Tuesday September 15, 2009

Hello and welcome to the September 14 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

Wyoming Convention is closing fast and big plans are being made to welcome everyone to Casper! This year’s exciting event is the participation of the Presiding Bishop, Katharine Jefferts Schori. For more information email: office@wyomingdiocese.org or call 307.265.5200.

Also, if you are working on your poster for the Mustard Seed Mission convention display, the Diocese and Foundation are standing by to help you! Let us know! As always, we are a phone call (307.265.5200) or email away. So if you are stuck, or just need an extra helping hand, please contact the Diocese and Foundation offices.

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.
 

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By Ms. Jessica Reynolds. Email: jessica@wyomingdiocese.org

Greetings from the Diocesan Office!

Convention is just around the corner and plans are falling into place to welcome the Presiding Bishop and all convention-goers! As we plan for our hospitality room, we would like to invite all parishes to contribute goodies to help keep us supplied through convention. We would be most grateful for any snack items; cookies, brownies, etc., home-made or bought; fruit, bagels, bottled water, pop, granola bars, etc. You get the idea! As we work to make this a memorable convention, we are also trying to be good stewards of our spending and would really appreciate everyone pitching in to help out. (Who knows....maybe we could start a trend for the next convention!)

With thanks and blessings, Your Diocesan Convention Planning Group

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By Mr. John Peacock. Email: mettenheim@msn.com

St. Mark’s Episcopal Church presented a $12000 check to the Holland + Hart Foundation in support of the Friday Food Bag Program (FFB). The presentation took place at 10:30 a.m. on Thursday, September 3, at the old Dineen Lincoln Mercury showroom at the corner of Pioneer Avenue and Lincolnway.

Additionally, volunteers from Holland + Hart, St. Mark’s, Western Vista Federal Credit Union and the community at large mobilized to make the first deliveries of the fall semester to participating schools.

FFB is meant to provide food for the weekend for children that might other wise do without. Coordinated by LCSD1 social workers, it is targeted at students that are eligible for free and reduced meal programs during the school day. Every Friday, eligible students are provided with bags of food to take home for the weekend. This program was begun by the Holland + Hart Foundation in 2007.

The $12000 donation from St. Mark’s is made possible by the Mustard Seed Mission of the Episcopal Foundation of Wyoming. Each church in the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming was given $12000 at the beginning of the year and challenged to use it for mission. After a period of discernment, St. Mark’s decided to partner with the Holland + Hart Foundation in order to continue and strengthen FFB.

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Please join us for our first annual “Blessing of the Animals” celebration on Sunday, Oct. 4 at 4:00pm at City Park.

The Blessing of the Animals celebrates the special role our non-human companions play in our lives and is opportunity to give thanks to God for the rich diversity of creation. It is open to all species regardless of pedigree.

This service is being sponsored by On Sacred Ground of Casper: a collaborative project of the Wyoming Conservation Voters Education Fund and the Wyoming Association of Churches, Local Casper Faith communities and secular individuals, with support from the Wyoming Community Foundation. We seek to bring together people of different faith traditions and secular conservationists groups and individuals to support environmental stewardship and care for the Earth.

A free will donation will be taken with ½ of the proceeds given to the Casper Humane society.

For further information contact The Rev. Dee Lundberg at 307-266-4447

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Check out Region 4 Ministry Developer The Rev Doug Wasinger's blog on his week to week happenings: http://holypilgrimage2009.blogspot.com/

Contact Doug at doug@wyomingdiocese.org

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By The Rev Bob Edlan. Email: eldan@bresnan.net

The following positions will be voted on at the Diocesan Convention:

Diocesan Council
2 clergy person for a 3 year term
One adult communicant not over 19 years of age to be elected by youth delegates - 1 year term
Bishop appoints one person

Ecclesiastical Court
1 lay person for a 3 year term
1 clergy person for a 3 year term

Provincial Synod
3 lay persons for a 1 year term
3 clergy persons for a 1 year term

Standing Committee
1 lay person for a 3 year term
1 clergy person for a 3 year term

If you are interested in any of these positions please submit to Bob Eldan (nominations chair) your name along with a statement of why you fill suited by October 1 at the latest. Via email: eldan@bresnan.net, phone: 307-332-2075,
or mail:
249 Mount Arter Loop
Lander, Wyoming 82520-2921

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