Letters to the Churches of Carbon County

Well I thought I had a regular routine in providing people weekly up-dates. I have to admit I have fallen out of practice for the past couple of months. So, continuing with breaking tradition I will make an concentrated effort to get back in the saddle and ride that horse until we get back into a familiar working relationship. I also realize that I am working with a different horse. When I started this work in the Diocese of Wyoming in 2003 I was working with three congregations in different places in their congregational life. Where at first I was hard to connect with each community on a regular basis, now I find myself having to think more intentionally about when I am available to be effective steward of my time and energy. Trust me, this is a great problem to have! I return from New Jersey/York refreshed and happy to return before the heat hit that part of the country. I was pleasantly surprised to see one church in the Diocese of Newark functioning much like a Shared Ministry Congregation. I think if they were willing and the Bishop of Newark is open to the idea this congregation could continue to empower its laity to take on more responsibility of the congregational life and with some training they would be well on their way. It is sure nice to know that in some real and important ways, the Diocese of Wyoming is on the cutting edge of ministry in the 21st century. Now, let get on to the news of Carbon County. I hope this letter finds you well.

St. Luke's (Medicine Bow): Yesterday I caught up with St. Luke's after been absent for the entire month of June. Due to vacation and other commitments the fine people of St. Luke's were gracious in their scheduling efforts. It was a picture perfect day in Wyoming as we gathered to share God's Word and participate in the fellowship of God's love through the Eucharist. It was noted that the church building itself is well designed and how everything comes together is so powerful in its simplicity. After the service we gathered for a late lunch and completed the 2nd of three training sessions on the DiSC Biblical Profile System. Insights continue to make themselves present and this group of people are gaining better understanding of how they can incorporate the Platinum Rule – Do unto others as they would like to be done unto.

St. Paul's (Dixon): They are plugging along in the Little Snake River Valley aka LSRV. They have new renters of the rectory that is attached to the church parish hall and I heard that they attended church last Sunday. They have purchased a new piano and it will arrive around August 8th or 9th. I heard that this new piano is programmable. They also said good bye to some long time personalities from the area on Friday July 8th and George Salisbury was laid to rest in this final resting place with a can of Skoals. That is simply to rich to not laugh with joy.

St. Thomas (Rawlins): Where I thought this would be a quiet summer they had their fair share of important events. Two weeks ago a 34 year old man was missing for about five days and they found his body in a creek. The turnout for the funeral was about 200 people and St. Thomas was available to give people opportunity to say a premature good-bye to their love ones. This was a difficult funeral, and yet St. Thomas did it with grace and love. One a more favorable front the lift and handicap accessibility bathrooms are getting close to being complete. The other day I drove by the building and it is all closed in. I have not been inside the building to see how it is progressing, but I am sure soon this work will be complete. This project has been about two to three years in the works.

St. Barnabas (Saratoga): This community had a difficult task to work through these past two weeks. About 8 months ago an individual arrived on their front door step looking for a place to stay for a couple of days. As it turned out this individual remained on site. This community of faith had to find a way to gracefully enforce boundaries for the betterment of all. This was not easy for this individual did not what to leave and was resistant to other alternatives as they were presented. In the end, this individual accepted an airline ticket to another part of the country. I believe that the situation has been resolved and through it all there was much soul searching and reaffirmation of God's grace and love. I am sure not everybody will agree with this statement; however I do know that St. Barnabas was intentional about their efforts and will become stronger in the future. On another note LifeCycles is progressing right along and they are supplementing their work with another educational opportunity around spirituality. This group of people is hard at work on their formation.

St. James (Encampment): The big news is that they have discovered a new “church key” a crowbar. Ok, there is a story behind this discovery. A couple of Sundays ago I arrived to find out the lock for the front door was not working. The other door was locked and nobody had a key to that door. So, as we walked around the building looking for an open window (we didn't find any) it was suggested that we gently pry the door open. Once the door was open we were able to resolve the lock problem and have a regular worship experience. St. James has also sent out invitations for the 2nd Annual Church in the Park and BBQ to be held in Encampment on August 21st at noon. This event was well attended last year and they are hoping for a repeat. Mark you calendars and hope to see you there.






What is coming up? Well today (Monday) I will be heading to Baggs for the Summer Bible Cafe starting at 2pm. St. Thomas will have their VBS starting today at 6:30 pm to 8pm everyday until Thursday. I am planning on keeping my office hours at Kraft Hall this Wednesday from 10 am to 12pm. Sunday I will be at St. Paul's (Dixon) for a HE II and following the service they will begin their DiSC Bible Profile System training.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond

It is the day after the big Forth of July. It seems like people got a chance to play and get outdoors for a couple of days. I did a ride-along with the Rawlins Police Department on Friday night and it was quiet around Rawlins. The talk among the officers that night was that most people headed out of town for the weekend. Well, Kellie, the girls, and myself did the same on Monday afternoon and drove up to the Snowy Range to check out the snow that is still there and noticed a lake is still frozen. I was crazy enough to wear shorts and a short sleeve shirt. The car's heater was on full blast until we came off the mountain. Talk about diversity in Wyoming. One minute you are cooking at the local fair ground as the girls rode their horses, and then planning a snow ball fight a couple hours later. I hope this letter finds you well.

St. James (Encampment). All is quiet in Encampment. I had a chance to catch up with the fine folks of St. James a couple of weeks ago. There was some discussion about Wyoming Wilderness Camp and where the local youths were planning this summer. We were informed that they wanted to stick a bit closer to home this year. We also talked about the news of the partnering status of St. Barnabas (Saratoga) and that there will be need to open discussion about how to provide the sacramental support in the future. As of right now St. James will be in their normal routine. The general maintenance issues have begun to be addressed like mowing the lawn and moving the water around. The construction of a new parish hall has not started yet, but that is not a major concern. St. James is flexible in giving the general contractor some room to work out the scheduling. One of St. James own got tapped for a Diocese level position to serve (if needed) on the discipline board.

St. Luke (Medicine Bow): I have not visited much with this congregation for the month of June and that is all going to change this weekend. I have been exchanging e-mails with the senior warden and we have finalized the plans for a DiSC(r) Biblical Profile Training this weekend. It will be good to catch up with them and to enjoy a summer day in Medicine Bow.







St. Paul (Dixon): The water continues to flow heavy in the rivers around the area. The water is staying in the blanks however the water is high in volume. The local community gathered on June 18th to say good bye to a long and trusted friend of the LSRV Lee “Peter” Jon. The service was well attended and the full military honors at the grave side was touching. The younger boys really enjoyed watching the guns fire during the 21 Gun Salute. The Family, Fun, and Faith night on June 25th was a success. We shared a meal, played games, talked, and watched a movie Secretariat. I like the idea that we all have a race to run and what is important is not winning, but actually doing it! It was good to see other members of the the LSRV in attendance. I also realized that I have a gift as a priest and that is helping others think theologically about their own views of the world. Linda Fleming has submitted a grant to up-grade the rectory's windows and just in time as they have new renters in the property. The up-grade on the windows will save a bundle when it comes to heating costs in the winter.

St. Thomas (Rawlins): The building of the lift is progressing quiet nicely. The building now is framed and closed in. It is hard to see what is now taking place with the plumbing and electrical, yet I can see the new “hole” in the wall in the undercroft. Soon this project will be complete. On June 25th there was a Memorial Service for Robert Woodrift in which there were three priests present. The remarkable thing was that the priests were not in a public leadership role for the service and it did not appear odd or uncomfortable. The Worship Leaders did a fine job. Shared Ministry is really taking place around St. Thomas. Their VBS is scheduled for the last week of July and will be taking place in the evening to accommodate everybody's scheduling needs and to give the children the opportunity to burn the last bit of wiggles before going to bed for the night. Also the Ministry Role Description for a priest at St. Thomas is now complete and I am impressed with the work. If anybody is interested in a copy of it let me know and I will send it to you.

St. Barnabas (Saratoga): We have completed our first LifeCycles meeting and worked out the details for sacramental support the summer months. As it turns out I will be preaching (when called upon) and presiding every 2nd Sunday of the month at 7pm. There will be Morning Prayer that morning so that people can remain in their worship routine. We also talked about expectations of a priest that is different from a rector. That was build on work that I did with St. Thomas and I believe that this discussion will serve this congregation well into the future. St. Barnabas is already working on their sign noting the changes in the worship life of the church.

What is taking place this week? I will be at Kraft Hall on Wednesday from 10 am to 12 pm stop by if you like. I also received a call to do a graveside service on Thursday at 1pm in Rawlins. Talking about doing graveside services, I will be doing an Ash Interment for three people in Little Snake River Valley on Friday at 2:30 pm. Saturday have a full day and I welcome it. At 8:30 in the morning I will be meeting with the Worship Leaders of St. Thomas. That afternoon I will be heading to Medicine Bow and gathering with people from St. Luke's to host a DiSC(r) Biblical Profile Training. Sunday I will be found at St. James (Encampment) at 9 am and then St. Barnabas (Saratoga) at 7pm.