief a new hope is born. There is much to celebrate in Carbon County and I hope that you find, in some small way, your own story being told in this weekly letters.

Ministry Developer: As I work with (Rev) Tristan English on enhancing the VTC (video/teleconferencing network) I am learning a new kind of technology language. I am also learning that there is a difference between up and down speeds on the internet. Most of us have quick “download” speeds but very limited “upload” speed. This is important because the VTC needs both. It looks like he has found a solution which could be good news for us all throughout the state. I am looking forward to moving this work from start-up to ongoing use. I am in contact with Saratoga about possibilities about ministries and I am hopeful about the future.

St. James (Encampment): I am looking forward to catching up with those fine folks of Encampment next week. I admit that being gone for almost two months is really too long. I don't want to intrude on the weekly events and I have come to learn that they do well throughout the week. Somethings that I ponder is what can I do to continue to be of service and to support the ministry of St. James? During my conversations in the past it seems to me that they enjoy being together on a weekly basis and children are important to them. Their future holds promise as they continue to look at ways to build a parish hall that will serve in so many different capacities – restroom, meeting place for the community, and provide handicap accessibility to the church. St. James don't surrender that dream of a better future for yourself as well as the town of Encampment.

St. Luke (Medicine Bow): The last time I was in Medicine Bow the weather was mild and comfortable. I am sure now that the weather is changing the proposed new wall furnace would be a welcomed idea. St. Luke finds ways to keep going in spite of challenges of life. They too are one of the two churches that are still active in this part of the state that don't have a bathroom. However, Medicine Bow is popular place for the Fish and Game to set up a check in station for the hunters in the region. What may appear as quite and sleepy can be deceptive in that there is plenty of life to be found if a person can slow down long enough to find it. The now growing familiar faces of the town are a welcome sight for a weary traveler. Keep the home fires burning.

St. Thomas (Rawlins): I preached and presided last Sunday. A couple of months ago the idea of starting a Sunday School was brought up and one of the members of the vestry put forth the energy and effort to organized one. She was honest by saying that to host an event every week would be simply too much; however once a month is doable. So, she called some parents and received favorable responses. This past Sunday was the first Sunday as it fell on All Saints Sunday and the number of kids doubled the attendance for the day. It was quite a buzz going on in the undercroft (basement). There was also a generous contribution to the “lift” that nobody knew what to do but stare at it for a while to make sure it was the real deal. It was and for the unknown saint of Rawlins … thank you.

St. Paul (Dixon/Little Snake River Valley): I arrived early on Sunday to catch up with Linda Fleming and together we went to visit George Salisbury and his family. George is a life long Episcopalian who is now home bound. He has a large family who are willing and eager to step in and to provide him the needed support for him to remain in his home as his health slowly surrenders to the final chapter of life in this world. We had an abbreviated church service in which communion was served. As George's great-grand daughter distributed the bread and we all shared the wine I saw tears in George's eyes along with his primary home care provider. To witness such a holy moment makes all the driving worth while and then some. Linda Fleming has received support from St. Paul to take the first steps into entering the priesthood and I am in the process of collecting signatures and talking to others at St. Paul about what that will mean for them. This is an exciting time for the congregation on the Little Snake River in the southern part of the state of Wyoming.

What is coming up this week? Yesterday I drove to Dixon to meet briefly with the group that likes to gather for the bi-monthly bible reflection. Tuesday I spent an hour with St. Thomas to reflect on the assigned Gospel for the up-coming Sunday. Wednesday I will be in Kraft Hall (Rawlins) from 10:30am to 12pm and marriage counseling from 6 pm to 7:30 pm. I am also in the process of calling the members of the Ministry Support Team of Rawlins to see if they are up for gathering prior to the vestry meeting which will be begin at 6:30 pm on Thursday. Friday I will be taking an ad-hoc day off as I drive to Green River to pick-up my vestments. Saturday is the worship planning team of St. Thomas will be gathering at 8:30 in the undercroft (basement) at St. Thomas. Sunday I will be found in Encampment for fine fellowship with the members of St. James which begins at 9am. Talk to everybody soon!

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County

Today is All Saints Day! I heard a quote - “They are Saints and they are saint makers!” I would count myself as a maker rather than the real thing. I do believe it takes all kinds. For me a saint is the quiet ones who work behind the scenes making sure that others are successful in what they do. As a Ministry Developer I measure success by the confidence that members of the church have in their own ministries. I attempt (with various levels of success) to be an energizer of ministry and to help others get excited or connected to their passions to service Christ. To all the Saints of the Church known and unknown, have come and yet to arrive, thank you for all that you have done and I look forward to another chapter in our journey together. I hope this letter finds you well.
St. Thomas (Rawlins): It was a typical week for me when it comes to my relationship with St. Thomas. On Tuesday I was in attendance to the Gospel Study group. I have taken the summer off and now I have re-engaged with this group. They were kind in changing the date from Monday to Tuesday so that I could participate. Wednesday I had office hours in which I shared my up-coming weekly calendar and worked on planning the All Saints Church Service (today at 6pm – St. Thomas) which provides some ground work for the All Saints Sunday Service that is coming up this Sunday (November 7^th). Thursday I manged to catch up with a member of St. Thomas who is in the process of re-licensing for preaching.
St. Luke (Medicine Bow): Not much to report on this end. In the past I would preside at St. Luke's on the 5^th Sunday of the month; however since they have partnered with the Bishop's Office that has changed. At the same time I was traveling to Region 5 to provide sacramental support. Now my time in Region 5 have wrapped up as Roy Walworth and Walt Seely will be picking up those responsibilities at the end of November. I am sure more will come up as we travel with God on this journey of serving Christ.
St. Paul (Dixon): They are plugging along in the Little Snake River Valley. Last week I spent the afternoon at the bi-monthly Bible Cafe in a new home. A young couple has moved to the area and they are quickly getting involved in the life of the church. It will not be long before they will be asked to serve in an expanded leadership role. This group does not sit around waiting for people to get involved. I also received news that a birth has taken place in the Salisbury's family household – welcome to a new baby boy! I am sure George Salisbury will be pleased as he learns about his 4^th generation great-grand child.
St. James (Encampment): Like reported last week there is a great effort being put on by the kids of the church to raise funds to return to Wyoming Wilderness Camp next year. They also have been busy with various and sundering activities throughout the week. It is not a group that sits still for very long. I am looking forward to connecting with them in the coming two weeks.
Ministry Developer: The other activities of the week were attending WebEx meetings. The first one was the weekly meeting with the Ministry Developers as we check in and learn about what is taking place throughout the Diocese from a Ministry Developers perspective. The second WebEx meeting was about Evangelism in which Kathy Robinson is working so hard to develop a comprehensive approach for the Diocese. This is timely work. The third WebEx meeting was with the Regional Reps in which we welcomed new members to the group. It was a good meeting for the newer members of the group to learn about expectations and group norms on the phone/computer.
What is coming up? Today (Monday) I was on WebEx meeting with the Ministry Developers and tonight I will be at St. Thomas (Rawlins) for All Saints Church Service starting at 6pm. Tuesday I will be attending the Gospel Study group at St. Thomas (Rawlins) as I prepare to preside and preach in Rawlins this coming Sunday. The group meets at 9am at Kraft Hall. Wednesday I will be hosting office hours at Kraft Hall (Rawlins) from 10:30am to 12pm and marriage counseling from 6 to 7:30pm. Thursday I am planning on working on my sermon and testing internet speed for the VTC here in Rawlins. Friday I will travel to Casper for a farewell gathering for Linda Wilson and Kathy Robinson as they draw their ministry to a conclusion and enter another chapter in serving the church. And yes I will be attending to other needs when they come up! Perhaps some professional development is in order. You know, to work on my sainthood status!