May 18, 2023

I have a lot of things on my desk to help me be a good Episcopalian; special calendars, an Episocal dictionary, the Book of Common Prayer. The truth is, while I was raised in the church, I wasn’t raised in the Episcopal Church, and sometimes that leaves me with a twinge of what psychologists call “imposter syndrome.” Loosely translated, this finds me calmly nodding while wearing my staff nametag, but thinking “what are y’all doing and saying right now?” Maybe you feel that in the church sometimes, too.

Maybe you’ll feel that when, today, I wish you a Happy Ascension Day! (Thanks official Episcopal Church Year Guide Calendar, and no, we don’t typically wish each other a “happy ascension day.”) Ascension Day, for those unfamiliar with the term, is exactly 40 days after the Resurrection of Jesus (aka Easter Sunday). Today we remember the day when Jesus, post-crucifixion and resurrection, ascends into Heaven. He leaves his disciples for the second, and final, time. But, lest the disciples fall into despair, Jesus promises that he will not leave them alone; he will send a helper and counselor, the Holy Spirit. The disciples wait together, praying, for another ten days, and the Holy Spirit comes upon them in gusts of wind and flame. (We celebrate this on Pentecost, next Sunday—that’s what all the red and the birds and the flame imagery is about.)

I love the Holy Spirit. I love how accessible, how personal the Holy Spirit is. The thought that the presence of God is in me, with me, everywhere, gives me great hope and confidence. I was challenged recently to consider this: What if we believed—really believed—that the Holy Spirit was everywhere? How would this change our lives?  Maybe, we’ll find that much of what we are doing already is a holy practice where God is. Maybe, as we use these next ten days to pray for the Holy Spirit to be irresistible and unquenchable in our lives, we can own the fact that we are called to love God, to love our neighbor, and to build God’s kingdom both within the walls of Epiphany and everywhere we live our lives, and maybe—just maybe—we already are. 

~Bryn

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. 

I am grateful to have Kristina DeFrancesco join us at Epiphany during this time of transition as we seek a new Office Administrator. Kristina worked with us doing temp administrative support during our previous search. Kristina will work remotely and help us in producing worship booklets, our weekly 3Crowns Newsletter, and managing the office@3crowns email. Please note that during this time of transition, our office will be minimally staff during the week and we, together as a staff, will do our best to respond to phone calls in a timely manner.

We are excited to honor our graduating seniors and graduating elementary school students. Please join us as we mark these transitions and pray for our students as they enter a new season! Festive reception to follow at 11:15 in Hadley Hall.

Continuing today at 11:30 am and weekly on Sundays through May 28, we are excited to welcome back Dr. Brian Litzenberger to our Faith Forum in Hadley Hall. During the season of Eastertide, we will explore the seeds of possibility and wholeness as we discern God’s voice in our own lives and life together. Reflecting upon the post-Resurrection stories in the New Testament, Dr. Brian and Rev. Nick will invite us to explore, through dialogue and teaching, where God is calling us as a community. 

On Sunday, May 21 at 2:00 pm, the Reverend Nick Myers, Warren McFarlan, and Kim Erskine will be giving a one-hour presentation on the work of the Bequests & Planned Giving Committee during the past year, and why it is of relevance to every parishioner. In particular, the presentation will introduce the Cornerstone Society. Please click for the Zoom link for the session.

Our last Word & Table service of the program year will be held on Sunday, May 21 at 5:00 pm in Hadley Hall. Offered once a month October through May, Word & Table is a casual, contemporary, and creative service based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy. 

All are invited to a service of Choral Evensong on Sunday, May 21 at Christ Church in Andover, sung by the combined Parish Choirs and Choristers of both Christ Church, Andover and Parish of the Epiphany, Winchester on the Sunday after the Ascension. Music for choir and soloists will include ‘I will not leave you comfortless’ by Everett Titcomb, ‘The Second Service’ by William Byrd, and ‘God is gone up’ by William Croft. Jeremy Bruns will play the organ prelude recital beginning at 4:30 pm or a few minutes earlier, and the service will begin at 5:00 pm. A festive reception will follow.

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, ten 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. 

A couple of Sundays ago, I was talking to the daughter of a beloved parishioner who died of ALS. She reminded me that it had been eighteen years since he had passed. Eighteen years! I won’t bore you with tired aphorisms about time flying, but man, did that surprise me. It was only a few years later that we found the Tri-State Trek and started to raise money to combat ALS. So, we’ve been doing this a long time now.

Through that long stretch, 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

Registration for our Parish Weekend Away opened this past Sunday, and the response was strong. We have over 80 parishioners signed up already, ranging in age from toddlers to retirees. 

If you can't come for the full weekend, please come for the day on Saturday. You can arrive that morning and join us for coffee, workshops, lunch, a myriad of afternoon activities (including canoeing, nature walks, social time in the lodges, and more), the popular adult social hour, and dinner. Stay as long into the evening as you'd like: we'll have our legendary square dance, cards and games, and a campfire and sing-along. 

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!).

Standard accommodations are currently fully booked, with the possible exception of one female adult space. If you would like to be placed on the waitlist for standard accommodations, please reach out to Bryn — she is tirelessly working to make more space. 

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

We will have a celebratory potluck lunch at 11:30 am on Sunday, June 4 as we close our program-year together. 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. We invite those with last names A-M: side dish; N-Z: dessert.

Join the Parish Choir, Choristers and guests for Choral Evensong and the Investiture of Choristers at Epiphany on Sunday, June 4 at 5:00 pm. This festive service on Trinity Sunday will conclude the 2022-23 choral season. Music for choir and soloists will include ‘The Second Service’ by William Byrd, ‘O Lord, Support Us’ by David Briggs, and ‘I saw the Lord’ by John Stainer. Watch future 3 Crowns announcements for a bit more detail on the music for this festive end-of-season service. 

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.

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!