Monday April 12, 2010

Hello and welcome to the April 12 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

A lot of great education and training going on right now! ECW just finished up their conference over the weekend (expect more on that in a future issue); the Latino/Hispanic Ministry work continues with a web-teleconference tomorrow; the Evangelism Committee meets again this week; and Thomas the Apostle Center has some new course offerings (that you can read about in this issue).

The new video conference network, provided by the Foundation for the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, is almost finished! Casper, Cheyenne, Cody, Kemmerer, and Jackson, Rawlins, and Wright all have working units...and by the end of the week, so will Douglas! Here are some pics from the Rawlins install: http://picasaweb.google.com/wyomingdiocese/RawlinsVideoConferenceInstall# . This system will be used to connect the diocese for meetings, workshops, classes, and possibly even worship! (yes, one of the Apostolic Teams is trying to figure that one out!). July 31, it will also be used to transmit (in high-definition) the consecration of Bishop Elect Smylie to the sites around Wyoming.

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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PREACHING IS A MINISTRY

Preaching is at the heart and soul of what we do in the ministry of the church. Ordained clergy have historically been the preachers that we rely upon. The Episcopal Church has a long tradition of preachers who are well educated and well informed. Most importantly, preaching a sermon should lead to life changing events in people’s lives. In Wyoming, we have added a new dimension to preaching. We have called out a good number of lay people to take up this calling. Lay preachers have become an important part of our ongoing ministry within many of our congregations.

Based on this premise, the Commission on Ministry (COM) has taken up the call by Bishop Caldwell to re-examine the licensing process for preachers in the diocese. His request is to have a new policy in place by the time our new bishop takes office in late July. In January the COM began the process of developing new guidelines that will assure the diocese continues the tradition of excellence in preaching. We plan to have these new guidelines in place by late summer and we will be requiring that everyone preaching sermons in the diocese be properly licensed by no later than December 31, 2011.

First of all we ask all congregations to note that the present licensing form is no longer valid. There will be a new form (without the bishop’s signature) available by July. New guidelines will be developed by the COM as well as a “competency” for the ministry of lay preaching. This will be designed to assist congregations in determining who is called to preach and what the basic qualifications need to be. This is not meant to discourage potential new preachers but rather to make sure that preachers understand the nature of this ministry and the particular skills they have to offer.

At this point the COM feels that congregational preaching oversight and supervision should rest with the rector, ministry developer, vestry and ultimately with the bishop. It is the intention of the COM to provide a process for discerning who our preachers will be and making it possible for them to receive the best ongoing training and evaluation to make this ministry a success. We will be providing resources like the on-line courses through the Episcopal Divinity School or the preaching workshops offered by the Thomas the Apostle Center to assist preachers in their ongoing training.

The COM realizes this will take a good bit of work and we will seek out assistance and suggestions from all of our congregations. We are convinced there are wonderfully qualified people out there who can make a difference in people’s lives through giving a sermon. We wish to help all preaching be that life-changing event in our lives.

The Rev. Warren Murphy, Chair
Commission on Ministry

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“We Can With God’s Help”
Summer Camp 2010

Summer will soon be here, and Wyoming Wilderness Camp will soon be free of winter snow and the hills will begin to turn green.

The camp schedules have been set and registration materials have been sent out to all of the Wyoming Episcopal Church’s, Wyoming public schools, and other Christian Church’s in Wyoming and surrounding states.
We are already receiving registrations at the Casper office and we hope to fill all of the camps this summer. All of the registration information, scholarship forms are available as downloads from the camp website at www.wyomingwildernesscamp.org . Here is a list of the camps being offered this summer:

Episcopal Sponsored Camps for 2010
Caregivers Camp: Adults – June 18-20 $225/person
Equestrian Camp- 6th-10th – June 27-July 2 - $500/camper
Middler I & II – 3rd & 4th, 5th & 6th , July 4-9, $400/camper
Family Camp – all ages, July 9-11, $225/family
Art,Music & Photography Camp – 6th-12th, July 11-16, $400/camper
Junior High Adventure – 7th & 8th, July 18-23 $400/camper
Big Horn Blast V – 8th-12th, Aug 1-6 $450/camper
Wind River Mission Camp –  6th-9th, Aug- 8-13 &450/camper

Outreach camps will include the Wyoming Boys and Girls Club and the Angel Camp for youth from Natrona County Schools, Project POWER with Platte County Schools, Environmental programs with Converse and Johnson County Schools, and leadership programs with the University of Wyoming and the Wyoming Rotary Club.

Please join us for a great summer at Wyoming Wilderness Camp! “We can with God’s Help” For more information contact Pat Walsh at 307.265.5200 or email: pat@wyomingdiocese.org

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Thomas the Apostle Center will be sponsoring a workshop entitled, “Seeking Jubilation: Developing Successful Outreach and Jubilee Ministries” to be held April 30- May 1 at TAC in Cody. This workshop is especially designed for church congregations that want to make a difference outside their walls and in the wider community. It is open to any congregation (Episcopal or otherwise) or church leaders desiring to know how to make this kind of ministry effective.

The “Seeking Jubilation” workshop is a follow up to a similar event sponsored by TAC in 2008. That event gathered representatives of certified “Jubilee Centers” in Wyoming and those churches wishing to become Jubilee Centers. A Jubilee Center is one that is dedicated to social change and service in a local community. This year’s workshop will not only be for Jubilee Centers, but also for congregations that wish to learn more about effective community ministry.

“Seeking Jubilation” will be led by The Rev. Warren Murphy ( TAC Program Director and former Director of the Wyoming Association of Churches), Mary Ellen Honsaker (Jubilee Officer of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming) and the Rev. Tim Serson (long time pastor of Faith Lutheran Church in Lander) who is a veteran of numerous church outreach programs in Fremont County. Participants will receive first hand knowledge about successful outreach programs and receive an update on what the Jubilee Centers have been doing.

The theme of the workshop will be on discovering what it takes to plan and carry out community outreach ministry. Participants will focus on the differences between social work, social action and social justice. Ideas will be shared on how churches can make this kind of work into ministry. It will also cover how to generate volunteers and find financial resources to carry out this kind of congregational mission.

Warren Murphy states, “The Wyoming Episcopal Church recently moved in this direction with the creation of the Mustard Seed Project”. He went on to say, “This workshop is especially designed for those who wish to follow through on their Mustard Seed ministry and continue with local church involvement”. Those who would most benefit are any church leaders (both clergy and lay) who wish to see their congregation engaged in this kind of life changing work.

There is no cost for the workshop and TAC is offering free accommodations for the first fourteen registrants. This is all made possible through a generous grant from the Episcopal Foundation of the Diocese of Wyoming. The workshop will begin at 5 PM on Friday, April 30, with dinner and run through Saturday, May 1, with lunch. Please register by calling 307-587-4400 or on-line at thomap@tritel.net.

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RAISING UP YOUR CONGREGATION
A Short Course on Church Administration

The Thomas the Apostle Center announces an upcoming workshop on MAY 8 in Rock Springs entitled, RAISING UP YOUR CONGREGATION. This course will focus on church administration and will be especially designed for clergy, vestry members and church administrators both paid and volunteer. This course will include practical organizational information such as how to do proper record keeping, maintain parish registers, develop budgets, run efficient meetings, prepare for an increasingly technological future and develop communication and marketing techniques. Representatives of any congregation, both Episcopal and otherwise, are welcome to participate.

RAISING UP YOUR CONGREGATION is made possible thanks to a grant from the Episcopal Foundation of the Diocese of Wyoming. The Rock Springs workshop will be held from 9 AM until 3 PM at Holy Communion Episcopal Church. There is no cost and lunch will be provided. There is no limitation on the amount of attendees. It is the first "TAC on the road" educational program offered in 2010. Two more such offerings will be held later this year in Cheyenne and Buffalo.

The Rev. Warren Murphy of Cody will lead the workshop. Warren has over 33 years of experience administering congregations and not for profit programs in Wyoming. He has served parishes in Little Snake River, Lander, the Shoshone Mission and Cody. Most recently he has served as Director of the Wyoming Association of Churches. Andrew Kerr, Communications Director of the Episcopal diocesan office, who will present the section on the latest communications technology, will join him. Also joining the workshop this year will be Jessica Reynolds, diocesan office administrator.

Warren stated, " This workshop is designed to help those in charge of congregational administration maintain an efficient office so that others in the congregation may effectively do their ministries". He went on to say, “ There are many changes taking place in the world of not for profits and churches are affected by all of them”. Andrew Kerr will again be offering innovative tips on how church congregations can utilize technology to save money and market their ministry to the wider community.

To enroll in the workshop please contact TAC at thomap@tritel.net or call them at 307-587-4400. Enrollees will receive information on how to prepare for the gathering. Contact TAC for any further information.

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

Ok who let Jesus out of the tomb? It sure got busy around here! Check out Doug’s blog and find out what he is talking about! http://ministrydevelopmentregion4.blogspot.com/

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