This 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
