The Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming Diocesan Council Meeting Minutes January 12-13, 2018 Diocesan Office, Casper, noon-noon

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1 The Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming Diocesan Council Meeting Minutes January 12-13, 2018 Diocesan Office, Casper, noon-noon In Attendance: Bishop John Smylie, Roger St. Clair, Joe Wildman, The Rev. Jim Shumard, Linda Seaton, The Rev. Doug Wasinger, Tom Johnson, Peggy Hotchkiss, Jackie Hotle, Melissa Hyde, The Rev. Canon Joel Dingman, The Rev. Roxanne Friday, Jessica Reynolds, and Genie Easton. The Rev. Doug Wasinger provided an opening prayer. Bishop Smylie welcomed the group to the meeting and called for any changes or addition to the agenda. A report on HR camp will be added to Joel s report. The Rev. Doug Wasinger made a motion to approve the minutes from the October meeting. Peggy Hotchkiss 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. Bishop s Report: The Bishop informed Council that Walt and Janet Seeley have been called as co-rectors to Trinity, Lander.. John Inserra has been called to a new congregation in the Diocese of West Texas. A search committee has been formed in Sheridan for a new rector, but they are honoring the time John has left. The congregation is coming at this search with strength and confidence not fear and anguish which is a wonderful thing. Pinedale is in transition. Joel is working with them in a traditional process and they will not be seeking an interim. They are also in a place of confidence and strength. Tom Fiske has been called and accepted a call in St. George, Utah. The Bishop noted that this would be a good opportunity for challenge and growth for Tom. Gillette will move forward with a Priest in Charge model, giving the congregation and the interim an opportunity for mutual discernment. At this time there are still no results from the communications survey. It is the Bishops intentions to have Fresh Expressions be a major push for the 2018 year. The Bishop is currently looking for a fresh expressions coordinator and would like 12 lay members to join a committee. Immersion of fresh expressions will take place in Leicester in September of

2 2018. Once the committee has been formed they will discern experience, theology, teaching, learning, and the development of fresh expressions from this trip to Leicester. The new Lenten program Playful Disruptions will be renamed to Graceful Disruptions. This program is intended to help us understand our avoidance of change and in turn to help bring new ideas out of accepting change. Tracie Soller the Region 5 representative would like to resign. Joe Wildman motions to accept her resignation with regret and prayers. Peggy 2 nd. The Bishop will appoint a new region 5 representative. No further discussion. Motion carried. There was a brief review of the responsibilities of Diocesan Council as written in the Canons. The Rev. Roxanne Friday: See attached report. Roxanne gave her report. Roxanne s position helps discern what is needed from the Diocese to renew the circle and help share God s grace on the reservation. Financials: Jessica gave an in-depth look at the Diocesan financials. She went over both the balance sheet and budget vs actual line by line. Chancellor Report: Peter gave his report. Peter noted that he does not represent each congregation. If there are questions from individual congregations the questions should be fielded through Jessica and then the Chancellor can offer a legal opinion on behalf of the Diocese. HR Camp Committee Report: Joel will be referring with the Chancellor to begin a contract with the Man and the Mountain ministries, noting that there is no discussion of for the sale of the camp. Jessica will find the Deed and Will for HR camp. Canon Report: Joel gave a report on upcoming youth events. So far this year, there is a Ski trip to Jackson, a youth trip to General Convention, several camps at Thunderhead, a weekend convocation in August at Thunderhead and a UW Football game. The Bishop will be joining the youth at the UW football game in September of Housing Resolutions: Bishop made a motion to approve $28,000 for housing allowance for Lori Modesitt Joe 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. 2

3 Bishop made a motion to approve $28,689 for housing allowance for Joel. Roger 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. Bishop made a motion to approve $12,120 for housing allowance for Roxanne. Joe 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. Doug made a motion to approve $36,000 for housing allowance for Bishop. Jim 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. Doug Wasinger provided a closing prayer and the meeting was adjourned until Saturday morning. Saturday: Region 1 - Shirley Wildman: Joe read the attached report. Region 2 Doug Wasinger: Doug reported that Wright is doing well and currently having their annual clothing exchange. Newcastle has a long-term supply priest Tom Campbell that has been having some health problems and Doug asked for our prayers. They also recently had sewer collapse that they are dealing with. As mentioned earlier in this meeting Tom Fiske from Gillette has received a call to St. George, Utah, but that Gillette is on a good path. Kaycee is trying to jumpstart a youth initiative. They have had 2 children pass of suicide and are working hard for suicide prevention. Sundance is having a vestry workshop with Joel and things are going well. Buffalo is focusing on Suicide prevention training with the theme of Food, Fun, and Fellowship. Region 3 Tom Johnson: Tom reported that Torrington is working on their plan for the Suicide Prevention trainings. They continue to work with other churches in the area for events. Their backpack program is thriving serving approximately 400 families every week. Douglas has finished construction on their church. Wheatland had a good turnout for their deanery day. Lusk is excitedly sending George to the Iona School. Casper and Glenrock continue to get together for epiphany services and St. Stephen s is still partnering with the Presbyterians for events. St. Mark s is currently focusing on youth and get a Lenten program together as well as trying to expand their food closet ministry. Region 4 Peggy Hotchkiss: See attached report. Joe made a motion to not distribute any of the Edith May Adams earnings for Peggy 2 nd. No Further Discussion. Motion carried. 3

4 Peggy made a motion to continue to lease the bell removed from the church in Hanna to the Museum in Hanna for another year. Jim 2 nd. No further discussion. Motion carried. Tom asked for continued input on HR camp. The Bishop requested that Tom, Linda and Joel write an article on the importance of continued discernment of the future of HR camp. The Rev. Doug Wasinger provided a closing prayer. Meeting adjourned at 10:55 Respectfully submitted by Genie Easton 4

5 WIND RIVER RESERVATION COORDINATOR REPORT January 12, 2018 Wind River Reservation Coordinator I would like to introduce myself, as the Wind River Reservation Coordinator. My name is Rev. Roxanne Friday. I am an enrolled Eastern Shoshone Tribal member, and have been married for 32 years to my husband Aaron, an enrolled Northern Arapaho Tribal member. I have three grown children, and five grandchildren. I was ordained into the Sacred Order of Priests in the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming on May 26, I started my employment with the Wyoming Diocese on November 1, This position calls to me, to begin the communication of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming and the people of the Wind River Indian Reservation about beginning a Wisdom Center for Spirituality. This is a time of bridging the relationships needed to uplift the Native population about their spirituality and to help share in that worship with those throughout the State. I bring experience of working in the Tribal Governments of the Eastern Shoshone and the Northern Arapaho Tribes, the Fremont County Government, Federal and State grant programs, with focus on compliance and reporting. This position is scheduled to be a three year project, God willing. Wisdom Center for Spirituality The Wisdom Center for Spirituality is tied into this position with the thoughts in mind of bridging the Natives and Non-Natives in their spiritual journeys. The goal in my first year is to find resources that can be tapped into for gaining support financially, spiritually, and technically to reach a position of planning that we may see fruitful changes to the Churches on the Reservation. The establishment of base level ideas in sharing cultural meditations and songs; and to expand spiritual experiences inside and outside the Church will be another focus this year. I hope to create the WCS headquarters, and prove the need for this new idea by gathering as much pictures, videos, and social media information of the activities that are part of the community where St. Michael s Mission and St. David s Mission are located including surrounding areas. There is a lot of work needed to repair, reconstruct, or remodel the buildings of St. Michael s where this Center is proposed to be located. With your prayers, we will see where we are by the end of Youth Involvement and Opportunities My radar includes the youth in our communities and the opportunities for them. With the help and knowledge of active community members, the needs of our youth will be obtained in the search for new or other resources needed to build a bigger base at both St. Michael s and St. David s Missions for youth participation. I ve receive information that a youth choir is wanted by St. David s young adults. This is still in the thought process and we will see if this is one we can get off the ground. The new playground at St. Michael s Circle in Ethete sees around 30 kids a day during good weather and where visiting families gather. Thank you to the Diocese for your involvement in the playground upgrade. If we build it, they will come; the children are enjoying this place. And one final note, both Churches (OFH and St. David s) have seen an increase in youth attendance. Respectfully Submitted, Rev. Roxanne Friday

6 SHIRLEY WILDMAN REGION 1 REPORT Christ Church- Cody At Christ Church we are welcoming the New Year by hosting a regional Acolyte Gathering on Saturday and Sunday of MLK Weekend - January 13/14. I'm attaching the draft agenda both as a reminder to folks and as information for you to bring to diocesan council. We are beginning a study of Mark on Sunday mornings - authored by the lovely and talented John and Jane in Texas. We used their Corinthians Study last fall and it was well received. Our Iona School Students are gathering a small group to lead an 8 session study on responding to sticky (adaptive) challenge and we are looking forward to what might surface in that work. A small group is planning a pilgrimage to England in June "Anglican Ancient and Modern" where we will look at how our friends in England are responding to the sticky challenge of shrinking church size. This includes visiting with folks in Leicester about Fresh Expressions they are developing there. St. Andrew's, Meeteetse report - After Lori's Vacation Bible School this summer we were inspired to get our Church School up and active again! We finished our Fall/Winter session with a Nativity Play on Dec. 17. We had kids attending (and a couple who showed up to be in the play!). We'll do another session after the New Year. Christmas Eve Service was a full house with 51 in attendance. Fr. Joe Galligan officiated. We also hosted the Community Thanksgiving Service which was also well attended. We had people attending and participating from each of the other churches in town. Our Outreach Committee continues to be active. Our most 11 interesting 11 case recently was two men who were attempting to get from Cody to Casper (to the homeless shelter} in a wheelchair - in December I We ended up helping them get to Billings to the shelter there. Our Outreach Committee has also become, by default, the head of the Meeteetse Community Christmas Basket program. Our Annual meeting will be Jan. 14. We haven 1 t done our Suicide Prevention Training yet (we actually did one in March, 2017 but plan on another}. We are trying to coordinate with the school to offer both a youth/high School and Adult program. It's happening slower than I would have liked - in large part because the Guidance Counselor is new and a bit overwhelmed. St. John's Powell They are finishing up the construction at the church.

7 They had a busy Advent Season TAC Open House dates: Saturday March 17, 10am -12pm, and Friday April 20, 4pm-7pm. We invite all the members of the Diocesan Council to attend one of the open houses. TAC is a great facility with outstanding amenities that we look forward to promoting. We ended 2017 strong with our overall numbers up from previous years. Several groups (a wedding party, 2 family reunions, a group coming to celebrate the summer solstice with a two day l abyrinth event and another weed identification workshop) are already scheduled in This winter we plan to replace flooring and paint the bedrooms on the second floor of the west house. When that task is complete we will have repainted every room and replaced all flooring in both buildings. TAC looks great and stands as a new retreat paradigm. We are welcoming three new Board Members, Shirley Stephens, Tara Kuipers, and Gretchen Heinrich, who bring amazing skills and community networks will be an exciting year for TAC. HOLY TRINITY- THERMOPOLIS Had a very busy Advent Season I They did the Salvation Army Bell ringing around Thermopolis. They also did Christmas basket for families in the community. On December 20, Lin held a Blue Christmas Service. Lin may want to tell you more about the Blue Healing Services St. Alban's- Worland Fr. Ed is out on Emergency Sabbatical, for three months, due to his health issues related to treatment for cancer. He has finished his radiation and chemo. On the 29 th of January he will meet with his doctor's to determine whether or not he will have surgery or more treatments. Please keep him and Rita in your prayers. During Advent we held evening prayer services, and soup supper and a time of sharing ofthe season. Tom Kletoer and Jeanie was for Christmas Eve Service

8 REGION IV DIOCESAN COUNCIL REPORT News from Around the Region Compiled by Peggy Hotchkiss January 2018

9 REGION IV VISITED HR CAMP IN AUGUST 2017

10 ST. CHRISTOPHER S, CHEYENNE

11 CHRISTMAS AT ST. CHRISTOPHER S

12 THANKSGIVING DINNER AND HOLIDAY BAZAAR

13 LAY MINISTRY TRAINING.

14 HALLOWEEN TRUNK OR TREAT AND CARNIVAL

15 BLESSING OF THE ANIMALS

16 PRAYER SERVICE FOR HEALING AND SUICIDE PREVENTION September 2017 With the Rev. Jim Stewart and the Rev. David McElwain

17 SUICIDE VICTIMS FENCE The six hundred white crosses represent the number of veterans who die by suicide each month. The crosses were displayed at the VA Medical Center last year. This year, St. Christopher s volunteered to create a display on their fence along Pershing Boulevard. Members of St. Christopher s hung the crosses on September 1 st. The crosses remained on the fence throughout September.

18 SUICIDE WALK Several members of St. Christopher s Church participated in the Walk of Grace in Cheyenne, sponsored by Grace For 2 Brothers, a suicide prevention and education organization.

19 ECLIPSE PARTY Members of St. Christopher s Church joined folks from Our Savior s Church, Hartville, for a party and viewing of the total solar eclipse on August 21 st.

20 SUMMER STAR PARTIES St. Christopher s folk gather to look at the stars through telescopes and make and eat s mores!

21 ST. MARK S, CHEYENNE

22 GIRLFRIENDS UNLIMITED HOLIDAY TEA PARTY

23 BETSEY TAGGART, MUSIC DIRECTOR, AND LINDA MCELWAIN, BANNER CREATOR

24 STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL, A CELEBRATION OF THE EARLY DAYS OF ST. MARK S CHURCH

25 COLTER ANDERSON Colter is a youth member of St. Mark s. He was chosen to speak at the service celebrating 150 Years of Faith in Cheyenne at the Civic Center on August 6 th.

26 ST. MARK S YOUTH GAVE A TOUR OF THE CHURCH BELL TOWER IN OCTOBER.

27 CHILDREN S CHAPEL

28 YOUTH GROUP POOL PARTY

29 YOUTH GROUP MEMBERS SERVED A MEAL TO FAMILIES WHO STAYED AT THE CHURCH DURING FAMILY PROMISE WEEK

30 PLUS NUMEROUS ONGOING MINISTRIES, INCLUDING Friday Food Bags Prayer group Family Promise Several girlfriend groups, for fun and service Veterans ministry Daughters of the King Bible study Men s coffee

31 ST. LUKE S, MEDICINE BOW

32 THE CONVENTION BANNER The Rev. Dr. Candice Corrigan created the banner, which is an image of one of the stained glass windows in the church.

33 BUILDING MAINTENANCE Maintenance continues to be a challenge. The furnace made horrible noises during the Christmas Eve service. The repair man said the blower mounts are broken and a new blower unit is required. Finding a part for such an old furnace will be a challenge. A new furnace may be essential.

34 ST. LUKE S MEMBERS PRESENTING A CHECK TO THE MEDICINE BOW SENIOR CENTER. The funds were provided by the foundation s poverty alleviation grants and are used to help pay for lunches for seniors who cannot afford the meal price.

35 FELLOWSHIP The congregation continues to gather for a potluck after-church lunch and fellowship time. The food is excellent! (Council rep s opinion.) Shown here are the Rev. Arlen Rounds and his wife, Ida Mae, on the church lawn after a summer service.

36 WORSHIP The Rev. Arlen Rounds continues to serve the congregation as priest. The Rev. Dr. Candice Corrigan assists Arlen. The congregation meets on the 2 nd, 4 th, and 5 th Sundays of the month. Peggy Hotchkiss is doing an internship at St. Luke s as part of the requirements of the Wyoming Iona School. She visits the congregation quarterly.

37 LOSS OF SENIOR WARDEN The congregation was stunned by the sudden death, last Friday, of their Senior Warden, Wallace (Wally) Burnett, pictured here in 2013 with his wife Patricia. Wally s memorial service is Saturday, January 13 th at St. Luke s.

38 ST. THOMAS CHURCH, RAWLINS

39 BISHOP S VISITATION IN AUGUST

40 GRAND OPENING OF THE RENOVATED CHOIR LOFT The Choir Loft re-opened on July 29 th, with a ribbon cutting and lots of food.

41 THE RENOVATED CHOIR LOFT The Choir Loft, the church s thrift store, underwent extensive renovation, thanks to support from the Foundation. The shop is located in Kraft Hall, adjacent to the church. The building was rewired, floors were refurbished, the interior and exterior were painted, and half the roof was replaced. The first half of the roof was replaced in The front porch, which was in bad shape, was replaced.

42 A RECEPTION TO HONOR THE REV. KAREN BUCKINGHAM Karen began a leave of absence in September. The Rev. Dr. Candice Corrigan is serving the congregation one Sunday a month. Other services are led by a team of lay Worship Leaders.

43 ST. PAUL S, DIXON (LITTLE SNAKE RIVER VALLEY)

44 NEW ROOF The roof was in progress when the last Council report was presented. The project now is finished!

45 ARK AMAZING RIVER KIDS Children presented their annual Christmas program in December. The top left photo shows the shepherds during practice for the program; they were sleeping in the fields! Fifty-two children participated. Pizza and birthday cake were served to children and their families after the program.

46 The ARK program was recognized by the Diocese of Wyoming as one of two WOW programs in the diocese! The youth delegate took her job seriously. CONVENTION

47 ADVENT AND EPIPHANY STUDIES The church hosted a study during Advent and has begun an Epiphany study. Members of the congregation are shown planning the Epiphany study.

48 TRIP TO NINE MILE CANYON AND VERNAL, UTAH Each year, about 10 members of the congregation participate in a one-night or two-night trip. For some elderly participants, this trip is their summer vacation. This year, the group visited Nine Mile Canyon and Vernal, Utah.

49 OUTREACH Poverty Alleviation Funds were used to support the Baggs Senior Center (photo), preschool scholarships, Community Center stipends for kids who could not participate without a membership fee of $20.00, Senior Services birthday dinners, and support for the local community newspaper. All had reduced funding because of the downturn in the gas industry in the Little Snake River community.

50 DRESSES FOR KITETO

51 FOOD PANTRY AND CHRISTMAS BASKETS Four resident churches sponsor Christmas baskets and the Food Bank in the community. It is housed at St. Luke's in Baggs. St. Paul's is the lead on the Food Bank projects.

52 SUMMER THANKSGIVING AND COMPLINE Compline was held during the summer in parishioners yards or in nearby campgrounds.

53 SUNDAY WORSHIP Services are led by a lay minister or by the Rev. Linda Fleming

54 ST. JAMES CHURCH, ENCAMPMENT

55 KEEPING THE DOORS OPEN St. James has been without a priest for several years. Parishioners lead Sunday services. One Sunday a month, the Rev. Karen Buckingham celebrates the Eucharist at St. James Church.

56 THE NEW(ISH)PARISH HALL For decades, the church had no restroom or parish hall. With support from the Foundation, a parish hall, kitchen, and restroom were added to the building a few years ago. The space is now used by the congregation, as well as by the community.

57 THE NEW MEETING ROOM IS AN OUTREACH MINISTRY The parish hall is used by a group of women quilters. Their weekend quilt gathering took place in May. On the following Sunday, the pews in the church were adorned with new quilts! The quilts are donated to a Hospice program in Colorado, with which one of the quilters is connected.

58 ST. BARNABAS CHURCH, SARATOGA

59 BIKES FOR KIDS Our Bikes for Kids ministry served several dozen kids and adults last summer. Ralph Hicks and Michael Day repaired dozens of both child- and adult-sized bikes. Adult bikes were sold for a donation or given to a needy recipient. One mom was given a bicycle, only to have it stolen a few days later. Ralph took a photo of the bike, with the serial number, to the police department and reported the theft. Then he gave the mom a new bike. It was her only means of transportation.

60 FARMERS MARKET St. Barnabas Church hosted the community Farmers Market, held each Wednesday afternoon on the lawn of the Agape House. Proceeds from the market were used to purchase cooking supplies for our Cookies and Kids ministry.

61 Support from the Foundation enabled us to breathe new life into the old vicarage with a remodeled kitchen and dining room. THE AGAPE HOUSE KITCHEN AND DINING ROOM ARE FINISHED!

62 COOKIES AND KIDS Kids from The Hub, the local Big Brothers & Big Sisters program, walked to the church one day a week in the summer and baked cookies with members of the St. Barnabas congregation. They sold the cookies at the Farmers Market.

63 WARMSHOWERS.ORG We hosted over a dozen cross-country bicycle riders who located us on warmshowers.org. This ministry did not begin until late in the summer. The young woman in the picture is from Germany.

64 WEEDING Some of our bicyclist guests pitched in to help pull weeds in the Agape House yard and in the Meditation Garden. Parishioners grandchildren also helped!

65 PET BLESSING

66 PRAYERS FOR PEACE SERVICE AT THE LABYRINTH

67 ALL SAINTS DAY SERVICE OF REMEMBRANCE AND HEALING

68 OUTREACH We continue to support The Hub to assist them with snacks that cannot be purchased with federal monies. We also collect school supplies for Saratoga Elementary School. The school was especially grateful to receive several USB headsets!

69 ADVENT STUDY SERIES We began a video series on the Book of Revelation in late November and finished the program on January 10 th. We met weekly for dinner and the study. Our next project will be to participate in Practicing the Process, which is part of the Rev. Mary Caucutt s doctoral work.

70 ST. MATTHEW S CATHEDRAL, LARAMIE

71 CHRISTMAS

72 MORE CHRISTMAS Children and adults participated in a Paper Bag Christmas pageant that required no rehearsals or lines to memorize!

73 CONSTRUCTION OF ADA-COMPLIANT RAMP, DECEMBER-JANUARY

74 DEDICATION OF PEACE POLES IN WASHINGTON PARK IN OCTOBER

75 QPR TRAINING The Ven. Dick Naumann conducted a QPR class at St. Matthew s in October.

76 CALLIGRAPHY CLASSES Participants learned calligraphy and watched the movie, The Illuminator, about making the St. John s Bible.

77 THE CENTENNIAL OF THE BELLS Two September concerts celebrated the Centennial of the Bells at St. Matthew s. Punch Williamson, the resident expert on all these matters, gave a brief description of the mechanics of this "amazing-century-old" machinery followed by a short concert of bell ringing by Punch, Cathedral organist, Valentina Gavrilova, and long-time bell ringer, Marilyn Pedrick.

78 FOUR SHILLINGS SHORT The music duo performed for St. Matthew s Sunday School classes in October. They also presented an afternoon concert, World Sacred Music, at the Cathedral.

79 COWBOY LORE AND WESTERN ENTERTAINMENT St. Matthew s participated in Laramie Jubilee Days in July with an evening of cowboy lore and music in the close of the Cathedral. The evening included a campfire and marshmallows for roasting.

80 PRAYERS FOR THE WAILING WALL Dean Askew and the Rev. Patricia Tanzer Askew joined other Wyomingites on a pilgrimage to the Land of the Holy One in November-December. St. Matthew s parishioners wrote prayer requests on slips of paper and asked Stephen and Patricia to place the requests in the Western Wall (formerly called the Wailing Wall ).

81 CANTERBURY FELLOWSHIP Canterbury Fellowship and St. Matt s at Play hosted a tea and luncheon for senior (citizens) at Canterbury House in October. Canterbury hosted a potluck dinner on Thanksgiving Day. The newly renovated basement of Canterbury House was dedicated in July. Forty-four people from St. Matthew s helped with the renovation project, which took just over three months to complete.

82 SERVICE HONORING DEAN EMERITA MARILYN ENGSTROM The Bishop presided at a service honoring the Very Rev. Marilyn Engstrom on June 14 th at the Cathedral.

83 ST. ALBAN S CHAPEL Services were held at St. Alban s Chapel in July and August.

84 OTHER ACTIVITIES AND MINISTRIES Education for Ministry Weekly healing services Blessing of the Animals at Ivinson Mansion, in cooperation with other Laramie churches Guest preacher for the 500 th anniversary of the Reformation Family Promise Clothing Cottage Pop-up art show in Hunter Hall

85 WE THINK REGION IV IS A PRETTY WOW PLACE! Kirby Hornbeck photos