Interim Rector's Reflection
Dear Friends,
As was predictable, half the people of our land woke up on Wednesday morning only to be disappointed while many of their friends and neighbors are excited. We are certainly heading together into the unknown. For people of faith, whatever our politics, we can face the future in the absolute assurance of God's love for us, with clarity about our calling to bear witness, without anxiety, to all that is good and true and lovely; all that is life-giving and fruit-bearing; to what really and eternally matters revealed in the human face of God, --the life, death and resurrection of Jesus.
Part of that holy work is being vigilant and fierce on behalf of all those who are justifiably scared based on the rhetoric of an ugly campaign. First and foremost that means caring for immigrants, refugees and strangers in our midst. It means recognizing the reasonable distress and fear felt by everyone who has been vilified in recent months by our President-elect and his allies: people of color, all women, people living with disabilities, prisoners of war and our Muslim friends and neighbors. The President-elect expressed his desire to be the President of all the people of this nation and we can pray that aspiration turns out to be true. (Trust, but verify.)
We are also to serve as a leaven in the world which means in these days serving as a non-anxious presence in the midst of an anxious and violent world. It is not an easy thing to live without anxiety when change is happening all around us. Some people find a mantra like prayer to be helpful in recalling God's love for us. I find it helpful to practice generosity as a way of altering my vision or perspective in any given moment. At any event, we will hear again this coming Sunday Jesus' promise of the destruction of the Temple when he says to all who follow him that in the time of trial "not a hair of your head will perish. By your endurance you will gain your souls." (Luke 21:18f.)
The ancient Collect for the Nation from
The Book of Common Prayer
(p.820) is also pertinent in these days:
Almighty God, who hast given us this good land for our heritage: We humbly beseech thee that we may always prove ourselves a people mindful of thy favor and glad to do thy will. Bless our land with honorable industry, sound learning and pure manners. Save us from violence, discord and confusion; from pride and arrogance and from every evil way. Defend our liberties, and fashion into one united people the multitudes brought hither out of many kindreds and tongues. Endue with the spirit of wisdom those to whom in thy Name we entrust the authority of government, that there may be justice and peace at home, and that, through obedience to thy law, we may show forth thy praise among the nations of the earth. In the time of prosperity, fill our hearts with thankfulness, and in the day of trouble, suffer not our trust in thee to fail; all which we ask through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
Geoffrey
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Mission & Ministry
Worship at Epiphany
Many thanks to the fifteen households who have already made their generous commitments to support God's work through the ministries of this wonderful parish in 2017. Those commitments total almost $90,000 and represent significant generosity. Our goal is to hear from at least 130 households this year. As you consider your own commitment you might enjoy learning about an experience I had almost twenty years ago in the Sudan. I was with a small team from Northern Virginia visiting a friend who had been a seminarian in my parish and who is now the Presiding Bishop of the Episcopal Church of the Sudan, The Rt. Rev'd Daniel Deng Bul. We went to one of the many internal refugee camps near Khartoum of people displaced by their seemingly endless civil war. In one mud hut there were about thirty women who took it in turns to go hungry because they pooled their food in order to be able to feed their nursing infants. They sang a song for their visitors and a translator told us they were singing "God does not mean for us to be here but we are happy to be alive." I asked how on earth they could sing like that given their circumstances. A woman replied "We are singing as a gift for our visitors. We know we are rich when we can make a gift." - Geoffrey-
Notice of Annual Meeting: Revised Date & Time
The Annual Parish Meeting will be held at
9:15am in the Church on the Second Sunday in Advent,
December 4, 2016
. At the meeting we will elect new members of the vestry, hear about the state of our finances and receive an update from the Calling Committee. Please mark your calendar and plan to join us.
Post Election Healing With a newly elected President, we find ourselves in a country divided. This week's Coffee & Conversations will explore ways of healing now that the election has ended, how to unite as a people and how to serve as a non-anxious presence in the midst of it all. We will meet from 9:15-10:15 in the Willard Room on November 13.
The Nominating Committee of the Vestry invites nominations of parishioners to serve a three-year term on the vestry. Any communicant in good standing, at least sixteen years of age and a financial contributor of record in the past year is eligible to serve. We will be seeking five new members this year. This class will be of enormous importance to welcoming and serving with our new rector. In addition to a monthly meeting, members will generally serve to oversee some area or program of our common life, including Buildings and Grounds, Budget and Finance, Welcome Table, Adult Formation, Children's Formation, Parish Life, Street Church, Worship-Related Guilds, and Stewardship and Fund Raising. In addition, vestry members will be expected to participate as money counters on a rotating basis. This will be an exciting season to be called into leadership of this wonderful parish. The Nominating Committee this year is Chaired by the Senior Warden, Rasheen Carbin who is joined by the Junior Warden, Bea Dermer, retiring members of the vestry, Scott Marquardt and Lisa Kimball as well as the Interim Rector, Geoffrey Hoare.
Calling Committee Communique
We received a total of 44 applications for the Rector position here at Church of the Epiphany. We are excited to have a very strong candidate pool. Thank you to everyone who helped to spread the word and who gave us recommendations! We are now entering the discernment stage of our process. To maintain applicant confidentiality, we will no longer be reporting regularly. As a reminder, information on the search process can be found on our website:
http://epiphanydc.org/welcome/clergy-transition/
. You can also reach us at
[email protected]
, or find us in church. Please continue to pray for our Parish Family!
Gracious God, we pray for this parish church and for the Calling Committee as we seek to call a new Rector. Help us to be strong, open, forgiving -- and truthful to those discerning a call to minister in this place. Accompany us on our journey in the knowledge of your love for us and your power to unite us all. AMEN
A note from our friends at BE Yoga:
Dear Church of the Epiphany:
THANK YOU So much for being a part of the 5th annual DC Kirtan Fest. Every year brings a different energy and group and this year was another amazing and special year. The Space was AMAZING and really added to the sacred of the event and vibration. So many people commented on how beautiful your church is! They really enjoyed the space too!
You helped raise just over $4000 for these causes that have a very special place in my heart and life. Helping girls rescued from sex trafficking in Kolkata and also helping rural children receive an education in Central India. Thank You! Without you we wouldn't have a kirtan Fest! Every year the most difficult part is finding a space for the festival. Thank you for helping make this festival possible!
I also wanted to let you know that TONY Was an absolute joy to work with! He was so very helpful and full of enthusiasm for the event. Thank you for sending him to help us out!
Everyone was so welcoming and helpful. You all helped bring the positive vibe to this event. Thank You!
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Music & The Arts
Tuesday Concert Series
November 15 at 12:10pm: Third Practice
This DC-based professional vocal ensemble sings Reconstruction by Joshua Bornfield (their composer-in-residence), a vivid multimovement tribute to early American song, alongside Byrd's immortal Mass for Four Voices.
Admission is free but a donation of $10 is suggested to support both the Artists and the Concert Series.
Upcoming Guest Performances
November 13 at 7:30pm, the Cathedral Choral Society
: In honor of our 75th season, we are taking our popular Cathedral Sings programs out into the community! Join us for a sing-along of Fauré's Requiem at the Church of the Epiphany on G St. in DC. Guest conductor Will Breytspraak will lead.
Singers of all abilities welcome. Scores provided. Tickets $10.
November 19 at 7:30pm, the Congressional Chorus: The eighty-voice Congressional Chorus opens its 30th season by celebrating the diverse composers and musical traditions of Washington, DC, both past and present. Guest artists include Joy of Motion Dance Ensemble, the Beltway Poetry Slam Team, and the versatile a cappella group The Capital Hearings in a unique, one-night-only, multi-sensory performance.
The highlight of the evening will be Duke Ellington's ground-breaking and rarely performed Sacred Concert. The chorus will be joined by a hot 17-piece jazz band, a bevy of swing and tap dancers, and the renowned jazz a cappella group Afro Blue for this sultry, high-energy work that swings with a sophisticated groove!
November 20 at 4:00pm, AYPO: "AYDO and AYSE in Concert" Laura Cahn, AYDO and AYSE Conductor. (American Youth String Ensemble) AYSE and (American Youth Debut Orchestra) AYDO will perform three concerts exploring the theme "Bach to the Future". The first concert will feature arrangements for string orchestras of several popular works by Johann Sebastian Bach.
Please note that all of Epiphany's guest artists and ensembles handle their own ticket sales. Please contact the respective individuals/ensembles for ticket sales and information pertaining to these concerts.
Learn more about musical events at Epiphany by visiting our
website.
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Service in Mission & Ministry
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How might you become more involved in the mission and ministry of our parish? There is so much going on at Epiphany and we are so grateful for the contributions you all offer towards making this happen. There are a few areas where we could really use your help! Please have a look at the list below and think where you might feel you could benefit from and contribute to the life of our community.
Sundays:
The Welcome Table team are looking for more volunteers to help in the kitchen and dining room. Please contact Maria Hunter if you are interested in getting involved in this important aspect of our ministry at Epiphany (
[email protected]).
Coffee Hour after the 11am service. Pat Pickering and John McDermott do a fantastic job, but they can't do it every week. Coffee Hour can be as simple or as elaborate as we want to make it. What's important is that we have a time of fellowship after worship. Please contact Catriona if you can help (
[email protected]).
Liturgical Leaders: We are always looking for people to help with the important ministries that make our Sunday worship possible. We welcome new additions to the ranks of greeters, ushers, readers, lay Eucharistic ministers, as well as the flower guild, and altar guild. If you are interested in learning more about any of these roles, please contact Catriona (
[email protected]).
Weekdays:
Office Volunteers: We are looking for volunteers to sit at the front desk between 10am-2pm on weekdays. Bertha does a great job on Tuesdays and we're looking for others to help throughout the week. If you want to find out more, talk to Bertha and please contact Catherine in the office if you can help (
[email protected]).
Music Library: Epiphany's music director would appreciate a volunteer to help with organizing the music library, including alphabetizing, rearranging shelves, labeling boxes, and updating the music library spreadsheet. Please email Jeremy at
[email protected].
If you are interested in learning about one or more of these ministries, you can also complete our Epiphany volunteer poll here.
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Prayer & Pastoral Care
Prayer List
We invite you to add those on your heart to our prayer list.
We will pray for them aloud on Wednesdays at our 12:10 Healing Service and will add them to the Sunday list. Contact the church office with the name of the person and what we need to know about them.
Pastoral Care
If you or someone you know is in need of prayer or conversation, please contact the church office. We would rather hear from many than miss the opportunity to connect with someone.
Wednesday Silent Prayer
Come and join us for 20 minutes of silent prayer and meditation followed by a short time of prayer for the parish. We will meet in the sanctuary on Wednesdays at 11:30am. All are welcome. To find out more, contact Catriona: [email protected].
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Blogs & Websites
Episcopal Cafe
S
ite featuring Episcopal news, commentary, and meditations
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