Weekly e-News from Epiphany Parish
October 27, 2020
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FROM REV CHRISTEN'S DESK
Dear Epiphany Parish,
It was great to see some of you in person this past Sunday! It was a beautiful but chilly morning. However, this week, the weather only emphasized the question of what we will do for worship once it is too cold to meet outside. This is a question that parishes across our diocese are asking themselves this month as the temperature begins to drop. There is a lot of anxiety about the safety of worshiping inside right now and our Diocese has set up a series of zoom meetings for clergy and leaders to meet and discuss with experts what is the best way forward for winter worship. I will be attending one of those meetings today.
Also, tonight, our parish re-gathering committee will be meeting to begin to plan for a way for our parish to worship together safely this winter. We will be considering three options: in-door, in-person worship that is also live streamed, worship that is entirely remote, or a combination of in-person and remote worship. As part of this process, you can expect another survey to be sent out to update the information that we collected this past June. As you can imagine, so much has changed in these past few months and we would like to have an accurate understanding of how folks in our parish expect to participate in worship over the next few months.
As we make a plan for winter worship, we will continue to meet outside for at least the next two weeks. If you are coming in-person, please feel free to bundle up! Wear coats, bring blankets, and do whatever you need to do in order to stay warm! If you prefer to participate in worship from the warmth of your own home, you will be able to do that as well. We are committed to always having a virtual option for worship, even when we are holding in-person services.
Thank you all for your patience and flexibility as we plan our worship going forward. Please pray for mild weather for the next few Sundays!
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Christen
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Walpole Multi-Church Youth Group
The next meeting of the Walpole Multi-Church Youth Group will be this Sunday from 5-6pm at Union Congregational Church by Bird Park. All 6th-12th graders are welcome.
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common cathedral
Sign up to donate fruit and granola bars!
We are again seeking donations of fruit and granola bars to be dropped off at Epiphany on Tuesday, November 3rd and Tuesday, November 17th to be brought into common cathedral the next day. There will be a bin at the side entrance of the church from 10am-6pm for you to drop off your contributions.
Thank you to all who have been donating food regularly - if you did not have an opportunity to do so, this is your chance!
We have signed up for 50 pieces of fruit and 50 granola bars! We are looking for 5 people to sign up to each donate 10 pieces of bananas and/or oranges and 5 people to sign up to each donate one box of 8-12 granola bars.
And although we appreciate anonymous drop-offs/donations it really does help if you sign up by e-mailing the office (office.epiphany@verizon.net) to let us know what you plan to bring. Please do not drop off your fruit early--we want to make sure it is fresh when it arrives!
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ALL SAINTS DAY
LAST CALL TO ADD NAMES
We will be celebrating All Saints' Day this Sunday, November 1, 2020.
If you have a loved one who has passed in the last year and would like to have them remembered that day, please e-mail the name(s) to the church office at office.epiphany@verizon.net.
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The Pumpkin Patch is Coming to an end!
The pumpkin patch is slowly shrinking but we still need help through Saturday!
Please visit our signup.com page to volunteer by clicking here!
If you don't have online access please consult the board for open shifts or call the office to add your name to the signup board!
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As Part of our Worship Procedure
Please RSVP for Sunday, November 1, 2020
In-Person Outdoor Worship- HERE
Link for full COVID - Regathering Information available - HERE.
For Worship on November 1 ~ All Saint's Day ~ The Twenty-Second Sunday after Pentecost
In-Person & Virtual
(We are using the Track 2 readings)
You can also enjoy worshiping with us on Sunday mornings via Facebook Live. Although you do not need a Facebook account to view our services, some have found the experience a bit of a challenge. In response, we have created a YouTube channel and we will be posting a video of the 10:15am service each Sunday by 11:45am.
Click here to watch us on Facebook Live at 10:15am (the video is also available anytime on Facebook by following the same link). OR you can view the video on YouTube by clicking here. OR view us on Walpole Media on Wednesdays at 11:30. Verizon Channel 31 or Comcast Channel 8.
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Becoming Beloved Community
Becoming Beloved Community is the vision and commitment of the Episcopal Church that, “frames a path for Episcopalians to address racial injustice and grow as a community of reconcilers, justice-makers, and healers who share a passion for the dream of God”. The path has 4 distinct and yet overlapping areas:
1. Telling the Truth about our Churches and Race
2. Proclaiming the Dream of Beloved Community
3. Practicing the Way of Love in the Pattern of Jesus
4. Repairing the Breach in Society and Institutions
Epiphany Parish will be creating a ‘Becoming Beloved Community Leadership Team’ to help us begin to think through ways that our parish can live more deeply into the work of racial justice and this dream of God. If you are interested in learning more about serving in this way, please email Rev. Christen at Christen.Epiphany@gmail.com. To learn more about the Becoming Beloved Community vision, please click HERE: https://episcopalchurch.org/beloved-community
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common cathedral
common cathedral provides food, community, worship, and so much more to folks in Boston who are experiencing homelessness. Epiphany Parish has supported common cathedral in many ways throughout the years. In December, half of the money we raised at our celebration of New Ministry service went to common cathedral and more recently, we collected socks, underwear, and toiletries to be handed out at their City Reach overnight. common cathedral has been adapting their programs over the past few weeks in order to continue to safely support the members of their community. And now they are asking for help. They need partners to donate homemade sandwiches, fruit and granola bars. If you can help sign up HERE. Any food that is prepared in your home needs to follow strict ServSafe guidelines. All donations need to be dropped off at Emmanuel Church, 15 Newbury Street by 9am on the day that you sign up for.
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Need help? Please CLICK HERE for a list of resources and support for mental health, domestic violence, and substance abuse disorders.
Food insecurity: Contact the Project Bread FoodSource Hotline: 1-800-645-8333; available in 160 languages, open 8 a.m.-7 p.m., Monday-Friday, and 10 a.m.-2 p.m. on Saturdays throughout the crisis (TTY line: 1-800-377-1292).
Financial Assistance: There are also some funds available at Epiphany Parish to help members of our community in a financial emergency. Please reach out confidentially to Rev. Christen (978-758-7270) if you have any questions or need financial support. If you are struggling to buy food or medicine, pay bills, buy gas, or struggling in any other way, please do not suffer in silence. We are all in this together and Epiphany Parish is here to support you in whatever ways we can.
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Outreach Opportunities - Walpole & Beyond
Diocesan COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund ~ The Diocese of Massachusetts has established a COVID-19 Emergency Response Fund to help meet emerging, urgent needs in congregations and affiliated organizations, and in support of collaborations with ecumenical, multi-faith and community partners. The fund will address critical community needs and congregational sustainability during the time of the pandemic. The fund is now open to receive online gifts at www.diomass.org/give-now.
Give blood ~The American Red Cross is experiencing a severe shortage of blood because many blood drives have been cancelled around the country in recent weeks. If you are eligible to give blood and wish to do so, you can make an appointment online here: https://www.redcross.org/give-blood.html
From the Office
Weekly Calendar ~ Outdoor Worship are held on Sundays, weather permitting.
Please Note: All in-person parish gatherings should still meet virtually unless permission has been granted.
Multi-Church Youth Group ~meets every Sunday, alternating between Zoom and live meetings in Bird Park!
Hospital Visitation ~ At this time Rev. Christen is only visiting the hospital or other care facilities in times of extreme emergency or for end-of-life needs. If you or a loved one is in need of a hospital visit please contact Rev. Christen at christen.epiphany@gmail.com.
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 at christen.epiphany@gmail.com to learn about the many opportunities to serve.
Office Hours
The office is open 10-2:00 Tuesday through Thursday. Please follow our Covid - Regathering regulations, including wearing a mask and social distancing. Announcements and notices for the Weekly e-News e-mails should be received in the office by noon each Tuesday - call or e-mail the office.
Epiphany Email Policy: As fraudulent emails are becoming more common and more sophisticated, please note that Rev. Christen, Epiphany Parish staff, and/or the members of our Vestry will never solicit money, gift cards, or personal information via email. If you have any questions or concerns about an email request you receive from a leader or staff person in our parish, please do not hesitate to contact the parish office at 508-668-2353.
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