The Journey By Stages Advisory Committee had its first meeting on Monday, June 15, and they have begun the work outlined in the Vestry's charge to the committee. The members of the committee are

Mary Street, Chair
Ginger Barrow
Jared Cumming
Jason Kinchen
Gloria Korta
Lauren Michalski

In addition to their strong faith and commitment to our parish, this group's professional gifts include deep medical, scientific, technology and public sector experience. Please be sure to thank them for the very important work they are undertaking to help us determine how we can open for in-person worship.

The Stephen Ministry at Parish of the Epiphany is currently providing one-to-one Christian care to members of our parish. Our ten Stephen Ministers are assigned to ten care receivers and are meeting twice a month in Supervision Groups that provide support for the Ministers during the process. While the Ministers listen to, care for and walk with those going through difficult times in their life, they also describe how much they grow through serving in this ministry.

Care receivers are those struggling through a challenge, such as grief, divorce, job loss, chronic or terminal illness or some other life crisis. We can add loneliness and isolation as more prominent conditions in the times that we are now living in. Stephen Ministry is there to provide a compassionate companion to those who are hurting.

Anyone in the parish can self-refer for a chat to assess their needs. Those who know others who may be in need can bring it up as an option to them or provide the referral to a member of the Stephen Ministry Leadership team.

The current group of Stephen Ministers are Marie Lee, Neville Lee, Mary Street, Jason Kinchen, Sandra LaPerche, Shukong Ou, Nancy Nies, Susan Almquist, Jennifer Shire, and Ellen Wilson. We are so grateful for their faithfulness to their Care Receivers, especially during such challenging times. Epiphany's Stephen Leaders are Miriam Gelfer, Barbara DeWolfe, Ted Kellogg, Gloria Korta, and Joan O'Connor.

Mission and Outreach have put together a list of organizations that we can help during these critical times. For the most part, financial donations are preferred.

1) St. Luke's in Chelsea is desperate for additional funds. This is where a group of Epiphany folks stock shelves weekly on Fridays at the Food Pantry. Checks can be sent to St. Luke's- San Lucas Episcopal Church (write "food programs" in the memo), 201 Washington Ave, Chelsea, MA 02150.

2) St Stephen’s Youth Programs has created a Pandemic Relief Fund to support our families who face job loss and food/ housing insecurity. Donations can be made here designate Pandemic Fund. Contact Betsy Walsh for more information.

3) The International Institute for New England work with immigrants and refugees and also need financial donations. Please donate here to help our neighbors in need.

4) We should not forget that UU Bedford is still supporting their guest in Sanctuary even though the volunteer shifts have been temporarily suspended due to the pandemic. Financial donations will help defray their costs - they are into their third year of providing sanctuary. Send checks to: First Parish, 75 Great Rd., Bedford, MA. 01730, "Sanctuary Fund" in memo line.

Sanctuary volunteers can no longer perform shifts, as per a Town of Bedford order that prohibits people from entering any public buildings in the town. For further information about our guest’s status, please contact Judy Cotton or Nelia Newell.

5) A group from Epiphany prepare and serve breakfast and lunch on the 3rd Saturday of every month at St. Luke's in Chelsea. The serving of hot food is temporarily suspended. However a group of Epiphany folk prepared brown bag lunches which were distributed at the food pantry this past Saturday. Contact Claudia Bell if you would like to help going forward.

6). Hospitals are running out of surgical masks. If you have a sewing machine and can help make any, please contact Judy Cotton for details.

Obviously, there are many other worthy causes in need right now - most of this listed above are already supported by Mission and Outreach grants and Epiphany is actively involved with them.

Parish of the Epiphany was recently awarded two Diocese of Massachusetts Global Mission Sustainable Development Grants which we applied for on behalf of global mission partners: Princess Basma Center for Disabled Children in East Jerusalem, and Hopital Ste. Croix in Léogâne, Haiti. We are delighted that each partner will receive about $8,800.

Sustainable Development Grants support projects undertaken by congregations engaged in mission with partners outside of the Diocese. Award decisions are guided by the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals: to end poverty; improve health and education; reduce inequality; and spur economic growth, while tackling climate change and working to preserve our oceans and forests.

Princess Basma Center is owned and operated by the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and has received strong support from Epiphany in recent years. The grant is for their Mother Empowerment Program, a two-week residential program that provides children with newly diagnosed disabilities and their mothers with intensive, individualized early intervention.

Hopital Ste. Croix, owned by the Diocese of Haiti, is the only surviving hospital in the region. Over nearly a decade, our Haiti Mobile Medical Mission has built a deep relationship with this key player in efforts to rebuild the health care system in the region hardest hit by the 2010 earthquake. The hospital is well on the way to becoming the first self-sufficient Haitian hospital run by and for Haitians. However, deepening political and economic problems make it difficult for it to meet its energy needs. This grant will help HSC to develop a comprehensive plan to achieve energy independence through green solar technology.

As part of Epiphany's theme for our program year – Belonging, Believing, and Becoming the Beloved community, we’re kicking off an experiment – a creative way to build, maintain, and deepen connections with each other. We’ve organized the Parish into 16 randomly created fellowship groups, each led by a member of the vestry. You’ll be hearing from your vestry leader in the next few weeks via email.

With a church as large as ours, it’s a challenge to get to know everyone. We hope these groups will provide us with a new opportunity to connect. We encourage you to think of your vestry leader within your fellowship group as your “go to” person if you have any questions about our period of transition or any other church related items.

Our first communication to you will be about introducing you to each other in your fellowship group. Subsequent communication will be related to updates on the search process, our stewardship campaign, faith formation, and additional fellowship opportunities.

You can participate as much or as little as you’d like. We ask that you give it a chance, provide some feedback to us along the way, and we’ll make adjustments.

Thank you,
Suzanne Owayda and Dave McSweeney
Wardens

Episcopal City Mission has nominated Parish of the Epiphany the 2019 Shaw Award for Social and Economic Justice for your communal commitment to social justice.

The M. Thomas Shaw Award for Social and Economic Justice was established by Episcopal City Mission on the occasion of the retirement of the Rt. Rev. M. Thomas Shaw, SSJE as the Diocesan Bishop of the Diocese of Massachusetts as a memorialization of his Episcopacy and passion for justice. The award started in 2014 and is bestowed annually on a parish, mission, or faith community in the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts at the ECM Annual Dinner as a celebration of how this particular church gives continuity to the work and vision for social and economic justice imparted by Bishop Shaw in this Diocese during his time as bishop.

Epiphany's extends its deepest thanks and congratulations to all who support our immigration justice efforts, especially Roz Nazzaro and Pam Chester. Click here is you would like more information on ECM's Annual Celebration and Dinner on 11 June when Epiphany will be recognized.

As you know, being a member of Epiphany means much more than attending a Sunday Service - there are so many educational events, social events, and service events scattered throughout the week. Each one provides the means to participate in every manner of Christian service.

One such opportunity is Epiphany Visitors, a group of parishioners who periodically check in on fellow members who are unable to get to church each week. There are about 20 folks who are being visited by one of our Epiphany Visitors. Currently, most of those being visited and most of the visitors are women. We would like to expand the number of men involved, both to be visited and to be visitors.

Do you know men who might enjoy an occasional visit by a member of the congregation?

Are you available to be an occasional visitor?

If so, email Jack Roll to schedule a chat at La Patisserie or Starbucks, or wherever, to see if we may have a fit. Or, if you are interested and do not need a coffee/scone chat, get back to me via email.

At the 233rd annual convention of the Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts (meeting in Hyannis on Saturday, 3 November 2018) two among us were asked to attend to testify in support of a resolution encouraging faith communities to be advocates for immigration justice. Unfortunately during the deliberations the time for debate had elapsed, and neither Pam nor Roz were able to speak. What follows is the statement each would have made. On behalf of the entire parish I thank them for making the time, for engaging with our friends at Episcopal City Mission, and for making our church strong!

From Pam Chester

I’m Pam Chester from Epiphany-Winchester. We gather on the I-93 overpass so the ICE detainees can see us. They reach toward us through the bars and press their hands against the glass. We reach toward them. They hold up handwritten signs: WE ARE NOT CRIMINALS. WE LOVE YOU. With the Burlington cluster, we field requests from immigrants and attorneys. We coordinate “Jericho walks.” We circle the ICE office where the business of enforcement and removal is conducted. We pray for all those involved, and conclude with a trumpet blast & a hope: May the walls of division and violence come tumbling down! Through his attorney, one detainee thanked us for our presence, amazed that “all those white people are there for us.” We are mostly white, yet not oneof the undocumented people we’ve seen has been white. This injustice flies in the face of our Christian convictions and American values.

A sanctuary parish asked us to partner. We needed two coordinators and our core immigration justice team was at full stretch. Yet two people who had never taken leadership roles stepped up.

This work has become an energy source that allows parishioners to exercise our rights and freedoms, following the call that we discern in the teachings of our faith. Some of us are compelled by our religious and moral values to stand with the stranger and the alien. Yet all have the opportunity to stand together, even amidst our policy differences.

Our world is torn by pain and fear, driving us to attack each other. This resolution allows us to come together across divisions, to see and celebrate our collective humanity, to form bonds that break down isolation, and live in the light of God’s love.

From Rosalyn Nazzaro

Pam Chester has spoken to the work our faith has led and inspired us to do through the Immigration Justice Ministry at Epiphany and beyond. I want to address some of the economic implications involved in immigration. Contrary to the messages we are bombarded with every day:

Immigrants bring a diverse set of skills and educational backgrounds to this country. Rather than compete directly for their jobs, many immigrants complement the work of U.S. employees and increase their productivity.

Immigrants are not a net drain on the Federal Government Budget. Taxes paid by immigrants and their children—both legal and unauthorized—exceed the costs of the services they use.

Immigrants start new businesses thereby creating jobs.

Immigrants are consumers thus contributing to the growth of the economy

We are not condoning the exploitation of immigrants by highlighting the economic benefits for the United States. Many immigrants, and refugees seeking asylum, come here to escape violence and poverty. “Sending them back” is to return them to these inhumane conditions that we have escaped due to the good fortune of where we were born.

Our family has fostered two “Unaccompanied Minors who lived with us while attending high school - Mou, one of the Lost Boys of Sudan, and Cheng, from China. Both graduated high school while working part-time at Stop and Shop and Burger King. Mou works two jobs, is married and contributes to building a school back in his village in Sudan. Cheng has a good job, is a homeowner and he and his wife have a baby. They are obviously contributing to the our economy. More importantly to us, they have bought joy and enrichment to our family, and humility. What a gift to be part of these fine men’s lives. Meanwhile, the agency that brought the boys to us has had their staffing level drastically cut due to the low number of refugees being allowed into the US under the present administration.

Faith and economics cannot be separated – I urge you to support the Resolution.

What better way to remember a loved one or a special date than by donating towards the altar flowers or the light of the sanctuary lamp? You pick the date that you want to have the flowers or lamp given and you set the donation amount. As a guide, Altar flowers and Sanctuary candles cost approximately $60.  

If you have a loved one or a remembrance that you want to be recognized, please contact Sarah in the Parish Office to get more information and arrange an appropriate date.