Over the coming month, in our Sunday Forum following the 10:00 am service, we will be exploring several themes of peacemaking and our call to be a community of welcome in Jesus' name. From Swords to Plowshares (on October 6) to Disability Theology (October 27) to Finding Peace in Ourselves (November 3), we will be exploring the ways that we can help create a more just and peaceful world. 

Of particular importance, I would like to invite you to attend are the events we have planned during the weekend of October 12 and 13. On Saturday, October 12 from 6:00-8:00 pm in Hadley Hall, we are honored to host "An Evening with The Most Rev. Hosam E. Naoum." This fundraising event will support the American Friends of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem (AFEDJ) and is an opportunity for us to have a direct impact on helping those suffering amidst the continued violence and devastation in Gaza and the Holy Land. All are invited for conversation with Archbishop Naoum, with a reception featuring heavy hors d'oeuvres. Childcare is being organized for this event. Please click to sign up for the evening.  

On Sunday, October 13, Archbishop Hosam will preach at the 8:00 am and 10:00 am services. He will also share with us about the ministry, mission, and efforts of the Episcopal Diocese of Jerusalem and how we can be more involved through action, prayer, and support. This is a deep honor and gift for us as a parish, to welcome, support, and host the Archbishop on behalf of our own Diocese of Massachusetts. 

I love the energy of regathering in September. As I write this on Wednesday morning, I am looking forward to seeing many of you at Midweek tonight and am looking back gratefully over the past two weeks.

The last two weeks began with a Rally Day gathering filled with people reconnecting, wonderful food from Bella Isla, conversation between old friends and people we had just met, and exuberant bouncy houses. Last Sunday saw the beginning of Church School: almost fifty children followed Miss Bryn out of the church and spread across the Chapel, Suter Room, and Upper Parish Hall before rejoining us to overflow the steps for the Children’s Sermon. Sunday ended with a wonderful Journey to Justice gathering. Thank you to everyone who put in the work to make all of this a reality!

September also gives us a bit of a ‘reset button.’ The Sunday service bulletin and the newsletter are full of opportunities to explore something new. Each represents new people to get to know, new ways to challenge ourselves, new ways to be involved in our community. As the relationships deepen and the vision evolves in these overlapping groups, our larger community changes, and we discover new journeys that Epiphany is being called to consider.

I love the sense of beginning in September and look forward to discovering what the coming year brings and walking that path together with each of you.

Nelia Newell, Co-Warden 

Last Saturday, we had our Youth Fall BBQ Kick-Off, generously hosted by Heather and Darwin Keith-Lucas. It was a great time welcoming back our youth after the summer and welcoming in our new youth who just started 6th grade.

We started the evening with introductions, and each youth said their name, pronouns, and whether they thought Cheez-Its or Goldfish were better. In my opinion, White Cheddar Cheez-Its are the best, but unfortunately not many agreed with me on this. I also invited our older youth to share advice to our new 6th graders. A lot of the advice was along the lines of making the most of the experience, staying open, and exploring new opportunities. It was lovely to see our older kids take this advice seriously and share their reflections. One of our 9th graders spoke to the importance of finding the friends who accept you for who you really are and the temptation of trying to change yourself in order to fit in. He went on to say that if you try to hard to fit in, those friends aren’t really the friends you want because they’re not the ones that know and appreciate the real you.

That comment reminded me of the deep wisdom that our tweens and teens have. Sure, there are things we hope to teach them, but we cannot forget that they teach us too. The invitation for us adults of this parish is to make a point to listen.

This isn’t just the role of those who volunteer in the youth ministry program, but for all of us. Youth aren’t just the future of the church, they are present with us right now. I do encourage you, if you haven’t yet, to get to know our youth — their names, their hobbies, the book they’re currently reading. Say hello at coffee hour. Ask them how that test or soccer game went. Compliment their acolyte skills. We want to be more than just an intergenerational community on paper. We want to be an intergenerational community in practice. And I believe we have what it takes to do this. I am often encouraged by the ways I see you all connect with one another, and as we begin a new program year together, I am hopeful for what this year will bring.

With gratitude,
Rev. Janelle

The calendars are filling up, classes are beginning, programs are starting up, and the pace of it all makes the slower days of summer seem like a distant memory. Take a look below in this newsletter, and you'll see what I mean! We have wonderful new offerings beginning this month, and the program year at Epiphany is here. It's a gift and a blessing. And, let me encourage you to remember—remember the slower days of summer.

I'll remember the number of times our boys said, "I'm bored." My particular favorite being when we were standing in line to go up the Eiffel Tower in Paris (yes, seriously, even there, "I'm bored" made an appearance). It maybe wasn't my finest parenting moment, but standing in a long line under the ironworks of that amazing tower, I couldn't help myself: "You're supposed to be! We are waiting in line! Just look up, for crying out loud!"

It's easy for us to be distracted as humans. Distracted by the boredom of apparently nothing (poor Mr. Eiffel). "How did people survive before smartphones?", some wonder. Distracted by the pace of all the things: the news, the practices, work, errands, family commitments, social calendars, church activities, etc. Yes, we can be so busy we miss it all; we can be so idle, we miss it all. We are complicated, aren't we?!

I suppose it's why one of the things about this upcoming Rally Sunday is that we start the program year, the busy-ness, not with a to-do list, but a party and a celebration. We will celebrate the most important thing: God's loving and infinite grace, as we baptize and welcome in four new members into the Body the Christ. We will share a meal, reconnect, jump in the bounce house, enjoy one another's presence, and simply be together. This is not some respite from the real-world, it is the real world God calls us to: there is no to-do list in the kingdom of God that defines our worth or value or belovedness. God is. Love. We are. Loved. Don't get distracted from this. It is everything.

See you Sunday for a great celebration!
Nick 

Take a moment to look at the leaves and feel the warm air. I wonder . . .  what does the end of summer mean to you? What does it mean for you?

For parents and children, it means “back to school.” But the word “back” is deceiving–like a new school year is same old, same old. It’s actually startlingly new; new classes, new people, new teachers, new material, new expectations; and every few years, at least, totally new buildings. Just this morning I saw my oldest off to her first day of high school–a new school in a different town where she doesn’t know anyone yet. Be of good courage, I whispered. Be of good courage, says our sacred scriptures, again and again. 

These are days when the youngest of us are being asked to step boldly into new spaces. It takes a courage we adults generally don’t have to muster–at least not every year.

Our church school community has a lot of first days of kindergarten in the next week–ten by my count. What a huge moment. (Say a prayer for T, T, G, C, J, K, K, L, MK and S!) Even more of our children are headed to new middle schools, and first days of high school this week and next. 

We’ve already wished Godspeed to H, M, L and E, and sent them with our love and blessings off to college. 

Wow. Are these guys brave or what. Be of good courage, friends. We love you!

Let’s support these children of ours–with prayer, with love, and with encouragement. And let’s be inspired by them. Where might you be asked to step boldly in this new season? Be of good courage. You are held in the love of God and the love of this community. 

~Bryn

A year ago, Jonathan and I walked into Epiphany for the first time. On somewhat of a whim, we decided to come check out where friend Jeremy Bruns was playing. On a hot summer Sunday, we sauntered into the sanctuary to find that rare New England summer sight — people in church pews. Lots of them. Lots of you.

After being warmly greeted, we sat down, and marveled at the large number of kids in church, the large choir, and general vibe. There is just something special about Epiphany. You feel it as soon as you walk in. About midway through the opening hymn, I turned to Jonathan and whispered, “This just feels like home.” He nodded. (And shushed me for talking during a hymn.)

A year later, we are both so deeply grateful to have the opportunity to be a part of the Epiphany community. It does indeed feel like home for both of us. 

I am particularly grateful to be a part of this community as a seminarian, which I described to a group of kids in the parish as a bit like being a priest with training wheels on. Thank you for welcoming me into your pews, into your community, and into your pulpit. 

I believe John Wesley was right when he said there is no such thing as Christianity in isolation; Jesus calls us to live out our faith in, with, and through community, a truth Epiphany seems to embody so naturally. 

In seminary, there is no shortage of seminars and hand-wringing over how to “reimagine” church and foster much-sought, seldom-found community. As I hear from my colleagues serving in parishes across the country, I am continually struck by the beautiful, unique strength of the Epiphany community. We are a growing, energetic family who understands what it means to be the church, to learn, to serve, and to love one another. We worship so beautifully, from the wonderful Parish Choir to the dedicated Lay Eucharistic Ministers to the stunning flowers. You have also taught me so much about how to connect what we do in worship with how we live our lives. 

I am especially thankful to Nick and Janelle, who as mentors, teachers, and friends, continue to teach me about the grace, passion, and dedication necessary for ministry. 

I am about midway through my Master of Divinity as part of The General Theological Seminary’s hybrid program, and as the fall semester revs up, I am, with gratitude, looking forward to another great year at Epiphany, another great year with you. 

Dear Epiphany friends, thank you for the welcome, thank you for all you teach me, and thank you for being you. What a blessing. 

~Clayton McCleskey

Have you ever wished you could understand more about the history of racism and the movement toward anti-racism in the US? The Episcopal Church has developed Sacred Ground to meet our faith community’s need to inform ourselves about the past and to act for a more just future. This very powerful and personal small-group program uses our faith and personal experiences as a lens to look at American treatment of racial minorities, including Black Americans, Indigenous Americans, Asians, and those of Hispanic descent. 

Here at Epiphany, a group of us, led by Rev Nick, piloted this program in 2023 and found it compelling and transformative. Now we are enrolling participants in  Sacred Ground groups that will run from October 2024 through March 2025. Using videos and readings, we’ll meet every second week for 11 weeks,  exploring our country’s treatment of marginalized groups and looking at where we can grow into justice and love of neighbor.

Consider engaging with this curriculum this winter. The rewards are very rich! As the course developers say, “It holds as a guiding star the vision of beloved community — where all people are honored and protected and nurtured as beloved children of God, where we weep at one another’s pain and seek one another’s flourishing.”

If you have any interest in taking part, please sign up here, and we will be in touch in early September. To learn more as we finalize the times and types (in-person? Zoom?) of groups we’ll run this fall, you can also reach out to Betsy Walsh, Marion Dry, or Carol Hollingshead with any questions.

Pam Chester 

Save the date: Sunday, September 22 at 5:00 pm will be our first special music event of the 2024-25 season, a service of Choral Evensong sung by the Parish Choir and Choristers. Though rehearsals will have restarted only three weeks earlier, we’ll get the season off to a running start with William Walton’s electric ‘Chichester Service’ for 8-part choir, soloists and organ. The anthem will be a beautiful setting taken from Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s “The day is done” composed by Stephen Paulus, for 7-part choir (thanks to Barbara Bing for introducing me to this setting). Congregational responses and hymnody will make use of all voices present for this service at the close of the day.

By the time we sing this service, our music brochure of special services and concerts should be ready for distribution. I would like to to once again thank all of those who generously donated to the Friends of Music last season, and to those who have already made contributions for the upcoming 2024-25 season — without your support, these special services and concerts would not be possible! Continued thanks also go to the Choir and Chorister families, who donate so generously of their time and talents.

“Give, and it will be given to you. A good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be put into your lap; for the measure you give will be the measure you get back.” —Luke 6:38

All best wishes for the remainder of August,
Jeremy Bruns

…And the night shall be filled with music,
And the cares, that infest the day,
Shall be banished like restless feelings
And silently steal away.

(Henry Longfellow, Stephen Paulus)

And I said, “Oh, that I had wings like a dove!
I would fly away and be at rest
I would flee to a far-off place
And make my lodging in the wilderness.
I would hasten to escape
From the stormy wind and tempest.”

Psalm 55: 7-9

In 2012, the Waldo Canyon Fire burned more than 18,000 acres, destroyed nearly 350 homes, and killed two people in Colorado Springs. I was serving as a priest in a large downtown Episcopal church at this time, and the community was absolutely overwhelmed. A year later, another fire, the Black Forest Fire, burned 15,000 acres, destroyed nearly 490 homes, and two people died. We were in shock, the trauma was real, and all we knew to do was turn to one another in help, support, love, and prayer. We rallied around one another, held community conversations to process our trauma, set up communication plans, and began working on disaster preparedness plans. Amidst the flurry of activity and care, I noticed in myself a deep desire to run. To get away, to find peace, as the Psalmist says, to find “wings like a dove,” and “fly away and be at rest.”

There are times, seasons, chapters of our lives when we are utterly overwhelmed. The world is spinning faster than we can keep up, work, change, transition, a relationship is lost to death or despair or disagreement, our health seems to be slipping through our fingers, the social, political, or economic realities leave us in tears or feeling crushed under their weight. We all know what it means to feel anxious, depressed, or overwhelmed. If only we could “fly away and be at rest.” Now, you may be feeling this weight because of something within you or outside you in our world. Heaven knows there are lots of things to choose from. We are not alone in the overwhelm.

What I learned in that particular two-year period of ministry in Colorado Springs was that the only way out was with others and with God. To know, to believe, to experience the truth that we are stronger together. To not turn and run, but to turn and be with. As we find ourselves in the middle of the dog days of summer, I rejoice that I have you in my life. I rejoice that we are together as the people of Epiphany. And that when we are overwhelmed, for whatever reason, we can turn to one another. I want you to know that this is a strong, loving, resilient, faithful community we call home—your overwhelm is not yours alone; we can carry it together by sharing it with one another. The Psalmist closes Psalm 55 towards the end with these words: “but I will call upon God, and the Lord will deliver me.” This deliverance, of course, is found together. This is where God happens.

Rev. Nick Myers

It’s so great to be worshipping at Parish of the Epiphany again! Some of you may have noticed that I wasn’t around much in the previous program year. This absence was because almost exactly two years ago, the vestry voted to put my name forward as an applicant to become an ordained deacon in the Episcopal church. After review from the diocese, the application was accepted, and last June I officially became a postulant. I began the formation process in September and, as part of that, I was doing a parochial internship at St. John’s Church in Gloucester. It was a wonderful experience, but I’m so glad to be back at my spiritual home.

You can be forgiven if you don’t know exactly what a deacon is and why a person might want to be ordained as one. The deaconate is an ancient order of the Christian church — some say even older than the priesthood. Tradition reckons that St. Stephen was the church’s first deacon. However, in recent years, especially in the Episcopal Church, the deaconate has seen declining numbers and confusion about the role of this order in the modern world. This situation is regrettable, because a healthy deaconate is a critical part of the activation and redefinition of the church in a volatile, modern world.

So, what is a deacon?  Let’s start with what it is not — a deacon is not an assistant priest. Priest and deacons have very different though very complimentary roles. According to the catechism in the Book of Common Prayer, the ministry of the deacon is “as a servant to those in need.” The vow one takes is to “serve all people, particularly the poor, the weak, the sick, and the lonely” and to “interpret to the Church the needs, concerns, and hopes of the world.” The final clause is the most theologically powerful and profoundly humbling for those of us considering it: “At all times, your life and teaching are to show Christ's people that in serving the helpless they are serving Christ himself.”

Easy to say — hard to do! I guess that’s why we need three years of formation. So, I’ll be back at my beloved sponsoring parish this program year. I will need your help in discerning together how we can better serve Christ by serving those in need, and how we might further bring the concerns and hopes of the world into our collective hearts as a community. And I daresay, we might find a few other potential deacons in our midst because none of this is new to Epiphany.  We are and always have been a generous community, concerned about building the Kingdom of God.

I find this all very exciting and can’t wait to engage with these existing strengths in new ways. See you in the fall!

Jason Kinchen