A few 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:
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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.
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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.
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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
