Parish Notices for May 15, 2021 |
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New in this issue...
- A Parish Picnic!
- Tree Dedications
- Family Godly Play Opportunity
- A Summer Experience
- Harvey Fund Grant Application
- Living Contemplatively Spirituality Group resumes
- June Pantry Drive (don't bring anything yet!)
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COVID cases are declining and vaccination rates are rising, and the Diocese is now allowing a few more changes to our practices. We now have no limits on attendance at outdoor gatherings as long as distancing, masking and other protocols are maintained. We are now allowed to consume food and drinks outdoors if you bring your own. (See below for an upcoming picnic sponsored by Parish Life.) Also, when Holy Eucharist is celebrated, communion in one kind can be distributed with tongs immediately following consecration. (No more wafers in wax bags!)
These are all steps on the way to returning to some of the familiar practices that we find so meaningful. In my article a few weeks ago, I referenced a New York Times article about languishing, that low energy and mental fog that many are feeling after a year of navigating this pandemic. They published a follow up article about moving from languishing to flourishing and suggested exercises like practicing gratitude, performing acts of kindness for others, finding purpose in daily and weekly routines, and fostering a renewed sense of community and connection, including going back to church! I know that being together with all of you at both our Zoom service and our outdoor Eucharist has been good for my soul and made me feel hopeful about the future.
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Our youth did an amazing job leading the service last Sunday and if you missed the sermons from Gabby and Riley be sure to listen to them online. They should be posted soon. If you haven’t been to an outdoor Eucharist, I encourage you to try it. It’s been wonderful to see people in person and to celebrate Eucharist together again. Whichever service you attend, I hope to see you this Sunday!
Grace and peace,
Amy+
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Sign up for Small Groups
Last chance to sign up
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Each group is organized around a specific text or theme, and will last 7-8 weeks. These groups will continue to provide us with a platform for sharing stories, deepening relationships, and continuing the discernment about what God might be calling us to next.
Below you will find more details about each group. If you would like to sign up for a small group please email the Rev. Nicole Lambelet and kindly indicate what group you would like to join. Contact Nicole if you need assistance acquiring any of the reading material. We'll cap each group at twelve participants.
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Discussion Group on Faith & Citizenship |
Facilitators: Evan Gibbs and Paul Hinson
Dates and Time: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
Texts: This group will discuss Broken we Kneel, by Diana Butler Bass. We will explore what it means to live as a Christian in the context of twenty-first century North America. How do we practice neighbor love, when our neighbors are disrespecting or diminishing others because of race, gender, gender identity, sexual orientation or economic status? How do we understand our relationship to the state, especially when it co-opts and distorts Christianity? And where do we find hope in the midst of it all? What role does humility play? We hope you'll join us as we take the time to learn one another's stories and grapple with some of these hard questions (and others) together.
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Discussion Group on Eco-theology |
Facilitators: Phillip Ranglin and Pam Hall
Dates and Time: Sundays at 10 a.m. on Zoom. We will then discuss the platform for subsequent meetings (in person or on Zoom depending on participants’’ needs and comfort level). This will be discussed at the first meeting. (Seven meetings total, once per week)
Platform: Zoom on some days and in person on others. First meeting on Zoom for sure.
Texts: Portions of Jennifer Ayers’ book, Inhabitance and essays on eco-theology by James Cone "Whose Earth Is It Anyway?” and the Himes Brothers “The Sacrament of Creation.”
Special Activities: Bird watching field trip (day and time TBA) and possible other field trips.
Meeting ID: 404 111 184
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Discussion Group on the Life & Theology of Howard Thurman |
Facilitators: Alix Janke and Susan Ashmore
Dates and Time: Tuesdays at 6:30 p.m.
Platform: In-person, at the church
Texts: This group will discuss Jesus and the Disinherited, his first and best known book published in 1949. In his classic theological treatise, the acclaimed theologian and religious leader Howard Thurman (1900–81) demonstrates how the gospel may be read as a manual of resistance for the poor and disenfranchised. This short book constitutes an elaboration of lectures Thurman presented at Samuel Huston College in Austin, Texas, during April 1948.
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The "Bookless" Small Group |
Facilitators: The Rev. Barbara Ryder and Anna Sherrill
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, 7 - 8:30 p.m.
Platform: Zoom
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Online Worship
Sunday Morning at 9 a.m.
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Login at 8:50 a.m. to greet one another. Remain online afterwards for Small Groups Virtual Coffee Hour.
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Dial 646.558.8656
Meeting ID is 532 385 901
Links for the Sunday morning login and bulletins can also be found on our homepage.
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Weekday Morning Prayer at 9 a.m.
Login around 8:45 a.m. for Virtual Coffee Hour. The Zoom Link is not public. Email the parish office to receive the login information.
Wednesday Noonday Prayer at 12:30 p.m.
Login around 12:20 p.m. to greet one another. The Zoom Link is not public. Email the parish office to receive the login information.
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NEW in June: Next month on June 2, the Noonday Prayer service will take place outdoors in the Memorial Garden and include Healing and Eucharist! Masks are required and we will observe distances. The other services will be on Zoom in the month of June. Stay tuned for further services in July and August.
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Outdoor Eucharist - Registration Required
Sunday Morning at 11:30 a.m.
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Please Bring
- a mask
- a chair
- a pre-printed bulletin or electronic device.
Cancellation notices due to weather will be sent to the registrant email at 8:30 a.m. Check your email before coming to church if the weather is uncertain.
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Registration
Click on links provided on our website, in this newsletter OR NOW from your Realm account via the web or your smart phone app. For those who have created your Realm logins, the fields will auto-fill for you once you select your name. Guest registration is also an option.
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A pop up confirmation notice appears when you complete your registration, and a confirmation email is immediately sent. If you don’t receive a confirmation notice or email, try again and be sure to click the last button marked REGISTER.
It's new, so give it a minute. I'm also happy to walk anyone through it over the phone and if all else fails, email or call me and I can sign you up. ~Shea
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Blessing of the Trees Dedications |
We wanted to share with the parish and anyone who was unable to attend the Blessing of the Trees service on May 2 the names of all the friends, families and loved ones that the trees were dedicated to. |
These trees are dedicated in memory of:
Tom Hairston – many times over – (and in honor of his dog Truman) • Rob Ashmore • Larry Bryant and Michael Wilson • Richard & Gloria Cushing • Paul & Ann Bradley • Louis Schierman • Mildred Schierman • Callie Gibbs and Nelson Gibbs • Lester A. Hogan • John & Marion Hanson • Oscar Adams • Eugenia & Collus Johnson • Dan Kemper • Florence & Floyd Parker • Maria Reinhard • Ann & Russ Runnion • Ken Tate • Winona & Harold Tipton and Richard Thierry • Ruben & Gene Schulz and Charles Shipp • Bob & Lucy Yntema • Arlen Gray • Neil Banfield
And in honor of:
Reid and Ripley Prikkel • The Rev. Amy Dills-Moore • The Rev. Jim Kee-Rees • Jim and Jimmy Rabb • Bill & Pat Graves • Katherine & John Yntema • Jennie Richardson • Lynn Thierry-O’Brien • The Morning Prayer group • For the future of our three daughters: Sara Kathryn, Leona, and Eloise • The Buildings & Grounds Committee members past and present, especially Bill Graves, John Yntema and Bob Ballou
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Give in Honor of or in Memory of Someone
The Altar Arrangements and the Sanctuary Light can be given as a memorial, thanksgiving or for a special occasion.
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The Arrangements at the Altar for this Sunday are given to the Glory of God. The Altar Arrangements are used for both online and outdoor services. You may request a particular flower or color be used on the signup. Suggested donation is $75.
The Sanctuary Light is given this week to the Glory of God. The light is a visible sign of the presence of the Blessed Sacrament held in reserve in the Tabernacle and burns for seven days. Suggested donation is $6.
Sign up by noon on Wednesdays to be listed in the weekly Friday email and the Sunday online bulletin.
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Youth Formation
Evening Prayer is held on every Sunday from 5-6 p.m. The first half is dedicated to games and social time, while the second is set aside for prayer and formation.
Weekly Youth News
Members of the parish with youth age children can subscribe to a newsletter with updates just about Youth Ministries. Email Mat Schramm, Director of Youth Ministries to sign up for the weekly newsletters.
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May 16 - Bible Study at Holy Trinity
On May 16, we are once again going to Holy Trinity for Bible Study. The event is from 5-6 p.m., bring a mask, a chair, and a bible. Email youth@epiphany.org to register
May 22 - Youth Group Hike at Arabia Mountain
Youth and families are invited to hike Arabia Mountain together on May 22. We will meet at 10 a.m. on Saturday, May 22, at the Arabia Mountain South Parking Lot on Klondike Rd.
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Children's Formation
Last Session is Sunday May 16
Godly Play stories will be offered online this Sunday, May 16 at 10 a.m. It is a time for our children to connect with one another, hear a story, wonder, pray, and sing. All ages are invited.
Meeting ID: 890 5875 0509
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I'd love to hear a story!
Our online Godly Play sessions will end Sunday. However, if you and your family would like to meet Christen (or another storyteller) in the Godly Play room on Sunday morning before outdoor worship, sign up with this link
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All participants must wear masks during the session. A parent, grandparent, or guardian needs to be present with the children; no previous Godly Play experience required. All children old enough to sit and listen to a 10-15 minutes story with their family are welcome. The art shelves and story shelves will be open for response time! Email Christen Erskine, Interim Director of Children's Ministries if you have any questions or to request a particular story.
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Coming soon...
"Summer." Just the word conjures up memories of the end of school, vacations with family, trips to stay with your grandparents, and more. It is one of those words that remind us of the child in each of us. This year has been challenging for children (and their parents) and this summer things will continue to be a little bit different. That is why Children's Ministries is asking everyone to help us create a new summer experience that will be one our children will never forget.
The church offers a special place where people across generations develop relationships. The relationships our children develop with those trusted adults in our community as storytellers, the nice person who greets them, the person who sits behind them and makes faces with me during the sermon, their friends' parents, or the choir member who winks as the procession goes by; these relationships form us all in the image of Christ.
I hope you are curious and can't wait to hear more how you can show up to play and be an important part of the formation of Epiphany's children. Children's Ministries will be reaching out to parishioners asking for your help; we hope you will say yes. Many hands make light work! Let's show our children what it means to be a member of Epiphany.
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Bring Your Own Picnic
Parish Life, (remember us?), is excited to offer an opportunity to gather after the outdoor service on Sunday, May 23 for a Bring Your Own Picnic. With the protocols easing up a bit, we can now gather for a picnic if we bring our own food and drink. So plan on some much needed social time with your Epiphany friends, sitting either in the parking lot or in the meadow. Again, please bring your own food and drinks as nothing can be provided at this time. And don't forget a chair or blanket.
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Harvey Fund Grant Application
The Catherine D. Harvey Legacy Fund grant application cycle for the Summer term is now open. If you are aware of an organization that might qualify, please share the application.
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New Door Codes and Alarm Schedule
Codes to the front door have been changed. People who have necessary business in the church while the building remains closed due to required COVID protocols were sent the codes. Shea is in the office during the day from 2 - 5 p.m. on Mondays and Thursdays if you need to stop by. If you need to access the building outside of regularly scheduled activities, please contact the parish office in advance for assistance.
The Alarm schedule has changed. The system now arms itself at 8:30 p.m. and disarms at 6 p.m. each night including weekends. Please be aware that door codes NO LONGER double as codes to disarm the alarm.
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Living Contemplatively Spirituality Group
Mondays at 11 a.m. on Zoom
Beginning Monday, June 6
The Living Contemplatively Group will begin a new book study in June on the book Anchored in the Current: Discovering Howard Thurman as Educator, Activist, Guide, and Prophet. The book is edited by Gregory C. Ellison II and includes essays about Howard Thurman by Barbara Brown Taylor, Luther Smith, Marion Wright Edelman, and others on Thurman’s influence on our understanding of vocation and living a life anchored in faith. If you are currently participating in the small group studying Thurman’s book Jesus and the Disinherited and want to do deeper into the spiritual foundation that grounded Thurman’s life, or if you are encountering for the first time this civil rights activist, pastor, professor, poet, and spiritual guide, you are invited to join us for this study. For more information or to sign up, email the Rev. Amy Dills-Moore.
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Let's Finish the Playground!
After last fall’s fall of a tree that crushed most of the playground equipment, the repairs to walkways, fencing and playground structures are just about complete – but we need some final volunteer help in four different parts.
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Job One would be some carpentry finish, sometime during the week of May 10-14, and could use a team of 4-5 people. Master skills not needed – willing apprentices and others may sign up to join the team under the direction of John Wierwille. John will coordinate among volunteers for the date/time
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Job Two is pressure washing and would need (a) a volunteer with a pressure washer, plus (b) someone to pressure spray the finished structure using the Sherwin Williams acid wash (John Wierwille can confirm details and directions). This would need to be after Job One is done, and before the stain and seal day below. If you can help with either part of that, please sign up.
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Job Three is stain and seal and would involve a team of 8 to 10 people to stain and then seal the wood structure, ideally on Saturday, May 15, starting in the morning (say, 9-ish). Those with painting experience are needed, but those who can learn on the job can sign up too!
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The last Job is picnic table construction and would be to create/build one adult and two child size picnic tables (ideally from a pre-fab kit) for use in the playground and preschool, respectively. For this one we have no firm date, so when we get 4 to 6 volunteers we’ll circle up, pick a date and time that works for most or all.
We can do this – with your help! Email John Wierwille if you have questions about which job is right for you.
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Pantry Drive for DEAM
June 6 – June 30
Next month we will be collecting items to help the Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM) pantry.
We’ll be collecting:
- small cornbread mixes like Jiffy
- any size of shelf-stable milk, canned or dry, except Sweetened Condensed canned milk.
Collection will be from June 6 – June 30. Bins will be by the front door.
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Calling all Crafty, Clever and Colorful Creatives! |
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We're looking for a small team of folks to revitalize our baptism banner-making ministry. We would love to be able to continue to bless all our newly baptized members with a handmade banner on the day of their baptism. If you have any interest in taking on or supporting this ministry at Epiphany, please email the Rev. Nicole Lambelet for more information.
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Because of the uncertainties of the next year, Education for Ministry (EFM) will meet on Zoom for the 2021-22 school year. This makes it a great opportunity to get to know people outside of our usual geography and ways of thinking, and perhaps even some people from other countries! EFM is a four-year extension program of the School of Theology of the University of the South. It is partly academic readings, but the heart of EFM is theological reflection, or “TR“. In a TR, participants discuss issues of faith, what they believe, what they question, how it relates to their everyday lives, and how they keep faith alive. Students sign up one year at a time for this four-year program. The cost of the program is $350 per year. The meetings will be held from early September through May. For further information, email Esther Harbert.
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Camp Mikell is offering a summer program this year, but camp will be different from previous years due to concerns related to COVID. More details on what that will look like can be found on the registration page. See link below.
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Youth Camp: May 30—June 4, Rising 10th Graders-Just Graduated
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Performing Arts Camp: June 6—June 11, Rising 4th-9th Graders
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Intermediate Camp: June 20—June 25, Rising 8th and 9th Graders
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Junior Camp: June 27—July 2, Rising 6th and 7th Graders
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Kid Camp: July 11—July 16, Rising 3rd-5th Graders
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Work Camp: July 18—July 23, Rising10th Graders-Just Graduated
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Church Building Remains Closed |
The staff continues to work mostly from home. They check their email and voicemail messages regularly.
Pastoral Emergencies: Please call the church at 404.373.8338 and leave a message for Amy (ext. 14) or Nicole (ext. 16). They receive message alerts and will return your call.
Building Sign-In Required: The building is closed to in-person worship and meetings, however, if you need to enter the church building for any reason, please sign in and out using the logbook at the entrance.
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Ways to Give
The easiest way for you to give to Epiphany is through Realm, our secure online community. You can make one-time donations or manage your giving as a recurring transaction in a secure, easy-to-use environment. Contribution statements are always available via your profile.
Realm Login
If you have not yet created a login to our online church ministry tool, Email the parish office and you will be sent an invitation email
Visit epiphany.org/ways-to-give to learn about the different was to give to Epiphany. You'll also find links to more information about Realm. Finally, if you have not already made a financial pledge to support Church of the Epiphany this year, there's also a link about how to make a pledge on the Ways to Give page.
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Year End Statements
Year end statements were sent via email on January 15 with the subject line “Your giving statement from Church of the Epiphany.” Statements are also available on Realm. If you have not yet done so, please enroll so you have immediate access to your giving record and the church directory. Should that be impractical for you, email our bookkeeper Susie Boyko to request a PDF by email or paper statement by mail be sent to you.
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Daughters of the King meet 4th Sundays
The Daughters of the King (DOK) meet online on 4th Sundays at 2 p.m. The DOK is open to all women in the parish interested in fellowship and study. Email Barbara Ryder if you would like to receive the Zoom link each month.
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Epiphany Book Group meets 1st Mondays (NEW TIME)
The Epiphany Book Group is moving their meeting time up to 7 p.m. for the next two months. Until we here differently, we will continue to meet on Zoom. Email Linda Ryder-Wolf for the link.
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June: A Farewell to Arms by Ernest Hemingway
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August: Barkskins by Annie Proulx
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Racial Justice Group meets 2nd Tuesdays
The Racial Justice Group (RJG) meets 2nd Tuesdays at 7 p.m. Called by our baptismal covenant to strive for justice and peace among all people and to respect the dignity of every human being, the RJG is focused on lifelong learning and action steps we can take as individuals and as a church community to help achieve racial equity and justice. All are welcome. Email Erin Braden for the Zoom link, and reach out to Erin or Kay Lee with any questions or suggestions. We welcome your thoughts.
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Racial Justice Book Study Group meets 4th Wednesdays
You are invited to join Epiphany’s Racial Justice Book Study group on the last Wednesday of the month from 6:45 - 8 p.m. We are currently reading Caste, by Isabel Wilkerson and will continue to read and discuss the book through April.
The purposes of our Book Study are to:
- educate and inform ourselves on the history of racial injustice
- better understand the challenges of changing racial inequities and seeking racial justice, and
- work toward pragmatic and effective ways to be better anti-racist advocates.
Please consider ordering your books from Black owned, local bookstores, which you can find by searching for “black owned bookstores Atlanta.” Email Lisa Daily for the Zoom link. Contact Lisa Daily or Kay Lee, if you have any questions.
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Grief Pastoral Care Group meets 1st Thursdays
The Grief Pastoral Care Group meets online 1st Thursdays at noon for a healing and faith based conversation around grief and loss. Led by parishioners Megan Fraijo-Paul and Nancy Thompson, both trained psychotherapists. Email either Megan or Nancy to join the group and receive the Zoom link.
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Flex & Stretch and Chair Yoga
The Flex & Stretch class—which is the basic SilverSneakers class—meets online on Fridays and the Chair Yoga program meets on Tuesdays and Thursdays. All at 11 a.m. Email Ellen Mintzmeyer for the Zoom link.
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Send prayer requests to the parish office.
- Names of our friends and family remain on the list for four weeks.
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The Anniversary & Birthday List for the month can be found here.
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For members who are bidding our prayers: Jewel Allen • Joy Boydon • Sally Brockington • Alma Fuller • Beth Galvin • Judy Jarady • Henry Laird • Neela Ram • Ann Rowles • Paul Thompson• Stephanie Thompson
For friends and family: Isabel, granddaughter of Mike & Beth Towers • Betty Porter, relative of Christen Erskine • Dave Tipton, brother of Pam Tipton • Rosalind, sister of Katharine Hilliard-Yntema • Nicky Cullen, friend of Linda Ryder-Wolf • Einar Sagstuen, friend of Sandy Land • Evelyn, mother of Lisa Daily • Laura Sinyard, niece of Laura Keys • John Watson, brother of Laura Keys • Ronnie Troglione, uncle of Lisa Carlson • John Quinn, step-father of Amy Shipp • Joslyn McGuire, friend of Ellen Mintzmyer • Michael Seymour, neighbor of Ellen Mintzmyer • Shannon & Zane Gold, neighbor of Ellen Mintzmyer • Bill & Becky and their family, friends of Jewel Allen • Gary Davis, father of Jeremy Davis • Blanca Ester Solis, friend of Jeff & Wallace McGrath
For those who have died: Maureen Cooper, sister-in-law of George Council • Winston Johnston, friend of Paul Hinson • Faith, friend of Edie Brush
For those celebrating anniversaries for the week of 5/16-22: Chris Miller & Ron Hutcheson • Terry-Lee & George Ross • Colleen & Peter Morich • Eric & Ruth Olson • Kelly Alexander & Mike Anderson
For those celebrating birthdays for the week of 5/16-22: Susan Ashmore • Diane Mundy • Anne Widiger • Chris Moser • Shannon Sprinkle •Tristan Shelton • Dave Thompson • Patrick Bryant • Stacey Lucas • Martha Rummel • Brynn Schneberger • Katy Graves • Sydney Stevens
For members who desire our continuing prayers: Ron Hutcheson • Rod MacLeod • Chris Miller • Tom Mundy • Terry-Lee Ross • June Sparks • Pat Spivey
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The weekly parish notices are published Friday mornings at 7 a.m.
The submission deadline is Wednesdays at NOON.
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