Clergy Reflection
Dear Friends,
In Epiphanies Happen last week, and in her sermon on Sunday, Tricia encouraged us to consider
doing Lent
together
this year. "A
lthough all of us are called to personal practices in our relationship with Christ, we rejoice that liturgical seasons and their fruits are offered and experienced in community
...
We, like the first Christians, can gather together as a church family to experience God's presence, healing and inspiration," she wrote.
I hope that you may have begun to see ways in which you can do Lent with your community - at church or elsewhere. This coming Sunday's Gospel encourages us to think again about how we can engage with Lent this year and where there might again be scope for journeying with others this season. John uses Jesus' exchange with Nicodemus to draw out the 'both and' in our seeking after God. We find it most explicitly in the conversation about being born of water and the spirit. John wants us to think about the human experience ('water') and the spiritual experience (of the spirit) that we have of God. We need both. We need the gift from above - belief in Jesus is not simply the result of human response - but we also need the 'water' experience of our lives and the lives of others here on earth. Nicodemus came to Jesus looking for signs of his divinity and Jesus encouraged him to look around him as well as above. Where might you see signs of the presence of God around you this Lent? It might be in the spiritual and the sacred - as you decide to take more time to pray, attend church, or read the Scriptures - or it might be that you decide to look consciously for signs of God in the people with whom you share your life, or in the face of the stranger. I hope this Lent offers a bit of both - water and the spirit - for each of us. In my effort to think about how to experience Lent in community, the question I am pondering more carefully this week is: 'how can I make myself open to seeing the signs of God in and through others?'
Catriona
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Sam Wells, the vicar of St. Martin in the Fields in London, will be joining us on
Monday for an evening of talks and music. The Revd. Dr. Wells is the author of a number of books focusing on Christian ethics. His most recent book "A Nazareth Manifesto: Being with God" looks at how a theology of the incarnation might shape our understanding of our vocation to serve the poor and marginalized. Wells will be drawing on his book and, together with the choir of St. Martin in the Fields, will explore in word and song what the shape of Jesus' life means for theology and ethics, ministry and mission.
We are delighted for this visit to Epiphany and do hope that in the
busy time of Lent you might be able to join us, and of course spread the word to your friends and colleagues -- It promises to be a great lecture!
Thank you to all those who have offered hospitality to the St. Martin's Voices. We now have enough beds, so many thanks to you all for your generosity!
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Mission & Ministry
Worship at Epiphany
Presiding Bishop calls Episcopalians to Support
The Standing Rock and Native Nations March in Prayer and Action
Tonight, March 9 at 7:00pm
Prayer Service at National Cathedral
"Standing as Stone": Indigenous Nations and Allies to gather at Washington National Cathedral for an Evening of Prayer.
Visit here for details
Friday, March 10, 2017 at 10:00am
The Standing Rock and Native Nations March and Rally
The Rise with Standing Rock Native Nations March on DC
begins
at the Army Corps of Engineers HQ (
443 G St, NW)
and ends at
Lafayette Square.
Rally begins at noon.
See here for details & map of route
To join fellow Epiphany participants in the march, please meet at the church at 9:30am and our group will Metro together to start of march.
If planning to join, please contact Marge McNaughton at (703) 966-1098 or mgtmcnaughton@gmail.com
Summary of issues that give rise to the Native Nations March on DC:
-To protect from contamination Lake Oahe (the primary source of clean water) on tribal lands.
-To protect sacred places that may be desecrated.
-To honor the Fort Laramie Treaties of 1851 and 1888 obligating federal government seriously consider the tribe's welfare in making any decisions.
-To Protest the rescinding of the Environmental Study approved in January 2017.
Stations of the Cross
March 1, 2017 - April 16, 2017
Opening weekend of
Stations of the Cross was a great success! Thank you to all who were able to attend.
The journey does not end here! Be sure to download the app 'Alight: Art & Sacred' to continue your pilgrimage to all 14 of the stations and stay tuned for future events.
To find out more about the exhibition or any upcoming events please visit
artstations.org or contact our Communications Coordinator
Arrien Davison.
Celebrate 175 Years of Epiphany 
Epiphany turned 175 on the Feast of the Epiphany this year. We marked this milestone with a Choral Evensong with Homily. On the following
Sunday we celebrated with a joint service with Baptism, followed by a Festal Coffee Hour. We're continuing our celebration with a
daily dose of Epiphany history on our website.
A group of parishioners have started planning and are looking for more partners and more ideas. Please contact Ann Gordon, Dawson Nash, Linda Grigsby, Teresa Hobgood, Barbara Foster-Ford and/or Rasheen Carbin to share any ideas or information.
Evening Conversation with Rod Dreher
March 15, 2017 at 6:30pm
National Press Club: 529 14th St. NW, Washington, DC 20045
The Trinity Forum and Pepperdine University invite you to attend an Evening Conversation with author, columnist and editor Rod Dreher on the release date of his new book "The Benedict Option: A Strategy for Christians in a Post-Christian Nation" in conversation with journalists Kirsten Powers and Peter Wehner. During the Evening Conversation, Dreher will discuss a radical vision for American Christians to embrace a way of life modeled by St. Benedict - who built Christian communities focused on prayer, hospitality and worship, and in doing so, create a vibrant counterculture that can address today's socio-political issues.
Dreher is a journalist and author of three books, including How Dante Can Change Your Life, Crunchy Cons, and The Little Way of Ruthie Leming. Responding to Dreher will be Kirsten Powers and Peter Wehner. Powers serves as an analyst for CNN, and Peter Wehner is a senior fellow at the Ethics and Public Policy Center, and a contributing opinion writer to The New York Times. You can register for the event at
www.ttf.org/events
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Music & The Arts
Tuesday Concert Series
March 14, 2017 at 12:10pm
The Carya Ensemble presents L'Enfant Prodigue.
A one-act opera by Claude Debussyn which retells the story of the prodigal son, his grieving parents, and the forgiveness they extend to him upon his return.
Admission is free but a donation of $10 is suggested to support the Concert Series.
Guest Performances
Avanti Orchestra
March 24, 2017 at 8:00pm
Led by Pablo Saelzer, Avanti performs Dvorak Wind Serenade; Dvorak Biblical Songs, Javier Arrey, baritone, Metropolitan Opera; and Mozart Symphony No. 38.
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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