Weekly e-News from
Epiphany Parish
September 8, 2020
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From Rev. Christen's Desk
Dear Epiphany Parish,
Believe it or not, it is the beginning of a new program year in our parish—probably the most unusual one that we’ve ever had as a parish community. This year, despite all the strangeness that the present circumstances bring, we have some really exciting things happening in our parish! Please read through this e-newsletter for updates and information about everything that is going on in our parish, including updates about our weekly Sunday worship and a sign-up for our multi-church Sacred Ground racial justice conversation group. Also, I am excited to announce that beginning this Sunday Margaret Lias will be joining our parish to complete her one year parish internship as a part of her journey towards ordination to the Diaconate. I am so excited for you to meet Margaret and for Margaret to meet you and to learn about our parish community. Please join us either on-line or in-person this Sunday to help welcome Margaret to Epiphany Parish.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Christen
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From Margaret Lias
Dear Epiphany Parish Community,
I’m Margaret Lias and I’m a Postulant for Holy Orders to the Diaconate and I’m thrilled that I have the privilege of carrying out my parish internship with you and your fantastic Rector, Christen!
I come to you from a community near and dear to Christen’s heart: Emmanuel Church, Boston. While I was there I sang with Emmanuel Music, the professional ensemble in residence and I was also their Director of Development. For the church, I volunteered by leading hospitality for events and potlucks, coordinating the B-SAFE program, co-chairing a capital campaign committee, and occasionally lending my voice to the parish choir in the summer. I also participated in bible studies, liturgy/worship conversations, and deanery meetings.
In addition to my musical work, I’m the project assistant for a very small global team through MIT that designs tools and support for low and middle income countries health care workers in the trenches of COVID-19. This is incredibly relevant work that has afforded me the opportunity to learn a great deal about the global impact of coronavirus.
My spouse, The Rev. Dr. Meghan Sweeney, and I have a delightful 13-month-old baby named Elliot. We moved to Dedham from Jamaica Plain in February, and we have a 10-year-old sassy cat named Gertrude. Meghan is the rector of All Saints’ Episcopal Church in Attleboro and a theology professor at Boston College.
During my time with you I look forward to learning and being formed by participation in worship, occasional preaching, pastoral care, racial justice work, attendance at vestry meetings, and general involvement in the life of your parish.
Most of all, I look forward to getting to know you!
Warmly,
Margaret
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Please RSVP for Sunday, September 13, 2020
In-Person Outdoor Worship - HERE
Link for full COVID - Regathering Information available - HERE.
Worshiping with Us, In-Person or Virtually beginning September 13, 2020.
For Worship on September 13 ~ The Fifteenth 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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Sacred Ground at Epiphany
We are excited to announce that starting on Wednesday, October 7th Epiphany Parish of Walpole, Church of the Advent in Medfield, and St. John’s Church in Westwood will be partnering to form a Sacred Ground dialogue circle. Sacred Ground will meet virtually once a month from 7-8:30pm on the first Wednesday of each month using Zoom.
Sacred Ground is a 10-session ‘film and readings based dialogue series on race, grounded in faith…The 10-part series is built around a powerful online curriculum of documentary films and readings that focus on Indigenous, Black, Latino, and Asian/Pacific American histories as they intersect with European American histories.
Sacred Ground is part of Becoming Beloved Community, The Episcopal Church’s long-term commitment to racial healing, reconciliation, and justice in our personal lives, our ministries, and our society. This series is open to all, and especially designed to help white people talk with other white people'.
Participants will watch the videos online at home, read from articles and from two assigned books, and gather for 90 minutes virtually once a month to discuss in a facilitated group setting. In each gathering, some of the time will be spent in a plenary session and the rest of the time will be in small groups by parish.
The expectation is that participants will sign-up to commit to the full 10 months of learning and discussion. For more information about the program, please visit the website: https://episcopalchurch.org/sacred-ground. This is a free program, but there are two core books that all participants will need to purchase (or borrow or download). Financial assistance is available to cover the cost of the books--the cost should never be prohibitive to joining Sacred Ground. Our first meeting will be Wednesday, October 7th from 7pm-8:30pm via zoom. Please register in advance so we can send you the zoom link.
If you would like to register for Sacred Ground, please either email our parish office at office.epiphany@verizon.net or call the church at 508-668-2353.
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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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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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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
Daily Stand Out for Justice - We continue to Pray and Act for an end to racism in our country. There will be a daily vigil from 5:00pm-6:30pm on the Walpole town common to support Black Lives Matter. Click HERE for more information. All are welcome. All attendees are asked to please wear a mask and practice physical distancing.
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.
Errand Angels ~ Please sign up to be an Errand Angel! There are many folks in our parish that do not want to be in public right now. We have created an online sign-up sheet to collect a list of parishioners who are willing to run errands for people who are unable to run errands for any reason right now. If you are healthy and feel comfortable running errands for others over the next few weeks, please sign up HERE.
If you need an errand run for you for any reason, please call or email Rev. Christen and she will put you in touch with someone who can help.
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
Donate Masks, Gloves, and Other Protective Gear ~ Boston Mayor Marty Walsh is asking for anyone who has extra masks, respirators, and/or other protective gear to donate them to the city for medical staff at hospitals to use. If your business uses these items, please consider donating them. You can call the City Mayor’s hotline at 617-635-4500 to find out how to donate them.
Weekly Announcements
Altar Flowers ~ It is unclear when we will be able to resume the use of altar flowers. We have talked to our florist and their wholesalers are closed, so they are unable to get the flowers to make the arrangements. As soon as we hear that there are flowers available we will resume getting arrangements.
Cancellations (weather or otherwise) ~ Cancellations will be communicated via e-mail and a notice on our website. We make every effort to hold regular Sunday services, and we never want you to travel if you do not feel safe doing so. And although we encourage sharing, please do not share your germs with your church family & friends - if you are sick, please stay home. If there is any question as to whether church is cancelled please check your e-mail and the church website before venturing out.
hat you need to know this week:
Weekly Calendar ~ All in-person parish gatherings, except the outdoor worship on Sundays have been suspended for the near future. Please see the COVID-19 Response tab of the website to learn how you can join us for virtual worship services.
From the Office
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 ~ 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 now open! Hours are 10-2:00 Tuesday through Thursday. Please follow our Covid - Regathering regulations. All meetings should continue to be held virtually and any in-person gatherings should be held with prior permission before the gathering occurs.
Welcome to Epiphany Parish
We gather with joy in the power of Jesus’ name, to care for one another and to include all people through our fellowship, education & outreach.
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.
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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