In this Issue
Interim Rectors Reflection

Dear Friends,

This wonderful community that is the Church of the Epiphany will soon be celebrating the 175 th anniversary of the organizing meeting held on January 6, 1842. If we are to celebrate our 200 th anniversary in twenty-five years' time, then we need to be thinking about how each of us can help secure that future in the year to come. The New Year is a time of reflection and often new resolve for many. I believe that if every one of us could resolve to invite at least one friend, one family, one household to join us in the year to come we would make a great stride toward securing the future of our parish. This will mean resolving to spell out and articulate what keeps us coming back, how the core spiritual practices of Christian community shape our lives; how we remember what is of ultimate worth in worship, how we find freedom through serving others and how we overcome anxiety through practicing sustained and sustaining generosity. Visitors sense the authenticity of our worship and ministry when they visit. Could we add an authentic and personal invitation to that experience by inviting them to join us in following Jesus? That would make for a vibrant celebration of our past 175 years of ministry and a truly Happy New Year.

Geoffrey

Mission & Ministry

Worship at Epiphany

Parish Announcements
Celebrating 175 Years
2017 marks the 175th anniversary of the Church of the Epiphany. Much has changed from the residential, tree-shaded neighborhood from which this congregation emerged in 1842. One thing that has remained the same is Epiphany's care for and connection with the community that surrounds it.
 
To mark our 175th Anniversary, we are highlighting 365 people and events (one per day!) that form a tapestry of our past and help to tell the story of who we are today. Meet some new faces and get a fresh perspective on some old ones. The date of remembrance is the individual's death date (or close to it) representing the time of their passing into the fuller life. A cross at the end of a name indicates a priest; at the beginning of a name, a bishop. Events are remembered on the date of occurrence.
 
Check our website each week for a dose of Epiphany history, as well as other 175th Anniversary events. Thank you for joining in our celebration. Happy 175th, Epiphany!

Tripp Jones
Parish Archivist

Holiday Closings
The church will be closed on Monday, January 2 in observance of New Year's Day.

Upcoming Services
Friday, January 6: Epiphany Evensong
6:00pm: Choral Evensong sung by Schola Epiphaniensis         
Sunday, January 8: Epiphany Sunday
10:00am: Joint service, followed by Coffee Hour
All are invited to bring an item to share during Coffee Hour

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
 
End of Year Giving
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-

Music & The ArtsMusic

Tuesday Concert Series
January 3, 2017 at 12:10pm

Jeff Silberschlag, Zach Silberschlagtrumpets, & Jeremy Filsellorgan, offer a spectacular start to the 2017 season in heroic music for brass and organ by John Gardner, Antonio Vivaldi and more.

Admission is free but a donation of $10 is suggested to support the Concert Series.


 
Support the arts at Epiphany by making a donation online now, or set up a recurring gift.
 
Learn more about musical events at Epiphany by visiting our  website
Service in Mission & MinistryService

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.
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.

Labyrinth entrance 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.

 

Blogs & Websites
Episcopal Cafe   S ite featuring Episcopal news, commentary, and meditations 
Sojourners  Faith in action for social justice
Sacred Space  Daily Prayer from the Irish Jesuits

Epiphany@Metro Center | 202-347-2635 | info@EpiphanyDC.org
1317 G St, NW  |   Washington, DC 20005