Parish Notices for June 11, 2021 |
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Hot Fun in the Summertime: An Epiphany HVAC Saga
This note is from your Vestry Buildings & Grounds Liaison, Bert Bender
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Do you remember attending our last Christmas Eve services in the Sanctuary, 12/24/19, a warm night, beautiful service, wonderful music, crowded pews, and the air conditioning shutting off? I don’t.
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Do you remember the August 21, 2020 “Weekly Parish Notices” email with an article entitled “NAVE HVAC UPDATE” that began with “As you may be aware, the HVAC system in our nave is undergoing repair” and wrapped up with “the parish should understand that this is most likely a temporary fix. Much of the nave HVAC equipment and corresponding duct work will need to be replaced within the next few years”? I didn’t.
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Do you remember being elected to the Vestry in January of 2021 and being asked to be the Buildings & Grounds Liaison? I do.
Well, since becoming your Buildings & Grounds Liaison I have learned a lot about the Christmas Eve AC shutdown, read that August 2020 HVAC email update, read hundreds of emails and dozens of reports, heard from Parishioners now and before, learned about valves, pressure drops, refrigerants, zones, mechanical engineering, structural engineering, duct work, dampers, SEER, RTU, MERV, load calculations and more.
In reviewing that August 2020 email update, I see that it ends with “We will periodically evaluate how … the aging nave HVAC system is functioning”. Well, after those evaluations, the report is: it has not functioned well at all. For one thing (that will be noticeable upon entry to the nave this summer), the AC does not operate today. Air flows, cooling doesn’t. Repeated testing from two companies evaluated valves and other matters, but it turns out that refrigerant is low, and leaking. Just like last summer and fall: leak tests and repairs were made last summer (testing and repair that could not guarantee that all leaks were found/fixed), and true to form a refill of refrigerant was needed last October. That refrigerant has leaked out again. Want more? That refrigerant type is being phased out by the EPA because of environmental damage it causes. Still want more? The cost of that refrigerant has risen to the point where it would cost thousands of dollars to refill, all to just wait for it to leak out again in … weeks or months. There are other problems with the furnace and the ducts and more in those systems and in that space. This is all after diligent and valiant efforts and ideas from Parishioners and Mechanical Engineer Tim North of Johnson, Spellman & Associates (recommended by the Diocese in the spring of 2020) to try to repair these systems and coax some more life out of them.
Despite the ideas and efforts to get the system to work, well, let me put it this way: do you remember that at the top of this article is the August 2020 message “Much of the nave HVAC equipment and corresponding duct work will need to be replaced within the next few years”? I do.
[I make a slight diversion here to note that unlike the just about completely failed nave HVAC, the system that supplied air conditioning to the offices of your Parish Administrator, Shea McNutt (and also your Priest in Charge and Associate Priest and bookkeeping office) was determined last fall to be broke, defunct, kaput, beyond its life (useful or not) and in need of replacement. Plus reconfiguration with systems that serve the Nursery and basement Youth Room because the overall system was poorly designed or cobbled together years ago and a replacement should be more thoughtfully designed (e.g., to fix the huge humidity problem in the basement). Tim North of Johnson, Spellman was asked to propose a design contract last fall, and – after securing sufficient budgeted funds due to end of year Parishioner generosity – that contract was finalized in February and approved at the February Vestry Meeting. The plans for the new system are nearly complete; after approval, next step is request for bids by installation contractors, bid review, award of bid, permitting and construction, completion and approval. And then coolness in the Offices, Narthex, Bathrooms, etc. will be restored.]
(As B&G liaison, I should mention here that the Epiphany New Trees project was super fun and wow, we love the outpouring of help and support for that and other efforts around the campus. But I digress …)
Back to the nave: attempts to solve the AC issues in February, March and April resulted in recognition that available short-term fixes for that old system would be expensive, likely repetitive and surely short-term. Accordingly, at a May 9 Vestry meeting, this resolution was unanimously passed: “That the Church of the Epiphany resolves to remove the existing Nave HVAC system, replace it with a more effective and code compliant system, and make necessary structural repairs to the under-croft space.” Since then, we have been negotiating again with Tim North of Johnson, Spellman on a design contract – one that must also address some structural issues in the basement under the choir loft (temporary support poles, for example) and architectural issues there for code compliance. The new system – recommended as the long term simple and effective solution last year – is to replace the old AC unit and air handler, and the furnaces, with a standalone “RTU” or “roof top unit”, but located outdoors on the ground on a concrete pad in the location of the current giant Trane system. This will remove all of the furnace and air handling equipment and duct work now located in the under-croft basement, so the system will be safer in many respects – and new duct work will then connect from the outside unit into the under-croft room and then to the existing duct work buried in the concrete under the nave. The result will mean that all interior insulated duct work in that system is removed, a permanent and code-compliant support of the organ is installed, and the room will otherwise be finished out with such sheet rock ceilings or other elements required by code. The changing parts of those three rings of this nave HVAC circus are complicated enough without this factor: designing and doing that work carefully around existing under-croft components of the Organ. As to the current summer of ’21 situation, we are evaluating temporary solutions that might not be prohibitively expensive while the permanent plan progresses, maybe a small “top off” of refrigerant or portable unit that could switch between offices and nave.
You may wonder what about the money? Well, we don’t have it. Not today anyway. But we believe we can get it, and – like what many homeowners must do from time to time if they have not socked away a rainy-day fund for needed repairs and replacements – we can borrow the rest. But this work needs to be done. And we can achieve the goal with your generous donation. Details about how to contribute to this project will be coming soon.
I look forward to working with you as we address these needs. Thanks in advance to all.
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Parish Life invites you to another Picnic! |
Please plan to bring picnic fare to THIS Sunday's service - June 13 - for another opportunity to gather after the outdoor service at 11:30 a.m. with Epiphany friends, old and new.
Parish Life with provide desserts so no need to bring those but bring everything else you may need including chairs and blankets. We were delighted so many enjoyed the last picnic and look forward to sharing this time with you.
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Register for the 6/13 outdoor service even if you ONLY plan to attend the picnic. Note PICNIC in the memo field.
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Sunday Morning at 9 a.m.
Online via Zoom
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Login at 8:50 a.m. to greet one another. Remain online afterwards for Small Groups Virtual Coffee Hour. |
Bulletin and Login links can also be found on our homepage.
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Dial: 646.558.8656
Meeting ID: 532 385 901
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Sunday Morning at 11:30 a.m.
Outdoor Eucharist - Registration Required
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Please Bring
- a mask
- a chair
- a pre-printed bulletin or electronic device.
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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.
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.
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Morning Prayer at 9 a.m.
Weekdays via Zoom
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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.
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Wednesday Noonday Prayer & Eucharist
Outdoors in the Memorial Garden
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For the month of June, Noonday Prayer takes place at 12 p.m. Healing with Eucharist follows at 12:15 p.m. Masks and social distancing are required. Chairs are available for those who would like to bring one out from the church, or you can bring your own. Bulletins and Prayer Books provided. |
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Altar Arrangements and the Sanctuary Light
The Altar Arrangements and the Sanctuary Light can be given in honor of an anniversary, birthday or in memory of a loved one.
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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.
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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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Children & Youth Ministries |
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Keeping Families Informed |
Some families only have youth, some only have younger children, but many families straddle Youth Ministry and Children's Ministry at Epiphany. And, it can be helpful to see the whole scope of what we offer for children, youth, and parents at Epiphany for many reasons. Beginning next Monday, you will have all you need to know to plan ahead for children and youth at Epiphany in one communication. The format will be simple – most current events and registrations will appear first. Things that are in the near future will be next. We hope this new format for communication will be beneficial for everyone.
- Nicole, Christen and Mat
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Jammin' with Jesus
Saturday, June 19 at 9 a.m.
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Register by Friday, June 11 at 5 p.m.
Join us to hear some stories, wonder and play in a safe environment (all ages invited). To protect the un-vaccinated among us, we'll wear masks and practice social distancing. Bring a picnic blanket or outside chairs, water bottles for your family members, and your imagination. Bagels and jam (with a gluten-free option) will be provided. We will reflect on Juneteenth in light of Scripture, and try to make meaning in our own lives. We will also talk about ways families can play with parables through the summer. Registration closes 5:00 p.m. Friday, June 11.
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Godly Play by Reservation
If you would like for your children to have time to reconnect with Godly Play, you can request an individual session for your family. A vaccinated storyteller will be ready to share a story with your family in a Godly Play room, Rm. 205, and offer children and their parents time to create art or play with the story materials in the room. You can request a Sunday morning in June, 10:30 a.m. by clicking on the button below. To try to find another day or time, email Christen Erskine.
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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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In-Person Evening Prayer Continues Throughout the Summer
Evening Prayer is held 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.
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June 26 - Youth Ping Pong Tournament
Charlie Slater, Epiphany's resident Ping Pong professional, is excited to host a tournament for the youth of Epiphany on June 26. The tournament will run from 1:30-5 p.m. Trophies will be awarded to 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place.
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July 17 - Youth Work Day at Emmaus House
All youth are invited to help clean up Freedom School at Emmaus House July 17 at 9 a.m. We'll clean up the classrooms, pack up school supplies, and store them away.
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Pantry Drive for DEAM
Month of June
This month we are collecting items to help the Decatur-area Emergency Assistance Ministry (DEAM) pantry. Bins are located by the front door.
This time we are collecting:
- small cornbread mixes like Jiffy
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any size of shelf-stable milk, canned or dry, except Sweetened Condensed canned milk.
Tally so far - Corn bread: 20 Milk: 11
Note: These are the only items we are collecting at this time.
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Living Contemplatively Spirituality Group
Start date delayed until Monday, July 19 at 11 a.m. on Zoom
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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Community of Hope Training Coming to Epiphany |
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Starting this fall, Epiphany will host a 14-week Community of Hope (COH) training for lay pastoral caregivers. Graduates of the program will be trained to make pastoral visits to Epiphany members who are experiencing various forms of loss, grief, illness, life changes, loneliness, or isolation. COH caregivers may also serve outside the church in nursing homes, hospitals, prisons, at Hagar’s House or DCM, or at Emmaus House, or to be with people who are in crisis no matter where they are.
What sets Community of Hope apart from other pastoral care programs is its emphasis on the spiritual growth and community formation of the caregivers. The trainees remain united in prayer and community as their ministries lead them to serve in the parish and in the wider community. Epiphany clergy and other facilitators will teach modules from the Community of Hope curriculum, which is rooted in Benedictine spirituality and based on the classic clinical pastoral education model used in many hospitals to train caregivers. The training is not limited exclusively to any creed but is open to and enriched by the representation of many denominations.
The Community of Hope program awakens trainees to God’s call on each of our lives by helping individuals discover and better understand their own spiritual gifts for ministry. Participants are encouraged to make this experience a journey into wholeness, to use this opportunity to explore a “rule of life”, practice sacred silence, Christian meditation, compassionate listening, pastoral identity and Lectio Divina, all within the context of Benedictine spirituality. This experience builds community and develops spiritually centered pastoral caregivers.
If you are interested in learning more about the Community of Hope, please contact Ann Fowler, 404.808.1864, by June 20. A response by that date will enable us to begin detailed planning for the fall. Potential participants will be polled to determine the most convenient day and time for the program to meet.
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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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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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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 open in a limited to way to people or small groups who have requested access through the parish office. 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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Just a reminder to everyone that the door codes have been changed. Currently, they are only being given to parishioners who are authorized to be in the building at this time.
NOTICE: If you are given a code, please do not share it with anyone. Refer them to the office so they can be given the correct code for their area of ministry.
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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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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
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July: No Meeting
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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. Summer reading book selected.
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.
Summer Books:
June 23: Behold the Dreamers by Imbolu Mbue.
July 28: You are Your Best Thing: Vulnerability, Shame Resilience, and the Black Experience by Tarana Burke and Brene Brown.
August 25th: Walking With The Wind: A Memoir of the Movement by John Lewis.
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 Megan or Nancy for more information.
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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 • Sally McClintock • 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 • Sherie McGowin, friend of Noelle Reetz • Eleanor Whitman, aunt of Noelle Reetz • Nell Witman Sandemeyer, cousin of Noelle Reetz • Ansley, friend of Esther Bryant • Zach, friend of Henry Bryant • Dab Belcore & Kathy Brannon, brother and sister-in-law of Barbara Belcore • Michael Seymour, neighbor of Ellen Mintzmyer • Joslyn, friend of Ellen Mintzmyer • Rob Holland, relative of George Councill • Gibby, mother of Amanda Kay Seals • Sophia Seymore, niece of Erin Braden • Jeff Jaeger, friend of Nancy Thompson • Linda Cagle, friend of Nancy Thompson • Hendree Harrison, nephew of Laura Keys
For those celebrating anniversaries for the week of 6/13-19: Adrienne & Chip Hill • Laura & Matt May • Peter & Mary Ann Schneider • Claire Simms & Cody Chaffins • Lane & Knox Burnett • Patrick & Shelle Bryant • Pam Tipton-Thierry & David Thierry • Meg & John Councilman • Ann & Joel Fowler • Kristin Mann & Steve Tipton • Bruce & Gretchen Maclachlan
For those celebrating birthdays for the week of 6/13-19: Brittany Allen • August Hooker • Margaret Stoner • Penson Sherrill • Holly Slater • Noah Tobin • Stewart Mundy • Doug Kertscher • Henry Kotzan • Sarah Kotzan • Madeleine Armor • June Sparks • Esther Harbert
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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