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News & Resources: Spiritual Spot

Welcome! 

Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Matthew 11:28

You'll find here occasional writings, a few rants, and hopefully some insights too, about Christian discipleship, the Episcopal Church, and on faith community's life at the Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, Massachusetts. At the Epiphany we understand ourselves to be "a welcoming Episcopal community, united in God, called to seek and serve Christ in all persons, and to transform the world with love and generosity."


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  • March 14, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Photo of the tower and brick exterior of the Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, MAWe did it! We started the Building for the Ages campaign with a goal to raise $3M, and we surpassed it. I am truly thankful for the generosity shown during the campaign.

    Now that donations have started to arrive, we are embarking on the long process of repairing and restoring our campus. We will start with sealing the building exterior: roofs, gutters, walls, doors, and windows. Once we seal the building against the elements, we will move on to the interior, including cleaning the bricks in the sanctuary.

    One of the critical components to sealing a building against the elements is the exterior paint. After close inspection by our weekday Sexton, Tony Catino, the paint that protects our wood trim and metal fire escapes is worn and cracked. We are starting to see some water damage and, if we don't fix it, the repairs could be costly. As a bonus, new paint looks good.

    I am happy to announce that our first contract to be funded by Building for the Ages was recently approved by the Vestry. This summer you may see some scaffolding around the building. Nick's Painting will be repainting the exterior and reglazing all 188 exterior windows. In fact, if you want a preview, they just did a color test by painting one of the windows in the Cloister Garden. It looks great. A fresh coat of paint really does make a difference.

    With the start of our renovations, I am reminded that we will be doing quite a few renovation and repair projects on our church in the coming years. There is a clear need and opportunity for you to help. While the Property Committee is always looking for new members, what we really need are parishioners who are willing to lend a few hours a week to help with a specific project and, when that project completes, go back to their regular lives. If these types of projects interest you, or if you want to learn more about how they are done, please reach out to me or the Property Co-Chair, Jenifer Tidwell. We will be happy to speak with you. 

    Darwin Keith-Lucas
    Co-Warden

  • March 07, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Stock image of a hand putting a red paper into the palm of an outstretched handFriends was the number one show on television during its heyday — and Chandler Bing, played by Matthew Perry, could steal a scene like no other cast member. Recently, I have been listening to Matthew Perry's memoir, and it pulls at the heart. Here is this man who is living this world's dream of success — at one point starring in the #1 movie and the #1 television series, not to mention dating Julia Roberts. His story is so incredible, defined by fame and fortune — and, his story is so incredibly ordinary. At the heart of it all, he says, is the need to be loved, to know you are enough. I have yet to meet someone who was not in need of love. And I have yet to meet someone who is not made more fully human by being loved by others. 

    Love, which is God, is the great mystery that puts us together — and puts us back together at times too. Love can feel a feeble thing when faced with the chaos or the suffering of our world, and I suppose this is true of our faith. As Christians, we worship a God who is made powerful in weakness. We see and say as much in Jesus, and Holy Week will remind us of this so very clearly. This is the shape of Love — the most powerful force on earth — the most vulnerable of powers we can wield. This is true whether we are talking about the streets of Rafah or the inner life of the human heart. We know Love would make things right if we could but live it, if we could simply accept it is ours. We ask God, "What are you going to do to make things right?" and God echoes back, "And you? What are you going to do?" We hunger for wholeness in ourselves and in our world. The way, we are told by Jesus is Love. This week, notice what brings you love — and give thanks. If it is someone, tell them. If it is something, offer gratitude. If it is what you are called to do, do it. For this is the mysterious math of Love — the more it is given away, the more it grows.


    Rev. Nick Myers

  • February 29, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Aerial photo of the Parish of the Epiphany located in Winchester, MAThis is an exciting time to be at Epiphany. You can just feel it in the room during the Children’s Sermon on a Sunday morning, around a dinner table at Midweek, or in friendships deepening with the number of different community gatherings we have throughout the week. As Nick reminded us on Sunday, this excitement and energy is not just for us to store up for ourselves or pat ourselves on the back for how successful, strong, or capable we are — it is a sign of God’s generosity and care. Where we have received, we are to give. Because we have been loved, we are to love. What we have here is to be shared generously with the world and people who are not yet apart of our community.
    We are entering a new chapter at Epiphany. We have reached (and surpassed!) our Capital Campaign goals to take care of our beloved building and to seed an endowment that will take care of future generations and chapters of our parish. Gratitude upon gratitude for all who joined together to make possible.

    One of the ways that we will be marking this new chapter is by visually representing it through a new website and new brand identity that we hope to launch this fall. Our website and our branding (logo, colors, fonts) are the first welcome to people who may be interested in joining our community. The vestry and staff have been reflecting upon how our current website and branding no longer visually represent who we are becoming. They do not adequately show the excitement and vibrancy in our parish or mark the ways we are changing and growing.

    Before I was a priest, I was a graphic designer, and I have seen time and time again the power that a new brand can have in aesthetically representing mission, vision, and goals. It truly is an act of hospitality to authentically represent who we are with those who have yet to come through our doors. A new brand is also a wonderful opportunity to reflect on our identity, who we have been, and where God is calling us next.

    At the direction of the vestry and Nick, we have compiled a team of parishioners that have been meeting since last fall to help lead this exciting new project. We have come to a point where we are ready to start working on our new brand and website. We have selected a graphic designer to do our new brand and are entering the initial stages of that process.

    We want the voice of the community of Epiphany to be a part of this.

    We will be holding two listening sessions to hear from you all and share thoughts and ideas. The first will be on Wednesday, March 6 during Midweek. The second will be after the 10:00 am service on Sunday, March 10.

    We encourage you to attend those meetings as well as to put down some of your initial thoughts in this survey.

    What a gift it is to be in this journey together as we turn the pages into a new chapter.


    With gratitude,
    Rev. Janelle

  • February 22, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    A hand watering a small plantWe’re a week deep into Lent, and we can hear, see, and feel it in our worship together. Our service was book-ended by changes this past Sunday. We started with the Great Litany – the choir, cross, acolytes and ministers weaving up and down and around the sanctuary while Rev Nick cantored and we responded. And we ended worship with “Thanks be to God.” Full stop. No alleluia, alleluia, to be heard.

    Over in the Chapel the children thought about these strange, somber alterations. Why the new ritual? What’s wrong with “alleluia”? What do we make of it all?  

    We got literal, and got our hands dirty by “burying the alleluias.” Bury, like a grave? Bury, like a hidden treasure? Bury, like a seed? 

    The season of Lent can be waiting, frozen, for a miracle resurrection; or searching diligently for something amazing; or watering and encouraging slow workings of growth. I look forward to walking beside you all this Lent, and learning what preparing for the great mystery of Easter means to you. 

    Bryn Hollenbeck 

  • February 08, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Young adults at Epiphany's 20s, 30s, and Early 40s Group gathering in January 2024few weeks ago, we had one of our Epiphany Young Adult Gatherings (20s, 30s, early 40s). It was a wonderful evening gathering together and growing in community. Many thanks to our seminarian, Clayton, and his partner Jonathan for hosting us! We got to know each other better, we went around sharing small snippets of our faith journeys, and we ended the evening praying Compline together.

    There are three things that especially stood out to me from our time together:

    1. A majority of us did not grow up in The Episcopal Church. I’m so glad Epiphany is a place that people who did not grow up in this tradition can find a welcome.
    2. I was called “the old timer” because I had been at Epiphany for 1.5 years — which was longer than everyone else there! We have been talking about how Epiphany is growing and we are entering a new chapter, and this is an example.
    3. Many from this group are also involved in Faith Circles, The Discover Course, Midweek, and Word & Table.

    To expand on point #3, I found it quite profound that we are now in a season as a church community that parishioners can find home and connection beyond attending Sunday morning services. In fact, some of our young adults do not attend Sunday mornings, but are actively involved at Epiphany in other ways. This is a reminder that Church has many forms. Yes, we love our Sunday mornings here, but church is also sharing a meal together at Midweek, sharing our lives in a Faith Circle, serving together in the community, and journeying with one another through all that life brings. We don’t live just a Sunday morning faith, but one that encompasses every day and every moment of our week. God is always doing new things, and it is our responsibly to attune to that new life and to continue to cultivate it. Our new young adult community is just one example of new life here at Epiphany. Do you have others? Continue to share where you are seeing new life and continue to cultivate it — that is what it means to be church.

    With gratitude,
    Rev. Janelle

  • February 01, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Jonathan Ortloff leading Organ 101 lecture in January 2024It’s wonderful to live and work in a large city with such an array of both pipe organs and folks who are interested in these complex instruments! The planets seemed to line up spectacularly this past month, with several interesting events featuring the King of Instruments.

    We at Epiphany are very fortunate indeed to have organist and organ builder Jonathan Ortloff in the pews, or even occasionally in the loft playing or singing! He is here with us for a time, along with our Seminarian Clayton McCleskey (also an organist and singer— we’re getting five for the price of one it seems). Clayton organized the ongoing Epiphany forum series, which included an Organ 101 lecture demonstration by Jonathan on Sunday, January 21. What a fun and informative session, which was also very well attended by folks of all ages. And who knew that Jonathan could blow into two pipes simultaneously (with his mouth, not using two nostrils). The level of interest in and commitment to music here at Epiphany was evident in the attention the participants gave, as well as in their thoughtful and provoking questions. It is clear that an Organ 102 session is in order. If you are interested in knowing more about what resources would be needed for minor upkeep and/or more major enhancements to our Fisk gallery instrument, or if you are perhaps curious about what it would take to see a new organ installed once again in our chancel, please do not hesitate to reach out to me for a conversation.

    On Saturday, January 27, the Young Organist Initiative of the Boston Chapter of the American Guild of Organists hosted a masterclass at Harvard’s Memorial Church with Associate Organist/Choirmaster Dr. David von Behren. Two of this year’s scholarship students (including our own 6th-grader Ilario Faienza), along with one of the scholarship winners from last season, performed on the chancel organ. Then all were treated to the opportunity to play and climb inside the back gallery 2012 Fisk organ (seen in the picture below). A good time was had by all. Incidentally, Savannah Curro is a former YOI scholarship student; she was invited to speak to the group for a few minutes. You may recall her, as she spent her high school senior year as a music intern at Parish of the Epiphany (she sends her greetings!). Savannah has recently begun a divinity course of study at Yale University. She is also pictured below, next to Ilario.

    Jeremy Bruns


  • January 25, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Parish of the Epiphany parishioners attending a screening of documentary The Philadelphia Eleven in Hadley HallFifty years ago, the Anglican Church ordained its first female priest, Florence Li Tim-Oi. On January 25, 1944, with the occupation of Hong Kong and parts of China, and as Anglican priests were not able to reach parishes and particular communities, the local bishop ordained Tim-Oi to the priesthood. She was the first female priest in the Anglican tradition. After the war, she would resign her license to function as a priest to appease the majority anti-women’s ordination voice in the church. It would not be for 30 years that women’s ordination was regularized in the Episcopal Church.

    This past Sunday, we hosted a viewing of the documentary, The Philadelphia Eleven. It tells the intimate and vital story of women being ordained in the Episcopal Church. Facing patriarchy, bigotry, threat, and dehumanization, eleven women, with the support of three Episcopal bishops, were ordained to the priesthood in Philadelphia on July 29, 1974. This event would go on to catalyze the regularization of women’s ordination and help transform our church into a more inclusive and just institution. Notice I say “more” just.

    This beautiful and powerful documentary reminded me of our continued need to make a church for all people, so that all people might be of the church. The work of inclusion and representation is critical to the life of the church. This is no political stratagem, but the heartbeat of a living and breathing and vibrant community. Either the good news of Jesus is for all people, or it is for none; either all people are inherently worthy or none are. Following the teaching and example of Jesus, we must stand clearly for the inherent dignity and equality of all people. It is an ache for which there is no balm, not in this world of ours so divided and so divisive, so violent and so violated. 

    As we gather this Sunday for our Annual Meeting, we will celebrate the past year, our current capital campaign, and give thanks for a future to which God calls us. At the heart of our life together as Epiphany beats a common call to the way of love made known to us in Christ. It sustains us, redeems us, and leads us more deeply into the pain, suffering, and audacious beauty of our world. A world for which God gives all, so that we might too.


    See you Sunday,
    Nick 

  • January 18, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    2024 Burning of the Greens in Parish of the Epiphany's Cloister GardenIn the first week of January, we gathered together for The Burning of the Greens, one of my all-time favorite traditions. Parishioners brought clippings from their trees or their wreathes and we stacked them all together and then… we set them on fire! What a way to say goodbye to the Christmas season. This comes from the idea that we don’t just throw away the items we use for worship, but burn them in a sacred embodied ritual. This ritual symbolizes Christ as the light of the world. Watching the flames helped us to prepare for the new year and the season of Epiphany — our namesake. I love the name of our parish. I love the story of the wise people and the star and the baby. I’ve also been thinking about the meaning of the word Epiphany as in, “I had an epiphany!” This idea that comes to mind that brings us to a new place, a new understanding, or a new sense of meaning. Often accompanied by a holy clarity. This too is our legacy. We gather together to have new epiphanies that move us closer to God, to each other, and to our neighbors. I pray you have new epiphanies during this Epiphany season while following that guiding star. May those epiphanies fill you with hope this day.

    With gratitude,
    Rev. Janelle

  • January 11, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    The Rev. Nick Myers and the Rt. Rev. Robert O'NeiillI didn't get far in my advent devotional this year. I chose All Creation Waits, which is a beautiful book I've been looking forward to for months. But the first devotion was about painted turtles and how they hibernate—their bodies nearly stopped—underwater through the winter. Just resting and waiting. I read this one chapter, this short Painted Turtle meditation, over and over and never turned to the next animal (sorry muskrats, maybe next year). That turtle and I understood each other. December is not a month of rest for me. I bet it isn't for you either, even if you don't work at a church. But that painted turtle called to me all of December. 

    And now here's January, dark and cold. Culture asks us what we'll do this January. How will we improve ourselves—diet, exercise, resolutions, goals—new year, new me.

    But God's creation does not ask us to overhaul ourselves right now. If January in New England asks anything of us, it is to care for ourselves. January's creation says Stay warm. Eat your stores. Light a fire. Snuggle up with a book and bake cookies. (Ok, that last one might not be creation speaking.) 

    January says look to home

    This past Sunday, the word home was spoken again and again here at Epiphany. As we entered into our capital campaign, Building for the Ages, Rev Nick reminded us that this place, built of crumbly bricks and slate tiles, houses our life together. The Rt. Rev. Rob O'Neill spoke of what a gift it was for him to be home, some 20 years after he was our rector. 

    Epiphany is our home. It is where we are all welcomed, cherished, accepted; where many of our most meaningful relationships lay. We journey through our lives together here. This January, I pray you will feel the warmth and love of this place of faith, and root yourself in this home.

    Bryn Hollenbeck 

  • January 04, 2024 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Parish of the Epiphany's Building for the Ages capital campaign logoThere are few greater gifts in this life than friends. As I get older, I realize this truth more and more. And, as I get older, I realize how challenging it can be to make new friends. The simple truth is this: To have a friend is to find a deep well of joy, love, support, and encouragement. 

    It has always struck me that one of the last things Jesus does is to make sure that the disciples know that they are friends. He says, “I no longer call you servants…but I call you friends.” Friendship is that special human relationship that is all about mutuality, encouragement, and enjoyment. There is no quid pro quo, no power hierarchy—it is a freedom of relationship that is, in many ways, unique. This might be why Christianity has often noted that friendship is the highest form of human relationship.

    This may be why I am so excited to welcome my friend, Rob O’Neill, to join us this Sunday at Epiphany. Now, I know that many here consider Rob a friend too—that Rob has been a part of the lives of many people from Epiphany. And that’s because Rob was the eighth rector here (1991-2003). Rob was also my bishop when I served in Colorado. And, as time went on and Rob retired, he became a friend—someone who offered me nothing but love, encouragement, wisdom, and support. What I do know is that Rob is a friend of Epiphany because it is this same love that he offers to us. You’ll see this clearly when he and his wife, Ginger, join us for this coming celebration on Sunday.

    Our life together here at Epiphany is to be shaped by this friendship that Jesus invites us into. A community of love, support, encouragement, and joy. We offer this to one another simply because we are, here, now, together. This is the beautiful gift of being church together. 

    On Sunday we will welcome Rob and Ginger, and celebrate the launch of our Building for the Ages capital campaign. I hear there is to be some snow finally—of course, on a Sunday morning. This will not dampen our joy or celebration. I hope you will make every effort to be present for our festive luncheon after the 10:00 am service, or join that celebration via Zoom (link is here
    ). This campaign is unlike any we have undertaken in our history as a parish. It will take all of our support to reach our goals, and I am thrilled to share with you this Sunday about this faithful, bold, and inspiring campaign that is being led by our lay leadership and vestry. We have every right to be joyful, hopeful, and proud of this effort. I hope you’ll join us Sunday for lunch and our launch and discover the beautiful community of friends that is our beloved Epiphany.

    I look forward to seeing you on Sunday,
    Nick

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