June 1, 2023

Last year on Pentecost Sunday, I attended a service at the Chapel of the Transfiguration in the Grand Teton mountains in Wyoming. The little chapel looks like a cabin and has the most stunning views of the Grand Teton mountains behind the altar. I was helping lead a pilgrimage trip for the youth from St. Luke’s in Atlanta. Due to the pandemic, this trip had been cancelled multiple times and by the time we were able to do it, some of the youth had recently graduated and were about to start college in the fall. It was the perfect time for a pilgrimage — and not just for the youth. Just a week before the trip, I had accepted a job to be with you all in the fall! I knew in my own life, things were about to drastically change. What better way to process upcoming changes than by spending time in the mountains? Sometimes it helps to take a step outside of day-to-day life in order to notice God faithfulness.

So our group sat in those pews in that little chapel with the Teton mountain range as the backdrop on that Pentecost Sunday. The priest, Rev. Roxanne Friday, preached about the Holy Spirit appearing to her in a dream about her late grandmother. The wind blew through the open windows and it was one of the most memorable Sunday mornings I’ve ever been too. The place, our group, and where we all were at in our lives seemed to intersect in deeply profound ways that week that could only be credited to the work of the Spirit. 

We are coming towards the end of our program year together. When I look back on the year, I am filled with gratitude for the ways our lives have intersected at Epiphany. This I would credit to the work of the Spirit. Epiphany is truly a special and incredible community. My year with you all started with getting dunked in a dunk tank and as it continued it included: a night hike at the Parish Weekend Away, commemorating the end of Christmas by burning branches from our trees together at Midweek, playing hide and go seek at the church with our teens, exploring new community partnerships and ways we can be in solidarity with our neighbors, and countless moments of joy in community. 

In a couple weeks, on June 23rd at 6:00 pm, I will be ordained to the priesthood here at Epiphany. You are invited! In The Episcopal Church, ordinations to the priesthood are made possible when a parish calls the soon-to-be-priest. This typically happens when one has found their first job out of seminary. My ordination to the priesthood is made possible because you all are my first call. What a deep honor that is for me. I believe that God’s spirit led me to you. It’s just that more meaningful that I’ve already been here for almost a year. We got a bonus year together as I started this position before I was ordained and I look forward to the memories we have yet to make and the ways that God’s spirit will continue to breathe in each and every moment. Thanks be to God.

With gratitude,

Rev. Janelle

Please join us at both the 8:00 am and 10:00 am services on June 4th for the re-dedication of our Tapestries after a multi-year absence due to repair and restoration work. Our tapestries were a memorial gift from the Page family to Epiphany and were originally hung and dedicated in 1918. More than 100 years later we will re-dedicate them, and they will again adorn our high altar. The history of the tapestries the project can be found here. 

Many thanks to the donors who made the restoration possible and to the Epiphany Altar Guild for coordinating the project. Our Tapestries are truly the centerpiece of our sacred space, and we are thrilled to have them back.

This Sunday, June 4th, after the 10:00 am service we will have a Celebration Potluck lunch at 11:30 am. We will gather in Hadley Hall and the Cloister Garden (weather permitting) and share in a festive meal and nourishing fellowship. A simple main dish will be provided. We ask that you bring a side or dessert to share. Simply drop it off in Hadley Hall before the 10:00 am service; you'll find tables marked as to where to place your item. We invite those with last names A-M: side dish; N-Z: dessert. Bring a favorite family recipe or the deal of the week at Market Basket! Together, we will celebrate and rejoice in it.

Join us at Epiphany on Trinity Sunday, June 4 at 5pm as we wrap up the 2022-23 season of concerts and special services with a Choral Evensong not to be missed, sung by Epiphany’s Parish Choir, Choristers, and guests. The service will also include the Investiture of Choristers, during which the next group of 'Novices' will be officially invested into the choir, receiving their white surplices and certificates of promotion to the rank of Junior Chorister. A few notes about the choral music follows.

Music by William Byrd  (c.1540-1623) will be prominent in this service; this year we celebrate the 400th anniversary of his death. Quoting Colm Carey, "Byrd’s life, about which much is known, is a microcosm of the many tensions that existed in England through the 16th century. His commitment to the Catholic faith, while serving under a Protestant monarch, created a painful paradox, but this underlying tension is arguably what inspired his greatest music." The Canticles (Magnificat and Nunc dimittis) and the choral responses will be 5-part settings by Byrd.

The choir will sing a setting of an often used evening collect which begins “O Lord, support us all the day long.” This setting is by internationally known organist, conductor and composer David Briggs, who has been the Artist in Residence at the Cathedral of St John the Divine in Manhattan since 2017. The anthem is very special to me, as I commissioned David to write it as a surprise Christmas present for my wife Kathy in 2005; Kathy was undergoing treatment for an advanced cancer, and we prayed this collect together every evening. The Saint Thomas Choir sang the premier in May 2006, and it has since become quite popular both here in the states and abroad!

The choir will fully honor the feast day (Holy Trinity) with Sir John Stainer’s anthem “I saw the Lord” for double choir and soloists. Written in eight parts, the choir will be literally divided in half (on each side of the organ), sometimes singing in alternation, and sometimes together. About halfway through, there is a section for four soloists. The text is from Isaiah 6:1-4, and an anonymous 11th century Latin hymn.

Congregational hymns and organ music will round out this end-of-season service. We hope to see you on Sunday at 5pm!

Jeremy Bruns, Director of Music & Organist

On Wednesday, June 7, we will gather for the final Midweek before summer break. This special Midweek will offer a homemade dinner of Spanish Tapas, and a time of worship and community as we look back with gratitude on this past year. Dinner begins at 6:15pm.

This week's Menu is: 

Chilled Gazpacho

Spanish Tortilla with potato and onion

Sauteed mushrooms with garlic

Patatas Bravas - fried potatoes

Sauteed shrimp with garlic

Pizza for the kids

Ice cream for dessert

Join over 90 parishioners at this year's Parish Weekend Away, September 22-24, at the Barbara C. Harris Camp in Greenfield, New Hampshire.

Our Full-Day Saturday option includes a morning of workshop choices (like Guided Meditation, Nature Sketching, Bible Study, or Music), lunch, an afternoon in nature (with walks, canoeing, or a photography class), a happy hour reception, dinner, square dancing, games, and camp fire and compline. 

Or, come for the full weekend. We have plenty of overnight space available in our "camper" category of accommodations. This means you will be placed in cabins which have bunk beds, electricity, heat, and bathrooms. Camper cabins are a little less cushy than lodge rooms (mainly in terms of the bunk beds) but are still a comfortable and only mildly-campy option. Camper cabins, because of their size, will have at least five people per cabin. Our retreat team will thoughtfully match up families or individuals to share these cabins. (Or, if you've got a large family, you might get your own!).

For more information, please visit our website. Please register HERE.

Join Rev. Nick and our wardens, Nelia Newell and Darwin Keith-Lucas, as they host an end of the program year State of the Church conversation in Hadley Hall. We will have conversation and reflect upon the past program year and share a look toward the future as the vestry engages both the challenges and possibilities on the horizon. We invite you to gather before the summer begins in earnest. The nursery will be available until 12:30pm for those who would like to stay for the session.  

All young adults at Epiphany (20s/30s/early 40s) are invited to a backyard hangout on June 11 from 4:00 - 6:00 pm in Cambridge. This will be a fun time to gather and connect with one another! RSVP to Rev. Janelle. 

Starting this October, Epiphany will launch Faith Circles — intentional, faith-based small groups that meet regularly to build deeper relationships with God and one another. A Faith Circle provides a safe, welcoming space for members to share their joys and struggles, to explore their faith and doubts, and to discover how and where God is present among us. If you are interested in joining a Faith Circle or would simply like to know more about them, please join us on Sunday, June 18 at 11:15 am in Hadley Hall.

Janelle would like to invite you into an important time in her life and the life of our parish as she gets ordained as a priest here at Parish of the Epiphany on June 23 at 6:00 pm. All are welcome!

We are seeking an Office Administrator and Financial Administrator here at Epiphany. This work is able to be full-time or part-time depending upon the candidates. Please share these opportunities with any potential candidates and contact Rev. Nick for more information or conversation. Often, we engage the best candidates through word of mouth and we ask for your help in finding wonderful people to join our life together and a great staff team. See the position descriptions at https://3crowns.org/join-our-team. 

Despite the tremendous support we’ve received from the parish, and the many thousands of dollars we have raised, we’ve continued to have to report that ALS remains a horrible disease stubbornly resistant to cures and treatments. But we are happy to report that this year is different. ALS-Therapy Development Institute has announced a new drug, Tofersen, has successfully completed FDA approval and significantly slows the decline of respiratory function and strength and improves quality of life. More clinical trials are underway, so it seems a pipeline of hope is on the way.

But no reason for complacency! That’s why your favorite cycling group, Team Epiphany, is at it again. We’re hopping on our trusty two-wheelers to continue the fight against this horrible disease benefiting the ALS-TDI. They’ve changed the format this year, and we’ll be attempting various distances. During the weekend of June 24-25, your team will be looping around Durham, NH, completing distances between 30 and 200 miles. And so, once again, we ask for your support:

1. Please navigate to www.team-epiphany.org and make a pledge. We hope to break our record on fundraising. It will also show you who’s on the team and what they’ve signed up for. Sponsor your favorite rider or the team at large. It’s all good!
2. You could join the team. No, I’m not kidding. There are many ways to participate, both in person and virtually. We’d love to swell our ranks — https://tst.als.net/the-ride/participation-options/. Not a cyclist? Doesn’t matter, you can participate virtually walking, running, or doing any kind of exercise.
3. Pray for us. We will be training heavily between now and then. We’d especially like your prayers for the safety of all riders and volunteers on the weekend of June 24-25.

ALS has hit this parish hard over the years, and we ride in honor of our fallen friends, Steve Lewis and Rick Marks. Yet, we know there are lots of pressing needs in the world so we thank you in advance for considering supporting us.

In the meantime, stay safe and well and have a blessed Eastertide.
~ Team Epiphany

Every Thursday at 9:00 pm, all are invited to close your day with the beautiful service of Compline. Join friends via Zoom for this simple, 10-minute service of prayers and a Psalm, found on page 127 in The Book of Common Prayer. Please note that, while we are discontinuing the weekly Compline reminder emails, you are always welcome to join us using the Zoom link found in the 3 Crowns calendar below.