Weekly e-News
from
Epiphany Parish
January 5, 2021
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There will be communion this Sunday.
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FROM REV CHRISTEN'S DESK
Dear Epiphany Parish,
"O star of wonder, star of night, Star with royal beauty bright, Westward leading, still proceeding, Guide us to thy perfect Light."
This Wednesday, January 6th is the feast day of Epiphany, the namesake feast day of our parish. As is our custom, we will celebrate Epiphany the following Sunday, January 10th. The word Epiphany means 'manifestation' or 'appearance' and it marks the day that we celebrate the revelation of God the Son as a human being in Jesus Christ, the same God who is present with us in every moment of our lives. Epiphany is a season all about wonder. And we have much to wonder about this year. I find myself full of wonder at the quickness of the vaccine being developed, at the resiliency of our community, and at the presence of God that we see in our world despite all the hardships that we are facing.
This year, our Epiphany celebration will certainly look different. There will be no pageant and there will be no special coffee hour. But there will be worship and prayer and community. I invite you to join us on Sunday at either 8:30am over the phone or at 10:15am on Facebook Live for our celebration.
Peace in Christ,
Rev. Christen
*I also want to share the good news that the work to replace the furnace at the church will begin this week and once started, will take about a week to complete. I am so grateful for our vestry, and especially for our Junior Warden, Mark Helm, who have done a lot of work over the holidays to make this project possible. Part of this project will require doing some fundraising to pay for the new furnace. Please stay tuned over the next few weeks for ways that you will be able to contribute.
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SAVE THE DATE - Martin Luther King Day Remembrance
Epiphany Parish, along with many other churches and organizations in Walpole, is sponsoring the annual Martin Luther King Day Remembrance this year on the evening of Monday, January 18th. This event will be virtual and more information about how to participate will be coming soon but in the meantime, please save the date for this important annual event.
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Communion Host Pick Up
Our 10:15 am virtual worship service will include a celebration of Holy Communion.
Consecrated hosts (wafers) will be distributed to all who wish to receive communion throughout the week to be consumed at the Customary point our worship on Sunday morning.
Communion will be available for pick-up on
Friday, 5:00 - 6:00 pm
Saturday, 10:00 am-12:00 pm.
A table will be set up just inside the driveway-side door of the church with small bags containing bulletins and consecrated host for all who have requested them. There will be more information in the bags about how the hosts should be consumed on Sunday morning.
How to sign-up to receive Communion this week:
Please sign-up for communion online by clicking HERE.
You can also email the parish office at office.epiphany@verizon.net or call us at 508-668-2353. If you leave an email or a voice mail message, we will need to know your name and the total number of people in your household who will be receiving communion.
All requests for communion must be made by Thursday at 1:30 pm so we can have a bag ready for you to pick up.
We can also deliver communion bags if you live a reasonable distance from the church. Please call our parish office at 508-668-2353 by Thursday at 11am for more information about delivery.
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common cathedral - Sign up to donate fruit!
We are seeking donations of fruit to be dropped off at Epiphany
TOMORROW, January 6th.
The donation will 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! We are looking for 5 people to sign up to each donate 10 pieces of bananas and/or oranges.
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!
The next donation will be Wednesday, January 20st for 50 pieces of fruit and 50 granola bars.
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.
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The Epiphany
Virtual Worship with Communion
Please join 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.
Link for full COVID - Regathering Information available - HERE.
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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 ~ Worship will be virtual until further notice. All parish gatherings will meet virtually.
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.
Vestry Meetings - The Vestry of Epiphany Parish meets the third Tuesday of every month (virtually) at 7:00pm on Zoom. All are welcome! Please email Rev. Christen for the zoom link at christen.epiphany@gmail.com.
Office Hours
Please note that due to the current heating issues at Epiphany Parish, the office is closed as of December 17, 2020 until further notice. All phone messages will be picked up Monday through Thursday mornings. Please contact Rev Christen directly if you have a pastoral emergency.
Epiphany Email Policy: Fraudulent emails are continuing to become 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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