September 14, 2023

This past weekend, we had our Youth Fall BBQ kick-off hosted by the Clarks in Arlington (thanks Clark family!). I was curious to see how it would go, knowing that we would have new 6th graders with us. I knew we would be running the gamut from 6th to 11th graders present, which is quite a jump!

It ended up being a wonderful start to the new program year. The most memorable moment actually came at the very end of the evening, when parents were coming to pick up their youth. By that time, it was getting darker and out in the grass two of our high schoolers started to toss a frisbee with two of our 6th graders.

I can imagine that being a 6th grader and joining the group with “the big kids” would be quite daunting. And here, in the most gentle of ways, they were handed a frisbee and welcomed into the game by two high schoolers, five years older and just about double in height.

In my time at Epiphany thus far, by far the most common word I hear when describing our community is “inter-generational.” This tends to be a goal of most church communities. For us, not only is it a reality, but it’s a value. A community can be inter-generational without it being an inter-generational community. Just like how diversity doesn’t automatically mean there’s equity. But I have already seen the seeds of the real stuff here at Epiphany.

When we say “inter-generational” we tend to think of kids, youth, and adults, but what we witnessed this past Saturday was inter-generational care and connection within a youth group. We all know that every grade between 6th and 12th grade involves some significant life development and growth. And at school, you’d typically stick with the people in your grade. But at church, we practice friendship across grades, generations, and all kinds of difference, because that’s what Jesus would do.

I am looking forward to the ways we build community with one another this year, bringing little bits of heaven here on earth.

With gratitude,
Rev. Janelle

Over the summer, the Vestry approved the formation of a Capital Campaign Committee with the intention to explore the possibility of a campaign to raise funds to care for needed repairs to our campus and strengthen our endowment to help support current and future ministry needs. Expanding the endowment has the promise of helping to create a sustainable campus and parish ministry into the future. We have partnered with CCS Fundraising and are moving forward with a campaign planning study aimed at helping determine the best course of action for a capital campaign.

In order to understand the shared potential that exists for strengthening our campus and parish finances, we are asking for your participation. Over the next few weeks, you may be asked to sign-up for an interview or complete a survey. I ask you to please offer your time and wisdom to this effort. Please welcome this outreach and share your honest hopes and dreams, as well as your opinions and recommendations in this planning study.

Yours in Christ,
Rev. Nick on behalf of the Capital Campaign Committee

On the third Saturday of each month, Epiphany serves food at St. Luke’s in Chelsea for those experiencing food insecurity. We will be serving both breakfast and lunch this Saturday, September 16. You can sign up for either the morning or late morning shift. Kids and families are encouraged to volunteer! If you're interested in volunteering, please register here. 

Join us here at 5:00 pm on Sunday, September 17 for a candlelit service of Evensong on the Feast Day of Saint Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – September 17, 1179) which marks the 844th anniversary of her death. A remarkable woman, and a "first" in many fields, she is considered by many to be a patron saint of musicians and writers.

Hildegard of Bingen, also known as Saint Hildegard and the Sibyl of the Rhine, was a German abbess and founder of a Benedictine religious community; a composer, playwright, poet and artist; an herbalist and pharmacist; and a sensitive recipient of God-sent visions with insights about the Bible and the natural world.

Some chants by Saint Hildegard will be included in the service, sung by our section leaders and guest singers. The Parish Choir will join to offer the Canticles composed by Philip Moore (The Third Service, a setting for choir and organ based on plainsong). We will all join voices in the congregational plainsong responses, and in the hymns.

Please take a moment now to register your children, in preschool through 5th grade, for Church School this year. Registering gives us important information, like allergies and your contact information. Whether your child will be in Church School every week, or even just occasionally, it is very helpful for them to be pre-registered. 

Our Church School classes begin this Sunday, September 17, at 10:00 am.

Epiphany's new Parent Book Groups combine the support of friends, the guidance of experts, and the loving presence of God.

Parents of infants through upper elementary-age children will be reading The Whole-Brain Child: 12 Revolutionary Strategies to Nurture Your Child's Developing Mind by Daniel J. Siegel and Tina Payne Bryson. The first meeting will be held on September 19 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm at the rectory. 

Parents of tweens and teens will be reading The Emotional Lives of Teenagers: Raising Connected, Capable, and Compassionate Adolescents by adolescent psychologist Lisa Damour. The first meeting will be held on September 27 from 7:30 – 8:30 pm in the Suter Room. 

For more information, please email Bryn, Director of Children's Ministries. 

The Youth Faith Circle is a new small group opportunity for youth to gather on second and fourth Wednesdays for a meal and time to be together. All 6-12th graders are invited to join leaders Rev. Janelle, Ellen W., and John J. We will meet on September 27, October 11, October 25, November 8, November 29, and December 13 from 6:15 – 7:30 pm. Tweens and teens in grades 6-12 are invited into community together and with caring adult leaders. Please reach out to Rev. Janelle, Associate Minister for Youth, for more information.

Join Rev. Nick in this course that begins in October and runs through early June. This twice-monthly course on Sundays at 2:00 pm –3:30 pm explores Christian faith and life and invites each participant to discover their faith in deeper and more authentic ways. This course is for those who are interested in more fully claiming a faith with integrity and joy. Register for the course by clicking here. An orientation and simple dinner will take place on Wednesday, September 27 at 6:15 pm in Hadley Hall for those interested. Contact Rev. Nick for more information.

On Thursday, September 28, people of all ages are invited to a service event in support of Rise Against Hunger, which packs hundreds of shelf-stable, nutritionally-complete meal kits that are shipped overseas. The event, hosted by Winchester Rotary and held at Epiphany in Hadley Hall, will include jobs for everyone — even small children! You can come for any amount of time between 5:00 and 8:00 pm. Please click here to sign up or to make an online contribution. 

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to an evening of laser tag at Xtreme Craze in Woburn on Saturday evening, September 30! We will meet at the church for pizza at 6:00 pm and head over to Xtreme Craze for laser tag. Pick up will be at 9:15 pm at the church. We ask for a donation of $20 per student, which is a discounted rate for pizza and laser tag. Youth are welcome to bring a friend! 

Please reach out to Rev. Janelle if you have any questions. Please RSVP as soon as you can so we can get the right reservation!

Rev. Bob Davidson, mentor for the newly formed Education for Ministry Seminar, announced this week that anyone still interested in EfM can register even after the official launch of the program this Sunday, September 17 from 6:00 – 8:00 pm in the Chapel.  Hopefully this will give time for those making their decisions to join an exciting, small group adult learning experience which equips participants with theological and biblical knowledge to engage in their own lives and the world around them more faithfully.  For more information, contact Rev. Davidson. Click here to view a brochure about EfM. 

Our first Word & Table service of the program year will be held on Sunday, October 1 at 5:00 pm in Hadley Hall. Offered on the first Sunday of each month, Word & Table is a casual, contemporary, and creative service based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy. 

On Tuesdays October 3, October 24, and November 14 from 7:00 – 8:00 pm, join fellow parents along with leaders in the areas of family, child development, and spirituality as we engage in discussions around raising our children and teenagers. Rev. Nick, Dr. Brain Litzenberger (a psychologist who specializes in adolescence, anxiety and depression, parenting, transitions and much more), and Dr. Angelina Hawley-Dolan (PhD in Developmental Psychology and co-founder and Head of School at Aster Montessori) will join us as we think about parent identity, anxiety, growth, and well-being. Childcare will be available. The Parent Conversation Series is part of our 4th Soil Parenting Project Grant. 

All are invited to our first Midweek @ Epiphany of the program year on Wednesday, October 4. Each Midweek begins at 6:15 pm with dinner and fellowship, followed by formation opportunities for adults, youth, and children. Click here to sign up to help prepare dinner!