Last weekend, our diocese met in its annual convention, and we considered the mission plan for the diocese, creating a new relationship with the Diocese of Western Mexico, and a change to the constitution of our diocese that clarifies who are considered clergy on the Standing Committee. We listened to a keynote address on human impact within creation and hosted conversations on ways forward that extend out from our faith in Christ Jesus. In all of the topics that were…
It had been nearly seven months. While this would not normally qualify as a long stretch of time in most cases, it has felt like an eternity. It is the amount of time that had passed between our celebrations of the Holy Eucharist at Church of the Epiphany. In seven months, I, as a priest in the church, had not touched a communion wafer, said the Eucharistic prayer, or gathered around Christ’s table with others in order to receive the…
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…
Over the last week, I had the chance, the good fortune really, to attend a Zoom call that is on my calendar every week but that I have rarely had the opportunity to join. It is a call filled with innovative and creative thinkers in the church that are wrestling with how to follow the Spirit in a moment in which almost nothing has remained stable. The group often considers the role of chaos and order and how those two…
On the evening of January 5, we gathered to celebrate our titular feast day. We gathered to celebrate The Epiphany that is recounted in scripture, and we gathered to celebrate the final scene that is almost always associated with the Christmas creche, although it likely was sometime after the birth of Christ that the magi appeared to see the Christ child. We gathered to celebrate the fact that these strangers from a far away land make a journey to Bethlehem…
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!