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Epiphany Parish
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62 Front Street
Walpole, MA 02081
508-668-2353
www.epiphany-walpole.org
Priest-in-Charge
The Rev. Christen H. Mills
Organist
Nancy Wakefield
Parish Administrator
Liz Knox
Sunday School Superintendent
Jean Ford
Sr. Warden
George Ford
Jr. Warden
Mark Helm
Treasurer
Susan Cosman
Financial Secretary
Nancy Parnagian
Pledging Secretary
John Parnagian
Clerk
Kate Procaccini
Vestry Members
Janice Allman
Donald MacKinnon
Alison DiPasca
Charlie Hall
Kerry Donlan
Bob McElhinney
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This Week at Epiphany
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Tues, Sept 3, 2019
Weekly e-News Resumes
7:00 pm ECDC Parent Orientation (undercroft)
Wed, Sept 4, 2019
7:00 pm Women's AA (undercroft)
Fri, Sept 6, 2019
8:00 pm AA (undercroft)
Sun, Sept 8, 2019
Sundae Sunday!
Blessing of the Backpacks
8:00 am Holy Eucharist ~ Rite I
9:45 am Sunday School
10:00 am Holy Eucharist ~ Rite II
11:00 am Coffee Hour
Mon, Sept 9, 2019
5:30 pm Breaking Bread Community Meal Served (United Church)
6:30 pm Monday Night AA (undercroft)
Wed, Sept 11, 2019
7:00 pm Women's AA (undercroft)
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Attendance Sunday,
September 1
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38 adults
2 children
Total = 40
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Office Notices
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E-Mail & Sunday Announcements Deadlines
Announcements and notices for the Weekly e-News e-mails must be received in the office by noon each Monday - call or e-mail the office.
To have your announcement included in the Sunday bulletin, please have it in the office by noon on Wednesday.
Hospital Visitation
If you or a loved one would like a visit from Rev. Christen while in the hospital please call the church office or e-mail Rev. Christen.
Feeling a call
(or a tug, or a pull)
to get involved in the life of our Parish, but don't know where to start? Please contact Rev. Christen to learn about the many opportunities to serve.
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| From Rev. Christen's Desk |
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Dear Epiphany Parish,
For the past several months, the vestry has been working on a welcome statement that will be included on our new website and our e-newsletter. One of the vestry goals that came out of our vestry retreat last April was a desire to become an open and affirming church that explicitly welcomes people from all sexual orientations and gender identities. The Episcopal Church does not have an official 'Open and Affirming' status like the UCC church does, so at our next meeting the vestry brainstormed ways that we could give voice to the many ways that Epiphany Parish is indeed open and affirming. Over the next several months the vestry prayed, discussed, wrote, and edited. The result is a welcome statement that was approved by the vestry at the August meeting.
This statement doesn't change anything about who we are or what we do at Epiphany Parish. It doesn't change how we continue to welcome new and old members into our community. Our parish is and continues to be made up of people of all different backgrounds and life situations. This welcome statement gives voice to this proud reality of our parish and is an explicit invitation to anyone who is seeking a spiritual home at Epiphany. Please see the statement below from our wardens for more information and if you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me or to George Ford or Mark Helm, our two wardens.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Christen
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In an effort to be welcoming and affirming, your vestry has been busy drafting a Welcoming Statement, and at out last vestry meeting on August 20th the vestry approved the following statement:
"Welcome Statement"
Epiphany Episcopal Parish welcomes all those who seek a spiritual connection to God. We embrace the young and the old; the seasoned and the newcomer; the married, single, separated, divorced and widowed; those of all sexual orientations and gender identities; those from any economic, ethnic, cultural or religious background; and those of all abilities. We not only welcome diversity at Epiphany, we celebrate it.
As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to speak or contact a warden, vestry member, or Rev. Christen.
On behalf of the vestry,
George Ford, Senior Warden
Mark Helm, Junior Warden
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Sundae Sunday ~ Welcome Back!
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The Sunday following Labor Day is traditionally a day full of energy in churches of all denominations. Some call it Rally Day, others call it Kick-Off Sunday, Celebration Sunday, or Homecoming. No m
atter what it is called, it is that first day of the program year and it is full of excitement and anticipation.
At Epiphany this year September 8 is Sundae Sunday! This is the Sunday that we will be returning to two worship services at 8:00am and 10:00am. And we will have make-your-own ice cream sundaes following the 10:00am service to celebrate!
Please be sure to arrive by 9:45. We have a Junior Church service, that will begin promptly at 9:45!
Sunday School Registration will take place during our fellowship time after the 10:0am service.
Click here to download this year's registration form and bring it with you! Don't worry - we will have extras if you forget!
Blessing of the Backpacks
~ We will also be blessing the backpacks of children and youth during the 10:00 service. Adults: bring your briefcases, laptop cases, tablets, or cell phones and receive a blessing, too!
What's new this year, in Sunday School?
- Sunday School begins promptly at 9:45. (A bit later than the 9:30 start last year).
- New "Junior Church" service, with songs, prayers, lessons and Bible verses.
- Dedicated teaching staff. We will have a rotation of assistant teachers, but kids can expect the same teacher or team of 2 teachers every week.
- New web page visibility. Are your kids involved in sports? The Sunday School area of the Epiphany web page will include a schedule of lessons that will be taught each Sunday. There will also be an opportunity to achieve a "badge" for an online lesson completed.
- Older class (grades 6-8) has a new "Passport" program. They will learn about all of the ways to "plug in" to our Epiphany church family. We are starting the year with an Outreach activity where we will collect money for the Heifer Project.
- Please send some change $$ with your child each week (we can furnish small envelopes, if needed). We want to collect, count the money, and plan on which animals we want to purchase through the Heifer Project.
On Sundae Sunday, here are some things you can do!
- Look at the brochures outlining this year's Sunday School program
- Visit the classrooms - ask a Sunday Schooler to "show you around".
- View the Junior Church area
- Enjoy your ice cream!!!!
See you then -
Jean Ford, Superintendent &
Joanne Douglas, Asst. Superintendent
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Main Street Live! Fri, Sept. 13
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 Still dreaming of summer? For the third year in a row, Epiphany Parish will be selling Strawberry Shortcake next Friday, September 13, at the Main Street Live event in downtown Walpole. Come and stop by to get one last taste of summer!
We need volunteers to help make shortcake, set up, and sell shortcake. Please email
[email protected]
to volunteer. We plan on selling shortcake from 5pm-8pm (or until we sell out!). We will begin set-up and whipped cream making at 3pm.
This was a really fun event last year with food trucks and live music - come and sell shortcake with us!
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Homeless and the Gospel Program at United Church - Sept.10 @ 7:00pm
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Nowhere to Lay His Head
: Homelessness and the Gospel - a Presentation In Words and Images; at the United Church in Walpole, Tue, Sep 10, 7:00 - 8:30 PM.
Anyone who has "eyes to see" cannot help but notice how homelessness, today, has reached epidemic proportions! In our lifetime, it has become "normal" to see hundreds, if not thousands, of homeless-poor individuals walking-around, on city streets, and in city parks, in just-about every city and town in America. In a "land of plenty" (such as the US), this is a disgrace! But, what is to be done about it? How are we to respond to a plight as overwhelming as this - particularly, how are those-of-us who consider ourselves to be "people of faith" to respond?
Well, the United Church in Walpole has invited a homeless man named Matthew, who has spent nearly 10 years on the streets of Boston, to come and speak on this topic. Throughout his years on the streets, Matthew struggled to communicate with people about what homelessness is really like, what it really entails (how much worse it actually is than most people realize), and how people of goodwill, and people of faith, can respond to this plight. When words alone seemed insufficient, Matthew started making artwork to help illustrate his points. Though he is still homeless today, Matthew hasn't had to sleep outside, nor in a homeless shelter, for over 12 years, now, as he travels-around the country on his annual "cross country speaking tour, and traveling art show"!
Please join us, on Tuesday, September 10, 7:00 - 8:30 PM. Everyone in the greater Walpole community is welcome.
United Church in Walpole is located at 30 Common Street, next to the Post Office. There is plenty of parking in the church lots, with overflow parking available in neighboring lots. Access to the church hall is through the lower door on the right side of the building.
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Altar Flowers ~
Our regular delivery of altar flowers has begun. Donating altar flowers for Sunday morning is a wonderful way remember loved ones who have passed or to celebrate something or someone special to you. The recommended donation is $40 for one vase/$75 for both. If you would like to sign up for flowers in the coming months please see the poster on the bulletin board in the lower Narthex (to the left of the door upon exiting the church) to see available dates, or contact the church office during the week.
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Baptism Offered -
We will be offering baptism this Fall. If you are interested in having your child baptized, please contact the church office.
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The Pumpkins Are Coming!
- The pumpkins for the Pumpkin Patch will be arriving on Saturday, September 28th! Volunteers will be needed all morning to help unload pumpkins from the truck. Please save the date and stay tuned for more information about how you can help.
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ECDC Walpole
, the school which meets on the first floor of our Parish House has openings in their preschool Tuesday/Thursday (9:00am-12:00pm) class! For more information, please visit their website: www.ecdcwalpole.com
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Hurricane Relief Fund:
Episcopal Relief and Development is once again collecting funds for their Hurricane Relief Fund. We've all seen the devastating photos that are beginning to come out of the Bahamas in the wake of Hurricane Dorian. If you would like to help relief efforts for those affected by the hurricane, please visit www.episcopalrelief.org for more information.
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Karen Montuori, Joe Tanner, Angie, Mary Lou Fitzpatrick, Elaine Tomlinson, Beverly Happnie
We also continue to remember:
Christine Barry,
Dick Brideau,
Jan Bryson, Marge Buttimer,
Scott
Dalrymple,
Patrick Fleming,
Tom Fuller
, Ed Glebus, Skip Gould,
Jack Hammill, Sandy Hammill,
Suzanne Hutnick,
Bob Laurie,
Rod MacLeod,
Mildred McDermott, Jim McLaughlin,
Harry Pritoni, Robert Quimby, Susie & John Rogers, Ashley Rose, Art Sachs, David Sanford, Nicole Shirley, Denise Sullivan, Don Uliano, Barbara, Betty, Bill, Christopher, Jack, Jason,
Jimmy,
Margaret,
Michael,
Molly, Sarah, Shawn
- We pray for our first responders and military personnel and their families.
- We pray for those affected by war, terrorism, natural disaster and violence, abuse, addiction or loneliness.
Parish Cycle of Prayer:
Lindsay & Michael Brennan and Family, Elizabeth Young & Michael Burtman and Family, Marge Buttimer, Gail & Duncan Campbell
Walpole Cycle of Prayer:
All Nations Worship Center
Diocesan Cycle of Prayer:
St. Peter's Church, Beverly; St. John's Church, Beverly Farms; All Saints Episcopal Church of the North Shore, Danvers; St. John's Church, Gloucester
Celebrating Birthdays:
Sept. 8:
Justin Hutnick, Stephen Hutnick;
Sept. 11:
Shirley Hutchins;
Sept. 13:
Cindy Stockwell;
Sept. 14:
Tricia DiMartinis
Celebrating Anniversaries:
Sept. 10:
Amy & Scott Fuller
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The office is open this week
Tuesday - Thursday from 10:00am to 2:30pm
The office will be open next week (week ending 9/14)
Monday - Thursday from 10:00am to 2:30pm
Rev. Christen is in the office most weeks
on Tuesday, Wednesday, & Thursday.
If you have a pastoral emergency, please do not hesitate to contact Christen at
978-758-7270.
If you would like an opportunity to meet with Christen during the week please e-mail her at
[email protected] or call the church office to make an appointment. This will ensure that she is not out making pastoral calls and that you will have her undivided attention.
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