Letter to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Oct 25 2009

Hello folks of Carbon County and beyond. How is life treating you these days? October strikes me as a month of transition from the activities of summer, playing, and warm days to activities of school, homecoming (more like reunions), longer nights, and colder days. It is a funny place to be where we are not in once place and yet we have not completely arrived in the other. Life as a way of carrying us forward, sometimes this happens on our own effort and other times it is done by the effort of God; and there are times when we all work with God. I hope this letter finds you well.

It has been a busy week of travel (more than usual) starting last Monday I drove to Little Snake River Valley (Baggs, Dixon, and Savory) for the Fall Café Bible Study in which the group from St. Paul’s has gathered faithfully for a couple of years to read the bible one book and one chapter at a time. The group likes to cover about 10 chapters every two weeks and they are about ready to wrap-up the book of Job. I also noted with delight that the readings that we hear on Sundays in church for the past couple of weeks have been coming from the book of Job. What timing!

Tuesday was a day to get most of my administrative tasks taken care of and boy was my list long. I did manage to write a chapter report, a contribution to the printed eSpirit about Region 4, and submit an article for St. Thomas’ Livingstones (their monthly news letter). I also set up a web/phone meeting for the Apostolic Teams for both Regions 4 & 5 for this up-coming Monday. That does not include all the other activities such as making phone calls and running about in town.

Wednesday and Thursday I was in Thomas the Apostle Center in Cody for the Ministry Developer’s face to face meeting. We took most of our time together to discuss and discern what we will be doing for the next nine months and beyond. We too are aware of the changing of leadership and the effects it has with the congregations that we work with. We also shared what is taking place both in our professional and personal lives. Meeting in Cody is a blessing.

Friday I caught up on some phone calls and mostly took a half day off. Saturday was another full day with St. Thomas. I met with the Worship Team to plan the services for the month of November and finalize Christmas Eve services. St. Thomas also will be having a baptism at the end of the month because it was a good time for the greater family to participate. At 1pm I was once again at St. Thomas with my girls to help put together “Bundle Blessings” which are bundles of a couple of items that will be given to children who are placed in foster care homes. Following that activity my girls received some Acolyte training. It was a full Saturday.

Sunday I was in Medicine Bow to preside and to facilitate a discussion of Wade in the Water following the service. One of the members of the church really wanted to host a lunch at her house and so after the conclusion of the service we re-assembled at Lillian’s house, had lunch and watched Wade in the Water that talked about moving the furniture. It was a good time to check in and fellowship.

The up-coming week looks like this – Monday I will be in Laramie to work on my personal project and be back in Rawlins in time for the joint Apostolic Team meeting for Regions 4 & 5 that starts at six pm. Tuesday I will be in Saratoga to help with a preaching discernment process. Wednesday my day starts with a web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers at 8am then I will be hosting office hours at Kraft Hall from 10am to 12pm. That evening starting at 5:30pm I will be on a web/phone meeting with the Regional Reps and Ministry Developers for an hour and then getting on another web/phone meeting with the Evangelism team starting at 7pm. Thursday I will be meeting with Karen Buckingham to review where she is on the check list for those in process for the priesthood with another meeting with Karen to debrief from her first retreat where she is learning about Family Systems. Friday I will be on the road to Denver (kind of a day off). Saturday is Halloween and I hope everybody gets a treat! Sunday I will be at St. Paul’s in Dixon to preside with at Ministry Support Team meeting following the service.

Just Because

This is an interesting and fun way to use web-cams! Have fun with it. As you watch it check out the action in the background.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - October 11, 2009

October 11, 2009

Hello fine folks of Wyoming. It sure looks like winter is upon us (roads were closed on Saturday and off and on for Sunday). Now I say it looks like winter is ALMOST upon us because next week it the weather will return to seasonal normal patterns (temps in the 40s and 50s). I had a thought; do church seasons also operate the same way (moving from one state of condition to another)? I don’t know food for thought! Looking around the county this is what I am seeing – St. Thomas had hosted a brunch that was put on by the Choir Loft and they received a report from Gerry back from the Convention about what others did with the Mustard Seed Projects; St. Paul showed some flexibility in regards to their bishop’s visit and made some quick changes and is going to reschedule their visit for another date; St. Luke’s had a Sunday with the Methodist Church (I hope Rev Gary made it from Laramie); St. James is getting ready for their bishop visit next Sunday. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday (October 5^th) was a full day. It started at St. Thomas in Rawlins for the Gospel study and reflection. It is good time to listen to the concerns and hopes for St. Thomas. The group is faithful in their meeting and it helps to hear what is going on. It is also a good time to challenge myself in my own work with St. Thomas. That afternoon I arrived in LSRV (Little Snake River Valley) for another bible reflection time. This group is going through the bible one chapter at a time and we are currently reading the book of Job. We came across the same passage that is read at funerals and for a while we were listening to different versions of the bible and most of us decided to stick with what is written in the Book of Common Prayer and quite possibility the King James.

Tuesday (October 6^th) I drove to Saratoga and listened in on a sermon preaching group for Ralph Hicks. The conversation that we had is going with depth. Ralph is going through the study questions in the study guide and sharing his responses with the group. Ralph has entered this process with a discerning heart and mind, and so has the group. Ray Grieb even made it over from Elk Mountain to participate. We are moving quite nicely through the process.

Wednesday (October 7^th) I was on the weekly web/phone call with the Ministry Developers. We continue to become more familiar with the use of this technology and in doing so I assisted one member through the use of a “soft phone.” We debriefed from the Convention and started to plan for our face to face meeting in Cody next week.

Thursday (October 8^th) was an “administrative day” in which I was able to write my sermon, put together a vestry report for St. Thomas and assemble a liturgy for a brief closure service that will be held next week in Rawlins. The “to do list” was long, yet I was able to accomplish everything I wanted that day.

Friday (October 9^th) I spent most of the day in Laramie. I have picked up a tool for community building called relational meetings. These meetings are designed to discover personal passions and to get to know others at a deeper level. So, I had a meeting with a member of St. Luke’s last Friday. I pleasantly discovered that this person has been in the midst of Baptismal/Mutual/Shared Ministry most of his adult life with the Church and he still finds himself working with those churches that are the fringe of the larger church. What a discovery. Working with small groups of people is this person’s natural inclination. Good to have this person around! That afternoon I met with Pat and we are starting to gather names of people who we want to invite to develop programming for the next year at Wyoming Wilderness Camp.

OK now for the up-coming week – October 12-18^th. Monday I will be at a Gospel Reflection and a private memorial service at St. Thomas in Rawlins. Tuesday looks like an administrative day. Wednesday is the weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers. Thursday I will be meeting with Karen (St. Thomas) and attending St. Thomas’ vestry meeting that evening. Saturday I will be heading to Encampment to have dinner with the Bishop and then head to Rock Springs to spend the night. Why Rock Springs on Saturday night? The next day (Sunday) I will be presiding at three services starting at Fort Bridger at 9am, the second service in Green River with Wade in the Water Session 1 following the service. The third service will be in Dixon starting at 5pm. It is going to be a full day of worship and travel!

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Oct 4 2009

October 4, 2009

Hello folks of the Diocese of Wyoming and a Wyoming hello to those who receive this letter from beyond the boarders of this great state. The Diocesan Convention is in the books. It was a good one. The Diocese had made a major and important commitment to the youth of this state by working intentionally by asking the Diocesan Counsel and the Foundation to support the Wyoming Wilderness Camp in making the plant safe for all kids and staff members. This in my humble opinion was a movement from talk to action. Hats off to this group! On to other important matters, we blessed Bishop Bruce Caldwell wonderful leadership for the past 12 years and we now begin to look toward the next bishop. Bruce will be around, but he will also be missed. I hope this letter finds you well.


Monday was doing pretty good in following my plan for the week. I was able to meet with Andy and Margaret to work on interview questions and briefly discussed when we would present the answers. Then that afternoon I headed out to meet with Linda in Baggs to discuss the case study presentation for the Mustard Seed Money’s. As I worked through the day I was working with our optometric doctor in Cheyenne about Alexis’ eyes. Alexis complained that she lost sight in her left eye (that really got her parents concerned). As it turned out the eye is fine, but it will need to corrected (Alexis has a lazy eye) by surgery and so we scheduled to see the surgeon in Denver for Wednesday. I was not really sure if I would have to remain in Denver for a procedure on Thursday morning or not. As it turned out everything is ok and we now have a plan to address the eye and all is well. Whew! Nevertheless that took up all of the first part the week.

Thursday was the opening night of Convention. We had the privilege of having the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church as the keynote speaker and presided at the opening Eucharist. I was pretty tired and headed to bed promptly after that event. The next day we listed to the Presiding Bishop and she is a non-anxious presence (I almost fell asleep she was so calm) and was very astute in addressing questions directly and calmly. That evening we had a banquet and acknowledged all the work that was done through the Mustard Seed projects with the hope that they will continue.

Saturday was a business day. I will not report much on what was done, but highlight a couple of things about the sessions. Wyoming Wilderness Camp is facing some serious and large challenges to keep operating. To address the challenges it would require a significant contribution of money. Money always gets people’s anxiety going and so the conversations about what to do were tense. At one point a person stood up and mentioned a dollar amount that clearly got others upset, yet Bruce addressed the speaker gracefully and told others that everybody has permission to speak and to be heard. He was a calming presence and was able to lead us all through the conversation. Also I noted that the conversation included many different groups of people ranging from the delegates, rectors, local priests, and laity. Everybody truly had a voice in the conversation. Also I noted that the leadership of the Diocese had a “can do” attitude in addressing making sure that the canons were being followed. We had to make some slight adjustments on how we conducted our business to make sure that we followed the process without making the overall process cumbersome and de-motivating (not an easy task!). The blessing and acknowledgement of Bruce’s leadership as our bishop was a touching event. Having people sing, share stories, and present gifts was a wonderful to end our day together.

Sunday worship was moving for me. The reading of the Psalm overwhelmed my soul and I long for more of that experience. The Psalm was read with passion; the music in the background added a rich dimension to the message as I was caught up in the warmth of the words and images that were painted in my soul. It was stunning and awesome.

Ok now to come back to earth and to look at what is on my horizon for the up-coming week. Monday I will be begin my day with Gospel Reflection at St. Thomas at 9am and then head to Little Snake River Valley (LSRV) for another bible reflection activity. Tuesday I will be heading to Saratoga for a preaching discernment meeting starting at 4pm. Wednesday I will be on a weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers. Thursday will be a day to catch up on administrative items to and work on reading a book that the Ministry Developers are reading together. Friday I will be in Laramie to meet with a friend to discover some that person’s passion for ministry. Saturday will be a family day was the Wasingers of Wyoming will be attending their annual Wyoming Football game. Sunday I will be presiding at St. Thomas in Rawlins and the service begins at 9:30am with a meal following the service.

Letters to the Churches of Carbony County and Beyond - Sept 27 2009

September 27, 2009

This is the last Sunday of September 2009 and it was a beautiful weekend. It was a good time to be out and about in the great outdoors of Wyoming. Talking about being out and about this is what is taking place throughout Carbon County: St. Thomas was getting ready for a bishop’s visit, but they need to change their plans; St. Paul had their annual Wyoming trip and from all reports they had a great time in the northern part of the state; St. Luke’s had a full church this Sunday with three kids running about; St. James is getting for a family gathering to do some work on a house. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday I worked on some administrative items and caught up with the Ministry Support Team for St. Thomas. They have been working hard this year on various development projects and is taking some time to catch their breath. There was some clearing of the air, reconnecting, and planning on how to handle the music during the worship. Tuesday was another day of phone calls, and reading. Wednesday was a full day of web/phone meeting. The Ministry Developers have realized that we need to work with the basics again like having relational meetings and to connect with people again to find out what passions that are waiting to be energized. We also talked about Convention what we need to do to prepare for that upcoming event. Finally we talked about some administrative items like Family Systems, on-line Ethics course of the all important calendar. Wednesday evening was another web/phone meeting with the Regional Reps in which we celebrated having Safeguarding God’s Children training in each of the six regions in the state. Outstanding work!

Friday afternoon I drove over to Wheatland and had dinner with Ray Grieb to discus Wade in the Water. He will be assisting me with this work in Encampment. The next morning I attended Raising Up Your Congregation workshop. It was good to return “home” for the day and to learn more about expectations of vestries and the changing legal environment that we now live in. However, one of the wonderful discoveries of the day was Andy’s presentation with the emerging technologies. Andy is a strong critic of technology and is always asking questions as to what is the purpose of using the latest thing. He gave us some useful information about how to set up web-sites, blogging, Facebook, and twitter.

Sunday I arrived in St. Luke’s in Medicine Bow to listen to a presentation about what it will take to start a pre-school. The presentation was well done and the person did some good research. This might become a good Mustard Seed Project for that community. As we wrapped up a young family arrived from Hanna. It was a family that I married and baptized their two children. What a gift to offer to the church members of Wyoming different choices to worship.

The upcoming week looks like this – Monday I will be heading to St. Paul’s for their Fall Bible Café and there is a chance that I will catch up with Linda to practice the case study presentation and there is always Tuesday. Talking about Tuesday I will be heading to Saratoga to listen and continue the discernment process for Ralph Hick’s preaching ministry @ 4pm. Wednesday I am planning on doing some continuing education and preparation for Convention. Thursday through Sunday I will be in Casper for the Convention.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County - Sept 21, 2009

I awoke this morning to see snow. Granted it was limited to parts of a very green lawn, but it is an indication that fall is right around the corner. It also means that we are entering a period of “crazy weather” in which there will be beautiful and perfect days followed by cold, windy, and overcast moments. I do love the shifting of weather. It seems that the churches also has its own seasons of change and so let us look at the weather channel for the church season for the past week and see what has happened. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday the church “weather” called for a Worship planning session at St. Thomas in Rawlins. There we planned out the church services for the month of October, and had an opening discussion about H1N1 Flu prevention measures. It was by Thursday that St. Thomas was informed that Bishop Stickland is schedule for a visit in the month of October so there will be a slight change in the line up. All shall be well because it is St. Thomas that we are talking about. (smile, smile). As the meeting was wrapping up the group did a quick evaluation of the meeting and were pleased with the progress.

Tuesday the weather called for Safeguarding God’s Children training in Baggs (the Little Snake River Valley) from 5pm to 8:30pm. And the training went well. In attendance were two teachers from the local pre-school, a youth minister from the Community Church, and St. Paul’s ARK (Amazing River Kids) sponsors for a brush up course. The training went well and the food was outstanding!

Wednesday the weather called for an organizational meeting in Green River. St. John’s is looking at an effective way of including the entire congregation on Sunday into Wade in the Water. Wade in the Water is a 6 sessions program and it leads us to explore how baptismal theology and practice have changed through history with the final session ends with a discussion and thoughts on how to apply our new understanding in the local context of the local church. The segments are: A short history of Baptism, Thinking about who God is, Thinking about who we are in relation to God, Differing perspectives on the Church, Changes in a small church, and Focusing on your work in the world. I have really enjoyed the creativity around making this a reality.

Thursday the weather blew me into St. Thomas undercroft for a vestry meeting. During our time together we reviewed a brief history on how St. Thomas arrived to the decision to enter Shared Ministry, talked about discernment issues, clarifying the role of the Ministry Support Team, and was presented with a wonderful idea for the Mustard Seed Money. Keep an eye out for the clouds that have been planted by this group, a storm of the Holy Spirit is brewing on the horizon.

Saturday the weather provided the opportunity for me to be a passenger as I rode along with members of St. Thomas to the Region 4 Apostolic Team face to face meeting in Saratoga. We had the privilege of having Kathy and Roy lead us through the workshop and Linda Fleming started the “business” part of the meeting with a reflection using what we had learned. That was nice.

Sunday I again was seeing different weather patterns as I presided in two different locations. My day started with Encampment in which we all laughed at the “grumbling” tone of the assigned readings and decided that having Fred read the Proverbs could have gotten booted out of a ride home. All was well and I headed home. That afternoon I caught-up with Linda in St. Paul’s in Dixon and started to get prepared for the Case Study for the Convention and following the service had a short Ministry Support Team Meeting following the service.

The forecast looks like this – starting on Tuesday I will be making phone calls, checking in with other Ministry Developers and seeing about who is interested in attending the RAISING UP YOUR CONGREGATION workshop in Wheatland on Saturday (September 26, 2009). Wednesday the “weather” calls for web/phone meeting in which the Ministry Developers will be meeting all day with a final web/phone meeting that evening with the Regional Reps. Thursday is a planned day off (we will see if I am successful). Friday could be a possible travel day if people have worked out their own way to Wheatland. If so, I am planning on meeting with Ray Greib to review Wade in the Water with him. Saturday is a sunny day of learning in Wheatland re: RASING UP YOUR CONGREGATION workshop. Sunday will be another sunny day as I arrive in Medicine Bow to hear a report of the possibility of a preschool being started with St. Luke sponsoring it, presiding at the worship, and following the service to have another Wade in the Water session.

Letters to the Churches of Carbon County and Beyond - Sept 13 2009

It was a slow week getting started and by the time I hit Friday I was flying and next week I will really be flying because I will have managed to be in “sharing the same air” with four different churches. That is really getting out there. Sure I like the pace from time to time; however it is not one that I can keep up for long periods of time before I start losing my focus. Looking around the County it is looking like this – St. Thomas was a burial tour in which two funeral services were held and both of them with both similar and yet different; St. Paul had their Fall Café Bible reflection last week and now they will be doing extracurricular activities during the later half of September; I am looking forward to catching up with St. James in Encampment and starting the first of six sessions of Wade in the Water this up-coming Sunday; and St. Luke’s in Medicine Bow had their Bishop visit this Sunday and I am looking forward to hearing how that went. I hope this letter finds you well.

Don’t you like those three day weekends? It seems like on Tuesday we have to do 48 hours worth of work in 24. That was my Tuesday and yet I managed to reach most of my objectives for the day. It started with a planning session with Gerry O’Connell from St. Thomas in Rawlins. We gathered with Randy Golden who is local pastor of Cavalry Chapel in Rawlins who was a good friend of Doris Walden (Gerry’s mother-in-law) to plan Doris funeral. It was a joint effort and it when well. Then I jumped in my borrowed car and drove to LSRV to participate in St. Paul’s Fall Bible Café to realize upon my arrival that my time would have to be short because I had to drive over the mountain to meet with a preaching discernment group in Saratoga. In the middle of all that traveling I still managed to wrestle with insurance companies, send out notices about an up-coming vestry workshop, and inform Medicine Bow about their up-coming Bishop visit. See 48 hours worth of work being crammed into 24.

Wednesday I kept the momentum going. It started with the weekly web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers in which we discussed two events that are coming up at the Convention, an opportunity to learn more about Latino Ministries, and yes general check in with one another. Made phone calls with fellow Ministry Developers and put together a couple of church services, wrote a couple of reports, and squeezed in a sermon. I did all before bed that night.

Thursday I spent two hours at Kraft Hall making phone calls throughout the county inviting others to the Apostolic Team face to face meeting that is coming up this Saturday. I wrote a second sermon and was all ready and prepared to head to Green Rive to continue with the next step with Wade in the Water when I receive a phone call telling me that most of the people in Green River are out and about and would not be around that evening. So we rescheduled for this upcoming Wednesday.

Friday was the first of two funeral services. Anna May Rassuseen was place in her final resting place in Rawlins. The gathered family had a time to bring close a chapter in their lives. It was also a good time to brush off the skills of hospitality at St. Thomas and learn what it means to have a deacon as a member of the worship leadership. The service went really well and the family had their chance to say their final good-byes. I still managed to attend the local high school football game that evening and so it was nice to have some time with the family.

Saturday was the second of two funerals in which the gathered family got to say good-by to Doris Mae Walden. Doris is the mother of Ellen O’Connell and Gerry’s mother-in-law. She spent her final days in the O’Connell’s home and so she was able to be surrounded by love ones till the end as she crossed over to another reality. Randy Golden preached and St. Thomas provided the wonderful liturgy for the family to find closure in that important chapter of their lives. Gerry was the leader of the Committal in Saratoga that afternoon and it seemed that everybody was pleased on how Gerry was able to bring together three different church families to celebrate the life of Doris and to recognize the gift of eternal life from God.

So Sunday was a continuation of all the resurrection celebrations that were taking place leading up that day. As St. Thomas continues to move forward in Shared Ministry we all are learning about what it means to have a deacon as a member of the worship team. As the worship leaders led the service I discovered a fine sing voice and it was a blessing.

This is what my up-coming week looks like – Monday the worship team of St. Thomas will meet to schedule the month of October services and discuss some recommendations from the Diocese on how to respond to the flu season. Tuesday I am heading to Baggs to co-host a Safeguarding God’s Children training and that starts at 5pm. Wednesday I will be participating in a web/phone meeting with the Ministry Developers at 8am and that evening I will be in Green River to help plan the next steps in Wade in the Water. Thursday I will be having office hours at Kraft Hall during that time Karen and I will have some check in time. Thursday evening will be attending a vestry meeting at St. Thomas in Rawlins. Friday is an all day event in Laramie in which I am working on a personal project and continuing to look for a permanent vehicle for work. Saturday is Region’s 4 Apostolic Team face to face meeting in which Kathy Robinson and Roy Walworth will be hosting an Evangelism Workshop. Right when you thought I was done for the week I will be presiding in two different churches starting at St. James in Encampment with Wade in the Water session 1 starting after the service. Then I will preside at St. Paul’s in Dixon that evening.

Be well my friends and have a great week!

Doug