January 12, 2022

My senior year of high school my friends Breanna and Rachel (they are sisters) and myself and my brother would spend every Tuesday night eating a meal with unhoused people. There was a local non-profit that provided food for people experiencing homelessness. What I loved about it, is that everybody who came would all eat a meal together — erasing the lines between who was serving and who was being served. We would sit with the same guys every week and play Jenga. One of the guys was named Wolfman, a name one does not forget!

I think there was something about those Tuesday nights that was formational for us high schoolers. After all, my brother is now a civil rights lawyer and my friend Breanna works at a community center in Ireland that supports Travellers, an economically challenged and vulnerable population.

Jesuit priest, Gregory Boyle, once said this: “When the gospel connects with our hearts and we find ourselves on the “outskirts,” those on the margins may wonder what we’re doing there. They aren’t accustomed to our presence in their space. In the end, though, the measure of our compassion with what Martin Luther King calls “the last, the least, and the lost” lies less in our service of those on the margins, and more in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them.”

I think what Father Boyle is getting at is this idea of incarnated solidarity. Less of a service to approach and more of a service with, recognizing that our lives are bound together and so is our liberation. And this could be fun, like eating a meal and playing Jenga together on a Tuesday night.

Some of you may have heard that the Mission & Outreach community here at Epiphany is in a season of discernment about where God might be calling us to next. We are taking some intentional time to hear from the greater parish community and exploring new partnerships in our community.

I have come to learn of the ways that M&O and you all helped start the Blackstone Library in the South End when you realized the school there didn’t have its own public library. Some of you have faithfully companioned the Rawan family as they have resettled here from Afghanistan. There is a group of you that has gone to help out at San Lucas in Chelsea every Friday morning for the past 13 years to organize food for the food pantry. Many of you have been involved in Haiti and Honduras and are doing good work here locally in the community as well. And as a parish we have been generous with our resources — these are just a few examples!

As part of our discernment, we would like to include as many voices as possible together as a parish to brainstorm all the possibilities. This is an exciting time and I believe we have the people and resources to really allow ourselves to dream big as we follow God’s call.

We want to hear your voice! Please consider filling out this survey today as an act of compassion and justice.

With hope,
Rev. Janelle

The Book of Ruth is the story of a family. But when family stories are examined closely, they can be surprising — even unsettling. Beginning this Sunday, January 15 and continuing on January 22, February 5, and February 12 11:15 am, we will take a close look at the Book of Ruth, and see what surprising things it may have to tell us about God, our ancestors in faith, and ourselves.

On Monday, January 16 from 10:00 am - 1:00 pm at Winchester High School, all are invited to the fourth annual MLK Day of Service! Enjoy a civic engagement fair with booths (including one representing Mission & Outreach opportunities at Parish of the Epiphany!), engagement activities for all ages, displays on social justice topics, and a community-wide collection to support the Malden Warming Center. 

On Saturday, January 21 from 9:00 – 11:00 am at the church, we will hold Communion Enrichment for children in grades 2-5 and their caregivers. The Communion Enrichment class is designed to help children better understand the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist. These children will participate in the 10:00 am service of worship on January 22. If you're interested in learning more or having your child participate, contact Bryn Hollenbeck.

All youth (6th - 12th grade) are invited to a bowling night on Saturday evening, January 21. More details to follow. If interested, please RSVP to Rev. Janelle. 

We are excited to announce the formation of two new anti-racist learning groups at Epiphany, using the Episcopal curriculum called Sacred Ground. Sacred Ground is a small group discussion series on race, built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latinx, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories. Sacred Ground is part of the Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation and justice in our personal lives, ministries and our society. It is open to all, and is especially designed to help white people talk with other white people. For more information, please click here.

A pilot group at Epiphany recently completed this course, finding it to be challenging, thought-provoking and emotional at times. They will serve as facilitators for these new groups. One group will meet virtually on Mondays via Zoom beginning January 30, while the second will meet in person at Epiphany on Tuesdays beginning January 31. Each group will be limited to 12 participants and will meet from 7:00 - 8:30 pm for 10 sessions over approximately 12-14 weeks, with some weeks off for school vacation, etc. The curriculum for each group will be the same and includes approximately 1.5/2 hours of outside reading/viewing each week in addition to group meetings. To sign up, please email the parish office or call 781-729-1922. If you have any questions about the course content, please contact Suzanne Owayda or Rev. Nick Myers. We are eager to share this material and deepen our beloved Epiphany community’s commitment to and understanding of racial justice.

On Sunday, January 29 at 11:15 am in Hadley Hall, all are invited to Parish of the Epiphany’s Annual Meeting for a review of 2022, and to look ahead to 2023. The Annual Meeting is the principal parish-wide event to celebrate our common life and to experience our ongoing financial and organizational transparency. 

All are invited to a service of Choral Evensong on January 29 at 5:00 pm. Choral Evensong is the most particularly Anglican service in all of Christian worship. Originating from monastic hours, it consists of the distinctive parts of the ancient offices of Vespers and Compline. The Parish Choir offers canticles, prayers, and anthems so that everyone’s devotions at the end of the day may be enhanced by music, scripture, and candlelight. 

We are planning on having a parish-wide Lenten Book Study facilitated by community members from Mission & Outreach. We are currently looking for people who would be willing to open up their homes to host these small groups. Are you interested in hosting the book study in your home? Please contact Rev. Janelle.

If you are one of about 25 households who wasn’t able to fulfill your 2022 pledge by year-end (and wishes to), please know that you have the option of directing gifts to your 2022 pledge OR your 2023 pledge during the month of January. After January 31, all pledge payments will be directed to your 2023 pledge. 

If you are making a payment online, you can make that choice yourself. If you make a physical payment via the plate or directly to the parish office, you can indicate your wish on the check or envelope. Or you can contact Epiphany's bookkeeper Maryann, and she will take care of it. Absent any direction from you, we will apply payments to any balance on your 2022 pledge until the end of the month.

Please contact Jane White or Bill Brickman if you have any questions. Thank you for your ongoing support of Epiphany!

We are returning to Honduras for an immersion trip this coming summer! Tentative dates are set for July 1-9, 2023. If you are interested in more details, please join Rev. Nick on Sunday, February 5 for an informational meeting in the Chapel after the 10:00 am service. 

On February 12 at 5:00 pm, treat your sweet to an early Valentine’s Day offering by vocalist Nate Ramsayer, who offers a program of jazz, Broadway, and pop favorites. Paired with a modest offering of chocolates and champagne, this promises to be an enjoyable mid-winter treat! Admission is free, but advanced reservations are recommended to ensure there is adequate chocolate and champagne. Reserve seats by contacting 781-729-1922 or office@3crowns.org. 

If you are interested in baptism, please contact the Rev. Nick Myers. Our next opportunity for baptism will be on Sunday, March 19 at the 10:00 am service. For more information, or to complete our baptism inquiry form, please visit 3crowns.org/baptism.