Menu
Log in


Log in

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."


  • March 09, 2023 9:00 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Exterior photo of Parish of the Epiphany in Winchester, MassachusettsThis is an exciting time to be at Epiphany! Midweek has solidified itself as a fixture in our parish life. We have a full staff and growing volunteers. We are coming together and exploring what it is to be a community in the post-lockdown era. It’s a perfect time to think about who we are as a parish and who we want to be. The use of our building and how it supports our vision is an important part of that conversation.

    Last fall, the Property Committee presented an assessment of the current state of our property and the work that would be needed to maintain it over the next ten years. Understandably, there was a bit of sticker shock. Fortunately, Property interrogated the assessment’s assumptions and identified our slate roof would benefit from enhanced annual maintenance, but does not need to be replaced. This reduces our capital need from $6M to about $3.5M, which is good news for us all.

    Regardless, we will need a capital campaign to fund the building repairs and build the church’s endowment to support our mission as a church. “What is the mission of our church?” Who do we want to be as a parish? Or to put it another way, what is our vision for the future of our church? These are very important questions that we need to decide on.

    It would be straightforward for our vestry to decide on a vision for the future , but the result wouldn’t reflect our community as a whole. To truly be a vision that drives our programming and activities as a church, it needs to come from all of us. Our vestry engaged in a workshop led by Corey Hollenbeck where, instead of focusing on what we thought the vision should be, we focused on how to best gather input from the parish as a whole.

    Soon your wardens and vestry will be reaching out to targeted groups from across the parish to get a feel for the differing views and find the commonalities within our congregation. The feedback we receive will influence which groups we talk to next and how we will bring the congregation together. Along the way, the process will include parish-wide conversations to ensure that everyone has the opportunity to be heard. Remember, one of the great things about being an Episcopalian is we have room for disparate views! Eventually we will coalesce around a common vision that will drive our programming and overall mission of the church.

    These conversations will also afford us the opportunity to re-think the use of our building to better align with who we are and who we want to be as a parish. We are already seeing the beginning of this process. To better align with modern views on childcare, including better air quality and natural light, our nursery has been moved upstairs, Godly Play has also been moved to the Upper Parish Hall, and people are starting to ask what the future use for the basement should be.

    Coalescing around a common vision will take time. It obviously will not come to conclusion before we start a capital campaign later this year. But the conversations we have over the next few months should give us an overall direction to base the campaign on.

    This is an exciting time to be part of this community. We are growing as a parish, exploring who we are, and we are changing as a result. By working together and engaging in dialogue to chart a common direction, we will ensure that our path forward reflects who we are and who we want to be as a parish. I am excited and honored to serve as one your wardens through this process. 

    Darwin Keith-Lucas, Warden

  • March 02, 2023 4:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Rev. Nick Myers preaching in the pulpit at Parish of the EpiphanyMaybe you've had this thought once (maybe many times; don't worry, I won't tell). It's true: your priest is not perfect. In fact, sometimes they just don't seem to get it. This is so much the case, that the Bible has a story about priests who just don't get it. We'll hear one this Sunday, as we listen to the story of Nicodemus and Jesus. Jesus says some things that really confuse Nicodemus. So much so, that it might feel like Jesus is giving up on the guy. After all, he comes to Jesus at night — apparently worried about what his other priestly friends might say. Nicodemus just doesn't understand Jesus. There are times that I struggle with Jesus too. I find some of Jesus' teachings about forgiving our enemies, loving all our enemies, not worrying about the things of life/this world to be particularly hard. I suppose it's why the story of Nicodemus is one of my favorites. I get Nicodemus — and it's not just because I'm a priest. No, what I really love about Nicodemus and Jesus is that this isn't the last time Nicodemus appears in the gospel story. When Jesus has been crucified, Nicodemus shows up again. This time, though, he does not come at night, but in the light of day and he makes clear that he loves this Jesus, even if he has not always understood it all. What he does know is that Jesus and the promise of God's love is the answer to all his restlessness under the dark of night. I take that to be reassuring. It means that your priest doesn't have to be perfect (Thank God!)  and you can bet they won't be. It is the love of God alone that is perfect.

    This Sunday, I'm excited to have the Rev. Isaac Everett join us to preach at both services and share at our Faith Forum after the 10:00 am service. Isaac is the Executive Director of CRECHE here in Boston, and he'll share with us and invite us to imagine how we can live more deeply into God's perfect love through the power of community, kinship, and making home for all. I'm looking forward to it and seeing you there!


    See you Sunday,
    Nick

  • February 23, 2023 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    A palm cross lying on top of a bowl of ashesAs a church family, we are officially in the season of Lent! I have always been a fan of Lent. It feels like a very honest season. Advent is like this as well. Advent reminds us that a lot of life is… waiting. The season builds up our capacity to wait and to put our yearning towards God’s kingdom of love and justice. Lent reminds us that a lot of life is… death. Of course, all of us experience literal deaths of loved ones, but also there are little deaths around us all the time. Deaths of dreams, of expectations, of how we thought life would be. In our tradition, seasons of celebration (like Christmas or Easter) are always preceded by times of preparation (like Advent and Lent). It makes those times of celebration that much more meaningful when we have had devoted time to prepare ourselves first.

    The great paradox of Lent is that being reminded of our own mortality is what it means… to live. Pretending like everything is fine and avoiding all difficult emotions is not living at all. Lent invites us to go deep within ourselves and find that God has been there all along.

    We do not know how many days we have left, but for today there is breath in our lungs and it is a gift. Allow this season to open you in new ways. Frederick Buechner says that during Lent, “Christians are supposed to ask one way or another what it means to be themselves.” Ask the questions, embrace the ambiguity — find God in all of it.

    I will share this poem by Jan Richardson to be a companion for you as we journey together through Lent.

    Rend Your Heart
    A Blessing for Ash Wednesday

    To receive this blessing,
    all you have to do
    is let your heart break.
    Let it crack open.
    Let it fall apart
    so that you can see
    its secret chambers,
    the hidden spaces
    where you have hesitated
    to go.

    Your entire life
    is here, inscribed whole
    upon your heart s walls:
    every path taken
    or left behind,
    every face you turned toward
    or turned away,
    every word spoken in love
    or in rage,
    every line of your life
    you would prefer to leave
    in shadow,
    every story that shimmers
    with treasures known
    and those you have yet
    to find.

    It could take you days
    to wander these rooms.
    Forty, at least.

    And so let this be
    a season for wandering,
    for trusting the breaking,
    for tracing the rupture
    that will return you

    to the One who waits,
    who watches,
    who works within
    the rending
    to make your heart
    whole.

    Jan Richardson

    I love the image of Lent being a time to wander around in the rooms of your heart to find what might be there. I hope this image is helpful for you as we enter this season!

    Blessings to you,
    Rev. Janelle

  • February 09, 2023 1:30 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    As noted in the Annual Meeting, six months ago, the vestry formed a committee to explore and make recommendations on a bequest and planned giving program. Committee members include Co-Chairs John Snow and Warren McFarlan; the Reverend Nick Myers, Kim Erskine, Bruce Glabe, Marie Johnson, James Wagner, and Jane White. Over a series of meetings, the committee identified bequests as an appropriate first step in installing a planned giving program at Epiphany and establishing a Legacy Society (hereafter called the Cornerstone Society). In last week’s 3 Crowns, Nick Myers talked about the importance of creating and sustaining legacy.

    The committee noted that roughly 80% of church planned gifts across the 
    USA come as bequests. Consequently, the committee’s initial focus was on starting a bequest program and establishing the Cornerstone Society at Epiphany whose members are those who have made a bequest to Epiphany. No sustained efforts have been made to secure bequests for Epiphany in the last twenty years. Such bequests, over time in other churches, have contributed substantially to their financial strength. The committee believes the same can be true for Epiphany. Accordingly, we are asking you to consider making a bequest to the Parish of the Epiphany in your will and estate plans. Just as we benefit today from the gifts of those that came before us at Epiphany, so also will those who come after us benefit from our generosity. The church can hopefully serve its community forever. All members of the bequest and planned giving committee have included, or are in the process of including, Epiphany in their wills and estate plans.

    A planned giving section is being added to the Epiphany website in the next month or two to facilitate parishioner planned giving. The committee will run a 45-minute education session on planned giving this spring to introduce the topic to those who are unfamiliar with it. If interest warrants, a more extensive education program on planned giving will be offered this fall, using professional resources.

    When you make a bequest or some other form of planned gift to Epiphany, we ask that you notify the church office of that fact so we can note it in our records and add you to Epiphany’s Cornerstone Society. All aspects of the gift will be completely confidential.

    Warren McFarlan

  • February 02, 2023 3:45 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    A hand placing a red paper heart in an outstretched, open handEach one of us wants our lives to matter. We desire to make a difference in the lives of our family, our friends, our neighbors, and our church. We want to leave a legacy.
    If you’ve ever known someone to have changed your life or this world for the better, it is almost certainly through their generosity—the way they give of themselves or their time or their financial capacity. Their legacy is not so much what they have done, but who they were. For we do not change this world first by doing, but by choosing to be in some particular way. All of this is to say quite simply: leaving a legacy is a matter of the heart.

    This coming year, Parish of the Epiphany will establish and strengthen a Legacy Society, which will be dedicated to ensuring the future ministry and mission of our parish. There can be little doubt that our strength today is directly connected to the planned generosity of those who have come before us. Whether it is through the generosity of Sunday School teachers caring for and nurturing our young ones in the faith, choristers leading us in song and worship and raising our spirits, or the passionate parishioner calling us into deeper service and advocacy for justice in our community—we all play a part in leaving a legacy here at Epiphany. Through planning your legacy gift, you can continue to honor this passion and commitment to the transformational work of Epiphany in the world beyond your lifetime. If Epiphany is worth your living now, then surely Epiphany is worth a planned gift that will leave and sustain your legacy. The legacy we leave behind speaks of the faith, hope, and love that we desire to pass on.

    I am excited for this new chapter in helping create a strong, vibrant, and faithful Epiphany. Not simply for our own good and growth, but for the life of the world. Indeed, Jesus Christ reminds us that our legacy as the church must be: “they will know you by your love." In the coming years, we invite you to plan and leave a legacy in the name of God’s love as we strive, always, to make love our aim. Your planned giving can and will make a difference in this world.


    Rev. Nick Myers

  • January 26, 2023 2:30 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Parishioners voting at Annual Meeting at Parish of the EpiphanyOur Annual Meeting this coming Sunday will be different from previous gatherings. Before all else, this is the first in-person Annual Meeting we have had in three years. We will share in a simple lunch together as we gather to reflect upon the past year, celebrate some wonderful strides we've made as a parish, and look to the future of our beloved parish. What I have to share on Sunday is about the near-term, and what I believe is also the long-term vitality and life of our parish. I urge you to come, be present, and offer your voice, vote, and presence for our shared life together. 

    As we elect new leadership, we will share our deep thanks for retiring vestry and a warden who has led us through the challenging recent years. We will hear from staff about exciting new ministries and a vision for what is next in their particular areas. I will share with you what I see as the most consequential and urgent work as we enter this new year. I am excited for this time together and pray you will join in this celebration of our shared mission.


    See you Sunday,
    Nick

  • January 19, 2023 1:30 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    People eating at tables under colorful canopy tents at Parish of the EpiphanyThis started as a piece on gratitude. I am deeply grateful for the many ways that we share our faith and lives at Epiphany, and I’ve been thinking a lot recently about how much of a touchstone it is for me. What emerged as I thought about it was a series of images that all center on connections, and it has left me thinking about how blessed we are to share a journey in which we connect in so many ways. What follows is not intended to cover the range of our journey together, it is only the images that I have enjoyed remembering as we begin a new year.

    • The most recent example was the spontaneous applause on Sunday after Janelle embarked on what she said was a ‘stretch’ to turn a pink button into a children’s sermon (Janelle, it was amazing!).

    • Midweek has grown from an idea to get people together in the middle of the week outdoors to a familiar part of the rhythm of our calendar. It feels completely consistent with what Epiphany is all about that we continue to have an impressive turnout every other week and that some of our newer members are beginning to be the ones who invite and welcome new people. I love to watch the connections across generations and the ways that children are being absorbed into the bigger family, and I particularly love the way that kids welcome other kids and ‘show them the ropes.’

    • Godly Play seems to be attracting a growing group of families, creating a space not only for the children who attend, but a place where parents have time together (parents, you aren’t required to stay, but I love the community that has seemed to evolve on Sunday mornings!).

    • I missed the Weekend Away (thank you Covid!) but was amazed at how many people took time to send me texts, emails, and pictures so that I could be there a little bit.

    • The choristers have not only spent Wednesdays learning and singing, they seem to have followed the Epiphany habit of creating their own unique community. 

    Beyond the images is the sense of connection that has always been part of my experience of Epiphany. When people stop to check in with one another, it’s not just a quick hello, it’s a real moment of listening and responding. I’m looking forward to our continuing journey together this spring and to discovering how we will grow together.

    Nelia Newell 

  • January 12, 2023 1:00 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Two blue poster boards with pictures of Mission & Outreach activities at EpiphanyMy senior year of high school my friends Breanna and Rachel (they are sisters) and myself and my brother would spend every Tuesday night eating a meal with unhoused people. There was a local non-profit that provided food for people experiencing homelessness. What I loved about it, is that everybody who came would all eat a meal together — erasing the lines between who was serving and who was being served. We would sit with the same guys every week and play Jenga. One of the guys was named Wolfman, a name one does not forget!

    I think there was something about those Tuesday nights that was formational for us high schoolers. After all, my brother is now a civil rights lawyer and my friend Breanna works at a community center in Ireland that supports Travellers, an economically challenged and vulnerable population.

    Jesuit priest, Gregory Boyle, once said this: “When the gospel connects with our hearts and we find ourselves on the outskirts,” those on the margins may wonder what were doing there. They arent accustomed to our presence in their space. In the end, though, the measure of our compassion with what Martin Luther King calls the last, the least, and the lost” lies less in our service of those on the margins, and more in our willingness to see ourselves in kinship with them.”

    I think what Father Boyle is getting at is this idea of incarnated solidarity. Less of a service to approach and more of a service with, recognizing that our lives are bound together and so is our liberation. And this could be fun, like eating a meal and playing Jenga together on a Tuesday night.

    Some of you may have heard that the Mission & Outreach community here at Epiphany is in a season of discernment about where God might be calling us to next. We are taking some intentional time to hear from the greater parish community and exploring new partnerships in our community.

    I have come to learn of the ways that M&O and you all helped start the Blackstone Library in the South End when you realized the school there didn’t have its own public library. Some of you have faithfully companioned the Rawan family as they have resettled here from Afghanistan. There is a group of you that has gone to help out at San Lucas in Chelsea every Friday morning for the past 13 years to organize food for the food pantry. Many of you have been involved in Haiti and Honduras and are doing good work here locally in the community as well. And as a parish we have been generous with our resources — these are just a few examples!

    As part of our discernment, we would like to include as many voices as possible together as a parish to brainstorm all the possibilities. This is an exciting time and I believe we have the people and resources to really allow ourselves to dream big as we follow God’s call.

    We want to hear your voice! Please consider filling out this survey today as an act of compassion and justice.


    With hope,
    Rev. Janelle

    Mission and Outreach Survey

  • January 05, 2023 3:45 PM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Man in yellow shirt bungee jumping into a canyonWhen I was seventeen years old I went bungee jumping. I'm not certain what waivers I had to sign, but what I remember quite clearly is my looking down at the bungee cord and thinking: Do I trust this thing? It was intense, scary, thrilling, and I am pretty sure my mom didn't "sign off" on it.

    A couple weeks ago, I had a "bungee jumping" kind of conversation with a young person not from church. They knew I was a priest and they asked me: What happens to us after we die? I'm familiar with being asked such questions, but looking down at that little one, as they looked up at me, I started to sense just a touch of that vertigo of uncertainty. "Oh, here I am, talking about something I trust and believe in, but I can't prove with any certainty!" It is unsettling and exhilarating — it can be fun to step into the mystery. Maybe you know what I mean. 

    Well, I told that young person what I believe and trust in: When we die we will be greeted by God's big and warm embrace — it'll feel like coming home, because we will be. I said: "And you know what, it really is a big and exciting mystery." They gave me a nod of approval and said, "Let's keep walking." And, we did.

    You and I live in a world that is increasingly suspicious of, not just faith or trust, but of mystery itself. If we just have enough time and enough technology and enough brilliant minds, we'll figure it all out. It's a scientism and materialism that is both truthful and sterile. I'm not arguing against such things in any final way (I mean, if the Webb telescope doesn't bring you awe and wonder, I'm not sure what will!). Rather, it's to say that there is something very human-making about mystery. Mystery and wonder make us more human, not less so. Mystery and wonder, especially when it comes to religion and faith, is the fuel of spiritual growth. It's about moving us to experience those "bungee jumping" realities of life and asking ourselves: Do I trust this? Maybe it's the decision to trust someone with your vulnerability; maybe it's a choice to walk away from the safe and explore the unknown; maybe it's admitting your limits and asking for, clamoring for, crying for "help." 

    As we enter this new year together, I invite you into the mystery and the wonder that is all around you and within you — the strength, the openness, the possibility of honestly asking: Do I trust this? And then, maybe, taking that leap of faith.


    See you Sunday, 
    Rev. Nick 

  • December 29, 2022 10:30 AM | Anonymous member (Administrator)

    Group photo from Parish of the Epiphany's annual retreat at the Barbara C. Harris Camp in Greenfield, NHMy dear friends,

    I have the privilege of crafting the final newsletter intro of 2022, which gives me the choice of looking ahead (an article on New Years resolutions, perhaps?) or back (a “year in review”). Some of you know that many years ago, I was an actual card-carrying, tweed-wearing historian. While I don’t miss that career at all (I mean come on, I get to finger paint here in ministry!), it did rather shape me, so looking back over the year is the natural choice. But then again, now I work with children, who are the most fantastically hope-filled, forward-looking creatures imaginable, and they are shaping me too.

    I’ll split the difference by sharing two notable moments at Epiphany in 2022, that stand out so brilliantly in my heart when I think about the past year, and one resolution for the next. 

    Midwinter. Last January, Omicron was in full swing. We were all—to use the words of my late grandmother—not amused. We decided that here at church we couldn’t have indoor meals together for a while. Of course, this was deep midwinter, also known as not picnic season in New England. Were we to isolate again? Give up on fellowship time? Rather than cancel Midweek, we pivoted over to Midwinter, where we ate (the most amazing ever) grilled cheese sandwiches and gathered around firepits in the Cloister Garden. It was a spot of blazing warmth, love, and community in the middle of another long, dark pandemic winter. 

    The Parish Weekend Away. For me this was a resolute bookend to the shutdown, and the realization of a deep desire of my heart. Not only did we gather, but we shared meals, memories, and afternoons lazing in the sunshine. We square danced our hearts out. We created bonds of friendship. We treasured each other and the gifts of time, laughter, and community. 

    So, what’s my resolution? To meet and truly know more of you during the coming year. I know many of you well already; but I have a lot of room in me for more true friends. 

    And if I may be so bold as to suggest one resolution for you for 2023, it’s this: Invest yourself here. Come to Midweek. Come to the Parish Weekend Away. Come to Bible Study, to Church School. Stay for fellowship hour. I know how busy we get. I know how many pressures are on us. But church community is different from everything else out there. Time in communal worship; in prayer; in studying the Word of God; and in fellowship with our family in Christ—these are things for which we are truly intended, made in the image of a loving, present God. This will bring you joy in 2023.

    With love and hope,
    Bryn


Location & Contact

70 Church Street
Winchester, MA 01890
Phone: 781.729.1922
office@3crowns.org

Connect

   © The Parish of the Epiphany

Privacy Policy

Powered by Wild Apricot Membership Software