The ESL Program is busy each Tuesday with students both at 9am and 7pm. Please encourage any interested people to attend, no reservations or appointment are necessary.

Article | First Things.

Fearful Symmetries

Science seeks the elegant, elusive simplicity of the universe itself

M. Barr

Since the time of Newton, science has advanced by a strategy rightly called “reductionism.” This method, which explains things by analyzing them into smaller and simpler parts, has yielded a rich harvest of discoveries about the natural world. As a means of analysis, then, reductionism has certainly proven its value. But many wonder whether science is reductive in a more radical and disturbing way—by flattening, collapsing, and trivializing the world. For all its intellectual accomplishments, does science end up taking our sense of reality down several notches? One could well get that impression from perusing the writings of certain scientists. Francis Crick famously asserted that human life is “no more than the behavior of . . . nerve cells and their associated molecules.” Marvin Minsky, a pioneer in the field of artificial intelligence, once described people as “machines made of meat.” Neuroscientist Giulio Giorelli announced that “we have a soul, but it is made up of many tiny robots.” And biologist Charles Zuker has concluded that “in essence, we are nothing but a big fly.”

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• The United Thank Offering In-Gathering is Sunday, October 16. All offerings are used to support grants for ministries at home and overseas as an outreach of the Episcopal Church.
• St. John’s Birthday Party will follow service on Sunday, October 30. There will be a Carry-In lunch and a table for gifts in the Undercroft. The church’s gift “wish list” is posted on the bulletin board in the Undercroft.
• In August, Robert Rumbolz participated in an Educator’s Tour of Cuba, touring the island for seven days, to explore the viability of Cuba as field studies destination for students at Northwest College.
• Students of Elaine DeBuhr will host the “Empty Bowls” fundraiser for Powell Valley Loaves and Fishes at the Commons on Tuesday, November 15, 5:30-7:00 pm.

We live so close to so many treasures of the area: Yellowstone Park, Shell Canyon, Sunlight Basin, the Pryor Mountains. We also live close to a treasure of our diocese: Thomas the Apostle Center. TAC is an ecumenical, interfaith retreat center operating with the support of the Episcopal Diocese of Wyoming. It is dedicated to fostering spiritual, physical, and intellectual growth in a quiet, reflective environment.

The center is just 23 miles from Powell, on the east side of Cody. From Beacon Hill road, just cross the Greybull Highway and follow the signs and the slope up to the center’s campus. The center works with a variety of organizations to provide a place for training, retreat and socializing.

Just in the last few months, St. John’s has been able to foster development in several ministries. Megan Nickles attended mandatory EfM mentor training with people from around Wyoming, Montana and California in August, and in September she participated in a lecture series “First Century Women’s Peculiar Predicament”. The seminar was lead by The Rev. Dr. Jack Guigere, pastor emeritus of the Grosse Pointe United Methodist Church in Michigan and consultant to Wesley Theological Seminary in Washington D.C.

In September, The Commission on Ministry held a workshop for Worship Leaders, Lectors, and Lay Eucharistic Ministers-LEMs (both who serve at the altar and taking the Eucharist out to the community) and included a review of preaching requirements in congregations and a discussion of the theology and utilization of acolytes. Diana Anderson, Laura Greathouse, Carra Wetzel and Jan Lenhard attended; Charlotte Patrick presented a talk on enlivening the ministry of reading scripture.

Our senior warden, Sue Woods, went to a stewardship workshop lead by Greer Terry of Jackson, and our youth formation minister, Jane Woods, will be attending a workshop on Godly Play on October 8th.

TAC is also a connected to the diocese as a “Video Tele-Conferencing” site. Using the internet, video camera and large screen monitor, any meeting or workshop can be seen and heard at the eight other VTC sites around Wyoming. This technology allows for full participation from each site, and makes large gatherings such as the pre-convention meetings possible with significantly less travel and expense.

The best way to support TAC is to go there, enjoy the offerings and the excellent food. Upcoming workshops include pastoral care and making an attractive church.

For more information, talk to the two of our members who are on the Board of Directors at TAC, Sue Woods and Ron Lytle, or go their website: http://tac.diowy.org/

Every baptized person is called to ministry. During the Service of Confirmation we ask God to “Renew in these your servants the covenant you made with them at Baptism. Send them forth in the power of the Spirit to perform the service you set before them.” The Education for Ministry (EfM) program provides people with the education to carry out that ministry. EfM offers an opportunity to discover how to respond to the call to Christian service.

Through study, prayer, and reflection, EfM groups move toward a new understanding of the fullness of God’s kingdom. This process can be illustrated by a two-rail fence. One rail is the Christian tradition. The other is the collective experience of the group’s members. The rails are linked by fence posts which represent the seminar sessions where life and study meet. The fence is grounded in the soil of regular worship which is vital to the life of the group.

Participants are given weekly assignments to study with the help of resource guides. Students are responsible for setting their own learning goals. They spend between two and four hours in study and preparation each week. In the seminars members have an opportunity to share their insights and discoveries as well as to discuss questions which the study materials raise for them.
Through discussion and guided reflection, the seminars furnish an opportunity to deepen understanding of the reading materials.

More important is the development of skills in theological reflection. The goal is to learn to think theologically. By examining their own beliefs and their relationship to our culture and the tradition of our Christian faith, participants can learn what it means to be effective ministers in the world. In coming to terms with the notion that everything we do has potential for manifesting the love of Christ, we discover that our ministry is at hand wherever we turn.

This year Laurel McKeen and Charlotte Patrick are studying Year One; returning students Sue Woods, Jane Woods, Deb and Rob Koelling, and Diana Anderson are working on Year Two. Megan Nickles is mentoring.

Congratulations to Jane Woods! Her batik artwork titled “Heart Mountain,” was selected for inclusion in the 2011 Annual Governor’s Capitol Art Exhibition, on display at the Wyoming State Museum through June 26.

Congratulations to Everett Koelling, son of Deb and Rob Koelling, who graduated Magna Cum Laude from the University of Wyoming, with a degree in petroleum engineering.

The Thrift Shop has started a new recycling process. The volunteers are now recycling clothing, shoes, bedding, etc. in clear plastic bags. Working in conjunction with Christ Church ’s recycling program, donations are picked up and taken to a storage facility for baling and transporting. Many thanks to Sherring Burke who has faithfully taken our boxes of donations to Billings for many years!!!

St. John’s Thrift Store
On North Street next to Polecat Printery, Powell
M-W-F, 1–3:30 • First and Third Saturdays —Noon to 2pm

The ESL Program is now on summer break until Tues., Sept. 13. Jo DeWitt, Deb Chidsey, Claudia Hassler and Diana Anderson have worked with 4 – 5 students on Tuesday mornings. Gretchen Beerline, Anna Hardy, Sue Woods and Jan Lenhard have had 4-5 students on Tuesday evenings. Childcare on Tuesday evenings is provided by Jane Woods. The Tuesday Powell Tribunes, which Carra Wetzel has provided, have been of interest and have been a good learning tool for students.

It wasn’t at all what I expected. There were no roundtable discussions, no workshops, no question and answer sessions. No handouts, resource lists or homework. Each day was a regular routine of worship, sermons and lectures, and I couldn’t imagine how five days of sitting in church and listening to speakers was going to help me become a better preacher.

But it did.

The five of us – Diana Anderson, Charlotte Patrick, Carra Wetzel, Ron Lytle and I – were all enveloped in grace and beauty, lovely music, careful liturgies and spectacular preaching each day during the Festival in Minneapolis. Sessions were held in four historic churches in the downtown area, where local congregations welcomed us with Biblical hospitality. We walked in the sunshine to our sessions and to eat at the manifold restaurants in the area. And we sat and listened and became not just better preachers, but better people. A more faithful people.

Thank you to St. John’s for supporting us financially; thanks to the Commission on Ministry for their generous grants. We hope to ride the peak of enthusiasm and continue in our formation with regular meetings for study and evaluation.

More information at the Festival of Homiletics site.

The Red Lodge Chamber Players will present an all Beethoven string quartet performance on Sunday, January 9, at 3:00 pm at Saint John’s Episcopal Church.

The concert will benefit Heart Mountain Volunteer Medical Clinic.

The quartet is led by violinist Randy Tracy, the Concert Master for the Billings Symphony and includes the symphony’s first chair cellist, David Heinzen, Lisa Bollman on violin, and Amy Letson on viola. Beethoven completed his final symphony the Ninth or “Choral” in 1822. He then turned his attention to six string quartets, the last major works he completed before his death in 1827.  The first three quartets were a commission from Prince Galitzen of Russia.

These quartets stunned the musical world when first presented, many critics uncomfortable with his use of varied meters and keys. When criticized for composing a piece so foreign to his audience and its times, he is said to have replied that he wrote it for future generations. Schubert was so taken that he asked: “After this, what is left for us to write?”

These six pieces are now considered amongst the greatest compositions of all time.  Because Beethoven’s deafness had become so profound these pieces were composed in his head. He himself never heard a single note of any of these quartets.

Randy Tracy, Violin, has performed as a soloist, chamber musician, symphony orchestra violinist and conductor.   For a number of years he has served on the faculty of the Red Lodge Music Festival and is currently Concertmaster for the Billings Symphony.  His musical training was in Colorado and New York and he has played in Europe and the United States under such luminaries as Seiji Ozawa and Leonard Bernstein.  His band “Glynfiddle” is known widely for their spirited rendition of traditional Celtic music.

Lisa Bollman, Violin, currently Principal Second Violin of the Billings Symphony, plays violin and viola in symphonies throughout Montana. Having recently quit her day jobs (8 years as orchestra director for the Billings Catholic Schools and founding music director of the Billings Youth Orchestra), Lisa now focuses on her private string studio, virtually expanding its walls via the internet to bring string music to remote Montana.

Amy Letson, Viola, originally from Buffalo, NY, studied viola and violin with members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra. A pupil of Georges Janzer, she earned a bachelor of Music degree in viola performance from Indiana University.  Amy served as principal violist in the Bloomington Symphony and was a member of the Anderson and Muncie Symphonies and the Marion Philharmonic.  She is Principal Violist and Librarian of the Billings Symphony, a member of the String Orchestra of the Rockies and the Yellowstone Chamber Players.  She maintains a private studio in Billings.

David Heinzen, Cello, began his cello studies in Louisville, Kentucky at age 11.  At Boston University he was fortunate to study under George Neikrug.  He has performed across the United States and Europe.  He has been heard in concert with orchestras in Louisville, Casper, Boston, Missoula, and Bozeman.  David is currently the Principal Cellist with the Billings Symphony.  His musical adventures include sneaking backstage for one of Vladimir Horowitz’ last concerts – and being caught!

The Heart Mountain Volunteer Medical Clinic was formed in 2008 to meet the medical needs of indigent people in Powell and the Big Horn Basin.  People from all walks of life have come together to provide services and goods to help those unable to provide for their health care without assistance.  The Clinic’s challenge is ongoing and contributions are always welcome.  A portion of the proceeds from today’s concert will help further the Clinic’s work. Donations may be sent to:  Heart Mountain Volunteer Medical Clinic, P.O. Box 1155, Powell, Wyoming  82435.

Tickets are $20 per person; seating is limited. Make reservations by contacting Larry Dirksen at dirksenlawrence@yahoo.com. Call 623-363-5040 for additional information. Members of the Congregation welcome everyone to a reception for the artists immediately following the concert.

Please join us for our next concert on Sunday, February 27 at 3:00 pm.

Christmas Eve was celebrated with the music of Monte Nickles, Grant Nickles and Dolores Woods.