skip to main |
skip to sidebar
Coming off a short, yet full week. I stayed close to Rawlins during the later half of the week and so this will be an up-date on what took place since Thursday. Before I get onto what happened I want to share a bit about what is taking place in my personal life. Some people had called me last week noting there was a difference in the tone of my letter, up-beat, energetic, and a bit mysterious. There is a quote that best describes what I am experiencing, “Everybody thinks of changing the world, but no one thinks of changing himself.” - Leo Tolstoy. I have committed to myself to live a life of abundance of love, compassion and forgiveness. Everything I do is drawn into that possibility. I told the Bishop of Wyoming that I am playing big game now. I want the Episcopal Church to matter to people. As I shared my ideas and excitement and find myself saying things and believing in such a large picture that at times I get overwhelmed and yet I am excited about what is coming next. As I shared with a friend my vision for the church he pointed out that vision is big and there will be resistance. I laughed and said well there was another person who went big and they killed him, and yet we still talk about him which is remarkable given he didn't write a single word. Now I am not proposing that I can be that big, but I am proposing that I am aiming that large. Ok on to the news since Thursday. I hope this letter finds you well.
St. Thomas (Rawlins): As I met with the vestry on Thursday night I thought we had planned the weekend well that would give the Bishop some time to enjoy himself around Rawlins. Looking back St. Thomas struck a nice balance with the activities that were not rushed. Friday night the Bishop took the Rev. Karen Buckingham and her spouse out to a nice dinner and met with Karen on Saturday morning. After Karen's visit I had a chance to catch-up and share what is taking place in Rawlins and some of my plans. Following those two visits there was a nice lunch in which St. Thomas had a salad by committee. After that Bishop Smylie visited with a long time member of two congregations in Carbon County at the nursing home. I didn't attend the vestry meeting with the Bishop, but I hear words like “productive”, “informative” and “useful” were used to describe their time together. The dinner had kids running about and peaceful laughter was heard throughout the undercroft. The next day St. Thomas welcomed three new young and soon to be driving adults as they reaffirmed their Baptismal Covenant. There is a real sense of God working powerfully and intentionally. People at St. Thomas have worked hard to this point I believe they will need to buckle their seat belts because something powerful is coming their way.
St. Luke's (Medicine Bow): I received word that St. Luke had church today and the warmer weather made travel a bit of a challenge for the Rounds. The nice thing about having church was one of the parishioners had a reason to leave her house, the first time in two weeks, to attend church. Another parishioner arrived just in time to shovel the walks and clear it from snow. He was a bit tired because he was out all night fighting a train fire. I also received information that the misunderstanding around the assessment will be taken care in due order and everything will be back on track starting in February. It is starting to sound like February and March in Wyoming.
St. Paul's (Dixon): It is my understanding that the Winter Bible Cafe is scheduled for this Monday and I am planning on attending. That is all for the past couple of days.
St. James (Encampment): They have completed the COM grant and it will be submitted by Monday to the Diocesan Office. Other than that there is not much to report. Again it was a short week.
What is coming up? Monday I am on the weekly WebEx meeting with the Ministry Developers and that afternoon I head to St. Paul's for the Winter Bible Cafe. Tuesday is Gospel Study at Kraft Hall in Rawlins starting a 9 am for an hour and then Karen and I are going for coffee. Wednesday I have a WebEx meeting with the Ministry Developers and the Bishop and office hours at Kraft Hall starting from 10 am to 12 pm. Thursday from 8 am to 9:30 am I will be in a DiSC and Discipleship training for professional development and could be doing a ride along with the Rev. Tristan English as he comes through to Rock Springs to setup the VTC equipment at that site. Friday is sermon writing day and planning with the Rev. Tom Fiske on Safeguarding God's Children/People. Saturday there is a Worship Breakfast for St. Thomas starting at 8:30 am and we are meeting at McDonalds. Sunday I will be preaching and presiding at St. Paul's in Dixon following the service a Ministry Support Team meeting and then off to lunch at the senior center.
Somehow this week has gotten beyond me and I am still able to catch up. Events in my life are unfolding in new and dynamic ways. I have come to realize that I have lived a life of sacristy which is beyond money or resources, which includes sacristy in relationships. Because of this Epiphany moment in my life, everything I now encounter has a different flavor and understanding. I have being pulled toward a new world of abundance of love, compassion, and forgiveness. I am drawn to see the impossible dreams as an attractive way of living. I realize that making a statement about abundance will lead to moments of frustration, resistance, and relationships and actions that will be stopped either by myself, others, or both. Yet I am committed to play big game and to go all out knowing if I chose to retreat, outcomes of “less than” are guaranteed. Ok, on to the events of Carbon County. I hope this letter finds you well.
St. James (Encampment): The weather slowed me down when I drove to Encampment. Nevertheless everybody arrived at the Johnson's household for a joint church service and annual meeting. The house was warm and following the service what started as one which later became two members of the congregation joined with me for a visit with a shut-in. The woman that we visited with is in her nineties and has a strong understanding of the current events of the church and the world around her. She was invited to consider being the secretary/treasure of the church, which she laughed and respectfully declined. The annual meeting went well. St. James has agreed to have a training that uses the DiSC(c) Biblical Personal Profile System as a congregational development event. This is the first that I have heard of DiSC(c) training to be used in this context in the Diocese of Wyoming. I believe that this will open up new ways of understanding and working together for years to come for St. James. For the members of St. James, I miss spoke about my service time at St. Paul's it was 3 pm and not 2 pm.
St. Paul's (Dixon): Last Sunday evening I arrived a few minutes late and they were quite gracious. This group of people are adaptable to changes that they face and so they chose to meet in the parish hall around the piano to increase fellowship and the budget. It was nice as my girls played within sight as we listened to God, and shared the Great Thanksgiving. The transition from worship to coffee was seamless. They are a group of people who demonstrate both stability and growth with grace. I have big aspirations for this church. I was to meet with them on Monday (Feb 7th) but I received a call that morning saying that the weather and driving conditions are a hazard and we should plan to meet for the Winter Bible Cafe at another date. Good idea.
St. Thomas (Rawlins): Last Saturday I met for a hour with the two licensing lay preachers as we continue to prepare to re-license in 2011. The St. Thomas leadership are busy planning for the Bishop Visit this weekend. A Confirmation service is planned and the entire service is printed out and ready to go. Plans are also being firmed up about other details about the weekend. I am anticipating a wonderful and insightful visit with Bishop John Smylie as he continues to learn and become more familiar with his leadership in the Diocese of Wyoming. The Gospel Study group meeting last Tuesday was lively and engaging. I have found this to be a place of inspiration and a testing ground for new ideas and thoughts. Like I said events and new ideas and dreams are unfolding right before my eyes. The church also received news about Louis W. Engstrom death and they will be hosting his funeral on Thursday Feb 10, 2011.
St. Luke (Medicine Bow): One of the members of the church had a scare with food born illness. He is recovering, but it is not fun to go through that. The monthly newsletter was sent out bringing others up to speed and they too noted that they will be seeing the Bishop soon. That is all that I have to report from them for this week.
Ministry Developers: While I was writing this up-date I received news from the Diocesan office that the Ministry Developers will be increasing their numbers by one with the Rev. Kay Rohde, who is currently serving as the interim at St. Mark's in Casper, will be soon working with the churches in the northern area of Region 3 (Christ Church in Douglas; St. Stephens in Casper; and All Souls in Kaycee). I also met briefly last week with the Rev. Jess Smith as the visioning team of the Diocese continues to work on their charge to vision what the future may look like. As a member of the Diocese I look forward to having more conversation about this very idea so that we are all participating in creating our new future. What an empowering action.
What is coming up? As you can see this is a short week because now it is Thursday. The big event for me is the Bishop Visit at St. Thomas in Rawlins. I am also working with St. James (Encampment) to prepare a continuing education grant. I am also working with the Rev. Tom Fiske as we work on moving forward with Safe Guarding God's Children/People training for the Diocese. As I noted earlier I will be attending Louis W. Engstrom funeral at 1:30 pm on Thursday and that evening attend the vestry meeting at St Thomas. Then I will be available to assist in any way possible for the Bishop Visit.
St. Paul's (Dixon): I headed toward the town of Dixon last Monday (Valentine's Day) for the Winter Bible Cafe that is held ever two weeks. It was a good time to catch up with a parishioner and strong leader of St. Paul's who was gone for a couple of weeks playing in the ocean. I was also informed that there will be a trip to see the Sandhill Crane Migration in Nebraska this year and those dates are March 11th through the 13th with an alternative date of March 25th through the 27th Linda Fleming will be leading the group. What a great way to see God's creation in action. If you want more information please contact me and I will forward you Linda's information. I was at St. Paul's this Sunday to preach and preside. St. Paul is still having “church in the round” and we doubled our attendance this Sunday. St. Paul continues to be blessed with children and they were most helpful in getting additional chairs set up before church. St. Paul's had their monthly Ministry Support Team meeting following the service and this group has some exciting things lined up for the next couple of months.
St. James (Encampment): The best news is that one of the parishioners at St. James is in full recovery from a fall that happened about a month ago. I am pleased to see God working wonders of healing for this wonderful person. I am also pleased to report that one of the youth of Encampment will be attending this years YES! Ski Camp. It is good to see St. James being active beyond it town limits and making its presence known beyond Encampment.
St. Luke's (Medicine Bow): I have been talking to Arlen about his preaching license preparation and we are making head way in that area. I have also received a report that all their year end paperwork is in order and being sent to the Diocesan office. This week was the Methodist Church's turn and so everybody headed over there. I will not be with St. Luke's next week because I am one of the chaperons for the YES! Ski Camp. Have a good time.
St. Thomas (Rawlins): I continue to meet with the Gospel Study group every Tuesday at 9am. Following the Gospel Study I spent about two hours over a cup of coffee with Karen. It was a good visit and clearing of misunderstandings and sharing of hopes for the future. Wednesday I was at Kraft Hall and made a couple of phone calls. I will be spending a couple of hours with the Senior Warden next week as I share with her the DiSC(c) profile that she took. I have big expectations for St. Thomas along with all the churches of Carbon County.
