St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Seeking to know and grow in Christ June, 2021 178 South Main Street—P.O. Box 909 through education, dedication, and service. Buffalo, WY 82834 T HE S EEKERS “ALWAYS OPPORTUNITIES” In the absence of Fr. Doug’s usual article, we’ve decided to share a piece that first appeared in the July, 1986, issue of St. Luke’s Newsletter (before it became “The Seekers.” ) It was written by Bishop Vernon Strickland, then Rector of St. Luke’s. We think you’ll agree that it still speaks to us today. Portus is the Latin word for “harbor,” the place where ships and boats can be sheltered from storms. When “ob” (towards) is placed in front of the word portum, it means “going toward a port, a harbor.” A ship waited for the opportune moment when the wind would aid it in entering the harbor. From that background, “Keep alert, stand firm in your faith, be courageous, be the Latin word opportunus, meaning “favorable,” passed into English as the word strong. Let all that you do be “opportunity.” Henry Kaiser once said, “A problem is only an opportunity in work done in love.” clothes.” He’s absolutely right! ...1 Cor. 16:13 There are opportunities in the problems you are facing. You don’t have to INSIDE THIS ISSUE: lie down and play dead, they don’t have to get the best of you! Peter Marshall reminded us how an oyster handles a problem. Into the oyster’s life one day there 2 Karen Walker to be came an intruder, a tiny grain of sand. It brought pain and distress to the oyster. Ordained July 10 Faced with that problem, the oyster had several choices (it/we always do!) It could have rebelled and questioned God’s justice. It could have denied the pain’s Helen Crain 3 reality and regarded it as an error in thinking. It could have adopted a “stiff upper Memorial Service lip” attitude of resignation. However, the oyster did not choose to react in these ways. Instead, he saw an opportunity in the problem he faced. He took positive Taking a Moment 4 action. He did something. Slowly and patiently, with infinite care, the oyster built for Missions upon that grain of sand layer upon layer of a plastic, milky substance that covered each sharp corner and coated every cutting edge. Gradually, the oyster trans- Bread of Life Food 5 formed a problem into an opportunity, an intruder into a friend, a grain of sand Pantry Report into a pearl. Maybe that’s why they say we go to God through pearly gates! Every one of those gems was once a problem, a trouble, a heartache, a misfortune St. Luke’s Honors 7 which God helped someone turn into a pearl. Her Graduates Every adversity, every heartache or failure that you have or are experienc- ing has within it a potential pearl, a genuine benefit! As Alice Rollins wrote: “God’s Vacation Bible 8 best gift to us is not things but opportunities.” School Always remember, Christian friend: Adversity, our present problems, our seemingly insurmountable obstacles, don’t have to speak the final word! You and A Note from 8 I have choices we can make. Decisions that can be made. There is always some- thing we can do if we want to. And best of all, in and through it all, by our side is Karen God to strengthen and sustain us. In everything, see an opportunity for something Vestry Minutes 10-12 better, for it’s really true! What opportunity do you have today? The Seekers Page 2 KAREN WALKER PASTORAL CARE TO BE ORDAINED TO THE DIACONATE ON JULY 10 Many times it’s the “folks in the pews” who are the first to learn about those We are pleased and excited to announce that the who can use pastoral care. Please help us Rt. Rev. Paul-Gordon Chandler will ordain Karen Walker to not overlook people who need us. If you to the Diaconate on Saturday, July 10, at 1:00 P.M., at know of someone we can serve in this way, St. Luke’s. A reception will follow. please contact: This is a change from the previously announced date, so please take note. Karen Walker 620-1789 We invite one and all to be on hand, to celebrate The Church Office 684-7529 with Karen as she answers God’s call on her life to follow Fr. Doug Wasinger 620-0061 and serve. AUDIT RESULTS FOR YEAR 2020 March, 2021 First, we thank those volunteers who work so hard to maintain the financial health of the various entities within St. Luke’s Episcopal Church. Their dili- gence and efforts are very much appreciated during the pandemic. This audit did not uncover any improprieties or misappropriations of any kind. The bookkeeping is me- ticulous in its organization. All checks, invoices, and transactions were well-documented. Corrections, cancelled checks and other adjustments were well-documented. There is good written communication with the bookkeeping service when a check is printed in error or if there is any question about an out- standing check. The paper trail was easy to follow. Please let me know if you have any questions. Respectfully submitted. Eileen Bentley Congratulations and our sincere appreciation to our Treasurer, Wes Killian, and Denise Heitler, Accounts Receivable Coordinator. Pam McFadden, Sr. Warden The Seekers Page 3 JUNE IS “OUR MONTH” FOR MEALS ON WHEELS! This month St. Luke’s will deliver Meals on Wheels, an incredibly important out- reach to the elderly and shut-ins in our community. Those who volunteer to deliver find themselves delivering so much more than meals alone; they also deliver a friendly greeting and provide needed contact with the “outside world.” They become the face and voice of God’s caring and concern. This is just one of the many ministries in which St. Luke's and our parishioners serve out Christ's admonition to care for the poor, homeless, and ill, as well as the downtrodden and those denied justice. As this is being written (mid-May), there are a number of people who have already signed up, and some of those have volunteered for more than just one day of delivery. With heartfelt gratitude, we say Thank you to each of them. You bless us by your service and example! That being said, we still have a some vacant slots to fill. We need YOUR help. Please call the Church Office at 684-7529 or Linda Clark at 684-2141 to check the available dates and sign up to help. You will find yourself blessed while you’re being a blessing to others! UPDATED GUIDELINES FOR MEAL DELIVERIES WILL BE POSTED IN ONDERDONK HALL. Please join us for a memorial funeral service to be held for Helen Crain at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, July 9, 2021 at St Luke's, with reception and light refreshments following in the Onderdonk Hall. The Seekers Page 4 TAKING A MOMENT FOR MISSIONS with Joan Smith No Wasted Experiences with God Wedding ceremony—bride follows husband. As a child I struggled with a reoccurring nightmare- a frightening dream that was always the same. Now it seems innocuous; then it was inescapable evil. It started as I looked down at a delicate purple violet. A black cloud would overshadow the violet. At that moment of the overshad- owing, I became the violet, lying on my back looking up as the shadow began to descend. As the shadow descended, I would feel a weight pressing down on my chest not allowing me to breathe. I would wake up in a panic unable to breathe, gasping, with my heart pounding. I lived with the dream for four or five years until Jesus became a reality in my life. Then it disappeared. Fast forward forty years. Tigist was a bright and beautiful Muslim girl. Her looks and her abilities caused a number of the single men in the area to look her direction. So, it wasn’t a complete surprise when she was abducted from the community by a man who lived in a community across the lake. But the conditions in the new family were difficult. Tigist lived in constant fear that she would be killed. Eventually she contacted her family and asked if she could come home. Initially her family refused because they had already been paid the bride price, but things only got worse for Tigist, so in the end they changed their minds because their desperate daughter threatened suicide. She returned home free of the threats of her husband’s family –but pregnant. Several weeks after her return she brought a translator-advocate so she could talk to me. She explained that she was pregnant from the man who had been her husband and now she wanted to get an abortion but her family lacked the money. Would I help her? Part of me wanted to help her because a new baby would tie her to a family that had abused her, but I couldn’t help with an abortion. I said that I would help her if she needed to go away and have the baby, but I couldn’t help pay for an abortion for a variety of reasons. I explained that first and foremost I believed life was a gift from God – it was not for me to take- and secondly friends that I knew who had had an abortion had suffered long term phycological heartache. She listened quietly, nodded and then she left.