This Is Your Home
When I was growing up, my favorite Christmas tradition was… going
to the Christmas Eve services at my church. (Seriously, I am not making this
up. I suppose this means I am in the right vocation!)
All that to say, there was something magical about gathering
together as a church family the evening before Christmas. There was joy and
excitement in the air, even if it had been a really hard year. We dressed up,
sang "Silent Night" in the dark with our candles, and drank hot cocoa in the slightly cooler San Diego winter air. Those who were there all the time and
those who came occasionally always came back to the church for Christmas. It
was like the family was all back together again. The Christmas Eve services at
my home church became even more meaningful when I myself had left for college
and then eventually moved quite far away. Often I had not been back in a whole
year and when I walked through the doors of that church that raised me, it was
like no time had passed. I was always welcomed back with embraces and eagerness
to hear new life updates.
Those memories are the ones that made me feel that I was back
home again.
I am looking forward to celebrating Christmas with all of you
this weekend. I hope that it feels a bit like a homecoming whether this church
has been your home for many years, or like me, for just a few months. Whether
you are involved in every committee there is or haven’t been back in quite some
time, this is your home. We gather together at the end of each year to make
room for Christ and to celebrate a God who would make home with us. That is
good news that helps us to enter the new year with strength and hope.
With gratitude, Rev. Janelle
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Christmas Worship at Epiphany
Celebrate our
Savior’s birth with Christmas worship at Parish of the Epiphany! On Christmas
Eve on Saturday, December 24, we will offer three services: a family service
with our children’s pageant at 4:00 pm, as well as Choral Eucharists at 7:00 pm
and 10:00 pm. (Please note that the 10:00 pm service will include incense.) On
Sunday, December 25, join us at 10:00 am on Christmas Day for a Choral Eucharist.
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Congratulations, Janelle!
Our heartfelt congratulations to the newly minted Reverend Janelle Hiroshige, Epiphany's Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships, who was ordained to the diaconate last Sunday in Atlanta!
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Christmas Parish Office Closure
Please note that the parish office will be closed from Friday, December 23, 2022 through Monday, January 2, 2023 for Christmas. The office will reopen at 9:00 am on Tuesday, January 3. A very Merry Christmas from the staff of Parish of the Epiphany!
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Deadlines of Note Regarding Year-End
December 31 is approaching and we want you to be aware of various processing deadlines for check requests, pledge payments, and other gifts. If you don’t find the answer to your question below, please be in touch with Maryann Badejo, Epiphany’s Financial Administrator, or Treasurers Jane White or Bill Brickman.
In order to receive proper tax credit, gifts and pledge payments must be postmarked (if mailed), received in the plate or in the office (if hand delivered), received in Epiphany’s investment account (if a gift of appreciated stock), or input from home via Realm by December 31 to be recorded as a 2022 gift. If you wish, 2022 pledge payments made after these deadlines can still be applied as a “prior year pledge payment” until the end of January 2023.
Broker instructions for transferring gifts of securities are available from Kathryn in the parish office, Maryann, Jane, or Bill.
To allow us to close the financial year efficiently, parish leaders and staff should aim to submit check requests for reimbursement or payment of bills by December 15. We will make every effort to process the rare expense that requires 2022 accounting after December 15. As always, check request forms are available in the office and at https://3crowns.org/forms. A list of account numbers and titles is available in both places for your convenience in completing check requests.
Please note as well that the office will be closed during the week of December 26 to allow the staff a well-deserved break. However, we will be checking the locked mailboxes outside the Hadley Hall and parish office doors for material that needs to be processed that week.
If you have any questions at all, please do not hesitate to be in touch with Maryann, Jane or Bill. We are grateful for your ongoing support for Epiphany and extend our warmest wishes for a peaceful and holy Advent and Christmas season.
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Healing Prayer Ministry
Healing prayer is central to the ministry of Jesus, the early church, and the Gospel. One thing we often get wrong about healing prayer is to consider it only about healing the body from acute or chronic illness. The early church clearly considered a broader definition of healing – including establishing wholeness, feelings of safety, forgiveness, thankfulness, joyfulness, etc.
For years, the Parish of the Epiphany has offered Healing Prayer for individuals/groups during our communion services. This was disrupted during the Covid pandemic, though the team continued to offer Healing Prayer by Zoom to keep the practice alive. Now that most activity is moving back into the church building, we will move Healing Prayer back into the nave at the beginning of the new year.
With this we will no longer be maintaining the Thursday evening sessions.
Please feel free to join us for a prayer for “healing” that meets any of the definitions above!
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Help with Fellowship Hour This Winter
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We are looking forward to fellowship hours on Sundays in January, and would greatly appreciate your help! Please click on the button above to contribute a baked good, a gluten-free snack, fresh fruit, or your help with serving and clean-up.
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Midwinter @ Epiphany: January 4
Grab your boots and join us on Wednesday, January 4 for a special Midwinter @ Epiphany! At 6:15 pm, we will offer cocoa, grilled cheese, and tomato soup, with seating in Hadley Hall and warming fires in the Cloister Garden. At 7:00 pm, we will celebrate the end of the Christmas season with a burning of the greens; learn more about this tradition here. Please plan to bring a branch of your Christmas tree to burn.
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Sunday Ministries Training Day
Are you interested in serving as an acolyte, reader, LEM (Lay Eucharistic Minister), or usher? Join us on January 8 following the 10:00 am service from 11:15 am -12:15 pm in the sanctuary for our training day.
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Youth Games & Ice Cream Night: January 8
On January 8 from 6:30-8:30 pm, Epiphany youth (6th-12th grade) are invited to night games and ice-cream night. Join us as we kick off the new year! RSVP to Janelle.
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Exploring Our Faith: Grades 6-12 Invited!
All youth (6th-12th grade) are invited to Exploring our Faith, Sundays after the 10:00 am service from February 5 - April 2 (skipping February 19). For those interested in being confirmed (must be 10th grade or older), these classes will be required and fulfill all confirmation qualifications. Please email Janelle if you are interested in being confirmed. Pizza will be provided!
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Youth Hut Hike
Save the date for our Youth Hut Hike trip on June 26-28 in the White Mountains of New Hampshire. We will have a guide from the Appalachian Mountain Club and this will be an opportunity for community building while enjoying God’s creation. Interested? Email Janelle.
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Don't Dump — Donate!
Did you know
that as of November 1, 2022, we can no longer put textiles or mattresses into
the waste stream? This change in MassDEP regulations left many of us wondering
what alternatives we have.
Fortunately
Massachusetts provides a wealth of online information, along with practical
tools to help residents of all municipalities find responsible ways to recycle
mattresses as well as all sorts of textile products.
Cities and
towns have found that mattresses, for example, are expensive to transport, hard to
compact, take up lots of landfill space, and can damage incinerator processing
equipment. Yet more than 75% of their components can be reused. This is better
for the environment, the economy, and municipal waste management budgets! Click here for details on how to safely dispose of old bedding.
Textiles
make up more than 5% of the waste incinerated in Massachusetts, and almost all
could be donated, reused, or recycled. Detailed donation information can be
found here.
Watch for
future 3 Crowns columns with deeper dives into disposal of both mattresses and
textiles, as well as ways to repair or reuse other items we already own. In the
meantime, this link can answer many of your questions.
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Infographic courtesy of
Secondary Materials and Recycled Textiles (SMART)®
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This Week's Calendar
Click here to access the complete parish calendar.
Thursday, December 22
7:00pm Healing Prayer via Zoom
7:30pm Parish Choir Rehearsal in the Upper Parish Hall
9:00pm Compline via Zoom
Friday, December 23
All Day Parish Office is Closed
Saturday, December 24
2:30pm Christmas Pageant Costuming in the Chapel
3:00pm Parish Choir Section Leaders Warm-up in the Sanctuary
4:00pm Family Service with Christmas Pageant in the Sanctuary
5:45pm Parish Choir Warm-up in the Sanctuary
7:00pm Choral Eucharist in the Sanctuary and via YouTube
8:00pm Christmas Eve Dinner for Staff & Parish Choir in Hadley Hall
10:00pm Choral Eucharist in the Sanctuary
Sunday, December 25
9:00am Parish Choir Section Leaders Warm-up in the Sanctuary
10:00am Choral Eucharist: Rite II in the Sanctuary and via YouTube
Monday, December 26
All Day Parish Office is Closed 6:00pm AA Meeting in Hadley Hall 7:30pm AA Meeting in Hadley Hall
Tuesday, December 27
All Day Parish Office is Closed
Wednesday, December 28
All Day Parish Office is Closed
Thursday, December 29
All Day Parish Office is Closed 5:30pm Men's Group via Zoom 7:00pm Healing Prayer via Zoom 9:00pm Compline via Zoom
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70 Church Street, Winchester, MA 01890
781-729-1922
www.3crowns.org
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