Reflection from the Rector
This past week I had a great conversation with someone about the core things of life. Our conversation led to the place of wondering together about the "why" of church. I imagine the "why" for most things in our lives have been challenged over the past year. Why am I doing this work? Why am I unsatisfied? Why am I grateful? Why does this matter? Why is this happening? For me, the "why" of church has been both challenged and strengthened. If anything, I sense a greater clarity about what I believe we are called to as the church. In the coming year, I hope we can recommit to renewing relationships here at Epiphany. Whatever the next chapter of our life together will be here, I know that God is calling us together. As individuals, as family members, as neighbors we have experienced so much over the past year. It's not too much to say that we've become different people along the way and we have work to do together in caring for, bearing with, celebrating, and grieving all that happened in our lives over the past year. We know the health, wholeness, and abundant life that God desires for us happens when we are in community and relationship with one another. This is where God happens. Simply think about the life of Jesus--we wouldn't have much of a story to tell if Jesus didn't pause to be in relationship with others. Either Jesus was interrupting people or they were interrupting him. Creating real relationships takes effort and purpose and time. In the coming year we will focus on our one priority of helping renew our relationships with one another and with God. We believe this is done through the simple things of being together: sharing stories, listening, laughing, celebrating, mourning, breaking bread, enjoying one another's company. Even with the challenges we still face in being a gathered community, we sense that there is good reason to hope. This year will be dedicated to being together in ways that renew our relationships. It is spectacularly simple and I know it will be simply spectacular. God's peace to you,
Nick |
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Creation Care Forum 3: Sunday, May 9
Being stewards of the earth: How the food you eat, healthy soil, and gardening can remove carbon from the air, and increase biodiversity.
Our final Creation Care Forum will be May 9, and the focus is food and gardening. Not everyone can install solar panels or drive an electric vehicle, but everyone can make wise decisions about the food we eat and how it’s grown.
Laura Dike and Hannah Niswonger will share how their farming and gardening (as well as regenerative farming) actually reduces carbon, increases the diversity of plants and animals, and provides us with more delicious and healthy food. They’ll also share stories from personal experience of increasing biodiversity from sustainable farming.
Join the Zoom Forum on Sunday at 11:15am: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/81446413887?pwd=djVlQnVVY3FRRzNQTUlFYmJ1MlFOQT09
Meeting ID: 814 4641 3887
Passcode: 655245 |
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Regathering for In-Person Worship on May 30th
The Epiphany Staff, Vestry, Wardens, and Regathering Committee are excited to share that we will begin to gather again in person on May 30th. Having followed all the Diocesan guidelines, completed necessary preparations to open safely, and practiced an in-person test service, Rev. Nick, ushers, greeters, and service participants are ready to welcome you back to in-person services.
On April 21st, the Vestry approved the Regathering Plan, which was then sent to our Diocesan Regathering Shepherd, Jane Hamel, who approved it for submission to the Bishop's office. We are now submitting the final paperwork to the Diocese where it is expected to be approved.
Look for a Welcome Home video that will be shared in mid-May as well as the user-friendly seat reservation system on our website homepage at www.3crowns.org. Final details on Registration will be forthcoming, but our intention is that registration will be live Monday through Wednesday each week prior to the upcoming Sunday service until it fills up.
To meet current social distancing regulations, seating for the 8am and 10am services will be limited to 50 people per service (not including clergy and others serving during the service), and pews have been roped off to ensure safe distances between parishioners. Masks must always be worn except for the moment during communion when you accept the consecrated bread. Singing will be limited to a few choristers stationed in the choir loft, and parishioners will not be allowed into any spaces except the nave and the restrooms outside the rector’s study. Follow the signs that have been set up to guide you throughout the building.
We will continue to video the 10am Sunday services with cameras that have been discreetly set up around the church so everyone else can attend virtually. |
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COVID Vaccination Note
I am an occupational health physician, and one of my long-term clients is Moderna. My staff has been running COVID vaccine clinics at their Norwood site since December. Our nurse practitioner who has been in charge of these clinics is telling me that frequently (and now almost every clinic) there are "left-over" doses that would be discarded if they couldn't find someone to take them. My wife and 20-year-old son got their vaccines by being ready to drop everything and go to Norwood at the end of the day (usually about 1-2 hour window). If you want the vaccine and are willing to drive to Norwood with relatively short notice, please send me your name and phone number, and I will have her put you on the "on-call" list. I realize that the vaccine is becoming more widely available now, but if this is an option for you or a family member or friend or friend of a friend, we could stop wasting valuable doses. If you get the first dose this way, you will automatically be scheduled for the second dose. By the way, there is an EMT in the waiting room in case of allergic reactions. Oh, and lollipops. ~Reid Boswell |
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Team Epiphany is Back Out on the Road!
That’s right, after a year of virtual riding, Team Epiphany will be participating in a COVID-safe, socially distanced, mask-wearing in-person ride to support the ALS Therapy Development Institute. Your favorite fanatical cyclists will be pushing pedals to raise money for cures and treatments for the terrible disease that is ALS.
One of challenges of this strange time we are living in is that none of the other problems we had before COVID-19 have taken a break. We still live in a world where other diseases still do their nasty damage, and one of the worst is ALS.
So, like last year, we are not letting the pandemic stop us from continuing our fight. We are not quite back to the three-day cycling event that took us from Boston to Greenwich, CT. This year we will have a one-day, 100-mile ride that still should be sufficiently challenging. And like last year, some on the team will participate virtually and record our miles on an athletics website called Strava.com. We’ll all be logging plenty of miles to keep up our end, even if we are not traversing the hills of Connecticut in a single weekend.
We have lost two beloved parishioners to ALS in recent years, Rick Marks and Steve Lewis. We ride in their honor and memory, and we will not stop until cures and treatment are found. Please join us by contributing to this important effort.
You can help in many ways:
1. Navigate to our team page and contribute to the ALS Therapy Development Institute:
http://team-epiphany.org
2. Come ride with us – even if it’s virtually. We are planning some appropriately socially distanced group rides. Runners, walkers, and other exercisers are also welcome.Check it out at:
https://tst.als.net/the-ride/ride-options/
3. Cheer us on! Pray for us! You can check out all the riders clocking miles virtually here:
https://www.strava.com/clubs/trekyourway2021
Thanks in advance for your support. If at all possible we’d like to raise as much money as we have in past years. We know that’s a challenge with so many other concerns facing everyone, but we hope you will find it in your capacity to help us.
And please stay safe and be well.
-Team Epiphany |
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This Week's Calendar
Click here to access the complete parish calendar.
Tuesday, May 4 Noonday Prayer via Zoom, 12pm
Circle of Life via Zoom, 5pm Prayer Team in Sproat Room, 7pm Property Committee in Suter Room, 7:30pm
Wednesday, May 5
Morning Prayer via Zoom, 7:30am Youth Group via Zoom, 8pm
Thursday, May 6
Online Healing Prayer via Zoom, 7pm Compline via Zoom, 9pm
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70 Church Street, Winchester, MA 01890
781-729-1922
www.3crowns.org
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