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.