Epiphany gardeners have been growing fresh vegetables in the Bishop Garden this summer to support "Gardens for Good," which provides fresh food for those with food insecurity through the Council of Social Concern in Woburn and the En Ka Food Pantry in Winchester.

If you have vegetables from your own garden that you’d like contribute to feed Gardens for Good, bring your harvest to 19 Glengarry Road in Winchester; Dotty Burstein is the resident. She has set up boxes to receive the vegetables. There's a clipboard where you record who you are and how much of which vegetables you are dropping off. The food is delivered 9:00 am on Tuesday, Thursday, or Sunday mornings before 9:00 am, so please drop off your harvest those mornings or the previous evening.

As the Diocese of Massachusetts, we are in the process of seeking a new diocesan bishop. Bp. Alan Gates will retire towards the end of 2024. As part of this process, there are a series of listening sessions to gather input from the people of our diocese regarding our vision for our future and the qualities we seek in our new bishop. Your voice is needed. Please see the dates/times/locations of the listening sessions, and register to attend, by clicking this link and filling out the form. In-person sessions will include light refreshments. Registration for the in-person sessions is not required but appreciated in order to plan refreshments and seating. Registration is required for the Zoom sessions so that you receive the Zoom link.

In the past few weeks, around 150 migrant families from Haiti and Central America have been placed in a few hotels in Woburn, MA. It is estimated that there are 75 kids under the age of five and many along the way. Families have been asking for “Umbrella strollers” which are lightweight, foldable strollers, that they can store in the hotel rooms. This is a tangible way to welcome our new neighbors!

Epiphany will collect gently used umbrella-style strollers or you can purchase these strollers and have them shipped directly to Woburn. If bringing in a stroller, drop-off is in the Genesis room in the basement. *Note that it is very important that the stroller is an Umbrella stroller, and is small, foldable, and lightweight. We cannot accept strollers that do not meet this criteria. If unsure, ask Rev. Janelle. 

These are examples of appropriate and affordable options to purchase new strollers:

Here is an Amazon link. 

Here is a Walmart link. 

Please ship new strollers directly to United Methodist Church, 523 Main Street, Woburn 01801. 

Faith Circles are welcoming, trustworthy places where we open up to each other, share our hopes and fears, and explore our Christian faith and doubts in meaningful, transformative ways using Scripture and other resources and practices.

Faith Circles invite you to grow in friendship and community and be encouraged in your own faith journey by sharing and receiving welcome in meaningful ways. Faith Circles are hosted by trained co-leaders who strive to make true the wonderful promise of Jesus found in the Gospel of Matthew: "where two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them." We hope you’ll care for yourself and one another by joining a Faith Circle this program year.

Faith Circles

• Meet two times a month (October to June), and we ask you to commit to your group for that period of time.
• Are small groups of 8-10 members, including trained co-leaders.
• Are offered at a variety of times, days of the week, and locations.
• Are a safe space to build relationship and explore faith through conversation, prayer, and sharing.
• Welcome the sharing of doubts and wonderings, as well as our joys and sorrows.
  

The sign-up link will be available in a future 3 Crowns. Questions? Contact Rev. Nick.

Matthew in his gospel reminds us that a house built with strong and durable materials will be able to stand firmly against howling winds and rising streams, Matthew 7:24-27. Our sturdy church has physically withstood such forces for 120 years, but not without some wounds. Our sanctuary awaits major repairs, some as basic as stopping rainwater from dripping inside! And our program and outreach missions can also benefit from improved and stronger foundations. 

As some may have heard, the vestry has voted to begin work on a capital campaign, expected to be launched this fall. Work is underway to discern what such a campaign can and should include. The rewards of a campaign can fund important repairs to our campus and can also address important and long-term spiritual programs and mission interests, perhaps through an expanded endowment. Expanding the endowment has the promise of helping to create a durable house, both physically and spiritually, long into the future. There will be opportunities for input, feedback, and direction as we move forward. 

Suzanne Owayda, James Wagner, and Ellen Wilson have answered the call to lead the charge, followed by an enthusiastic group of committee members: The Reverend Nick Myers, Jonathan Foot, Bruce Glabe, Ted Kellogg, Eileen Marks, and Warren McFarlan. Community Counseling Service (CCS), a professional firm that has led many campaigns in the diocese, has been hired to assist us. 

Please keep the Capital Campaign Committee in your prayers and stay tuned for more information in the coming weeks.

Yours in Christ,
Your Vestry and The Capital Campaign Committee

Parish of the Epiphany welcomes Cassidy Manley as our new Office Administrator! Cassidy will be working part-time (20 hours/week) to help manage our office, in-house administration needs, membership and database, and the ministry of welcome and hospitality throughout the week. Cassidy comes to us with experience working in church administration and can be reached at office@3crowns.org following her start date of Tuesday, September 5. 

It is a joy to welcome back Kathryn Dominguez to our team. Kathryn will be helping us with our communications needs and several projects as we begin the fall. Kathryn lives in Denver, Colorado and will be working remotely as she supports our communications and the production of materials for many projects we have here at Epiphany. She will be working part-time. Kathryn can be reached at kdominguez@3crowns.org for our communication needs as we move into the fall. Kathryn will begin with us toward the end of August.

Join Rev. Nick Myers for Discover: Exploring Faith & Life, a course which will begin in October and run through early June. This twice-monthly course on Sundays explores Christian faith and life and invites each participant to discover their faith in deeper and more authentic ways. This course is for those new to the Christian faith, those exploring the Episcopal tradition, or those interested in more fully claiming a faith with integrity and joy. Contact Rev. Nick for more information.

Parish of the Epiphany is pleased to welcome Tony Catino as our new weekday Sexton. The position of Sexton is a part-time position that focuses on helping care for our buildings and grounds as well as weekday events. Tony will be on campus Monday through Friday during the morning and early afternoon hours. 

Tony brings years of experience working in construction, building maintenance and carpentry. Most recently Tony helped manage the day-to-day operations of a large apartment complex, with a particular focus on painting and carpentry. 

Parish of the Epiphany welcomes Julia Kilgore as our new Finance Administrator! The position of Finance Administrator is a part-time position that focuses on helping manage the array of our parish finances, including pledges, interfacing with our Finance Committee and treasurers, and helping the administrative life of our parish.

Julia has worked in nonprofit leadership and management for the past 14 years. Julia is a graduate of Assumption College where she studied Sociology and Community Service Learning. In addition, she holds a master’s degree in Public and Nonprofit Management and Policy from New York University’s Wagner School of Public Service. Purpose-driven work has been at the center of Julia's professional career, and she is thrilled to continue on that path as she joins the Parish of the Epiphany community. 

Julia brings an incredible amount of experience and gifts to Epiphany and we are excited for her leadership among us. Julia will be in the parish offices on Mondays. She can be reached at her jkilgore@3crowns.org. 

We are grateful to have Kristina DeFrancesco join us at Epiphany during this time of transition as we seek a new Office Administrator. Kristina worked with us doing temp administrative support during our previous search. Kristina will work remotely and help us in producing worship booklets, our weekly 3Crowns Newsletter, and managing the office@3crowns email. Please note that during this time of transition, our office will be minimally staff during the week and we, together as a staff, will do our best to respond to phone calls in a timely manner.