October 19, 2023

Last Sunday, we gathered informally after the 8:00 am service and after the 10:00 am service for a State of the Church Forum to hear Reverend Nick talk about what is happening at Epiphany. Rev. Nick’s message was clear: We are a vibrant and growing parish. We continue to see new energy and vitality as we welcome new visitors every week, welcome new households who call Epiphany their home, and many of us are deepening our connection with each other and our faith through attending one or many of our programs this year: Parent Book Groups, Parent Conversation Series, Church School, Grades 6-12 activities, Rev. Nick’s Discover Course, Faith Circles, Midweek, Word & Table, and eagerly looking forward to next Sunday’s launch of J2J (Journey to Justice) after the 10:00 am service. 

We also explored how we fund the budget that supports these activities. During our fall stewardship campaign, we as a parish community determine the revenue that will support our budget for the following year, and every household is invited to join in making a pledge to financially support our worship community for the coming year. Historically, pledges have represented 90% of our revenues, and our vestry uses the pledge totals to build the next year’s budget for clergy and staff salaries, program costs, and building maintenance that are the nuts and bolts of what we do together as a parish.

In 2023, salaries and benefits were the largest item in our budget (54%), followed by property (18%, including a significant annual provision to our maintenance fund), Journey to Justice (formerly Mission & Outreach) and Diocesan Support (13%), and our various programs and ministries. See the chart below for details:

During the All Souls' Choral Requiem on November 2 (see below), a table for placing photos of loved ones will be available in the transept, and the names of the faithful departed during the past year will be read. Please note that photos must be received by Wednesday, November 1; names of loved ones must be submitted to the parish office by Tuesday, October 31 for inclusion in the bulletin. 

On the third Saturday of each month, Epiphany serves food at St. Luke’s in Chelsea for those experiencing food insecurity. We will be serving both breakfast and lunch this Saturday, October 21. Children and families are encouraged to volunteer! Click here to sign up. 

For the past year, Mission & Outreach has been discerning where God might be calling us next. After much thought and discussion, we are excited to announce that Mission & Outreach (M&O) will now be called Journey to Justice (J2J). We will embark on a journey from charity to justice, from learning and understanding to action and partnership, and from personal faith to taking out faith into the world.

Monthly gatherings will kick off this Sunday, October 22 from 11:30 am – 12:45pm in the Upper Parish Hall and will consist of a topic presentation and thoughtful discussion that will help guide us along our journey. If you are interested in future J2J gatherings, please contact Betsy Walsh or Rev. Janelle.

As part of our launch of Journey to Justice, this Sunday, October 22, we will welcome the Rev. Edwin Johnson as our preacher. Edwin serves as the Director of Organizing at Episcopal City Mission, an organization that builds relationships and collective power across the Commonwealth of Massachusetts for racial and economic justice as the expression of God’s transforming love. Below is a word from Rev. Edwin: 

Greetings Epiphany! I pray your fall is going well and I'm excited to see you in a few days. I've been drawn to your community for many years due to the ways that you not only celebrate the Gospel, but seek to make its truth's a reality in the community around you. The time has come, finally, for us to spend some time together. 

I am looking forward to preaching and sharing fellowship with you along with deep-diving with your Journey to Justice (J2J) group. In my current role as the Director of Organizing of Episcopal City Mission, I work with individuals and congregations to seek racial justice that can create a more equitable and joyful Massachusetts for persons of color and, really, for everyone. I will be bringing my lead organizer with me along with my wife Susan and our sons Francisco and Santiago. We are thrilled to begin working together more closely.

This Sunday, October 22 from 6:30 – 8:30 pm, youth grades 6-12 are invited to the church for ice cream and fun night games perfect for spooky season! RSVP to Rev. Janelle.

On Tuesday, October 24 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, join fellow parents along with leaders in the areas of family, child development, and spirituality for the second session in our Parent Conversation Series. Dr. Litzenberger will lead our discussion around the idea of grace. The final session in the series will be held on November 14 at 7:00 pm. Childcare will be available at both sessions. 

Our next Youth Faith Circle meeting will be on October 25 from 6:15 – 7:30 pm. The Youth Faith Circle is a small group opportunity for youth to gather for a meal and time to be together on second and fourth Wednesdays. Youth in grades 6-12 are invited into community together and with caring adult leaders. Please reach out to Rev. Janelle for more information. 

The Parish Choir of Christ Church-Andover joins our Parish Choir here at Epiphany to offer a Choral Requiem Eucharist (setting by John Rutter) on Thursday, November 2 at 7:30 pm. Barbara Bruns, Minister of Music at Christ Church-Andover, will conduct, with Jeremy Bruns at the organ, joined by several instrumentalists.

In the last few months, you may have noticed the newly planted Memorial Garden in the Cloister. It is now a carpet of native woodland plants designed to provide a place of peace and contemplation.

In the garden you will see a variety of Northeastern native plants including crested iris, lady fern, bloodroot, striped cream violet, Bowman’s root, and wild geranium. New shrubs include mountain laurel and coast leucothoe, which are both native shrubs. The blooms in the garden will be primarily in a limited color palette of white and purple with occasional blooms of pink, light blue and brick red in season. Over time many  of the smaller plants will slowly spread and fill in open spaces.

Jenifer Tidwell gave of her time and talent to design and install the plants, which were purchased with funds provided by the Memorial Garden Fund.

Our next Word & Table service will be held on Sunday, November 5 at 5:00 pm in Hadley Hall. Offered on the first Sunday of each month, Word & Table is a casual, contemporary, and creative service based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy. 

It's that time of year again! We're assembling apple pies for the Christmas Fair bake table. Join us on the morning of Friday, November 10 (Veteran's Day). 

For the past two years we've sold out all 80 pies by noon the day of the fair. Our goal this year is to make 100 apple pies! We need your help peeling, cutting, mixing, crimping, and visiting with your fellow parishioners. Donations/supplies may be dropped off in the kitchen anytime between November 5-9. Please click on the button above to sign up for a volunteer slot.

On Sunday, November 12 from 4:00 – 6:00 pm, join us for a volunteer training for the Malden Warming Center (MWC). MWC provides overnight housing to people experiencing homelessness during the cold New England winter. It is open every night from December – March and houses approximately 25 guests a night. Shifts are in the early to later evening. There are a multitude of ways to participate: welcoming and checking in guests, monitoring the bathroom, cooking a meal, and assisting in the clothing closet. This is an excellent opportunity to be in solidarity with our neighbors and to create friendship as many of the guests who stay here stay throughout the season. If you are interested in participating, please contact Rev. Janelle.

Help! — the silent auction needs items to auction! Use your imagination for an item, and send Leslie Aitken an email about it. 

Suggestions from past auctions:

• Vacation home – use for 5-7 days
• Home cooked dinner for 6-8 people
• Gift certificate for restaurant      
• Sports tickets for Boston teams – Celtics, Patriots, Red Sox, NE Revolution
• Christmas tickets for Revels, Messiah, Boston Symphony Orchestra
• Advent calendars (Harbor Sweets)
• Kids’ games – ages <5 years; 5-10 years; 10-15 years; family night (all ages)

We need many volunteers to make the Christmas Fair a success! Sign up here.