Today marks the last worship service for the Rev. E. Wendy Huber in her role as priest for the three Episcopal churches in Garfield County, including St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Glenwood Springs.
But she’s not going far.
Huber has been appointed to serve St. Peters Episcopal Church in Basalt, replacing Rev. Will Fisher who left earlier this year to take an appointment in Redding, Conn.
Huber will lead a joint service at St. Johns in New Castle at 10 a.m. Sunday, inviting the congregations from St. Barnabas and All Saints Episcopal Church in Battlement Mesa.
Huber and her family came to serve St. Barnabas Episcopal Church in Glenwood Springs in 2016. Since moving to the Roaring Fork Valley, she has led several unique ministries including “Pool & Prayer” (where attendees played pool and prayed), “Yoga Eucharist” (communion with yoga), “Praying with Mandalas” and Vacation Bible School for grown-ups featuring rock-n-roll and the Bible.
In 2017, the three Episcopal Churches in Garfield County formed a partnership to share ministries, as well as clergy.
“This arrangement will remain in place in the future as the three churches seek a clergy person to serve the partnership,” according to a press release announcing the clergy change.
Huber said many small churches are utilizing a partnership model to ensure their longer-term futures.
Huber has served in several community roles, including as clergy representative to the Garfield Human Services Commission and a citizen representative for the Post Independent Editorial Board.
Huber entered the ministry after a successful career as a conflict management expert assisting others in resolving their conflicts through mediation and negotiation. She has written several textbooks and has taught at several colleges and universities including Pepperdine School of Law and Rice University. She currently teaches at Colorado Mountain College.
“The small family-sized churches in our valley are filled with loving people who share lives and share their faith journeys,” Huber said. “I am excited to serve St. Peters in Basalt and I will miss all the wonderful people at the three churches in Garfield County.”
Huber’s husband Stephen is retired and serves as a Commissioner of the Garfield County Housing Authority.
The three Garfield County churches will work with the Diocesan Transition Officer to develop a profile for their new priest to be appointed in the coming months. In the interim, they will utilize supply priests to lead worship.
