For many months now, we have been in the midst of a time in which there has been a single constant for us as a congregation: change. The pandemic has pushed us to become a nimble parish that is able to respond to the changing environment as it relates to the spread of COVID-19 in our local community. Early on in the pandemic, we had to learn how to do church completely online, and we had to learn how to…
It’s hard to believe that we are returning to in-person worship on Sunday. It has been such a long time since we have been able to worship together, to break bread together, to find Christ together. It has been a time of fasting for us as we have worshiped by way of online technology and have gone without Holy Eucharist for nearly seven months. The fast has invited us to dive a little more deeply into our personal relationship with…
Over the last year, the vestry was reading a book by Episcopal priest and theologian Dwight Zscheile titled The Agile Church. In his book, Zscheile walks church leaders through a way of becoming more agile in mission and to learn and grow in discipleship precisely because of our willingness to become more agile in what we do as church. In one chapter of his book, Zscheile discusses taking on small experiments to learn new things about the people around your…
It is exciting that we are looking at the possibility of returning to in-person worship at Church of the Epiphany! We are all excited about the possibility of seeing sisters and brothers in Christ that we have not seen at church since March. As we prepare for a return to in-person worship, we are also adopting a new practice: registering for a worship service in advance. The reason we are doing this is to help us maintain limits on attendance…
In a few short weeks, Church of the Epiphany-Tempe will be making a return to in-person worship with limits on attendance and following other safety practices during a time of pandemic. It also means that we have to re-think our Sunday schedule in order to create room for things like formation classes (formerly known as Sunday school)! Thus, beginning on September 13, we will make a shift to a new schedule to lay the foundation for the remainder of the…
Christmas Adopt-A-Family
Provide a fun gift item and new clothes for all children in a family of a student attending Thew Elementary. Also provide a family gift and a $100.00 grocery gift card.
Animal Welfare
Connected with the Feast of St. Francis of Assisi, we collect food, blankets and toys for animals at the Arizona Animal Welfare League. Animals are blessed by the Rector.
Child Crisis Center
Provide clothing. shoes and socks, pajamas, and Easter Baskets to children at this crisis center. Baskets are provided by volunteers of East Valley Wildlife as an annual fund raiser for their organization.
Health and Education
1. Provide support to teachers and staff of Flora Thew Elementary School, which is in an underprivileged neighborhood in Tempe. 2. Stock books for children and youth in a Little Free Library on our church campus. 3. Provide materials and funding for making face masks which are delivered to local small grocers, Habitat for Humanity, and Thew Elementary. 4. Support foreign ASU students who have been stranded due to the COVID-19 virus.
Habitat for Humanity
Provide hands-on assistance at build sites. Provide financial support. Occasionally provide lunch or morning snacks for work volunteers.
Feeding the Hungry
Provide financial support to Paz de Cristo and Matthew’s Crossing Food Bank. Provide food for the Meals-to-Grow program through Matthew’s Crossing. Facilitate food collection at Epiphany and delivery to Matthew’s Crossing.
Buildings and Grounds Ministry
The Buildings and Grounds Ministry, aka The Property Management Committee, provides leadership and direction for proper management of Epiphany’s facilities. The group typically meets monthly for an hour to discuss property maintenance and enhancement initiatives. Two parish-wide work days (one in the Spring and one in the Fall) are organized by this team as well. Members of this team, along with other parishioners, also perform hands-on work on a variety of projects throughout the year. This includes work every Saturday morning completed by a group of 3 or 4 volunteers. The time commitment is completely flexible and at the discretion of the volunteers. Those currently involved with Saturday duties spend approximately 2 – 3 hours each week doing primarily outdoor maintenance work.
Finance
This ministry provides financial analysis and insight to the vestry related to Parish finances.
Stewardship
This ministry creates ways for the community to steward God’s gifts including time, treasure, and talent.
Social Media
Help to share the gospel in the “new public square”.
Altar Guild
This is a ministry of prayer and fellowship. Members get to know one another well, and are key components of supporting many of the other ministries. This group makes sure that the sanctuary is clean and readied for each service and event that occurs in the church. Many members are needed for this ministry, and work on teams of three rotating with a Saturday to Saturday schedule.
Greeters / Ushers
This is a great opportunity for those who enjoy extending hospitality and sharing the warmth of the Epiphany community. Volunteers arrive to church services early to set up the welcome table prior to the service, hand out bulletins, help seat visitors or parishioners who need assistance, and fulfill the oblation duties.
Flower Guild
This is a great opportunity for those who like working with and arranging flowers. Volunteers will order, pick up, arrange, and store flowers. Coordination would need to take place with church office to see who had signed up to fund the week’s flowers, to see if there are special requests.
Acolytes
The role of acolytes is to assist the priest before and during each church service. Responsibilities include setting the alter table, lighting the candles, participating in the procession and in and out of the church service, and to ringing the Sanctus bells. Other specific duties are fulfilled as needed.
Grow Council
Supports formation activities for children, youth and adults.
Layreader
Orally reads lessons at regular and special services, conducts Morning Prayer over Epiphany’s FB page every other week until further notice.
Choir
Provides spiritual music for the Sunday, Holy Week, and special services.
Epiphany Cares
Several trained parishioners keep in regular contact with parish members, so that everyone in the parish is contacted on a frequency which works for them. It could be weekly or monthly.
Virtual Coffee Hour
During Covid19 restrictions, provides a comparable online place where people can gather after service on Sunday and visit.
Off Broadway Talent Show
Produces, logistics, recruits volunteer acts, singers, musicians, and people to handle tickets, publicity, ballots, refreshments, money, rehearsals, sound, stagecraft, judges, program, etc. with Dr. Miriam Hickman
CareConnect
Meeting a couple of times a month, the CareConnect ministry makes phone calls to parish members to check-in with folks and to identify pastoral needs in the parish.
We need leaders to help recruit volunteers, provide training to ministry members, and to schedule calling volunteers on a monthly basis. If you are called to a ministry of relationship and caring, this might be the ministry for you!
Community Clusters
Intended to provide opportunities for small groups of parishioners and their families to connect and nurture relationships in the parish, Community Clusters is a ministry of fellowship and friendship.
It’s easy to meet people at coffee after church (when we are meeting in person, that is) but not easy to get to know them well. Community Clusters gives small groups a chance to talk with no set agenda other than to get to know one another.
Lay leaders are needed to help organize the Community Clusters twice per year with sign-ups, assigning households to clusters, and recruiting cluster conveners to convene each group. If you are called to a ministry of fellowship and friendship, this might be your ministry!
Chapter One Book Club
Meeting once a month, the Chapter One Book Club discusses books across genres. The books are chosen by the members of the book club each month.
Lay leaders are needed to organize the monthly meeting (via Zoom during the pandemic), inviting new members to join the book club, and to consider next steps for the ministry. If you are called to a ministry of relationship building through literature, this ministry might be for you!