Wyoming Wanderings - Letters from DS Rev. Jeff Rainwater
February 2017 - Jeff Rainwater (aka Reinwasser)
January/February 2017 Gifts Without Tags
January/February 2016 Let's Get Visible - Church Web Sites.
July 2015 To My Friends Along the WAY in Wyoming
January/February 2017 Gifts Without Tags
January/February 2016 Let's Get Visible - Church Web Sites.
July 2015 To My Friends Along the WAY in Wyoming
Wyoming Wanderings - Letters from DS Rev. Deb Olenyik
Creation of the Wyoming Mission Conference in 1888
Creation of the Wyoming Mission Conference in 1888
Through enabling action by the General Conference, the Colorado Conference organized the Wyoming Mission Conference 125 years ago in July, 1888. The pastor at Cheyenne, Daniel L. Rader, became the first superintendent. He had previously been a superintendent in Colorado for the Methodist Episcopal South before joining the Colorado Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church.
There were eleven appointments (13 churches) listed when Wyoming became a separate mission conference. Of those earliest churches, Cheyenne First (1867), Laramie (1868), Rawlins (1873), Green River (1877 with a restart in 1990), Rock Springs(1877), Lander
(1884) & Sundance (1884) are still among our worshipping UM congregations.
Superintendent Rader’s work from that first summer of 1888 on greatly increased the Methodist presence Wyoming. He travelled
the region “With a good team of horses, a strong spring wagon and a good canvas-top buggy, supplied with bedding, cooking utensils and provisions.” That first summer of 1888 he struck out and held the first Methodist services in Douglas, Sheridan and Buffalo, along with the first services in several other communities. In his own words, a few days after his appointment as
superintendent in mid-July he headed out and “preached along the Cheyenne and Northern Railroad, wherever I could find a congregation . . . Uva, Hartville, Manville, Douglas. . . Douglas was the first place where I found a bed in which to sleep after I left Cheyenne. At all the other places myself and my son slept in our blankets on the bare ground. . . . I also preached at Glenrock, Casper, Buffalo, Sheridan (a very nice village), Sundance and a place west of where Newcastle now is.”
In Sheridan, D.S. Rader made arrangements for services in the school house on August 31 and spread the word. For Sunday’s 11 AM service 17 people showed up and Rader preached for 65 minutes. Rader adds “I had not preached so long for years. The people were so quiet I did not notice the flight of time.” Rader says he preached to a “crowded house” in the evening and “at the close of
the sermon the people . . asked that a minister of the Methodist church be sent to them.” (Superintendent Rader also shared that he saw no villages at all between Sheridan and Sundance, and that there was no help for when he got his wagon stuck in the river.)
(This is the fourth in a series. Please feel free to use in a newsletter or to post on a bulletin board or church website)
State of the UMC in Wyoming
July/August ‘13
Wyoming Report for the 2013 Journals of the Yellowstone & Rocky Mtn. Conferences
by Deb Olenyik, Wyoming Superintendent
The third year with all of the United Methodist Churches in Wyoming working together under
one District Superintendent has been completed with the congregations retaining either their YAC or RMC annual conference affiliations. Each congregation and pastor continues to discern and act to best serve Christ and
develop disciples in their local settings, in addition to staying connected to the wider United Methodist family and mission. They are committed to being an active presence in their communities. They continue to seek where God is calling them to new awareness, understanding and outreach. They value the faith development and gifts of all ages, and understand how intergenerational approaches to worship, service, fellowship and learning strengthens who they are. Many congregations are part of sending Volunteer Mission teams within and outside the United States. Many congregations have active United Methodist Women units, men’s ministries and youth groups.
A breakdown of Wyoming churches, based on 2012 average worship attendance, includingRawlins Hispanic congregation (Number in worship – number of churches): 300-400 Two; 175-300 None; 100-175 Eight;60-100 Nine; 40-60 Nine; 20-40 Seven; Under 20 Seven. Wyoming reported 204 new members received by professions of faith in
2012, though ten of the churches reported no new members received by profession of faith.
Ten trained Wyoming pastors have co-led five regional clergy leadership groups, as well as continued training and meeting as a leader group. Leadership and staff/pastor parish relations training resource packets have been updated and provided to the core leadership team of each church. Coaching to the pastors continued as did coaching to lay leadership groups as requested.
The Wyoming Round-Up, bringing together over 130 laity and pastors statewide was held in January at Casper First featuring workshops by Bishop Elaine on “Cultivating Abundant Life: The Tree of Life”. The spring gathering for the RMC area was held in Douglas in March and featured a series of best practices workshops. The spring gathering
for the YAC area was held in May at Circle J Ranch and featured YAC Mission Coordinator Sally McConnell.
What are some ministries Wyoming churches are currently doing with their communities?
Food bank, Thrift store, Annual “Day of Goodwill”, Visitation in nursing homes, Transportation, Open youth pizza night, “Lunch Together” monthly for the community, Partnership activities with VA hospital, Invited the homeless shelter to the Palm Sunday pancake breakfast, Sponsor scouts, AA groups, Free medical clinic, Free soup & bread lunch, College meals, Part of Wesley campus ministries in Laramie, Community Thanksgiving meal, Backpack weekend food program, Backpack back-to-school with supplies drive, Part of Fathers in the Field Christian program which takes kids without a father in the picture for outdoor activities, Offering the gospel in unusual settings such as pubs, Taking cookies and cinnamon rolls to street repair workers, All community meals, Parents’ day out, Lifetree café weekly gathering in a bagel shop, Inclusive understanding and welcoming program, Hate crime prevention
program, worship/meal/study with downtown marginal population, Legislative action on stopping human slavery, Halfway home for women leaving the state prison, Connecting with the Arapahoe & Shoshone tribes on the Wind River Reservation, Car repair for women workshop, Spanish-English bilingual worship and outreach, Home repairs, painting & yardwork, Clothes and books to county jail inmates, Blankets and stuffed animals to police departments,
Community VBS & music camps, Parade floats—meals—booths during community fairs and celebrations, Scholarships to the Circle J tweens camp.
What are some new possibilities Wyoming churches have lifted up for connecting with their communities in the coming few years?
Daycare for older adults; Homeless shelter; Transitional housing; Nursing home interaction; Low income housing;
Addressing bullying in the school system; Addressing crisis & generational poverty; Job assistance; Mental health issues; Suicide prevention; Addressing chemical addiction; Addressing loneliness & trying to connect people with one another in meaningful ways.
(This is third in a series. Please feel free to use in a newsletter or to post on a bulletin board or church website)
Breathing Deep & Stretching Our Limbs
March/April ‘13
It seems we are becoming more of a church for introverts. Lent and Easter are times of going deeper into our spiritual journey with Christ. So, shouldn’t I be celebrating that we are becoming more of a quieter, reflective church organization? As faithful as this is, I’m suggesting we might be allowing the balance to slip a bit too far in that
direction. Where is our“out-there, excited for Jesus, you-all come and join us” spirit which makes people in our
communities sit up, take notice and want to be in on the action at the United Methodist Church? How many people
have gotten “converted” to our UMC way in your community in the past year?
The Lent and Easter season frees us from fear and provides us new room to live. We are no longer short of breath, just keeping to ourselves in the corners of our churches. We are being opened to God. We are renewed and expanded by God’s breath in us. We are called to stand upright, stretch out our hands, and go into the streets to proclaim the
acceptance, love and life-giving ways of being a part of a United Methodist congregation.
May this Lent and Easter bring new breath into each of our Wyoming United Methodist Churches. May this season strengthen us to stretch our limbs, and be seen anew as an exciting and meaningful presence for Christ in our communities.
“Before you can help people effectively, you must conquer your natural reserve by taking initiative
with people you know not at all or very little. Do not go out less, but more. Use your increased faith and love, or
it will fade and die” – John Wesley, founder of Methodism, in a letter to Mary Bishop, 1774.
(This is the second in a series which will be coming from my office. Please feel free to use in a newsletter or to post on a bulletin board)
Christmastide
Dec ‘12/Jan ‘13
“In him was life, and the life was the light of all people . . . The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.” John 1: 4 & 9 NRSV
During Advent and Christmastide the Christ child is the center of attention. All eyes are upon the baby Jesus. When we look into the face of this child, what do we see? Verse 4 from John 1 tells us that one thing we see is God is life. “In him was life” it says.
Verse 9 tells us that there is radiance in the face of Jesus reflecting the shining face of God. “The true light, which enlightens everyone” it says.
Real, genuine and true life for each of us and for our congregations is life in God. The farther we get away from God as individuals or as a congregation, the less life we have. Worship, generosity, listening, prayer, encouraging, serving, experimenting
and providing hope are ways our congregations are called to find abundant life in God.
Each person and congregation is also called to be the light of Christ, reflecting the shining face of God. We enlighten the darkness and despair around. We find the faith and courage needed to be the true light of Christ. We examine ourselves to be sure we
are not be like the old time trackman, who proudly said he was waving his lantern before the train derailed one night, and was thankful they didn’t ask if the lantern was lit (which it wasn’t).
We check to be sure we are doing more than just swinging the mechanics of our United Methodist faith. It can be hard for people to see the light of Christ in the midst of programs and business. Thus, we make sure the light of Christ burns brightly and God is glorified in all we say and do.
Prayer:
Holy Lord, may we draw close for life in you.
May your light be rekindled anew in each Wyoming United Methodist
congregation and in each disciple’s life.
May we burn even stronger and brighter in the year ahead as your
attentive and faithful followers.
Amen.
Christmastide
Dec ‘12/Jan ‘13
“In him was life, and the life was the light of all people . . . The true light, which enlightens everyone was coming into the world.” John 1: 4 & 9 NRSV
During Advent and Christmastide the Christ child is the center of attention. All eyes are upon the baby Jesus. When we look into the face of this child, what do we see? Verse 4 from John 1 tells us that one thing we see is God is life. “In him was life” it says.
Verse 9 tells us that there is radiance in the face of Jesus reflecting the shining face of God. “The true light, which enlightens everyone” it says.
Real, genuine and true life for each of us and for our congregations is life in God. The farther we get away from God as individuals or as a congregation, the less life we have. Worship, generosity, listening, prayer, encouraging, serving, experimenting
and providing hope are ways our congregations are called to find abundant life in God.
Each person and congregation is also called to be the light of Christ, reflecting the shining face of God. We enlighten the darkness and despair around. We find the faith and courage needed to be the true light of Christ. We examine ourselves to be sure we
are not be like the old time trackman, who proudly said he was waving his lantern before the train derailed one night, and was thankful they didn’t ask if the lantern was lit (which it wasn’t).
We check to be sure we are doing more than just swinging the mechanics of our United Methodist faith. It can be hard for people to see the light of Christ in the midst of programs and business. Thus, we make sure the light of Christ burns brightly and God is glorified in all we say and do.
Prayer:
Holy Lord, may we draw close for life in you.
May your light be rekindled anew in each Wyoming United Methodist
congregation and in each disciple’s life.
May we burn even stronger and brighter in the year ahead as your
attentive and faithful followers.
Amen.