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.