Casper’s St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Minister Retires

After 8 years of service at St. Mark's Church in Casper, Wyoming Rev Jim Shumard is retiring.

On his last day he was presented with drawings commissioned by a local artist.

Reverend Jim, as he is called by those who attend the church, lived in Savannah Georgia before moving to Wyoming.

He plans on returning to Savannah for lots of Golf, but will still remain active to an extent in the ministry.

He first traveled through Wyoming many years ago on a personal mission to drive coast to coast.

It was then that he made a friend in Yellowstone and they finished that trip together. They have been lifelong friends ever since.

Rev Jim Shumard never forgot Wyoming. So when he saw an opening at St. Mark's he jumped on it.

Several parties have been thrown for Reverend Jim as he leaves.

Sunday, October 29th was his last Sunday service.

After the service, he was presented with two graphite pencil drawings by local artist Tim Mandese.

The first drawing presented to Reverend Jim was of Pope John Paul.

Tim Madese created the drawing of the pope many years ago.

It was a favorite of his mother's With his mother's massing Tim wanted to find a good home for the drawing.

Church Member Jim Cunningham purchased it.

But then Cunningham commissioned him to do another drawing—this time of St. Mark's Church.

Cunningham took Tim around the church so Tim could take pictures of it.

Tim then took those pictures to his drawing table and sat down for the long process of drawing the church, in graphite pencil.

No, that's not a photograph of the church.

It takes a lot of hours and literally drawing into the night to get those details.

Tim fretted over how to portray the brickwork.

A lot of time was spent filling in the details of the stained glass windows.

Honestly, you really need to see this thing full size. There is a lot of detail.

The parish built the first St. Mark's building on the corner of 2nd and Wolcott in 1891. But membership quickly overflowed the small wooden building. So they added to it in 1907.

About two decades later the parish again needed a larger building. They purchased land on the corner of 7th and Wolcott. The current building as you see it today, was completed in 1925. Some additions have been added since then.

Another one of Tim's drawings is of Governor Gordon's father in a rodeo.

That one sits on the Governor's desk.

The untimely death of Wyoming's Leland Christensen struck far too close for those across the state of Wyoming who knew him.

So much so that Wyoming artist Tim Mandese was commissioned by one of Leland's friends, state senator Ogdon Driskill of Crook County and Devil's Tower fame, to draw a portrait.

Other drawings by Tim are in various restaurants and homes around the state.

Here is Tim, at home, putting the final touches on the portrait of  Leland Christensen.