This is some hard trail riding!

After three full days on the road, averaging 14 hours in the saddle each day yet traversing probably not even 1/3rd of our planned 2,400-mile journey, one struggles to be cheerful and coherent while still remaining upright.  This is some hard trail riding — there’s no mistake about it!  Yet the bishop nominees continue to greet each congregation, each question and each crock pot of soup with sincere interest, genuine curiosity and unmistakable enthusiasm.  They’re being put through their paces and put to the test virtually every moment of the day. The results are impressive. If sheer stamina and good cheer were the criteria to be the 9th bishop, each nominee certainly would pass the test.

We’re nestled into Jackson tonight after a day of driving through some of God’s very best creation. The walkabout meeting at St. John’s this evening was a popular event and pretty well attended for a Friday night in the Hole.  The hospitality of St. John’s was impeccable and the members were eager to get to know the nominees.  After a welcoming reception in the parish hall, attendees were divided into six different rooms while nominees ran the circuit. Afterwards, thanks to the generosity of the congregation, each nominee and spouse received a gift certificate for a nearby restaurant so they could escape their “handlers” and have a fun night out on the town. Even the weather cooperated for an evening stroll — gentle and mild.  Undoubtedly, everyone will sleep well tonight.

Our day began early. The bus rolled out of Evanston at 7am, heading north for stops in Kemmerer and Pinedale.  Familiar faces greet us in Kemmerer as quite a few of the folks had been in Evanston the night before. The people of St. James are rightfully proud of their cozy little church.

The road north took our little caravan across the vast former seabed which we now know as the Green River basin where you can see hundreds of miles in every direction. Our fearless leader and trail boss, Wallace Ulrich, delivered a wide-ranging but concise discourse on the geology, paleontology, pioneer and energy production history of the region. We could have stood there for several hours soaking up the vast beauty of it all.

Instead it was back on the bus to make a lunch date with St. Andrew’s-in-the-Pines. This beloved little log church is in one of 13 log cabin churches planted by the wilderness-loving 4th bishop of Wyoming, Winifred Zeigler who served the diocese through the 1940s.  Fantastic smells greeted us at the door and soon we were basking in the joys of some amazing soup.

In a window of the parish hall, we immediately noticed a hanging of colorful handprints. It was a thank-you card of sorts from children in Tanzania whose school tuition is paid by the congregation through their Mustard Seed grant. The linked hands of varying shapes, sizes and colors remind me of the people in our diocese -- the impact of them all connected to each other is powerful.

The Rev. Carole Buckingham of Kaycee is also on this wild ride as part of the support team and often she seems the most popular member of our merry band.  After her decades of service to the diocese, it’s no surprise that everyone wants to hug Carole as soon as we come through the door. One the best rewards of this trip is seeing so many happy faces we know at home in their own churches.  It should be no secret that Episcopalians are some of the nicest people in our live.  As the bishop nominees become more and more familiar with the state, it’s apparent they feel our diocese is an exceptional place too.

All right folks, be sure to tune in tomorrow for tales of our trip through the Grand Teton Park as we journey to Dubois, Fort Washakie, Ethete, Lander and Riverton. No doubt it’ll be another great day to be an Episcopalian in Wyoming!

You’ll find the schedule of our Walkabout in the Documents section of www.WyomingBishopSearch.org — if we haven’t been through your town yet, we’re looking forward to seeing you.

Until then, Happy Trails!

"The Episcopal Church Welcomes You" -- Indeed it does!

“The Episcopal Church Welcomes You” took on a new meaning today as one congregation after another threw open their doors to greet our fleet-footed team of bishop nominees.

We headed out at 6:45am to our first stop in Rawlins where shopkeepers were shoveling sidewalks of early-morning snow, making us even more thankful for a safe journey from Laramie.  What a pleasure it was to have recently-ordained priest Karen Buckingham and smiling folks from St. Thomas and the nearby communities of Saratoga, Encampment and Medicine Bow welcome us with some of the best homemade goodies we’ve had yet.  What a pleasure to be greeted so warmly on such a frosty, wintery morn.  

Our day continued to brighten as we moved forward in faith on a snowy highway to St. Paul’s in Dixon. Our perseverance was rewarded with a colorful luncheon repast offered by the lively ladies of the Little Snake River Valley. Linda Fleming shared a few not-so-tall-tales of the region and we heard about the Amazing River Kids – an after-school program which each week attracts about 25 children ages two years to 4th grade, as well as a few 5th grade helpers.  The nominees were particularly impressed to learn the popular program draws children of all faiths in the valley, including LDS.  The children learn about kindness, service, generosity and good behavior. The parish hall was decorated with their hand-colored table coverings, hanging mobiles about God’s love, tissue paper rainbow wall art and sticker-covered attendance sheets proudly displaying the children’s accomplishments. Wow, what a joyful ministry – one can’t help but wonder what those youngsters’ views of the Episcopal Church will be as they grow older. The church has certainly welcomed them in the Little Snake River Valley! 

Of course, it wouldn’t have been an authentic gathering of Episcopalians without more delectable treats for our tummies. (We just keep eating and eating and are now strategizing that if we speed fast enough from town to town, the calories won’t catch up with us!)

With hugs, goodie bags and good-byes we retraced our steps back to I-80 to continue our adventure west to Rock Springs where the nominees had a heartfelt, emotional and spirit-filled conversation with members of the church. Father Bob Spencer introduced us to his pastoral assistant Chewie who graciously modeled his new vestments. (Many of you are already familiar with Bob and his beloved four-legged companion for the past 15 years.  Bob, a retired priest, has found a new home at Holy Communion as a part-time interim rector.)

Holy Communion is once again a growing congregation and they are understandably proud of their unusual and creative outreach programs.  Recently, using Mustard Seed Mission funds, the church established a “mobile thrift shop” to serve outer-lying communities. The parish is truly inspired and inspiring.

More hugs and then we continued our journey west.

The southern portion of our state lived up to the old cliché that if you don’t like the weather in Wyoming, wait five minutes. We moved from sun to snow to thick clouds and then back to sun again – within a matter of miles and minutes.  Just west of Rock Springs, the heavens spilled luminous rays of sun into dreamy whipped-cream clouds, proving once again that Wyoming continues to be one of the Creator’s most cherished canvases.

A packed house awaited us in Evanston where we spent the evening at the loveliest little white church named after St. Paul. Savory soups and an eager audience of all ages filled the parish hall, along with neighbors from St. David’s-Ft. Bridger and St. James-Kemmerer.  With names drawn randomly from a cowboy hat to determine their order, each nominee had time alone with the responsive, eager and appreciative audience whose questions included…

* Views on mutual ministry 
* deas for church growth and full inclusion of all members  
* Belief in the Bible being the “inerrant” Word of God and of Jesus being the “only way to the   Father.”  
* Views on priestly practices and liturgical fidelity, as well as collegial leadership

The six nominees were animated and informative, and their individuality shone brightly – this was an amazing feat considering they’d been on the move for 14 hours!  If the laughter and boisterous applause were any indication, Episcopalians in the southwest corner of the state enjoyed their time with their next bishop – whoever of the six it might be!

All in all, a terrific day.  Despite a schedule that would leave an Olympic athlete exhausted, everyone on this whirlwind of a Walkabout seems invigorated by the parish communities and extraordinary Episcopalians we’re visiting. Their faith, dedication and enthusiasm is literally fueling us from location to location.

We’ll do it all again at 7am tomorrow when we head north toward Kemmerer, Pinedale and Jackson with a few other stops in between.

If you’d like real-time updates of the Walkabout, simply sign on to www.Twitter.com and ask to follow me at PamelaGRW.  (Thanks to you new followers who hopped on board today. Hang on for the ride!)

Casting Lots at the Cathedral

Whew! It’s the end of our first day on this trail ride across Wyoming and, boy, our dogies are tired.

We began our journey at St. Mark’s-Cheyenne and were greeted by 65+ folks who were eager to meet the nominees and pose some  meaty questions.  The event was co-hosted by St. Mark’s and St. Christopher’s  with St. M's providing the venue and St. C's making the sack lunches.  In her welcome, St. Christopher’s Rector Robin Chance joked that her parish’s newly-collapsed roof would be on the bishop-elect’s first order of business.

The nominees rotated through six rooms of inquiring minds and there were no softballs lobbed about.  It was quickly apparent in both Cheyenne and Laramie that folks had been thoughtful and deliberative in the crafting of their questions, giving the nominees the opportunity to share some their deepest thinking, personal histories and favorite anecdotes with an occasional joke thrown in.

Some of the issues on people’s minds today…

• The sharp decline in national church membership coupled with aging parish populations and the need to engage youth in our church lives
• The state of the Anglican Communion
• The future of lesbian, gay and transgender members of our churches and each nominee’s view of same-gender blessings
• Shared ministry in general, shared ministry in rector-led congregations and vocational deacons
• The nominees’ own relationship with God, their self-care habits and their call to be Bishop of Wyoming

It would be politically and spiritually treacherous to even attempt to pick-and-choose comments from each of the nominees to post here. That’s why it’s so critical Episcopalians come see and hear for themselves what the bishop candidates have to say — each is an articulate, interesting and compelling individual. They each have distinctive styles and perspectives.  (And, that’s just the nominees! The spouses too are engaging conversationalists and are far more than mere ambassadors for their mates.)

At several stops along the Walkabout we’re videotaping the nominees in order to post online some of their unedited dialogue with the diocese.  While a 10-minute video on YouTube is a poor substitute for a live appearance, those who simply cannot get to the Walkabout in their area can at least get a sense of the nominees’ views concerning the key issues of our church — locally, nationally and globally.

Before we hit the hay for the night, we like to share a few more of the day’s highlights.  The stop at Cathedral Home was meaningful and touching for the entire group. This priceless and essential treatment facility cares for up to 82 youth with troubled lives, helping them build hope, skills and vision for a future far different than may have been destined for them without intervention.  The youth were warm and eager to meet, greet and share.  Each member of the tour signed a confidentiality agreement to protect these youths’ privacy so photos of the visit clearly will not be posted here.  However, we can share with you, Buddy, the home’s official greeter.  This bright and personable border collie followed the tour and regaled everyone with his “look at me, pay attention to me” antics.  The only place Buddy was not permitted was the barista students’ coffee bar where nominees were treated to lattes and chai tea.

 At the home, our guide (director Robin Haas) also introduced some members of her dedicated staff.  Two of the younger employees, Bri and Cooper, are pictured here.

The Very Rev. Marilyn Engstrom, dean of St. Matthew’s Cathedral, served as enthusiastic host  of the Laramie visit. At the dinner gathering, she shared with the assembled crowd of 80 or so the fact that the nominees’  visit coincided with the Feast Day of the Cathedral’s patron saint, Matthias, who she reminded us with a gospel reading, was selected as the 12th Apostle (to replace Judas) by the casting of lots.   Marilyn, in her own inimitable way, then pulled out straws and dice and suggested that  the selection of Wyoming’s next bishop could be settled then and there. 

Since there were no takers of Marilyn’s biblically-based suggestion, we’ll reload the bus at O-dark-thirty in the morning and make our way to Rawlins, Dixon and eventually Evanston.

The final person we’ll introduce you to tonight is quite possibly the most important member of this tour:  Michael the marvelous bus driver.  If it weren’t for him, we might not be coming to a town near you any time soon!  (As our journey continues, we’ll be introducing you to more members of our support and logistics crew and, if our arm-twisting is successful, there might be a blog entry or two from them as well.

If you are a Twittering kind of person, I am dropping a few tweets along the way during the day. You can follow me at PamelaGRW or simply check out #wyodio to get a round-up of Walkabout tweets. (If you don’t have a clue as to what this all means yet are feeling a little technologically adventurous, head on over to www.twitter.com and  sign on for the ride.)

Okay folks, we are done for the night,.

Happy Trails to You — until we meet again. (In the meantime, keep sending your prayers our way for smooth highways and clear skies.)

God bless!

The Countdown begins...

Boots are polished, saddlebags are packed and we're getting ready to hit the dusty trail on a 2,400-mile trek across the state. All six of the bishop nominees -- along with their spouses -- will caravan through Wyoming, meeting Episcopalians in parishes both large and small.  The Walkabout officially begins Wednesday, February 24 and runs through March 3.

We'll kick off Wednesday with an extended Walkabout gathering at St. Mark's-Cheyenne before heading west to Laramie for tours of the University and thereabouts, culminating that evening in a panel discussion with the nominees and a dinner graciously hosted by the Dean Marilyn Engstrom and the other good folks at St. Matthew's Cathedral from 6-8:30pm.  If you'd like to travel to Laramie for the dinner, please let the Cathedral know you're coming so they'll have plenty of grub. (RSVP to StMattsDean@aol.com)

To see the complete Walkabout schedule, go to www.WyomingBishopSearch.org and click on the "Documents" tab. There you'll find several important documents, including the schedule.   Please take some time to look over the nominees' resumes and the "Letter to Wyoming" that each of them wrote so you'll be a bit familiar with them before we arrive in your hometown.

By now, every parish has selected delegates for the special Electing Convention scheduled for March 20 at St. Matthew's Cathedral. Also, all clergy who are canonically resident in Wyoming will be voting for bishop as well.  Episcopalians are encouraged to familiarize themselves with each of the nominees and share their observations with their delegates and clergy.

I'm sure everyone understands that the Walkabout is taking place during a time of unpredictable weather. Every possible effort will be made to stick to the travel schedule, but please know that a heavy snow storm, unexpected road closures and killer tumbleweeds could wreak havoc on the best-laid plans.

Your prayers for good weather, along with safe and healthy travels are greatly appreciated!

~ PAMELA