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promoting hope, strength and Sabbath for our faith journeys in Wyoming.
The Wyoming Association of Churches will open its 2012 Retreat to more than just “new pastors.” Formerly called “The New Pastors’ Retreat,” this year’s retreat at Ring Lake Ranch near Dubois on August 13-15, will be open to both pastors and other church leaders, especially to those who are either new to the ministry, new to Wyoming or new to involvement in the Wyoming Association of Churches. “New” is defined as “within the last 3 years. The theme for 2012 is Journey through the Wilderness.
A new book offers a unique perspective of Wyoming’s history. WordsWorth Publishing announces the release of On Sacred Ground: A Religious and Spiritual History of Wyoming by Warren Murphy. Murphy’s meticulously researched work examines a part of Wyoming’s history that has until now received little attention, linking the Equality State’s colorful past with the history of Wyoming’s diverse faith community.
Spiritual Wholeness was the theme of the annual retreat at the Thomas the Apostle Center in Cody in September. Participants toured the new Interpretive Center for the Heart Mountain Japanese American Internment Camp during World War II and contemplated how the people forced to live there in crowded and restrictive conditions were able to find joy and spiritual wholeness in such an environment.
fostering respect for Wyoming's resources as holy gifts from the Creator.
Join us for Red Desert Tours to be led by John Mionczynski on June 1, June 2, July 28 and August 17.
THE GREAT DIVIDE BASIN: A NATIVE AMERICAN PERSPECTIVE by Yufna R. (Mark) Soldier Wolf Elder, Northern Arapaho People written October 17, 2011 Why do Native Americans value the Red Desert? To the Northern Arapaho, the Red Desert is a spiritual place to be in complete isolation. In some areas, we experience a special kind of sensation. Places like Bear Butte, Medicine Wheel, and Fox Den are mysterious.
The Red Desert has natural monuments like Adobe Town and Boar's Tusk, the largest moving sand dune in North America, the only desert elk in the world, and bright-colored spring flowers. The Wyoming Association of Churches seeks protections for this area vulnerable to over-development in an energy-hungry world.
Local affinity groups working on community-based projects to protect the environment were seeded by the Wyoming Association of Churches at its 2007 annual meeting in Lander. Groups still thrive in several communities in Wyoming.
seeking to improve the lives of Wyoming's poor and less privileged.
The Wyoming Association of Churches is promoting donations of supplies for babies and toddlers for the Wyoming Women’s Center. The Wyoming Legislature in 2012 provided funding for a mother-child center and nursery in Lusk at the Wyoming Women’s Center under the Wyoming Department of Corrections. This will involve the renovation of an existing building at the facility for this purpose. Women who are pregnant when they are incarcerated who qualify will be able then to keep their babies
To read the state feasibility study for this project, click here.
Walking with Your Neighbor workshops will be held in various communities in Wyoming and for denominational gatherings as requested. These workshops 2-4 hours in length are based on the scripture found in Luke 10:25-37 when Jesus is asked "Who is my neighbor?" and he responds with the parable about the Good Samaritan. This goes beyond
DVD’s with Study Guide are available from WAC’s Civility Matter’s Dialogues town meetings held on October 8. The topics discussed were:
- Judicial Responses for Youth Offenders in Wyoming
- Providing Health Care for Wyoming’s Poor
- Definition of Marriage and Civil Unions as Relates to Couples’ Sexual Orientation
During the 2011 Wyoming legislative session, a clone bill to Arizona's immigration law was introduced, but was stopped with the help of the Wyoming Association of Churches. On Saturday before the legislature convened, 50 people gathered in Cheyenne for a workshop on A Faith Response to
Immigration.
DATES TO REMEMBER
Red Desert Tours, June 1, June 2, July 28, August 17
Register NowJune 22, Board Meeting, Riverton
July 31, Walking with Your Neighbor Workshop, Worland
August 13-15, Retreat, Ring Lake
(Click here for details)
September 20-22, Annual Meeting, Rock Springs
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| 80% of the pronghorn in the world live in or near the Red Desert in Wyoming. * More coal bed methane is under the surface of the Red Desert than in the Powder River Basin. * The Red Desert is the only habitat in the world for desert elk. * The Red Desert has the largest moving sand dunes in North America – 75 miles long and about 3 miles wide. | ||||
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