Friday April 3, 2009

By Andrew Kerr. Email: andrew@wyomingdiocese.org

Hello and welcome to the April 3 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

Hafa Adai (hello) from Saipan! Your eSpirit is coming a little late today, but I wanted to wait until I reached Saipan to do a podcast with The Rev Irene Maliaman from St. Paul's Episcopal Mission. I have begun my trip back home to Micronesia and have been to Guam and am now in Saipan and soon on to Chuuk. You can follow the trip via my blog at: http://kerrepiscopalwy.blogspot.com/. (I am a couple days behind posting as of this writing, but will get it up to date ASAP). This has been an awesome experience so far, and I hope to introduce Wyoming and Micronesia to each other through this experience.

Just becuae I am in the field doesn't mean that work has stopped. A reminder that if you have articles you would like to share with the rest of the Diocese, please email them (and a picture if you have one) to info@wyomingdiocese.org. It doesn’t have to be earth-shattering news or events, but anything you would like to share. It has been really fun to get to meet so many of you via email and get the stories of what is happening in the Diocese! I hope you can share the eSpirit with others, as the more subsribers, the more stories...the more stories the more sharing...and the more connected we are around Wyoming (and the world, as there are several national and international folks on the eSpirit list, too). Signing up is easy! Just go to www.wyomingdiocese.org and enter your email address in the newsletter box or to www.spiritofwyoming.org to sign up and read past issues.

So thanks and keep the stories coming!

God’s peace,

-Andrew

Email: andrew@wyomingdiocese.org or call (+1) 307.265.5200
 

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The Rev Irene Maliaman of Saipan sat down with Andrew Kerr for an interview about the Diocese. This link is posted in Diocese's account with MyPodcast http://wyomingdiocese.mypodcast.com/

Give it some time to load...it may take a few minutes. OR, click on one of the many podcast options, including sending the file directly to iTunes.
 

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By The Rev Doug Wasinger. Email: doug@wyomingdiocese.org

Well folks it is the end of March. Easter is looming large in our vision of the future. I had the opportunity to take a day off on Monday (yesterday) and took it. Here is what is going on around Carbon County – St. Thomas hosted a joint Apostolic Team meeting for regions IV and V and had their bishop visit that included a baptism. St. Paul – working on training of their Eucharistic Visitors and preparing for Holy Week. St. James is plugging along. The weather has created some travel issues, but what else is new when it comes to Wyoming in March? St. Luke is plugging along and I didn’t miss the chance to tell a friend of mine who now travels to Medicine Bow that there is an active Episcopal Church in that community. I hope this letter finds you well.

Last Monday (3/23/09) was a St. Thomas day. It started with a book study of “The Bible for Today’s Church” in which the group explored Chapter 9 “What the Bible Teaches”. One person noted that the bible has a history, the church, has a history and so does the people of faith. It is all connected and ongoing. Overall the group felt that bible scriptures are opening up new vistas of understanding and insights. That afternoon I connected with Kathleen Ford to review how baptismal certificates are filled out. She was placed in charged to make sure that everything was taken care on Sunday and I heard all went well.

Tuesday was an administrative day, phone calls and the like. I am currently working with EDS (Episcopal Divinity School) to develop an on-line course called “Ministry Development for Ministry Developers: Practical Skills for Ministry Developers” and we are working toward our final presentations as I write.

Wednesday the Ministry Developers had their weekly web/phone check in time that lasted an hour. The main focus of our time was the Mustard Seed Project and how we can become more of asset for the congregations that we work with in this vast field of mission in Wyoming. This work is ongoing and much will be revealed in the future.

Thursday I was schedule to drive to Green River, however the weather had other ideas. Bill called me from Green River and informed me that the roads were really bad. I listened to his description and decided to stay put for the day. So I made a couple of phone calls to discuss the upcoming Apostolic Team meeting on Saturday.

Friday I spent the morning at Kraft Hall helping them planning the upcoming coming baptism and bishop visit. I also helped Cassie prepare the Livingstones for mailing. That afternoon I ran around securing food and other items for the Apostolic Team meeting on Saturday.

Now you may get a sense that the Apostolic Meeting on Saturday was looming large in my vision. It was. However, it all came together quite nicely. We had representatives from the entire southern half of the state in attendance. We also discovered that we have many connections with our congregations and it may be a beautiful beginning of a large network.

Looking forward to the remainder of this week – Wednesday I will be on my one hour weekly check in call with the other Ministry Developers starting at 8am. That evening I will be on a web/phone call with the Evangelism Team starting at 7pm. Thursday I will meet with Karen to help her with technology issues and that afternoon I am planning on heading over to Green River (I shall see!). Friday I will be at Kraft Hall between 10-12pm. On Sunday I will be at St. Paul’s (Dixon) for Palm Sunday service, followed by a Ministry Support Team (MST) meeting. Be well my friends.

Shalom,

Doug

 

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By The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Episcopal Asiamerica Ministries (EAM) is offering a newly published, free resource, "Evangelism and Mission in the Age of Globalization," designed for clergy, lay leaders, parish and diocesan staff, and those involved in global interrelationships.

"The church as a living organism must continue to interact with the changing world to ensure her relevance and faithfully unleash the liberating message of the gospel,” commented EAM Program Officer, the Rev. Dr. Winfred Vergara. “This resource will be of help to clergy and laity in understanding the reality and dynamics of globalization as it affects our common life and ministry.”

Derived from the 2008 EAM Annual Consultation in Taiwan, topics include: “Stay in the City: Mission of Revival and Awakening”; “The Christology of Mission”; “Globalization, Globalism and Pax Globala: The Hardware, Software and Heart-ware of Mission”; “Existential Evangelism: Sharing our Christian Story”; and "Mission and Catholicity in an Age of Globalization: Asia –America Context.”

In addition to Vergara, authors are the Rev. Canon Soh Chye Ann, founder of MAGI Enterprises, and the Rev. Dr. Fran Toy, president of the Episcopal Asiamerica Ministry Council. Episcopal Church Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori contributed “A Message of Commissioning: The Example of St. Columba.”

Vergara said the next set of resources will be available following the EAM Consultation in Florida on June 18-22, 2009. The topics will include the Global Crises (economic, social and political); the Global Hope and the Global Paradigm for Christian action; and Using the Church in Antioch in the Book of Acts as Scriptural study. Various workshops will also be presented.

For more information on the EAM 2009 Consultation, visit: www.episcopalchurch.org/asian.htm

For copies of “Evangelism and Mission in the Age of Globalization” free from Episcopal Books and Resources, email ebr@episcopalchurch.org, phone 800 903-5544, or website at www.episcopalbookstore.org.

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By The Episcopal Church, Office of Public Affairs

Finding Hope in Hard Times: A resource for dealing with today

Nurturing generosity and hope in the midst of fear and anxiety

In an effort to deal with today’s economy and reality, the Episcopal Church is offering a free resource, “Finding Hope in Hard Times: Seven Spiritual Practices,” designed to provide faith communities with practical and spiritual disciplines in order to nurture a culture of generosity and hope, in the midst of fear, anxiety and despair.

“Christian hope is based on trust,” explained the Rev. Laurel Johnston, the Episcopal Church’s Program Officer for Stewardship. “Trust that God will continue to fulfill God’s promise in a new way to each generation that leads to freedom, free to be the people God intended us to be. The ‘Finding Hope in Hard Times’ resource guide invites communities of faith to take on seven disciplines that nurture hope and a path towards spiritual and financial freedom.”

“Finding Hope in Hard Times: Seven Spiritual Practices” is available free or download to allow for accessibility throughout the wider church and society. Prepared by the Episcopal Church Office of Stewardship, “Finding Hope in Hard Times” was adapted from Stewards in a Slump, created by the National Stewardship Office of the Church of England.

“While it is our Christian call to attend to the pastoral and practical needs of people that have lost their jobs and their homes, it is equally our call to discern God’s invitation in the midst of this crisis,” Johnston added.

Since its launch in January, more than 10,500 copies have been ordered and it has been translated into Korean and will be available in Spanish.

The sections are topical and relevant: Count Your Blessings; Count Your Cash; Learn to be Content; Choose a Simpler Lifestyle; Keep on Giving; Rebuild Spiritual Communities; and A Financial Downturn can be a Spiritual Upturn. Each section includes a suggested action, and a “Pause for Reflection” for readers to contemplate.

“For some of us, the invitation may be to create and learn to live within a budget, a budget that includes giving, saving and spending less,” Johnston continued. “For others the invitation may be to be intentional about nurturing a discipline of gratitude so that we can more readily give voice to the abundance of God’s grace and blessing in our lives. For all of us, this crisis has lifted the veil on the many ways that we are enslaved by consumerism, debt, and by a mindset of scarcity.”

To download a copy of “Finding Hope in Hard Times”: http://www.episcopalchurch.org/documents/Hope_In_Hard_Times_booklet1.pdf

To obtain print copies of “Finding Hope in Hard Times,” contact Episcopal Books and Resources (EBar) email at ebr@episcopalchurch.org, phone 800 903-5544, or www.episcopalbookstore.org.

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