Calendar News

Epiphany

We’ve all had one.

 

A powerful moment or flash of insight where you suddenly understand something. And understand it in an important deeper way, changing your perspective forever. It's a moment of clarity, like a light turning on, that reveals a truth or meaning you haven’t seen before, often about yourself or the world.

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The season of Epiphany celebrates such cosmic moments of understanding by giving us the first peeks at the person of Jesus. It begins with arrival of the Magi (Wise Men) who brought gifts of gold, frankincense, and myrrh, celebrated on January 6th every year, and continues with the story of Jesus turning water into wine at Cana, as well as the work and ministry among people like Nicodemus and the woman at the well. These events reveal Jesus' divine nature and mission to the world: they are epiphanies for those who encountered him.

 

The invitation for us is that every encounter with Jesus in scripture will be an epiphany for our lives, drawing us deeper into the light of truth, to celebrate Christ as the light to all peoples and to welcome his presence into their homes and lives.

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As has been our custom the last few years, we will hear testimony and reports during the service from leadership at St. John’s about the divine nature and mission of our work in the world, and the people who offer their lives to this work.

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Epiphany also encourages us to respond to this revelation by offering our own lives, talents, and resources as gifts to Christ, seeing Jesus as God's ultimate gift to humanity. 

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In Church This Week

As has been our custom the last few years, we will hear testimony and reports during the service from leadership at St. John’s about the divine nature and mission of our work in the world, and the people who offer their lives to this work. This Sunday: Diana Anderson, Thrift Shop and Deb Ross, Pantry.

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When you have considered what your annual offering pledge to St. John’s will be, please let Laura Greathouse know at ljgreat13@gmail.com. Here is our online giving portal. We value every pledge. Consider, too, a commitment of attention to our social media, and other sources of communication for the Episcopal Church. Our Facebook page is St John’s Episcopal Church (note there is no period after St). Our greatest need is for you to share the posts about the Pantry—yours might be the thread that leads somebody to our food ministry. Our website is https://www.powellepiscopal.com where you can find Sunday bulletins and recordings of sermons, the service schedules and a few great photos as well.

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The Diocese of Wyoming has a Facebook page as well. Search for Episcopal Church in Wyoming. Their feed is lean, and you can see pictures from the church around our state. They are on Instagram as well. The Diocese also has a website: https://www.episcopalwy.org/ Here you can sign up for communications under the “News” tab, including a print version of “The Spirit of Wyoming,” which comes twice a year. Also available is the eSpirit, and the newsletter emails.

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If you are interested in perspectives from across the country, The Episcopal Church has a Facebook page, but more current and interesting content is at Episcopal News Service. You can go to the website of the same name and sign up for their newsletter.

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Search for Our Next Bishop

Please consider applying to serve on the Search Committee or Transition Committee. Here is the link to the Bishop Search page on the diocesan website: https://www.episcopalwy.org/bishop-search. Here you will find descriptions of both committees, the application, and additional information. Those applications are due by February 2 so that the Standing Committee can announce those positions on February 16. Need to chat about this? Talk to Meg Nickles.

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Thrift Shop

Shop hours: Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 1:00-3:30 PM.

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Pantry

Serving the public in our sanctuary on Tuesdays from 11:00 AM to 1:00 PM.

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Notable Dates

• January 21, 11:30 AM Meditation - Please join us this Wednesday in the sanctuary for about 30 minutes. If you have any questions, please ask Susan McEvoy (307-271-1289).

 

• February 8, Annual Meeting of Friends and Members of St. John’s. We elect members to the vestry, elect convention delegates, approve reports and accept the proposed budget for 2026. And we also eat! Barb Morales has a sign-up sheet for a pot-luck and a kitchen crew.

 

• February 18, 5:30 PM - Pancake Supper and Ash Wednesday Service

 

The Anglican Tradition

What Does it Mean to be the Episcopal Church?

From the newsletter of the Cathedral Church of St. John the Divine in New York City

By The Reverend Canon Steven Lee, Vicar

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Our tradition has long been shaped by the parish ideal: the care of souls for everyone within our reach.

Anglicans trust that faith grows with space. Prayer, beauty, silence, preaching, and the sacraments are offered freely, without coercion. There is no pressure to convert. We know that God is already at work in people before they arrive and continues to work long after they leave.

Our calling remains both simple and demanding:

To be unmistakably a place of prayer;

To offer worship that is reverent, ordered, and alive;

To speak honestly to the moral and spiritual questions of our time;

And to extend care to neighbors, pilgrims, artists, students, seekers, and strangers.

We are a place where all are welcomed as they are, and where their whole life is embraced. This is the calling that shapes all we do.