About Wind & Wings and Why the Church is Involved

Our Baptismal Covenant

Wyoming Episcopalians have a unique opportunity to honor God by enriching young hearts and lives in significant and specific ways. The Baptismal Covenant would have us "respect the dignity of every human being," and nowhere is this more important than in the lives of children, youth, and young adults.

Even youths will faint and be weary, and the young will fall exhausted; but those who wait for the LORD shall renew their strength, they shall mount up with wings like eagles, they shall run and not be weary, they shall walk and not faint. (NRSV Isaiah 40:30-31)

Our vision is bigger than the Episcopal Church. Wind & Wings will engage all sorts and conditions of young people throughout Wyoming and beyond. Serving young people helps all of us grow as Christians.

In 2003, our national church enthusiastically declared youth ministry to be a priority. Wind & Wings offers Wyoming Episcopalians significant opportunity to respond to this mandate. Church leaders have spent time asking, "What is God's mission for our diocese?" "How can we insure future leadership for our church?" And most important, "How can we meet the challenge set out in our vision?" A resounding answer:

"Service is at the heart of our commitment to Jesus Christ and our baptismal calling. We will not be content until all of the young people of Wyoming have opportunity to live life as God intends. In Wyoming we are a tenacious, trustworthy people and we will do our very best to see that this happens." ~ Bruce Caldwell, Bishop

The Work

Wind & Wings will be characterized by:

- A high degree of engagement of younger people in all aspects... planning, mapping assets, leading, doing, reflecting and learning;
- Opportunities to strengthen dialogue, understanding and mutual support across generations.
- Locally planned and driven initiatives within the larger strategic framework of the Initiative;
- Leveraging of new resources by developing partnerships within the community and the diocese with nonprofit organizations, private donors and state and local government;
- Investment of the resources of the diocese in ways that work in partnership with congregations to foster innovation in response to local priorities;
- Creation of opportunities for the personal volunteer involvement of our people in leadership and implementation roles.

The Results

As a result of Wind & Wings:

- Younger people will have a greater chance to succeed because they will have developed new skills, new confidence in themselves and new relationships with supportive adults.
- Families will be more stable and better prepared to respond to the world around them.
- Businesses will be better able to rely on motivated, prepared local workers.
- Churches will be places to which younger people want to affiliate themselves, bringing new energy and leadership.
- Government will be able to spend less on "services" and more on creating conditions that prevent problems.

To Volunteer or Make a Pledge...

Please contact the diocesan office at erica@wydiocese.org or 307-742-6606.