Morning and Evening

One of the ways I encounter God is by setting aside time for prayer and Bible reading every morning and evening. I use an Anglican pattern for doing this that is sometimes called "the daily office." Without getting too far into the weeds, it's called an "office" in the sense of both a duty completed and an honor to be fulfilled.

Keeping the daily office has been close to a 20 year process for me. When I was in seminary, the morning part, called "Morning Prayer" was required. That began my journey. Then, when I worked for the Diocese of Pittsburgh, we would all take a break at 9am every morning and go down to a side altar in Trinity Cathedral for Morning Prayer. I liked this pattern, and when I came to Epiphany, Fr. Robin agreed that we could have a Morning Prayer service every day as well. That service continues to this day at 9am every day of the week except Wednesday - when we have a noon Eucharist.

For a long time, that is what I did. But this past year I decided to go deeper, and added the Evening Prayer service, as well as a more intense schedule for reading through all the Psalms each month to my routine. I have been fascinated and delighted (really) to see what a difference it has made in my spiritual life to enclose my days with morning and evening time with God.

It's taken me a long time to get here - 20 years, but I am grateful to have continued down the road of giving more of my day to the Lord. It's really His day, morning and evening.

God bless,

P.S. If you would like to explore Morning and Evening Prayer for yourself, there are two ways you could do that. First, if your schedule allows, you could join Mtr. Pamela and I at 9am any weekday except Wednesdays in Epiphany's chapel. We are always happy to have fellow worshippers. Second, the ACNA has an app (Called the Daily Office) that automatically gets the daily Bible readings and prayers in their proper places for you. Find it on the Apple App Store, or the Google Play Store. It's also available as a website here.

Marriage Ministry Tapas and Tips

Epiphany couples got together for a relaxed evening to meet each other and invest in their marriages on Saturday, February 1. The event was led by Epiphany's Marriage Ministry. If you weren't able to make it, but would like some conversations starters for your next night out with your spouse, here is the handout from the event.

What is an Epopt?

Last Call for Church Health Survey

Epiphany’s church health survey will be finalized on Monday, February 10. So far, 48 members our our church have completed the survey of the more than 60 survey invitations that have been sent out. There are some requirements for taking the survey. These requirements were not set by Fr. Peter or the vestry, but by the designers of the survey itself. They are:

·       Each individual participant must regularly attend the worship service, AND

·       Must have some form of regular task in the church (no matter what it is), AND

·       Must be part of some form of small group in the church (home group, choir etc.)

Please send Fr. Peter a quick note (pfrank@epiphanyanglican.net) if you would like to participate in our survey group and he will send you an invitation to do so.  Going forward, there will be other ways to participate in this work of seeing where we are and discerning where God is leading us.  Jeff Zimmerman is the vestry’s leader for the work we are undertaking .  Please contact him (jwzimmerman209@gmail.com) if you are interested in learning more about that.  

Women's Fellowship

"Listening to God's Voice" Feb. 15

The speaker for our Winter Morning Retreat will be The Rev. Kathleen Christopher, Director of the Christian Healing Institute, on "Listening to God's voice." The Retreat will be on February 15 in the Fellowship Hall at 10:00am. Sign up here, at church or RSVP Catherine Zimmerman (571) 426-4204.

Senior Luncheon on Wednesday Feb. 19

SENIORS, take a break from cold winter days with a friendly lunch at the Chantilly I-HOP near Lowe’s at 1 p.m. on Wednesday, February 19.  I-HOP’s special senior offer on Wednesday p.m. each week is a half-price meal that includes both food and a drink.  Take advantage of the savings while you enjoy informal conversation with your fellow Epiphany seniors.  Reservations are not required.  We meet the third Wednesday of every month unless there is a major church event previously scheduled that would conflict with the date.  For more information, contact Vonda Sines at 703-850-1230.

Coates Elementary Food Pantry Update:

Thanks to your generous donations we will make another delivery to the Coates food pantry next week.  We need additional donations to continue to make deliveries in March and the rest of the school year. We are providing these basic foods:

Dried beans, lentils and rice

Canned chicken and tuna

Canned tomatoes, corn and carrots

Pasta (penne and spaghetti preferred)

Macaroni and cheese boxes

Donations can be placed in the large bin next to the receptionist’s desk. Cash donations can also be made specifying Coates. If you have any questions about this ministry, contact Sally Eckard (sseckard@verizon.net) or Melanie Kobos (melkobo@yahoo.com).

Choral Evensong on Feb. 22

Join the choir for Choral Evensong on Saturday, February 22, at 6pm as we celebrate the Feast of Saint Matthias. Come experience the beauty of sacred music, scripture and prayer in a reflective evening service at Epiphany.  

This Week At Epiphany

Church of the Epiphany | 3863 Centerview Drive | 703-481-8601

www.epiphanyanglican.net

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