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The
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT Quarterly
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a ministry of the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, Atlanta GA | |
Welcome to the inaugural issue of Epiphany’s Community Engagement Quarterly!
At the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, we endeavor to live out our faith as expressed in the Baptismal Covenant: “to strive for justice and peace among all people and respect the dignity of every human being.” Our Community Engagement Ministries provide opportunities to manifest God’s love for all the world through friendship and service to others. We hope this newsletter will provide you with more information about the many ways you can become involved and make a real difference in this community and the wider world.
Peace,
Carmie
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Holiday Giving & Volunteer Opportunities | | |
Thanksgiving at Home
As we are all experiencing, grocery prices remain high, and celebrating Thanksgiving with extended family or friends can strain family finances. We have the opportunity to help families in Peoplestown afford to maintain the family ties that are so important this Thanksgiving.
Epiphany will collect “At Home Bags” of ingredients to make the sides, and Emmaus House will provide a turkey and other items to round out the meal. Place each family's food in a separate reusable shopping bag(s) with handles.
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Drop bags off in the Gallery by Sunday, November 17 | | |
Emmaus House Gifts for Children
This Christmas, we have the opportunity to share God’s love with the children and families of Peoplestown. Our donations of unwrapped gifts or gift cards for infants through teenagers can help bring joy to the over 500 children served by Emmaus House.
| Bring unwrapped gifts to Epiphany by December 15 | |
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OPPORTUNITITES TO VOLUNTEER | | |
Deliver Holiday Gift Bags to Gateway Center
Join Epiphany volunteers at Gateway Center as we provide a meal and distribute Christmas gift bags on December 13. Each year, the Epiphany Children and Youth team up with our Meal Ministry volunteers to provide Christmas gift bags for the residents of the Gateway Shelter. This year our Children and Youth will assemble 100 gift bags and create cards for each recipient. Each bag will include writing materials, snacks, playing cards, laundry detergent pods, underwear and personal care items. If you would like to help serve the meal in December and distribute gift bags, please contact Sally Walker.
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Provide hospitality at St. John’s Lutheran Winter Freeze Shelter
Mercy Community Church is a grassroots, ecumenical congregation of both housed and unhoused individuals and families. For over a decade, they have had the privilege of operating a winter freeze shelter for their unhoused members at St. John's Lutheran Church (1410 Ponce de Leon, across the street from the Paideia School).
The shelter serves up to 25 guests, and with the closing of many other shelters, they’ve become one of the most reliable options in the city. The shelter opens whenever the forecast calls for an overnight low of 32 or below. Volunteers are needed to help in a variety of capacities. If you are interested in providing hospitality to help our neighbors in need this winter, please contact Rev. Carmie McDonald for more information.
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Earth Guild Solar Site Visit
Thursday, December 12
Epiphany’s Earth Guild invites you to join us for a site visit to Oakhurst Presbyterian to learn more about their recent solar installation. With the assistance of Georgia Interfaith Power and Light (GIPL), Oakhurst now has the capacity to produce 20.6 kW of its own power thanks to 51 newly installed solar panels on the congregation’s roof. These panels are a witness to the church’s work as stewards of Sacred Earth. Over the next 30 years, Oakhurst is estimated to save $146,000 in utility costs and offset 360 tons of greenhouse gas emissions.
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“As Christians, we are called in Genesis to steward Creation,” said Rev. Katie Ricks, pastor at Oakhurst Presbyterian. “Going solar was a way for us to live out our values!” | | |
Over the past few years, Epiphany’s Earth Guild has taken a number of steps to reduce our carbon footprint. We’ve moved away from single-use plastics and are opting for reusable and recyclable alternatives, installed motion activated light sensors, replaced our lightbulbs with LED bulbs, planted pollinator-friendly gardens using native plants, planted nearly 100 trees on the campus, and started composting food waste. We’re now exploring solar as a next step for our community. If you would like to learn more about solar energy, or if you are interested in helping bring solar to Epiphany, please reach out to Carol Bartlett, Chair of the Earth Guild, or the Rev. Carmie McDonald. | | |
Meal Ministries
Epiphany has a long tradition of serving others through our many meal ministries. For years, our volunteers served at the Peachtree-Pine Shelter which closed in 2017. Since that time, we have continued providing monthly meals at The Gateway Center and quarterly meals at Holy Comforter.
Breaking bread with others at Gateway and Holy Comforter reminds us of the one table we all share and gives us the opportunity to build relationships with our neighbors. These particular ministries are also a great way to get to know other Epiphany volunteers! If you haven’t had the opportunity participate in one of our meal ministries before, we hope you’ll make plans to join us soon. Please contact Sally Walker or Jeanette Hanson for more information.
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