Family Newsletter:

August 2022

Children and Youth at Epiphany:

The 2022-2023 Program Year

Happy August, Epiphany Families! During these last days of summer vacation, please read about the Parish of the Epiphany's many offering for children, youth, and families coming this fall. Bryn, Janelle, Jeremy, Nick and all of the Children's and Youth Ministry volunteers look forward to seeing you soon!  

Important Fall Dates for Families

Wednesday, Sept 7  :  5:15pm  :  1st Choristers Rehearsal (meets every Wednesday)

Sunday, Sept 11  :  10:00am  :  Rally Day Picnic & Blessing of the Backpacks

Tuesday, Sept 13  :  6:30pm  :  Church School Training (for adult volunteers)

Saturday, Sept 17  :  5:00pm  :  Youth Kick-Off at Boda Borg (grades 6-12)

Sunday, Sept 18  :  10:00am  :  Church School Begins (meets 2nd-5th Sundays)

Sunday, Sept 18  :  5:00pm   :  Come As You Are (evening worship every 3rd Sunday)

Friday-Sunday, Sept 23-25   :   Parish Retreat Weekend Away (no church school)

Sunday, Oct 2   :   10:00am   :   First Sunday Worship & Formation

Sunday, Oct 2   :   5:00pm   :   Blessing of the Animals Service

Wednesday, Oct 5  :  6:15pm  :  Midweek Dinner & Formation (1st, 3rd Wednesdays)

Sunday, Oct 16  :  11:15am  :   Ciderfest

Looking ahead:

Saturday, Dec 24  :  4:00pm  :  Christmas Pageant & Christmas Eve Service

Saturday, Jan 21  :  9:00am  :  Communion Enrichment Program (grades 2-5)

Sunday, Jan 22  :  10:00am  :  Communion Enrichment Sunday


 Please read about all of these programs below.

Choristers Begins September 7

Does your child like music?  Would they value the opportunity to learn to sing?

The Chorister choir program at Epiphany is for children entering grades 2-8. Previous experience isn’t needed—they’ll learn everything they need to know in the weekly rehearsals, which will be on Wednesdays from 5:15-6:15pm (a snack and optional skills session will also be offered from 6:15-7:00pm on many Wednesdays), beginning September 7th. They will receive professional music theory and vocal training free of charge as part of being a chorister. This choir will sing in church monthly during the season, in addition to other engagements as announced. There will also be an elaborate point system for the choristers based on attendance, effort, advancement through the music theory training, and rewards offered at various points throughout the season (sometimes announced in advance, but not always!).

This program isn’t just for Epiphany parishioners—children are welcome and encouraged to bring friends along to try out the program as well (in fact, that is one easy method for earning bonus points!). It is perfectly acceptable to try out the program for a few weeks without committing to the entire season. If you have any questions, or if you would like for Jeremy to briefly meet with your child(ren) and assess the vocal and musical aptitude, please reach out to Jeremy Bruns, Director of Music & Organist at jbruns@3crowns.org.

Rally Day is September 11

All are invited to join in the Rally Day festivities on Sunday, September 11. Rally Day officially kicks off our 2022-2023 Program Year. After the 10am Service of Worship, we will celebrate a new year in community with lunch (by Bella Isla), arts & crafts, games, a bouncy obstacle course, and (new this year, and Nick's idea) a Rector Dunk Tank. 

Church School Training: Tuesday, Sept 13

All grownups and teens interested in helping with Church School--in any role--are invited to join us for a fun evening training session on Tuesday, September 13, from 6:30-8:30pm. (Please note the new date!)

The training will be an opportunity for us to 

  • get to know each other and feel part of a connected & supported ministry group
  • understand the curriculum, and the goals of our ministry
  • get practical information, strategies, and tips--on the lessons, and the kids
  • see more clearly what the different roles in our ministry are
  • ask questions and work together to make our Church School as welcoming, comfortable, and rewarding as we can--for us adults and for the magnificent children we serve.

The training does not commit you to serving in the Church School. Please join us even if you are just curious! RSVP to Bryn so we know to expect you. 

Youth Kick-Off on September 17: Boda Borg!

Youth in grades 6-12 are invited to join Janelle and the youth leaders for a program year kick-off at Boda Borg on the evening of Saturday, September 17. Boda Borg offers a series of "quests" in which small teams figure out clues (sometimes intellectual, sometimes physical) in order to open doors and advance through challenges. Quests have unlimited chances, so they are perfect for trial-and-error thinking, and teams need kids with all sorts of different skills, interests and perspectives in order to be successful. It's terrific fun!

We'll gather for pizza at the church beginning at 5pm, and carpool over to Boda Borg at 5:50pm. We'll return to the church by 9pm. Please reach out to Janelle for more information and to sign up.

Church School Begins September 18

Our faith formation program for children begins on Sunday, September 18. Our two classes (preschoolers through first grade, and second through fifth grade) meet on the second through fifth Sundays of each month, during the 10am service of worship. Read more about our two classes below!

On the first Sunday of each month, faith formation will take place in the 10am service of worship. It's so important for children to experience worship and for grownups to experience worship alongside children. During these First Sunday services, children will be given special roles--greeting, ushering, reading, acolyting--as well as special materials to help them understand, enjoy, and appreciate our liturgy. 

Midweek @ Epiphany Resumes October 5

Midweek @ Epiphany — a time for community and connection every first and third Wednesday — resumes on October 5! Each Midweek begins at 6:15pm with dinner and fellowship, followed by formation opportunities for all ages. This year, children will explore our faith through art, music, and science! We end promptly at 7:30pm, so we can all get to bed on time.  

Mark your calendar for this fall's Midweek schedule: October 5, October 19, November 2, November 16, and December 7. 

Welcome Janelle!

Greetings Epiphany!

My name is Janelle Hiroshige and I recently started as the Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships. I am three weeks in and it’s very clear to me that you all are a special community. Many thanks to you all who have already made me feel so welcomed. I am excited to dream together as we enter this new season! Please be on the lookout for some fun fall events and in the meantime I am doing popsicle visits with families of youth. If you are interested in a visit, please feel free to email me at jhiroshige@3crowns.org.

Church School Class Descriptions

Godly Play

Our Godly Play Class is for preschoolers through first graders (ages 3-7). 


Godly Play is a way of sharing the Christian faith with young children through storytelling, play, and wonder. Through a creative, hands-on telling of the stories that form the basis of our faith, children are invited into the tradition, language, and friendship of the church. 


The youngest children (toddlers, young preschoolers) come with a parent or caregiver; those able to stay on their own are dropped off. We begin with circle time, where a teacher shares the week's story through words and props, and then engages the children in “wondering questions." After our story circle, the children are invited to choose a station where they consider the story while working with different materials, such as drawing, clay, craft supplies, or the story figurines themselves. The class then regathers in our circle for prayer time, where they love to share prayer requests or engage in other prayer practices. Then it’s back to church we go to join our families!

Class meets in Upper Parish Hall from 10:00-10:40(ish) Sunday mornings. Church School holds class the second through fifth Sundays of each month; on first Sundays, worshiping together in the 10am service is an important part of children's faith formation. 

Storymakers

Our Storymakers Class is for second through fifth graders (ages 7-11).


Storymakers is an arts-based church school curriculum that recognizes that children are social, emotional, spiritual beings, eager to learn and grow in community.


Our Storymakers are dropped off (although parents are always welcome to join us). Class centers on a lesson from our "zine" (which is a fancy word for our combination guide, magazine, and workbook). Each lessons contains beautiful art work, a story told in play form with many characters, interesting facts about our story or Biblical times, and a social-emotional prompt that helps us think about our reaction to the story and how the day's lesson fits into our own lives. We also love to move, and to do something creative like a craft or science experiment. After a time of shared prayer (using fun tools like our Intercessory Prayer posters, prayer dough, or labyrinths), we head back to the sanctuary to rejoin our families before Communion. 


This fall, our lessons will take us into ancient Egypt with Joseph and that "technicolor dreamcoat" you may have heard of! 

Class meets in the Suter Room and Hadley Hall from 10:00-10:40(ish) Sunday mornings. Like our younger group, Church School holds class the second through fifth Sundays of each month; on first Sundays, worshiping together in the 10am service is an important part of children's faith and growth in the church. 

Communion Enrichment Program

We will hold our Communion Enrichment program for all interested children in grades 2-5 and their caregivers on Saturday, January 21 in the morning. The Communion Enrichment class is designed to help children better understand the sacrament of the Holy Eucharist--what it means, and why and how we celebrate it. It's a wonderful time together! Our Communion Enrichment children will also participate in the 10am service of worship on January 22. If you're interested in learning more or having your child participate, please contact Bryn.

Bryn Hollenbeck, Director of Children's Ministries and Parish Life: bhollenbeck@3crowsn.org

Janelle Hiroshige, Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships: jhiroshige@3crowns.org

Jeremy Bruns, Director of Music and Organist: jbruns@3crowns.org

Nick Myers, Rector: nmyers@3crowns.org

 

70 Church Street, Winchester, MA  01890
781-729-1922
www.3crowns.org

A WELCOMING COMMUNITY