February's Leadership Newsletter
Welcome to February's Leadership Newsletter -
a place to hear the heart and thoughts of leaders in our church.
Pastor:
Sir Ernest Shackleton
I love reading. I try to challenge myself each year to read more and more. This past month I read the book Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer. The focus of the book was to explore leadership lessons derived from Sir Ernest Shackleton's experiences leading the expedition to Antarctica. . I love leadership books and these principles are more than just a guide; they embody the essence of how to live through resourcefulness, optimism, and empathy. These traits have maintained their relevance and criticality in the ever-evolving landscape of leadership today.
Here are some of the ideas pulled from the book, Good leadership understands the concept of setting a clear vision and leading by example, which were core principles central to Shackleton's leadership style. Shackleton's approach when he set out on the Endurance expedition was to portray a vivid picture of the goal and delineate the path to achieve it. As a church we need to have regular discussions on how leaders can instill in their teams a clear sense of purpose and direction. Like Sir Ernest Shackleton, I believe in leading from the front and how it can trigger a domino effect, inspiring and motivating others to follow suit, thereby creating a ripple effect of leadership throughout the organization.
In another section of the book, Shackleton's leadership value of unwavering optimism, served as a trait that he was remembered by. Even in the face of the most dire circumstances he created a culture of optimism. He used words, song, and food to carry this out. Optimism hasn’t always been easy for me to grasp. I have tended to be a glass half-empty type of leader, where I regularly see the pitfalls and obstructions to success. Shackleton’s Way challenged me to work towards incorporating a positive outlook in my leadership that can act as a cornerstone, fostering resilience and motivation within teams, even when the odds are stacked against us. Optimistic leadership cultivates a powerful mindset within their teams and organizations, effectively turning challenges into opportunities and fostering a culture of perseverance. I’m praying and practicing to have “optimistic leadership” in my life.
Shackleton also displayed exceptional empathy and understanding towards his crew, a trait that often distinguishes good leaders from great ones. This is leading with emotional intelligence and it plays a pivotal part in building strong relationships based on trust and respect. I truly love practical leadership skills that I can practice each and every day or conversation. I highly recommend Shackleton’s Way for your growth in leading in your family, job, church, and life.
Fighting Forward Together
Jason
Youth:
What’s been happening?
This semester we are getting deep into studying the Gospel of John, using the Rooted Reservoir curriculum.
What’s coming up?
A service project at the mission is in the works (more details to come)!
Prayer requests:
That the youth may focus on growing spiritually and deepening their relationships with our Heavenly Father as well as with others.
What are we excited about?
Road-trip to Colorado Springs for IYL (Ignite Youth Leadership) conference end of March.
What is difficult?
Another window was broken in the youth room (an interior window on the hallway side).
What do we want the church to know?
We ask that the church - as a whole - be coaching their kids/students on caring for our church building & not being destructive. For those of you with younger children, please be talking with them about respecting the youth space and everything in it because one day they’ll be getting to meet in there.
Kim Kunckel
Missions:
“Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
~Matthew 28.18-20 NIV
Jesus has called us to be missional, as you see in the verse here. One of our main responsibilities as Christians here on earth is to introduce others to our Savior, and help them grow in the knowledge of Him. The Missions & Outreach Team has been building opportunities to do just that - to see what God is up to outside our doors and beyond our Wyoming borders - and join Him there.
Because this initiative is relatively new in our church we have been trying various ways to do that and learning as we go. We welcome your feedback, encouragement, questions, ideas, and participation! Thank you for your grace and prayers through the process. Thanks again to everyone who participated in December Outreaches! And Missions Conference, and Love Your City...all the things. One of the best ways to have a voice in how this venture is shaped is to join the lead team(s). We will be differentiating “missions” and “outreach” this year as we add to our team numbers. If you want to lend your strengths and gifts to the mix and help guide this church-wide venture, talk to us at church or shoot us a text or email! Or we might come talk with you, as the Spirit leads. I am excited for a new season!
Upcoming:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1.8
Prayer:
Mark your calendar for the first 3 Wednesdays in March at 6pm. We are going to pray together here for “Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth,” as they say, or our local community, nation, and world. We’ll have a time of focused prayer together to do battle in the heavenly realms, do the work in the spirit, that gives our physical or mental work any real power. So - March 6th, 13th, and 20th you can come join some Missions & Outreach Team members and others to pray for 20-30 minutes.
Outreach Opp:
Casper Street: Arts Ignite has been rescheduled to April 13th. Come join the fun and invite your people (13+ recommended, parents discretion, no childcare provided) to c’mon over and connect through the arts, enjoy a warm drink and cookie, and bring friend!
An outreach event of the church is designed to welcome people in various stages of their spiritual journey and provide connection points for them to seek God with us, in hopes that they will know Christ, walk with Him daily as His disciple, and participate in a family of believers where they find belonging and shared hope.
The Arts have historically been a way that people share their stories, process their experiences, and communicate deep thoughts with others. This makes artistic expression a great opportunity for good conversations.
Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly artistic you are invited to come, be prayerful, observe and connect! If you do create art - in the form of song, poetry, painting, drawing, sculpture, comedy, spoken word, etc - then please feel free to submit art pieces using this link! https://forms.gle/4HMAJtpgPW7kfQja6 (Also in email announcements). Submission deadline is March 15th.
How you can help:
-Pray: Commit to praying regularly for the event. Come that evening and be praying while you are there. Pray about people to invite.
-Share: Invite friends and family, think of those who may not come on a Sunday morning but might have a good time at the event. Submit your own artwork. Invite artists you know to do so. Post, text, email the info out to your slice of the Casper area.
-Set Up/Clean Up: Come early and help get it ready. Stay after and help tear down.
-Provide Tech Support: Have tech skills you can share? Help out with that aspect.
-Hand Out Cookies: Come offer cookies to attendees with a friendly hello.
-Attend: Come support the artists by appreciating their efforts and contributions. Engage with those who attend with genuine interest and care.
Always:
Keep an eye on Prayer Guides for how specifically to pray. Let us know if you would like to receive the Griffins newsletter from Uruguay. Check out the weekly email for updates and events. His Kingdom come
Marie Scott
Coaching Ministry:
Discovery Course coming in April!
What is Discovery Course?
Discovering how to deepen your relationship with God and the church by learning and applying your unique talents and abilities.
“Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree cut down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Discovery Course Schedule:
Sunday, April 7 - Workshop at 5:00pm
Sunday, April 14 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
April 21 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
April 28 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
May 5 - Class during the Sunday School hour
Sunday, May 5 - Workshop to wrap up at 5:00pm
Connect with Kris (develop@burdcoaching.com)
or Hannah (office@casperchurch.com) for any question and much more information.
Worship:
“You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.”
—Augustine of Hippo
“We are perishing for lack of wonder, not for lack of wonders.”
—G.K. Chesterton
“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”
—Charles Spurgeon
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?”
—Francis Chan
“From your heroes you pick up mannerisms and phrases and tones of voice and facial expressions and habits and demeanors and convictions and beliefs. The more admirable the hero is and the more intense your admiration is, the more profound will be your transformation. In the case of Jesus, he is infinitely admirable, and our admiration rises to the most absolute worship. Therefore, when we behold him as we should, the change is profound.”
—John Piper
Kids:
We are squarely into the second half of the school year and are enjoying teaching and discipling our kiddos in KidsMinistry! I continue to be so grateful for the crowd of people who faithfully participate and give of themselves. My prayer (and the prayer of our leadership collectively) is that the Lord will raise up leaders for this area of ministry who would be passionate to commit to KidsMinistry and the vision of passing on the Gospel to the next generation. Will you join in praying for that with me? We trust and know that the Lord shepherds His church, and He goes before us in every way.
With Joy!
Hannah Burd
Encouragement 101 Small Group:
Encouragement 101 is a small group that meets Wednesday nights at the church. The purpose of the group is to “encourage one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching”.
Wednesday night (6:30-7:30) generally starts off with visiting and catching up on what’s going on in each other’s lives, followed by a short Bible study, and concludes with a time of prayer. After the meeting concludes, many stay and continue the conversations that began prior to the meeting.
Andy Bartosh
Ways to Engage:
If you are looking for ways to plug in, here is a broad overview of a week at Casper Alliance:
Sundays
9:15 Prayer
9:00 Torah Club
9:45 Sunday School (all ages)
11:00 Worship Hour
Mondays
6:00 Women's Bible Study
Wednesdays
6:00 Torah Club
6:30 Encouragement 101 Small Group
6:30 Youth
6:30 KidsMinistry
Thursdays
7:00 Men’s Breakfast/Bible Study
There are monthly events and other events and opportunities beyond those as well. Reach out at office@casperchurch.com for more information!
Casper Alliance Church Leadership
Pastor - Jason Fazel - jasonf@casperchurch.com
Elders - John Wiebe - john.wiebe.85@gmail.com
Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com
Brad Johnson - bjohn52059@gmail.com
Aaron Kudlak - avckudlak@msn.com
Scott McLean - martian62@yahoo.com
Scott Thorne - thornesnc123@gmail.com
Board - Larry Ash - 307-258-9905
Anita Walker - anitawalk93@gmail.com
Davian Herbig - davian74@hotmail.com
Discipleship - Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com
Small group - Andy and Pam - nbartosh_wy@charter.net Torah Club - John & Dianne - thescribes@protonmail.com
Youth - Kim Kunckel - kimberly.kunckel@gmail.com
Kids - church office - office@casperchurch.com
Mens - Jason Fazel - jasonf@casperchurch.com
Womens - Jinx Clark - jinxce@gmail.com
Care - Risa Petrie - risapetrie@gmail.com
Finance - Brad Johnson - bjohn52059@gmail.com
Adult SS - Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com Elementary - Zak Wiebe - ztwin32@gmail.com Preschool - Christine Thorne - thornesnc@charter.net
Missions - Marie Scott - the.mariescott@gmail.com
Worship - Hannah Burd - hdburd@icloud.com
a place to hear the heart and thoughts of leaders in our church.
Pastor:
Sir Ernest Shackleton
I love reading. I try to challenge myself each year to read more and more. This past month I read the book Shackleton’s Way: Leadership Lessons from the Great Antarctic Explorer. The focus of the book was to explore leadership lessons derived from Sir Ernest Shackleton's experiences leading the expedition to Antarctica. . I love leadership books and these principles are more than just a guide; they embody the essence of how to live through resourcefulness, optimism, and empathy. These traits have maintained their relevance and criticality in the ever-evolving landscape of leadership today.
Here are some of the ideas pulled from the book, Good leadership understands the concept of setting a clear vision and leading by example, which were core principles central to Shackleton's leadership style. Shackleton's approach when he set out on the Endurance expedition was to portray a vivid picture of the goal and delineate the path to achieve it. As a church we need to have regular discussions on how leaders can instill in their teams a clear sense of purpose and direction. Like Sir Ernest Shackleton, I believe in leading from the front and how it can trigger a domino effect, inspiring and motivating others to follow suit, thereby creating a ripple effect of leadership throughout the organization.
In another section of the book, Shackleton's leadership value of unwavering optimism, served as a trait that he was remembered by. Even in the face of the most dire circumstances he created a culture of optimism. He used words, song, and food to carry this out. Optimism hasn’t always been easy for me to grasp. I have tended to be a glass half-empty type of leader, where I regularly see the pitfalls and obstructions to success. Shackleton’s Way challenged me to work towards incorporating a positive outlook in my leadership that can act as a cornerstone, fostering resilience and motivation within teams, even when the odds are stacked against us. Optimistic leadership cultivates a powerful mindset within their teams and organizations, effectively turning challenges into opportunities and fostering a culture of perseverance. I’m praying and practicing to have “optimistic leadership” in my life.
Shackleton also displayed exceptional empathy and understanding towards his crew, a trait that often distinguishes good leaders from great ones. This is leading with emotional intelligence and it plays a pivotal part in building strong relationships based on trust and respect. I truly love practical leadership skills that I can practice each and every day or conversation. I highly recommend Shackleton’s Way for your growth in leading in your family, job, church, and life.
Fighting Forward Together
Jason
Youth:
What’s been happening?
This semester we are getting deep into studying the Gospel of John, using the Rooted Reservoir curriculum.
What’s coming up?
A service project at the mission is in the works (more details to come)!
Prayer requests:
That the youth may focus on growing spiritually and deepening their relationships with our Heavenly Father as well as with others.
What are we excited about?
Road-trip to Colorado Springs for IYL (Ignite Youth Leadership) conference end of March.
What is difficult?
Another window was broken in the youth room (an interior window on the hallway side).
What do we want the church to know?
We ask that the church - as a whole - be coaching their kids/students on caring for our church building & not being destructive. For those of you with younger children, please be talking with them about respecting the youth space and everything in it because one day they’ll be getting to meet in there.
Kim Kunckel
Missions:
“Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit,and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”
~Matthew 28.18-20 NIV
Jesus has called us to be missional, as you see in the verse here. One of our main responsibilities as Christians here on earth is to introduce others to our Savior, and help them grow in the knowledge of Him. The Missions & Outreach Team has been building opportunities to do just that - to see what God is up to outside our doors and beyond our Wyoming borders - and join Him there.
Because this initiative is relatively new in our church we have been trying various ways to do that and learning as we go. We welcome your feedback, encouragement, questions, ideas, and participation! Thank you for your grace and prayers through the process. Thanks again to everyone who participated in December Outreaches! And Missions Conference, and Love Your City...all the things. One of the best ways to have a voice in how this venture is shaped is to join the lead team(s). We will be differentiating “missions” and “outreach” this year as we add to our team numbers. If you want to lend your strengths and gifts to the mix and help guide this church-wide venture, talk to us at church or shoot us a text or email! Or we might come talk with you, as the Spirit leads. I am excited for a new season!
Upcoming:
“But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” ~Acts 1.8
Prayer:
Mark your calendar for the first 3 Wednesdays in March at 6pm. We are going to pray together here for “Judea, Samaria, and the Ends of the Earth,” as they say, or our local community, nation, and world. We’ll have a time of focused prayer together to do battle in the heavenly realms, do the work in the spirit, that gives our physical or mental work any real power. So - March 6th, 13th, and 20th you can come join some Missions & Outreach Team members and others to pray for 20-30 minutes.
Outreach Opp:
Casper Street: Arts Ignite has been rescheduled to April 13th. Come join the fun and invite your people (13+ recommended, parents discretion, no childcare provided) to c’mon over and connect through the arts, enjoy a warm drink and cookie, and bring friend!
An outreach event of the church is designed to welcome people in various stages of their spiritual journey and provide connection points for them to seek God with us, in hopes that they will know Christ, walk with Him daily as His disciple, and participate in a family of believers where they find belonging and shared hope.
The Arts have historically been a way that people share their stories, process their experiences, and communicate deep thoughts with others. This makes artistic expression a great opportunity for good conversations.
Even if you don’t consider yourself particularly artistic you are invited to come, be prayerful, observe and connect! If you do create art - in the form of song, poetry, painting, drawing, sculpture, comedy, spoken word, etc - then please feel free to submit art pieces using this link! https://forms.gle/4HMAJtpgPW7kfQja6 (Also in email announcements). Submission deadline is March 15th.
How you can help:
-Pray: Commit to praying regularly for the event. Come that evening and be praying while you are there. Pray about people to invite.
-Share: Invite friends and family, think of those who may not come on a Sunday morning but might have a good time at the event. Submit your own artwork. Invite artists you know to do so. Post, text, email the info out to your slice of the Casper area.
-Set Up/Clean Up: Come early and help get it ready. Stay after and help tear down.
-Provide Tech Support: Have tech skills you can share? Help out with that aspect.
-Hand Out Cookies: Come offer cookies to attendees with a friendly hello.
-Attend: Come support the artists by appreciating their efforts and contributions. Engage with those who attend with genuine interest and care.
Always:
Keep an eye on Prayer Guides for how specifically to pray. Let us know if you would like to receive the Griffins newsletter from Uruguay. Check out the weekly email for updates and events. His Kingdom come
Marie Scott
Coaching Ministry:
Discovery Course coming in April!
What is Discovery Course?
Discovering how to deepen your relationship with God and the church by learning and applying your unique talents and abilities.
“Christ says, ‘Give me All. I don’t want so much of your time and so much of your money and so much of your work: I want You. I have not come to torment your natural self, but to kill it. No half-measures are any good. I don’t want to cut off a branch here and a branch there, I want to have the whole tree cut down. Hand over the whole natural self, all the desires which you think innocent as well as the ones you think wicked—the whole outfit. I will give you a new self instead. In fact, I will give you Myself: my own will shall become yours.” — C.S. Lewis, Mere Christianity
Discovery Course Schedule:
Sunday, April 7 - Workshop at 5:00pm
Sunday, April 14 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
April 21 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
April 28 - Class during the Sunday School hour Sunday,
May 5 - Class during the Sunday School hour
Sunday, May 5 - Workshop to wrap up at 5:00pm
Connect with Kris (develop@burdcoaching.com)
or Hannah (office@casperchurch.com) for any question and much more information.
Worship:
“You never go away from us, yet we have difficulty in returning to You. Come, Lord, stir us up and call us back. Kindle and seize us. Be our fire and our sweetness. Let us love. Let us run.”
—Augustine of Hippo
“We are perishing for lack of wonder, not for lack of wonders.”
—G.K. Chesterton
“Nothing teaches us about the preciousness of the Creator as much as when we learn the emptiness of everything else.”
—Charles Spurgeon
“Many Spirit-filled authors have exhausted the thesaurus in order to describe God with the glory He deserves. His perfect holiness, by definition, assures us that our words can’t contain Him. Isn’t it a comfort to worship a God we cannot exaggerate?”
—Francis Chan
“From your heroes you pick up mannerisms and phrases and tones of voice and facial expressions and habits and demeanors and convictions and beliefs. The more admirable the hero is and the more intense your admiration is, the more profound will be your transformation. In the case of Jesus, he is infinitely admirable, and our admiration rises to the most absolute worship. Therefore, when we behold him as we should, the change is profound.”
—John Piper
Kids:
We are squarely into the second half of the school year and are enjoying teaching and discipling our kiddos in KidsMinistry! I continue to be so grateful for the crowd of people who faithfully participate and give of themselves. My prayer (and the prayer of our leadership collectively) is that the Lord will raise up leaders for this area of ministry who would be passionate to commit to KidsMinistry and the vision of passing on the Gospel to the next generation. Will you join in praying for that with me? We trust and know that the Lord shepherds His church, and He goes before us in every way.
With Joy!
Hannah Burd
Encouragement 101 Small Group:
Encouragement 101 is a small group that meets Wednesday nights at the church. The purpose of the group is to “encourage one another, and so much the more as we see the day approaching”.
Wednesday night (6:30-7:30) generally starts off with visiting and catching up on what’s going on in each other’s lives, followed by a short Bible study, and concludes with a time of prayer. After the meeting concludes, many stay and continue the conversations that began prior to the meeting.
Andy Bartosh
Ways to Engage:
If you are looking for ways to plug in, here is a broad overview of a week at Casper Alliance:
Sundays
9:15 Prayer
9:00 Torah Club
9:45 Sunday School (all ages)
11:00 Worship Hour
Mondays
6:00 Women's Bible Study
Wednesdays
6:00 Torah Club
6:30 Encouragement 101 Small Group
6:30 Youth
6:30 KidsMinistry
Thursdays
7:00 Men’s Breakfast/Bible Study
There are monthly events and other events and opportunities beyond those as well. Reach out at office@casperchurch.com for more information!
Casper Alliance Church Leadership
Pastor - Jason Fazel - jasonf@casperchurch.com
Elders - John Wiebe - john.wiebe.85@gmail.com
Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com
Brad Johnson - bjohn52059@gmail.com
Aaron Kudlak - avckudlak@msn.com
Scott McLean - martian62@yahoo.com
Scott Thorne - thornesnc123@gmail.com
Board - Larry Ash - 307-258-9905
Anita Walker - anitawalk93@gmail.com
Davian Herbig - davian74@hotmail.com
Discipleship - Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com
Small group - Andy and Pam - nbartosh_wy@charter.net Torah Club - John & Dianne - thescribes@protonmail.com
Youth - Kim Kunckel - kimberly.kunckel@gmail.com
Kids - church office - office@casperchurch.com
Mens - Jason Fazel - jasonf@casperchurch.com
Womens - Jinx Clark - jinxce@gmail.com
Care - Risa Petrie - risapetrie@gmail.com
Finance - Brad Johnson - bjohn52059@gmail.com
Adult SS - Mark Ayen - wyohiwayman@gmail.com Elementary - Zak Wiebe - ztwin32@gmail.com Preschool - Christine Thorne - thornesnc@charter.net
Missions - Marie Scott - the.mariescott@gmail.com
Worship - Hannah Burd - hdburd@icloud.com
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