Friday October 16, 2009

Hello and welcome to the October 16 edition of the eSpirit of Wyoming!

Convention is over and the Mustard Seed Mission Projects have been reported on to convention, but the work goes on! We still want to hear about your projects and help you get the information out. 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.

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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By Ms. Linda Fleming. Email: lfleming22@yahoo.com

The main focus of St. Paul’s Mustard Seed Project is to provide and enhance the services available to the seniors in the Little Snake River Valley community. The goals are to provide enhanced services now and to also lead in future projects of providing transportation, health care and housing options for the residents of this rural community.

The week of September 21, sixteen members and friends of St. Paul’s Episcopal Church in Dixon took a four day trip to northern Wyoming and Yellowstone. Eleven of the members were age 65 or older. Many could not have traveled on the trip without physical assistance. Each participant paid their own expenses, but the arrangement for the trip was part of the outreach of St. Paul’s. The group left by automobiles from Baggs on Sept. 21 and made stops at Thermopolis at the Hot Springs State Park, and the Legend of the Rocks. The first night was spent at Thomas the Apostle Center in Cody. The group enjoyed lodging, a gourmet dinner, a compline service, and breakfast at the retreat center.

Day 2 and Day 3 of the trip included stops at the Heart Mountain Historical Site between Cody and Powell, the spectacular drive over Chief Joseph Scenic Highway to Cooke City, Montana, and the usual visitor sites in Yellowstone and Teton National Park. Lodging was in Gardner, Montana and Dubois, Wyoming. A highlight of the trip for many was visiting the Chapel of Transfiguration flanked by the stately Tetons on a clear blue, crisp fall afternoon. God’s creation was overwhelming.

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By Mr. John Peacock. Email: john@wyomingdiocese.org

Mustard Seed: Telling the Story

A highlight of Convention was the series of Mustard Seed stories told by representatives of various churches. If you have not already done so, please let me encourage you to share these stories--and others--with your local newspaper, radio or other media outlets.

Take a look at the sample press release that follows and adapt it for your own needs. If your local media runs it, be sure to thank them! Generally speaking, I never complain if it is not published--the goal here is really to cultivate a good, working relationship with your media contacts.

for immediate release

<Date>, <City or Town>......St. Martin's Episcopal Church, along with all 48 churches in the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming, received a $12000 "Mustard Seed" check last January with instructions to use it for some form of Mission.

After a period of discernment, the Church decided to use the money to <insert your story here....tell a little bit about your project and who it benefits...include quotes from church leaders, volunteers working on the project and, most importantly, from those benefiting from the project...> <attach pictures or, better yet and if possible, invite the media to come and see the project>

Add a closing paragraph telling a bit about the church itself such as...St. Martin's has served Haworth and the surrounding area for over 100 years. Founded in 1902, the Church is located at 112 Elm Street. St. Martin's is currently being served by The Rev. xxxx and its Senior Warden is xxx xxxx.
 

If you need help, please call upon me (john@wyomingdiocese.org) or Andrew Kerr (andrew@wyomingdiocese.org). Phone: 307.265.5200

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

“The times they are a’ chang’in”

In all the traveling I do from church to church there is a sense that something new is “a foot”. For some people this seems to create anxiety, for others excitement. This invitation to change always seems to pop up in the most unexpected places.

This past year, St. George’s in Lusk has seen a number of new families visit them on Sundays. One family in particular, with three children in elementary school, has found a home there and have asked to have their kids baptized. When the woman who does confirmation and now prebaptismal counseling asked me for some materials, I automatically sent her the program I have seen used for teaching parents and godparents their responsibility in nurturing their children in faith. Several weeks later I asked her how it was going, and reluctantly she told me that this was not the kind of materials she was hoping to find. What she wanted was a set of lessons to use with the children, not the adults.

This made perfect sense, but I had never thought about it before. All the baptisms I have been a part of had been with infants, adults or children at least of confirmation age. So I looked at all the major publishing houses (Church Publishing, Augsburg, etc.). Nothing. Then I googled the internet – nothing. Finally, I called Jenifer Gamber from convention. I figured if anyone would have lessons for children, it would be her. Nothing. She in turn put my request out on a list serve of 300 Christian educators. Again nothing.

It was then that I realized why I was having such a hard time finding something so basic. Historically, the Episcopal Church has practiced infant baptism. And as our Presiding Bishop told us at convention, we filled their pews with the children of members.

But now to survive we need to reach out beyond our church walls and invite new people who have never been Episcopalian into our communities. To welcome them and serve them will require new ways of thinking - always grounded in our tradition and the gospel but at the same time able to offer hospitality to everyone who chances to cross the thresholds of our churches.

Yes the times they are a’chang’n and for me this offers us a wonderful gift.
-Kathy Robinson

P.S. If anyone out there has prebaptismal lessons for children please let me know.
 

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Christmas is still a couple of months away, but now is the time to start thinking about giving...

As the holidays begin drawing near, Episcopal Relief & Development is enabling friends and supporters to honor loved ones with alternative gifts that benefit people living in poverty around the world. Through the Gifts for Life Christmas
catalog, you can:

• Provide hot meals for school children to ensure they receive the necessary nutrition to grow, stay healthy and do well in their studies.
• Help families protect themselves through clean water and learning about basic hygiene and nutrition.
• Supply seeds, tools and training to establish a community garden that will be a reliable source of food for residents.

We're pleased to offer an expanded catalog and online store just in time for the holidays," said Episcopal Relief & Development President Rob Radtke. "With a wide range of gifts, people of all ages can help others in need. I'm especially excited about our new Green Gifts
section, which includes opportunities such as a solar energy system. This system will provide a family with an ongoing power source that's healthy for both people and the environment."

The upgraded Gifts for Life online store features expanded price categories that make it easy for customers to find selections at every level, as well as an improved electronic card process that provides more choices for honoring recipients with an e-card greeting.

In addition to personal stories from people who have improved their lives through Episcopal Relief & Development programs, this year's catalog also features individuals and groups who have previously given Gifts for Life. These examples provide great ideas for ways that others can become involved, whether during the holidays or at other special times throughout the year.

To learn more about Gifts for Life and give a life-changing holiday gift, please visit: www.er-d.org/GiftsforLife . For more information or to support one of the many other programs through which Episcopal Relief & Development is healing a hurting world, you can view our main website at  www.er-d.org or call 1-800-334-7626, ext. 5129. Gifts can be mailed to Episcopal Relief & Development, PO Box 7058,
Merrifield, VA 22116-7058.

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From The Episcopal Church Office of Public Affairs

Around One Table: Groundbreaking report showcases Episcopal identity
“A beautiful tapestry woven together into something we call identity”
 

A groundbreaking report that describes how Episcopalians look at their church has been released with plans for future use.

Finding that more unites than divides The Episcopal Church, the comprehensive report, called Around One Table, highlights the many attributes and feelings that are common to Episcopalians. “Around One Table is a multi-layered initiative designed to engage people in constructive conversations about the identity and mission of the Episcopal Church and how that relates to their lives and ministries,” the report states.

The Around One Table report, along with videos and other useful information, are available at: www.episcopalchurch.org/aroundonetable

This first-of-its-kind report cites among the top findings: “Episcopalians passionately want their church to hold Christ as central and believe their church attempts to do so. Episcopalians see the Church both actually and ideally as a people of the book whose faith is united by and expressed in their Book of Common Prayer. Episcopalians view their Church as both aspiring to hold and successfully expressing a sacramental understanding of the Christian life and relationship with God.”

“Understanding who we are is essential to knowing what our task is,” said Presiding Bishop Katharine Jefferts Schori. “Sometimes we sum up that quest for understanding as knowing ‘who we are, whose we are, and where we’re going.’ Around One Table offers Episcopalians an objective tool to use in discovering how the broader community of Episcopalians is answering those questions.”

Especially important at a time when some are discussing division within the Church, Around One Table illustrates the many commonalities among members of The Episcopal Church.

“The findings are broad in scope, richly descriptive in content, and current in reflecting Episcopal identity as expressed by Episcopalians themselves,” noted Dr. Mathew Sheep, assistant professor at Illinois State University and primary researcher in the Episcopal Identity Project. “When navigating the whitewater of change and the uncertainty that sometimes ebbs and flows around it, what is core to an organization’s identity is such a crucial foundation from which to build and grow.”

Around One Table was sponsored by the College for Bishops and CREDO Institute, Inc., and is based on the Episcopal Identity Project conducted by researchers from the University of Cincinnati, Pennsylvania State University and Illinois State University. The Around One Table report was written by the Rev. Dr. David Gortner of Virginia Theological Seminary, and three Episcopal Identity Project researchers: Dr. Elaine Hollensbe of the University of Cincinnati; Dr. Mathew Sheep of Illinois State University; and Dr. Glen Kreiner of the Pennsylvania State University.

“Around One Table offers a mirror to reflect upon The Episcopal Church and its perceived identities,” commented Dr. Timothy Sedgwick, professor at Virginia Theological Seminary and member of the College For Bishops Advisory Committee. “The breadth of perceptions--bishops, clergy, retired clergy, and members of congregation--offers an account persons will recognize as the Episcopal Church they know with all its struggles and diversity. A center, though, is clear: the Episcopal Church understanding of Christian faith as Christ centered, grounded in Scripture, born by the church as sacramental, mediated by the Book of Common Prayer, and creating a pastoral community.”

Episcopal Identity

Based on years of extensive research, the primary goal of Around One Table is to discuss Episcopal identity. To that end, the research discovered 23 identity themes that Episcopalians used most often to describe themselves.

President of the House of Deputies Bonnie Anderson noted, “If we, The Episcopal Church, cannot articulate who we are, how on earth can we evangelize others? How can we possibly expect God’s Church to grow if we don’t have the words to explain ourselves?”

She continued, “How do we know if we are on the ‘right track’ if we can’t say what track we are on? The Episcopal church is a complex organization, but just how complex are we? If the term, ‘Catholic light’ is a default description that we sometimes use in explaining our identity as the Episcopal Church, then Around One Table is essential for reflection and discussion.”

The report notes that Around One Table is a “mirror for those inside The Episcopal Church and a window for those outside” by exploring four major areas: how Episcopalians understand the identity and character of the church; ways that members identify with the church on many levels; how Episcopalians talk with and about each other; and how Episcopalians “respond to challenging issues.”

Who was surveyed?

The multi-method study collected data between 2004-2008, based on 2569 surveys and 75 interviews including bishops, lay and clergy deputies, seminary deans, active and retired clergy, and laity.

The detailed breakdown of the 2569 surveys is: 92 bishops; 414 active clergy; 385 retired clergy; 674 lay and clergy General Convention deputies; and 1004 laity. The 75 interviews were conducted with: 22 bishops; 14 General Convention deputies; 18 lay and ordained leaders representing various positions and concerns; and 21 Episcopalians who have garnered media attention in the past.

Findings

Findings in this pioneering report include:

-“Episcopalians passionately want their church to hold Christ as central and believe their church attempts to do so.

-“Episcopalians see the Church both actually and ideally as a people of the book whose faith is united by and expressed in their Book of Common Prayer.

-“Episcopalians view their Church as both aspiring to hold and successfully expressing a sacramental understanding of the Christian life and relationship with God.

-“Episcopalians view the church as committed to sacramental and incarnational understanding.

-“The Episcopal Church gathers around the Book of Common Prayer as one of its core unifying features and most profound expressions of faith.

-“Episcopalians see their Church as holding multiple theological perspectives, both locally and broadly, and have a deep appreciation for this aspect of Episcopal life.

-“Episcopalians would very much like to de-emphasis any notion of their church as elite.”

“Even among those who most strongly disagree with one another, there is some deeply held common agreement about core themes that are most central to Episcopal identity – holding Christ as central, ordering around the Book of Common Prayer and a sacramental life of faith, emphasizing scripture, holding incarnational theology as important, and being pastoral in response to life’s challenges,” observed Gortner. “The findings also provide some exciting opportunities for deeper discussion about how Episcopalians choose to live and express what is most central, enduring, and distinctive about their shared Christian life and faith.”

Uses for Episcopalians

“I hope that this material will be used to enrich conversations, guide theological and biblical discussion, help all Christians in the Episcopal Church become more articulate about what they believe their Church stands for, and encourage decision-making that takes into account the central versus more peripheral concerns of our Church,” Gortner said.

Noted Anderson, “In the Around One Table report, the Church is presented with a springboard for conversation and reflection about Episcopal Identity.”

Sedgwick agreed. “Around One Table opens conversations for newcomers to the church and old timers in the church. It holds the promise of creating deeper understandings of the faith shared in common and of making sense of areas of disagreement and conflict.”

The Presiding Bishop concluded, “The findings of this study will be important in shaping understandings of identity and mission, as well as guiding formation for all Episcopalians. Conversations prompted by Around One Table have the ability to strengthen relationships within and beyond this Church as we seek to live as faithful members of this part of Christ’s body.”

Additionally, the findings delineated in Around One Table will contribute to a larger overall communication strategy for The Episcopal Church

The Episcopal Church, with 110 dioceses in 16 nations, is a member province of the worldwide Anglican Communion.

The Episcopal Church: www.episcopalchurch.org
Around One Table: www.episcopalchurch.org/aroundonetable
CREDO: http://www.episcopalcredo.org
College for Bishops: http://www.collegeforbishops.org/
IamEpiscopalian: http://www.iamepiscopalian.org/

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