Weekly Reflection
Dear Epiphany,
The "Ministers March for Justice" was an amazing experience - more than a thousand clergy and laity from many faiths and denominations gathered at the Martin Luther King Memorial to listen to speakers, pray together and march in testimony that we want justice for all . . . and in the words of the chant that rang out as we marched, "We want it NOW."
A group of us gathered on the steps of Epiphany and traveled together to join with a larger group from the Diocese of Washington. I was joined by my three youngest grandchildren who were happy to be outside on a beautiful day in downtown Washington. We all noticed the diversity of the crowd as we moved with the people of the Diocese to join the larger march at the King memorial. It reminded me of the song I sang as a child in Sunday School, "red and yellow, black and white, we are precious in his sight." The diversity went far beyond race - there were men and women, gays and straights, people in collars and stoles, in dashikis and turbans, female rabbi's in kippahs and tallits, Muslim women in hijabs.
The sounds were diverse, also - a shofar sounded, voices offered thoughts and prayers from Hindu, Jewish, Evangelical Christian, Sikh, and other traditions. Although the voices were diverse, the messages were the same. It is time for this country to come together and address the pervasive issues of racism and injustice in our midst. The date for the march was the 54
th
anniversary of Martin Luther King, Jr.'s "I have a Dream" speech. Four years ago, I joined with 200,000 people at the Lincoln Memorial to remember and celebrate another anniversary of that speech. Then, and on Monday, many people spoke out to say the work of the Civil Rights movement is not finished. In many ways, we have barely begun. I find it very painful to be marching again for justice fifty years after I hoped that we had moved beyond the need for marches. When I think about it, I have to remind myself in the face of the needless deaths of black men and the incarceration of generations of poor minorities, and dramatic inequalities in educational opportunities, that we have made progress; but there is a long way to go. I deeply believe that the power of God's love will win through even the evil of racism, but not without our hands and hearts and feet engaged in the struggle. We are called to be Christ's body in this world and to do the hard work of acknowledging the embedded sinfulness of racism, sexism and all the ism's and hatreds and bringing God's love and light to bear on these issues. The march was another step in the long journey to the kingdom of God.
When I asked my grandchildren what they thought was important about the march, Julia said, "step by step, little by little, we are changing the world." I don't believe that I could have said it any better.
We have another opportunity to move forward in this process. On September 22-23, the Diocese is offering a workshop - Seeing the Face of God in Each Other - designed to help us explore the history of institutionalized discrimination in our society. The goal of the training is trying to find common ground for building the beloved community in our parish, our diocese, and the world. Ann Gordon and I have both attended previous sessions and hope that more people from Epiphany will attend. Epiphany is a diverse parish with a deep faith and a commitment to social justice, I hope that we can build on that faith and deepen our commitment to growing the beloved community by engaging each other and our community in discussion and action for justice in the world.
With peace & love,
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Mission & Ministry
Worship at Epiphany
Sunday Readings
Epiphany will be closed on Monday, September 4 in observance of Labor Day.
New Database
The Church of the Epiphany is launching a new online database and email invitations have been sent out. Through Realm, parishioners will be able to create a user profile, edit personal information, manage online giving, and learn more about church events and activities.
If you did not receive your invitation with a link to create your online profile, please check your spam folder. If you have still not received your email, please contact Catherine, the Parish Administrator, at
202-347-2635 or
Keeping Epiphany Clean
 In our ongoing efforts to be a sanitary place of hospitality, please ensure that all used dishes are cleaned before leaving the building.
Also, in continuing with sanitation, all pew cushions will be removed from the church the second week of September.
Please refer any questions or concerns to our Rector, Rev'd Huber.
Storytellers for Change: An Annual Street Sense Celebration
September 28, 6:00pm
The Josephine Butler Parks Center
Join an evening of powerful storytelling through an
Artistic Showcase, exhibits of work by homeless, and formerly homeless, members of our community. The artists will share their voices through
photography, illustration, interactive art, poetry and writing, theater, film, and audio production.
Guests will have the opportunity to meet the artists showcasing work. Many displayed pieces will be on sale for donation to support the artists and grow the workshops where the pieces are created. All support for this event will advance engagement and education between Street Sense storytellers and the public. Their stories are shared through our widening array of multi-media outlets and events focused on ending homelessness and poverty.
The evening will include h
eavy hors d'Oeuvres, a silent auction, dancing and live music, and NBC's Leon Harris as Master of Ceremonies. Get your ticket here!
This week in Epiphany History
The commissioner of Indian Affairs, support for the Epiphany Church home, a pioneer of steam engineering and much more! Be sure to
get your daily
dose of Epiphany History by following
the
Celebrating 175 page
.
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Hurricane Harvey Relief
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The Presiding Bishop's message on Harvey
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What can we do to help?
As noted by Bishop Curry, and dozens of relief organizations, what is most needed at this time is money. Affected areas have limited capacity to receive boxes of donated items at this time. Financial donations will be able to provide both immediate and long term assistance.
Places to Donate:
You can also donate via text by
simply texting REDCROSS to 90999 to give $10. The charges will then appear on your next phone billing cycle.
If you are interested in joining other dioceses from across the nation in volunteering, please complete the Episcopal Relief & Development "Ready to Serve" contact sheet
here
.
Please continue to keep those impacted in your prayers
God is our refuge
God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble.
Therefore we will not fear, though the earth should change,
though the mountains shake in the heart of the sea;
though its waters roar and foam, though the mountains tremble with its tumult. God is in the midst of the city; it shall not be moved;
God will help it when the morning dawns.
The LORD of hosts is with us; the God of Jacob is our refuge.
Psalm 46:1-7
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Music & The Arts
Tuesday Concert Series
September 5, 2017 at 12:10pm
Join Martin Schmeding, organ, in 500 years of Reformation: Organ Music on Lutheran Themes; from J.S. Bach's Clavierubung,Mendelssohn's Reformation Symphony (transcribed by W.T. Best), and Max Reger's Choral Fantasia Ein feste Burg, Op.27.
Admission is free but a donation of $10 is suggested
to support the Concert Series.
Epiphany Choir CD
Copies are available now for just
$15
in the church office or by contacting our Director of Music,
Jeremy Filsell
.
Learn more about musical events at Epiphany by visiting our
website.
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Prayer & Pastoral Care
We ask for your Prayers
For all who seek healing in mind, body, spirit or relationship, especially:
Kathrine Ebert
Jonnie Lee Walker Martin, cousin of Irvin Peterson
Deb Greenbush
Susan Sutton
Carroll Pye
Ernest Xamboj
Zalira Ayers
Sawyer Hutt
Kim Sanders
Anne Schmidt
Holly Foster, daughter of Barbara Ford-Foster
Kelly Miller
Elaine Hollingsworth,
sister of James Hollingsworth
Prayer List
We invite you to add those on your heart to our prayer list.
We will pray for them aloud on Wednesdays at our 12:10 Healing Service and will add them to the Sunday list. Contact the church office with the name of the person and what we need to know about them.
Pastoral Care
If you or someone you know is in need of prayer or conversation, please contact the church office. We would rather hear from many than miss the opportunity to connect with someone.
Wednesday Silent Prayer
Come and join us for 20 minutes of silent prayer and meditation followed by a short time of prayer for the parish. We will meet in the sanctuary on Wednesdays at 11:30am. All are welcome. To find out more, contact Catriona: [email protected].
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Service in Mission & Ministry
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How might you become more involved in the mission and ministry of our parish? There is so much going on at Epiphany and we are so grateful for the contributions you all offer towards making this happen. There are a few areas where we could really use your help! Please have a look at the list below and think where you might feel you could benefit from and contribute to the life of our community.
The Welcome Table team are looking for more volunteers to help in the kitchen and dining room. Please contact Maria Hunter if you are interested in getting involved in this important aspect of our ministry at Epiphany (
[email protected]).
Liturgical Leaders: We are always looking for people to help with the important ministries that make our Sunday worship possible. We welcome new additions to the ranks of greeters, ushers, readers, lay Eucharistic ministers, as well as the flower guild, and altar guild. If you are interested in learning more about any of these roles, please contact Catriona (
[email protected]).
Music Library: Epiphany's music director would appreciate a volunteer to help with organizing the music library, including alphabetizing, rearranging shelves, labeling boxes, and updating the music library spreadsheet. Please email Jeremy at
[email protected].
If you are interested in learning about one or more of these ministries, you can also complete our Epiphany volunteer poll here.
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Blogs & Websites
Episcopal Cafe
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ite featuring Episcopal news, commentary, and meditations
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