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Holy Week and Easter 2021
We are excited to celebrate together in new and familiar ways as we mark Holy Week and the promises of Easter day.
This year our Holy Week services will take place virtually as we offer Palm Sunday, Maundy Thursday, Good Friday and Easter Sunday services on our YouTube channel. There are two additional offerings that we hope you’ll join in and invite others to engage.
On Sunday, March 28th, after our Palm Sunday service, we invite you to come by the Central Street sanctuary door to pick up a Holy Week bag that will contain items to help worship during Holy Week and Easter. You may come by the church on Palm Sunday from 11:30am-1pm for pick up. Holy Week bags may also be picked up 9am-3pm on the Monday and Tuesday of Holy Week, as well as from 7pm-8pm on that Tuesday. Please call or email the office for delivery requests for those who are unable to come to the church.
Finally, we are excited to announce that we will be offering several in-person, outdoor services on Saturday, April 3rd. These Easter Rejoicing services require pre-event registration and will be held within the beautiful space of our Cloister. In order to attend, you will register each individual through our parish website. Registration for these services will begin on March 18th. While we hope that everyone who desires to attend will be able to, there will be limited seating of 25 registrants across the six services. More details are forthcoming, and we value your patience as we offer this new service.
If you have questions or concerns, please contact Rev. Nick Myers at nmyers@3crowns.org
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Epiphany’s Plans for Reopening
With Spring arriving soon, along with a declining rate of COVID-19 cases, and new opportunities to be vaccinated, our staff, vestry, wardens, and reopening committee are eager to share plans for regathering in person. While we have not yet set the exact date for reopening, we have set an internal goal of April 30th to complete all necessary preparations to safely open. Our rector, the Rev. Nick Myers, will work in consultation with parish leadership, diocesan guidelines, and the directives of public health officials informed by scientific and medical data when deciding on when to regather for indoor and in-person worship. Please see below for what has been accomplished so far.
Starting with the nave, we have installed an air purification system (ATMOSAir BiPolar Ionization system) which treats the air several times each hour. Ionization tubes clean the air inside the church, without using unsafe chemicals or creating any unwanted byproducts. Airflow passes over Ionization tubes that energize the air to form bi-polar — positive and negative — air ions and the airflow distributes these energized ions into all of the spaces served by the HVAC system. We have also outlined weekly cleaning and disinfecting protocols and ordered effective, plant-based disinfectants that will not harm our church’s beautiful wood interior.
As there will be limited seats available in the church due to social distancing requirements, we will continue to video the Sunday services. To do this discreetly, the audio and video streaming setup will soon be transitioned out of the center aisle to a new system that has several installed camera feeds and wiring, hidden from sight. Equipment has been purchased, and potential suppliers are bidding on rewiring the nave to support this new equipment. Signage has also been beautifully designed and produced to help guide you in and around the church, with assigned pew locations, traffic flow arrows, and other helpful directions.
To reserve a seat in advance of each service, an online user-friendly seat reservation system has been created which you will soon be able to access on our website at 3crowns.org. Lastly, as we work to reopen safely, we will be providing usher and greeter training. If you would like to be one, please contact the church office. We are greatly looking forward to being together again someday soon! |
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Celebrating Immigration Justice Here at Epiphany
On January 5, 2018, in the middle of a serious snowstorm, Maria, a Central American woman, facing deportation, entered Sanctuary at First Parish, a Unitarian church in Bedford, which became her home for three years and three months.
Preparation for this significant endeavor began in 2017, when First Parish voted almost unanimously to provide a Sanctuary space to one person facing expulsion. The church proceeded to hold two major fundraisers, which enabled the Sanctuary Committee to fashion a small apartment with kitchen appliances and a half bath on its second floor. A shower, washer and dryer were added to the basement.
The next step in this journey was to recruit other religious congregations help provide 24/7 supervision for a guest. In all, two Episcopal churches, two Jewish Synagogues, six Unitarian churches, (including the Winchester Unitarian Society), and an unaffiliated interfaith cooperative joined the movement – some 400 people in all. Two volunteers spent four-hour shifts at the church, 24 hours a day. Volunteers received two hours of in-person training, and ongoing supervision from a member of the Sanctuary Committee.
The Parish of the Epiphany joined this important effort shortly after an Adult Education Presentation by members of the First Parish Sanctuary Committee in the spring of 2019.
Judy Cotton and Nelia Newell volunteered to be Epiphany’s Sanctuary Coordinators, and have been responsible for recruiting, arranging training, conducting background checks and helping to supervise our 21 volunteers.
During her stay in Sanctuary, Maria accomplished many things! She quickly became a valued member of the First Parish community, attending and singing at church services. She was tutored in English, learned to knit, gardened, took piano and yoga lessons, participated in religious education classes, maintained contact with her family, worked with her legal team, and made friends with church staff and volunteers
On Tuesday, March 9th, we received the wonderful news that Maria had received a one-year stay of deportation. John Gibbons, Senior Minister at First Parish, sent the following statement to all involved with Maria and her care:
“This status will allow Maria to obtain a work permit, pursue further legal options, come and go as she wishes, and ultimately to find new living quarters with her family. Our Coalition will continue to be needed as Maria transitions to the next phases of her journey to freedom.”
Many, many thanks to the 21 Epiphany members who dedicated many hours to ensuring Maria’s care and well being, as well as the many who have strengthened this ministry through prayer and support.
Judy Cotton
Nelia Newell
Rev. Nick Myers |
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Current Office HoursAs we continue our search process and the hiring of a new Office Administrator, please note that our current office hours are Monday-Thursday, 9am-12pm. You can contact the office via phone (781.729.1922) or email (office@3crowns.org). |
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Memorial Donations for Easter Flowers and Music
If you would like to donate to the beautiful flowers and music for our Easter service in memory of loved ones or in gratitude for blessings, please complete this form.
Please return the form and your donation to the parish office before Sunday, March 21 so the names can be included in the Easter bulletin. Make checks payable to the Parish of the Epiphany. Donations can also be made online here, select Easter memorial. Please remember to note the names that you want to be included in the bulletin. |
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Lenten Series: The Psalms
The Sunday presentations on The Psalms continue through next Sunday, March 21st at 11:15am via Zoom. The series explores the 150 poems of praise, prayer, and prophecy. Click here for more information. |
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Calendar for this Week
Click here to access the complete parish calendar.
Monday, March 15
Lenten Home Group A via Zoom, 7:00pm
Tuesday, March 16
Noonday Prayer via Zoom, 12:00pm
Circle of Life via Zoom, 5:00pm
Lent Home Group B via Zoom, 7:30pm
Pray the Parish Prayer List from home
Wednesday, March 17
Morning Prayer via Zoom, 7:30am
Lenten Home Group C via Zoom, 7:00pm
Vestry Meeting, 7:30pm
Thursday, March 18
Men's Group via Zoom, 5:30pm
Online Healing Prayer via Zoom, 7:00pm
Compline via Zoom, 9:00pm
Saturday, March 20 Holy Week Bag Packing, 10:00am
Sunday, March 21 Discussion of Lectionary Readings via Zoom, 9:00am
Fellowship via Zoom, 9:00am
Faith-at-Home Sunday School via Zoom, 9:30am
Holy Eucharist via Youtube, 10:00am
Formation Series: The Psalms via Zoom, 11:15am
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70 Church Street, Winchester, MA 01890
781-729-1922
www.3crowns.org
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