Interim Rectors Reflection
Dear Friends,
In Luke's story of Jesus, John the Baptist remembers the prophet Isaiah:
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The voice of one crying out in the wilderness: 'Prepare the way of the Lord, make his paths straight.
Every valley shall be filled, and every mountain and hill shall be made low, and the crooked shall be made straight, and the rough ways made smooth; and all flesh shall see the salvation of God.'"
I have loved this strange image of the ground being flattened ever since I grasped that the Way of the Lord is the way home, the way to fulfilment, the way towards the true Land of Promise. The removal of mountains and valleys makes the journey swift and allows the destination to be held in view. There is nowhere for brigands and thieves to hide. "And all people will see the salvation of God."
The salvation of God is what we see at Christmas and in the whole story of Jesus: the way of forgiveness and newness of life, the way of absolute integrity, the way of abundant life in both good times and bad. The truth of the Christmas story is not in its historicity but in the faith or trust in God that is revealed as the basis for salvation.
May your final preparations for the Way of the Lord be a blessing to you in this last week of Advent that you may share in seeing the salvation of God at Christmas.
Geoffrey
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Mission & Ministry
Worship at Epiphany
Christmas Flowers 
Christmas is coming! Celebrate by remembering someone with a
Christmas floral tribute. Suggested Donation: $25. All tributes will be listed in the
Christmas bulletins. Please submit your dedication to the parish office no later than
Monday, December 20 (the Christmas bulletins will be printed on
December 21). You can pay by check, credit card, or through the
website.
Welcome Table Christmas Gifts
The Welcome Table volunteers have arranged a personalized gift to share with each of our Welcome Table guests on Christmas morning. They will receive handheld battery-free flashlights with "Church of the Epiphany" printed on them, along with a greeting card from our Epiphany family.
If you would like to contribute to the purchase of these gifts, you can find donation envelopes hanging on the wall outside of the kitchen.
Welcome Table Book Drive
In need of more shelf space? Donate any unwanted books to the Welcome Table Ministry, where free reading materials are offered to parishioners each week. Donating is easy, drop any fiction or non-fiction books, Bibles, or magazines in the shopping cart upon entering church on Sunday or on weekdays. Please contact Kathy Gallagher if you have any questions, kbgallagher8@gmail.com
In this season of considering our stewardship, I am told that in the past we have been slightly
'loose' with regard to how and when end of year gifts are credited. Under IRS rules we can
credit any gift that is received or post marked by December 31, 2016 to the current year. Any gift or check received beginning January 1, 2017 will be credited to your giving in 2017 regardless of the date on the check. If you could take this into account in your end-of- year-planning we can avoid disappointment or confusion. Complete financial transparency is a goal of your vestry and we are very close to having a clean audit for 2015 as well as accurate statements for 2016. Kudos to vestry and staff who have labored to bring this about.
-Geoffrey Hoare-
Around the Neighborhood
Cathedral Celebration with Bethlehem
Join Christians in Bethlehem to celebrate Christmas. The Washington National Cathedral 10am service on December 17 will be via Live Satellite Telecast with Christmas Lutheran Church in Bethlehem, Palestine. Episcopal Presiding Bishop Michael Curry, Episcopal Bishop of Washington Mariann Budde, and Lutheran Bishop of Washington Richard Graham will participate, along with Bishops and clergy in the Holy Land. Christmas readings, carols, and choir performances will occur in both locations.
You can participate by visiting the Cathedral at 3001 Wisconsin Avenue, NW. or watch online.
4th Annual Homeless Vigil
The People for Fairness Coalition invite you to participate in the "Save a Life" overnight vigil in honor of those who were homeless and died on the streets of DC. Candlelight procession to Freedom Plaza will begin at 5:00pm on December 20, followed by a memorial service and lunch on December 21 at New York Ave Presbyterian Church. For more information and to RSVP, please visit their website.
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Music & The Arts
Tuesday Concert Series
December 20 at 12:10pm: Christmas Concert
The Choir of the Church of the Epiphany perform music by Palestrina, Bob Chilcott, Richard Dirksen, Mack Wilberg and Francis Pott; alongside well-known carols for all to sing.
The concert will also feature poetry by Pamela Cranston, Thomas Hardy and Sarah Teasdale.
Admission is free but a donation of $10 is suggested to support both the Artists and the Concert Series.
December 20 Program
January - June 2017 Tuesday Concert Series Brochure
Upcoming Guest Performances
December 18 at 5:00pm, Comfort and Joy: Christmas with the Washington Master Chorale
On
Sunday, December 18, 2016
, at the historic Church of the Epiphany, the Washington Master Chorale will present a tasty blend of seasonal treats as we drive away the dark and prepare to usher in a promising new year. You'll hear carols, motets, and hymns by Chorale favorites - Lauridsen, Vaughan Williams, Jacques, Tavener, MacMillan, Pärt, Purcell, Mendelssohn, Willcocks, and more. Of special interest will be the Chorale's performance of two carols by little known, post-WWII Scottish composer Ronald Center (1913-1973). An intensely shy man who lived with his wife, soprano Evelyn Morrison Center, in the rural town of Huntly, Center taught piano to local school children, directed the church choir and played the organ. He rarely allowed his music to be played and at the time of his death in 1973, many of his compositions remained unpublished. Thankfully, we have his Three Nativity Carols, two of which, "There is no Rose" and "Wither's Rocking Hymn" will be performed by the Chorale. In tribute to the late J. Reilly Lewis, the Chorale joins with other Washington-area choruses in honoring the man and his music and will perform "Lobet Den Herrn Alle Heiden" by Johann Sebastian Bach. Please visit their website for tickets.
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 (
mhunter@strategicm.com).
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 (
claing@epiphanydc.org).
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 (
claing@epiphanydc.org).
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 (
cmanhardt@epiphanydc.org).
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
jfilsell@epiphanydc.org.
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: claing@epiphanydc.org.
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Blogs & Websites
Episcopal Cafe
S
ite featuring Episcopal news, commentary, and meditations
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