March 9, 2023

This is an exciting time to be at Epiphany! Midweek has solidified itself as a fixture in our parish life. We have a full staff and growing volunteers. We are coming together and exploring what it is to be a community in the post-lockdown era. It’s a perfect time to think about who we are as a parish and who we want to be. The use of our building and how it supports our vision is an important part of that conversation.

Last fall, the Property Committee presented an assessment of the current state of our property and the work that would be needed to maintain it over the next ten years. Understandably, there was a bit of sticker shock. Fortunately, Property interrogated the assessment’s assumptions and identified our slate roof would benefit from enhanced annual maintenance, but does not need to be replaced. This reduces our capital need from $6M to about $3.5M, which is good news for us all.

Regardless, we will need a capital campaign to fund the building repairs and build the church’s endowment to support our mission as a church. “What is the mission of our church?” Who do we want to be as a parish? Or to put it another way, what is our vision for the future of our church? These are very important questions that we need to decide on.

It would be straightforward for our vestry to decide on a vision for the future , but the result wouldn’t reflect our community as a whole. To truly be a vision that drives our programming and activities as a church, it needs to come from all of us. Our vestry engaged in a workshop led by Corey Hollenbeck where, instead of focusing on what we thought the vision should be, we focused on how to best gather input from the parish as a whole.

Soon your wardens and vestry will be reaching out to targeted groups from across the parish to get a feel for the differing views and find the commonalities within our congregation. The feedback we receive will influence which groups we talk to next and how we will bring the congregation together. Along the way, the process will include parish-wide conversations to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be heard. Remember, one of the great things about being an Episcopalian is we have room for disparate views! Eventually we will coalesce around a common vision that will drive our programming and overall mission of the church.

These conversations will also afford us the opportunity to re-think the use of our building to better align with who we are and who we want to be as a parish. We are already seeing the beginning of this process. To better align with modern views on childcare, including better air quality and natural light, our nursery has been moved upstairs, Godly Play has also been moved to the Upper Parish Hall, and people are starting to ask what the future use for the basement should be.

Coalescing around a common vision will take time. It obviously will not come to conclusion before we start a capital campaign later this year. But the conversations we have over the next few months should give us an overall direction to base the campaign on.

This is an exciting time to be part of this community. We are growing as a parish, exploring who we are, and we are changing as a result. By working together and engaging in dialogue to chart a common direction, we will ensure that our path forward reflects who we are and who we want to be as a parish. I am excited and honored to serve as one your wardens through this process. 

Darwin Keith-Lucas, Warden

Please note that Daylight Saving Time begins at 2:00 am this Sunday, March 12. Remember to "spring forward" and set your clocks one hour ahead on Saturday night! 

In the coming weeks, especially on Palm Sunday, and during Holy Week, we use scripture readings that often refer to the opponents of Jesus and the disciples simply as “the Jews.” In the context of earliest Christianity, when it went without saying that Jesus and his closest followers were themselves Jews, the listener would know that what was meant by this language was simply, “those who opposed Jesus” or, more narrowly, the religious leaders. Due to Christianity’s history of antisemitism, and the continued specter of antisemitism in our world today, I have made the decision as the Rector of the parish, to have our scripture lessons substitute the language of “religious leaders” when what is stated might otherwise be interpreted as anti-Jewishness within our community.  

Rev. Nick Myers  

This Sunday, March 12, we invite you to give generously to the Bishops’ Annual Appeal. This diocesan-wide fundraising effort goes to support ministries that directly serve the needs of our communities in transformative ways. To give by credit card, go to www.diomass.org/bishops-appeal, or make your check payable to “Episcopal Diocese of Massachusetts,” with “Bishops’ Annual Appeal” in the memo line. We encourage you to explore all of our shared outreach ministries here and give as you are able during this special offering.

Join Rev. Nick and our guest, Chris Sumner, on Sunday, March 19 after the 10:00 am service in Hadley Hall as we join together to discuss how our faith invites us into deeper community and kinship in our fractured world. Chris is the new Executive Director of St. Stephen’s Youth Programs (SSYP) and will share with us his vision, passion, and faithfulness to creating community and life in Christ’s name. Chris brings over 30 years’ experience leading youth development and faith-based organizations in the Boston area. Most recently, Chris served as Chief Operations Executive of The Salvation Army Ray & Joan Kroc Center and Executive Director of Operations with Jubilee Christian Church. 

Join Rev. Nick and our guest, Wynn Walent, on Sunday, March 26 after the 10:00 am service in Hadley Hall as we join together to discuss how our faith invites us into deeper community and kinship in our fractured world. Wynn is the Executive Director of Locally Haiti and will share with us a new and impactful vision for international partnerships in development in Haiti. Wynn first traveled to Haiti after the earthquake of 2010 to assist with relief efforts. He intended to stay for two months, but over the course of the next two and a half years, he lived and worked full-time in Haiti, developing a deep appreciation for the importance of Haitian leadership and self-determination. Be sure to attend the Locally Haiti reception at Epiphany on Saturday, March 25 at 4:00 pm to learn more about this incredible organization.