Interim Rectors Reflection
Dear Friends,
The celebration of Christmas is about many things for many people throughout the world. For those of us marking the beginning of winter, it is about light shining in the darkness. It is a about the life of the evergreen tree while much of the earth lies dormant. It is about the warmth of human companionship when the frosty wind makes moan. All of this and much else besides is a consequence of our being a people of reasonable and holy
hope
as we once again remember how the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, full of grace and truth. That hope is the basis for our knowing that, whatever our circumstance, abundant life is available to us even now. That hope means that in God's grace, we are never stuck, never trapped and that circumstances can always change. That hope can also grow in us as we practice the faith, --as we practice trusting in God's unspeakable love for each of us, made manifest in the story of Jesus that, in one sense, begins in a manger under a star.
The clergy and staff of the Church of the Epiphany join me in wishing you a celebration filled with hope this Christmas.
Geoffrey
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Mission & Ministry
Worship at Epiphany
Holiday Services
Saturday, December 24: Christmas Eve
7:30pm: Christmas Prelude - Music & Carols with Epiphany Choir
8:00pm: Festival Eucharist
Coffee Hour to follow
If you are interested in helping with set up, clean up, or bringing items, please contact Rasheen Carbin at
[email protected].
Vestry will be providing the meal.
Saturday, December 25: Christmas Day
8:00am: Holy Eucharist with Welcome Table Choir
followed by the Welcome Table breakfast
Friday, January 6: Epiphany Evensong
6:00pm: Choral Evensong sung by Schola Epiphaniensis
Sunday, January 8: Epiphany Sunday
10:00am: Joint service, followed by Coffee Hour
All are invited to bring an item to share during Coffee Hour
Garage Parking
We are unable to validate PMI Garage parking on
Saturday, December 24 for the Christmas Eve service or
Friday, January 6 for Evensong.
Validation will be available as usual on Sunday mornings.
Holiday Closings
The church will be closed on Monday, December 26 in observance of Christmas, and Monday, January 2 in observance of New Year's Day.
Welcome Table Christmas Gifts
The Welcome Table volunteers have arranged a personalized gift to share with each of our Welcome Table guests on Christmas morning. They will receive handheld battery-free flashlights with "Church of the Epiphany" printed on them, along with a greeting card from our Epiphany family.
If you would like to contribute to the purchase of these gifts, you can find donation envelopes hanging on the wall outside of the kitchen.
Welcome Table Book Drive
In need of more shelf space? Donate any unwanted books to the Welcome Table Ministry, where free reading materials are offered to parishioners each week. Donating is easy, drop any fiction or non-fiction books, Bibles, or magazines in the shopping cart upon entering church on Sunday or on weekdays. Please contact Kathy Gallagher if you have any questions, [email protected]
In this season of considering our stewardship, I am told that in the past we have been slightly
'loose' with regard to how and when end of year gifts are credited. Under IRS rules we can
credit any gift that is received or post marked by December 31, 2016 to the current year. Any gift or check received beginning January 1, 2017 will be credited to your giving in 2017 regardless of the date on the check. If you could take this into account in your end-of- year-planning we can avoid disappointment or confusion. Complete financial transparency is a goal of your vestry and we are very close to having a clean audit for 2015 as well as accurate statements for 2016. Kudos to vestry and staff who have labored to bring this about.
-Geoffrey Hoare-
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Music & The Arts
Tuesday Concert Series
T
hank you all for a wonderful 2016 season. We will return on January 3 with a spectacular start to 2017.
Learn more about musical events at Epiphany by visiting our
website.
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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.
Sundays:
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]).
Coffee Hour after the 11am service. Pat Pickering and John McDermott do a fantastic job, but they can't do it every week. Coffee Hour can be as simple or as elaborate as we want to make it. What's important is that we have a time of fellowship after worship. Please contact Catriona if you can help (
[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]).
Weekdays:
Office Volunteers: We are looking for volunteers to sit at the front desk between 10am-2pm on weekdays. Bertha does a great job on Tuesdays and we're looking for others to help throughout the week. If you want to find out more, talk to Bertha and please contact Catherine in the office if you can help (
[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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Prayer & Pastoral Care
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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Blogs & Websites
Episcopal Cafe
S
ite featuring Episcopal news, commentary, and meditations
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