Parish Notices for April 30, 2021 |
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- Security at Church - New Codes
- Youth Hike at Arabia Mountain
- Summer Fun Task Force
- Personnel Change
- Four Clicks to RSVP
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The Safely Together Task Force at Epiphany has been meeting since last June to help us navigate this strange time of being church together in the midst of a pandemic when we couldn’t meet together in person. The Diocese of Atlanta has given us guidelines throughout on how to gather safely online and then gradually in person as numbers of COVID-19 cases have declined.
Most recently when the Diocese gave permission for churches to begin meeting indoors with safety guidelines in place (social distancing, masks, no singing, limited numbers), our Safe Together Task Force surveyed the congregation to find out how people were feeling about returning to in-person worship. The results were quite varied and reflected the uncertainty that many are feeling in our world today. What was clear is that the online Zoom service is still the preferred way to engage with worship as of right now. You told us that you love the ability to sing, to engage with each other, to participate together in worship on Zoom in a way that live-streaming a service with others in the nave would not allow. Our online worship attendance remains strong even after a year on Zoom and I think that is a testimony to the sense of connection we have all built there. Participation in our Outdoor Eucharist has been meaningful to those who attend but still relatively small. and our After weighing many different options of how to offer indoor in-person worship, the Task Force is recommending that we continue the current worship options until July. During the months of July and August when the temperatures outside make outdoor worship much less appealing, we hope to move the outdoor service into the nave with safety guidelines in place. Once we see how that service is received, we will decide how to proceed for the fall.
Here is the service schedule for MAY and JUNE
9:00 a.m. – Online Worship via Zoom (same format as it is now)
11:30 a.m. – Outdoor Eucharist (weather permitting)
Here is the tentative service schedule for JULY and AUGUST
9:00 a.m. – Online Worship via Zoom (same format as it is now)
11:30 a.m. – Indoor Eucharist in the nave
If 2020 was the year of pandemic social isolation, 2021 may be the year of ambivalent re-engagement. Many articles have been written in recent days about the fear many have about gathering with others outside their immediate family, even after being vaccinated. The New York Times featured a much-read article recently entitled “There’s a Name for the Blah You’re Feeling: It’s Called Languishing.” (Click here for the article.) It describes languishing as a feeling of “stagnation and emptiness. It feels as if you’re muddling through your days, looking at your life through a foggy windshield.” They describe it as the emotional equivalent of the COVID long-haulers and an after-effect of the intense grief and fear of 2020.
In this year of ambivalent re-engagement, we want to be gentle with others and ourselves as we tiptoe back into things we find meaningful. It is our intent to offer a variety of ways to engage both in-person and online throughout the remainder of this year and to continue to evaluate as circumstances change. However, you choose to engage as a parish, we hope that you will find ways to build and continue the connections you have found at Epiphany. If you need extra support during this time, please reach out to Nicole or myself or to our Pastoral Care Committee through its Chair, David Draper. I hope to see you Sunday at one of our worship services.
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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. Formation classes start at 10:15 a.m.
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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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Outdoor Eucharist - Registration Required
Sunday Morning at 11:30 a.m.
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Wi-Fi outside is spotty, so print the bulletin at home and bring it with you - and remember to bring a chair.
In the event of inclement weather or if temperatures fall below 45°, we will cancel the outdoor service by way of email by 8 a.m. that morning. Check your email before coming to church if the weather is uncertain.
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Service & Event Registrations now on Realm
You can still register from links on our RSVP page or in the Friday email, but now you can also register from your Realm account via the web or your smart phone app.
For those of you 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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1 - Click on link provided on website, e-news, or when you log into your Realm account. Fill in any information it requests (if you’re logged into Realm it will auto-fill once you select your name), CLICK NEXT
2 - If you’d like to add a guest, click the “add guest button.” Otherwise, CLICK NEXT
3 - Make sure the information is correct. CLICK NEXT
4 - The final screen will still let you make changes, but if you're all done, then CLICK REGISTER.
You will then see a confirmation screen and receive a confirmation email. If you don't, you may have missed that last click.
Having Trouble? If you're not sure you properly registered, you can always try to register again. The system won't let you if you already have.
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
Sunday, May 2 at 12:30 p.m.
We will have a brief service of blessing for our newly planted trees on Sunday, May 2 at 12:30 p.m. (following our 11:30 a.m. Outdoor Eucharist service) and honoring those in whose memory or honor they were donated. We would love for you to join us for then.
Thanks again to all the donors and volunteers again for the incredible response we had to what started as a simple idea for planting "a few trees" at Epiphany and grew into a community of people who made a big impact on the beauty and conservation of our little piece of land at Ponce and East Lake. Your efforts will benefit generations to come.
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Give in Honor of 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 and in loving memory of her parents by Lola Oyesiku.
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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Adult Formation
Sundays at 10:15 a.m.
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No formation hour this Sunday May 2. Small groups will begin next week! You can view past classes in the series by visiting our YouTube Channel. |
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Youth Formation
Stay Informed
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Weekly devotionals are sent Saturdays
- Newsletters are sent Mondays
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Email Matt Schramm to be added to the email list.
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In-Person Evening Prayer
Evening Prayer is held on the 2nd and 4th Sundays of the month 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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Youth Group Online
Virtual Youth Group is held via zoom on 1st and 3rd Sundays from 5 - 6 p.m.
and is a time for building community through conversation and games.
Zoom Link:
Meeting ID: 812 0747 2601
Passcode: 979729
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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
Godly Play stories are offered online each Sunday 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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Summer Fun Task Force
Artists, musicians, poets, storytellers, organizers, and lovers of Jesus are needed to be part of a task force to plan a summer-fun program for Epiphany. All dreamers and realists, welcome! Initial meeting this week–Thursday, May 5 at 6:30 p.m. via Zoom. Meeting link is listed below. Click the RSVP button to hear a story, wonder, pray and sing. All ages are invited.
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Security & Safety
Many of you may not be aware, but in recent weeks, there have been a number of instances regarding building safety that caused us to think about our building safety protocols, particularly while access to the building is limited due to required COVID protocols.
These include people in the building late at night, a local community member sleeping in our building startling staff members as they arrived in the morning and multiple instances of exterior doors left slightly ajar, all contributing to an unsecured building.
We take seriously the safety of our staff and parishioners who have authorized business in our building. For these reasons, we will begin changing the building access codes on a routine basis. We will send new codes to all who have necessary business in the church while the building remains closed due to required COVID protocols and the alarm system will be engaged at 8:30 p.m. each night. Finally, we are forming a Security and Safety Committee to look closely at security concerns on our campus as we prepare for more in-person activities.
If you need to access the building outside of regularly scheduled activities, please contact the church office in advance for assistance. Likewise, if you would like to schedule a time to sit in the nave for prayer or reflection, we welcome you! Please simply call the church office and sign up. We are eager for the time when we can all gather together again, in our building, and until then, we are grateful to you for your understanding of these necessary precautions.
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After several months of reflection and discernment, I have decided to step down from the roles of Theologian-in-Residence and Chair of Adult Formation at Epiphany. My family and I will continue to participate in life at Epiphany as parishioners, but I will no longer have these roles.
As many of you know, I began a new job this past January as Upper School Religion Teacher at Holy Innocents’ Episcopal School, here in Atlanta, and I’m still working to finish my PhD at Emory. Considering both of these weighty responsibilities, my schedule simply doesn’t allow me to give appropriate attention to the work at Epiphany anymore.
I want to express my deep thanks to all at Epiphany for the privilege of doing this work over the last several years, and I am especially thankful to those who have supported me directly in various ways. I have often been moved by your gestures of kindness, encouragement, and expressions of enjoyment of my teaching. I have loved our time together, and I have grown tremendously through the experience of teaching in our church. I am humbled when I consider that you have trusted me so often with the task of leading conversations about Scripture, God, and what it means to be people of God in this world. Thank you all for the gift of that responsibility.
Yours, in shared work and witness,
Evan Bassett
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During the months of May and June, Epiphany will be launching four small groups. 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 of the groups we have organized so far. 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.
If you would like to be in a small group, but do not see a topic that interests you or a time that works for you, please email Nicole. There may be another small group forming that will not be focused on reading a book depending on the interest of our parishioners.
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Discussion Group on Faith & Citizenship |
Facilitators: Evan Gibbs and Paul Hinson
Dates and Time: Tuesdays at 7:30 p.m., starting on May 11
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: First meeting is Sunday, May 9, 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.
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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., starting on May 11
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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Discussion Group on Trauma and Healing |
Facilitators: Julia Weidmann and the Rev. Nicole Lambelet
Dates and Time: Wednesdays, 6:30 – 8 p.m. starting May 12 - June 30.
Platform: In-person, outside at church
Texts: My Grandmother's Hands: Racialized Trauma and the Pathway to Mending Our Hearts and Bodies, by Resmaa Menakem and "The Future of Healing: Shifting From Trauma Informed Care to Healing Centered Engagement" by Sean Ginwright.
Special Note: Julia and Nicole want participants to know the space we will create for and with one another is not a therapeutic space. It will be a space for deepening relationships, sharing stories, learning about the effects of trauma upon the body, trauma-informed care, and various practices that aid us in the journey of healing.
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Beth Beck's wreath exhibit comes down today and our Epiphany Gallery curator Liefy Smith does not have another artist scheduled for May.
During the pandemic, we've been featuring parishioners' work or the work of their near and dear. While there is not a lot of foot traffic, we started putting the shows online and they have done well. So if you or a loved one has a body of work they are willing to show, please email Liefy Smith.
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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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This year we will plan to honor all 2021 graduates and celebrate Youth Sunday on May 9. If your young person would like to participate in the virtual 9 a.m. or in-person 11:30 a.m. Youth Sunday worship service please email our Youth Director Matt Schramm. If you would like to celebrate a 2021 graduate, please send a recent photo along with the graduate's name, degree, and school to the Rev. Nicole Lambelet.
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Georgia Freedom Letters
A collective of Georgia organizers and advocates are working to connect those inside and outside of Georgia's prisons through letter writing. Epiphany members are invited to get out their pens and paper to participate in their recently launched project entitled Georgia Freedom Letters (GFL).
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As people who care about ending systems of criminalization, GFL desires to recognize and center the experiences and stories of those inside prisons and their goal is to build a pen pal system to bridge these connections.
If you would like to sign up to correspond with someone inside you can do so by clicking here. Now, more than ever, we cannot forget or ignore the 55,000 people who are inside Georgia's prisons.
Finally, Epiphany would like to offer the church address to anyone who is interested in becoming a pen pal with GFL. Going forward any returned correspondences can be picked up in a cubby marked Georgia Freedom Letters outside the Epiphany office. Please email contact the Rev. Nicole Lambelet if you have any questions about this project or the letter writing process. You can also contact GFL directly at georgiafreedomletters@gmail.com.
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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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AmazonSmile Foundation
Epiphany received $69.55 from 4th quarter 2020 shopping by our members. If you shop through AmazonSmile, Amazon will donate 0.5% to your chosen charitable organization. Bookmark https://smile.amazon.com/ch/58-0838713 to support Epiphany every time you shop.
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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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May: The Feather Thief by Kirk Wallace Johnson
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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 • Lily Burnett • Sam Burnett • Tom Felcher • Alma Fuller • Beth Galvin • Judy Jarady • Henry Laird • Neela Ram • Ann Rowles • Paul Thompson• Stephanie Thompson • John Yntema
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 • Sarah Werkman, friend of Erin Braden • Mary Ann DiBello, mother-in-law of Stephanie DiBello • Maureen Cooper, sister-in-law of George Councill • Zach, friend of Henry Bryant • 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
For those who have died: Erin, sister of Beth Galvin
For those celebrating anniversaries for the week of 5/2 - 5/8: Joanne & Dan Deocampo • April & Jay Freeman • Beverley & Ralph Lorenzo • Kay Lee & Bert Bender
For those celebrating birthdays for the week of 5/2 - 5/8: Michael Elliott • Lauren Davis • Randy Stewart • Michelle Moody • Lisa Stewart • Rik Hill • Abigail Peacock-Marcewicz • Barbara Ryder • Elizabeth Walden • Alma Fuller • John Wierwille
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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