Tuesday November 24, 2009

Hello and welcome to the November 24 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

Happy Thanksgiving! Please keep all the holiday travelers in your prayers this joyful holiday season.

It is moving time for the Diocese! The Diocese Office on Durbin Street, Casper is almost finished. Next week is the process of preparing to move and the following week (December 7) is the scheduled move day. Please keep this in mind when you call and/or email the Diocese office that the staff may not respond as quickly as they normally do (and their computers and phones might actually be offline for a time). They are doing everything possible to ensure there is a seamless transfer of technology to the newly remolded building, but sometimes life just happens. The mailing address and phone numbers will stay the same (123 S Durbin, Casper WY 82601 & 307.265.5200) and the move-in will be finished in time for the joint Foundation/Council meeting December 11.

As always, 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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St. Andrews Episcopal Church Basin-Greybull was the recipient of a $12,000 "Mustard Seed" check from the Diocese last January with instructions that it be used for some form of mission. All 48 of the Episcopal churches in Wyoming received similar checks. A "Mustard Seed" team which includes church members of all ages, has been meeting since January to discuss and discern the best use of the money. Several projects were settled on, one of which is already underway - improving our twice a year rummage sales with better display racks and tables, with an eye to eventually having an ongoing thrift shop. These sales are a boon to the community in providing good used clothing and housewares at reasonable prices while giving the church funds to be used in various local and state outreach programs. It was decided to also start giving 10% of the sale proceeds to a local charity or non-profit, and this time the Big Horn Basin Adolescent Programs will receive a check for $150 for their community Christmas baskets. Other projects include quarterly food baskets for needy families in the "off" months of January, April, July and October; Thanksgiving and Christmas "friendship" dinners for the community; and a new microloan program for youngsters hoping to buy livestock for 4-H or FFA projects. St. Andrews has served the Big Horn Basin for nearly 100 years at 401 South 8th Street, Basin, and strives to be a Christian community reaching out to all. For more information, email: schlattmann@tctwest.net

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We are excited to announce that the web site of St. Mark's Church (www.stmarkscasper.com ) has recently been updated thanks to the work of Clint Hernandez, our new 'site manager'. Please check the site on a regular basis for news, service schedules, and information about St. Mark's. Contact Clint by email (clintonhernandez@bresnan.net) or the office if you have anything you would like to have us consider for posting on the web site.

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By the Rev Warren Frelund, Deacon. Email: warren@wyomingdiocese.org

Region II Apostolic Team Meets

Saturday November 14, the Apostolic Team met at All Souls, Kaycee. Due to several of the team members serving on the Bishop Search Committee, our attendance was down.

Our purpose of our gathering was to engage in the exercise which was canceled during convention due to time constraints. Due to the smaller numbers each congregation in attendance presented an overview of their project. Both the successes and the roadblocks that each encountered were discussed. Helpful suggestions or examples of how a roadblock was addressed were offered. Everyone participated in the discussion and left with a better understanding of how the Mustard Seed projects are impacting the individual communities. In most cases the continuation of the projects was an objective for each church.

Our next meeting will be in January. We will hold a web conference to see how we do with the new technology in the diocese. The Apostolic Team meeting in February will focus on questions that will be presented to the candidates during the “walk about.”

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By the Rev Kathy Robinson. Email: kathy@wyomingdiocese.org

In Hartville, Our Saviour’s spent last Saturday eating, dancing and just plain visiting with friends and neighbors during their annual Fall Festival. In Lusk there was another of their monthly mustard seed dinners. Money was raised to help pay medical expenses for a community member while 134 people ate, played games and once again just visited with one another. At St. Stephen’s, a local support group that has used the church as their meeting place for years has offered to help them paint their parish hall and then to share a meal and – of course – there will be visiting. Douglas has been talking with the local Boys and Girls club about using their parish hall as part of an HR Camp project. And Glendo is continuing with a book study – using a book not about God or faith or church but rather about shop class.

What these activities have in common is that they are all about creating community. They are all about being God’s hands and feet in our world. Our challenge is to find ways to let people know that it is Jesus who calls us to reach out and touch others and that it is the Holy Spirit that gives us the energy and vision to make these things happen.

This is where evangelism comes in. Listening for the stories that are naturally a part of visiting with others and then intentionally reflecting on them with the two evangelism questions: Who are the people in God’s family? And how do they show God at work? Doing this over and over again until we begin to know the words that will speak to the hearts of minds of those who have never really heard the Good News. For in the end the greatest gift we have to share must always be the Good News of Jesus Christ.
 

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

Have you ever wondered what a Ministry Developer is thankful about? Check out this blog http://ministrydevelopmentregion4.blogspot.com/

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