Epiphany News

A. SUNDAY SERVICES
Worship of God—Father, Son, and Holy Spirit—is the central focus of our parish church. We gather each Sunday morning at 10:30 am for Holy Eucharist using the Book of Common Prayer and the 1982 Hymnal. When Father Wells is away, we read Morning Prayer.

B. . OTHER WORSHIP
There are special services and events throughout the church year, as well. Epiphany Sunday is a time for festive worship, the all member meeting, and a potluck luncheon in the Little House. We also celebrate the Transfiguration, the Presentation, All Saints, Saint Francis of Assisi, Christ the King, Christmas Eve, Pentecost, Palm
Sunday, Maundy Thursday, and Easter Day with joy. We observe Ash Wednesday and Good Friday with appropriate solemnity. In 2016, we have celebrated two marriages and buried six members of the congregation.

C. WORK OF THE PEOPLE
Our parish church is blessed with an active laity, people who are willing and able to assist in worship as ushers, lay readers, lay Eucharistic ministers, stewards, and musicians. Our altar guild also does a wonderful job. All this good work is organized by Lee Borden and available on the church web site.

D. LITURGY AND MUSIC
The Episcopal Church of the Epiphany is a healthy parish church of about 60 baptized members. We stand firmly in the Anglican tradition of “Broad Church,” a middle way between severe evangelicalism and extreme ritualism. We have wonderful music, thanks to our pianist and violinist, Esther Hart; and the fine voices of our congregational singing. For the past three years, Epiphany has sponsored “Handel’s Messiah,” a community event welcoming area singers and musicians to take part in a Sunday afternoon concert in the Season of Advent.

E. FUTURE NEEDS
We have a grand piano which is kept in good condition and tuned regularly. There is no identified need for other instruments besides the violin of Esther Hart and the stringed instruments of our congregation for Saint Francis’s outdoor bluegrass eucharist, held in concert with the “Blessing of the Animals.”

Respectfully submitted,
The Rev. Dr. John Wells Warren, Priest

Most of our Sunday School lessons have been taught either by Father Wells or by church members. Most lessons are discussion format. They begin at 9:30 am and are usually complete by 10:15 or so.

This year, for the first time, we have begun tracking attendance at Sunday School. Attendance has ranged from a low of six persons to a high of 14. You can see the attendance at Sunday School each week here on Epiphany’s web site.

The vestry member responsible for education will be rotating off the vestry this year, so leadership of education will shift to a new person.

Respectfully submitted,
Lee Borden

What a delightful Epiphany we had Sunday! Great worship, beautiful music, delicious food and wine, and an inspiring churchwide meeting. Epiphany is a fun place to be!

Our ministries are organized using the SWEEPS acronym: Service, Worship, Evangelism, Education, Pastoral Care, and Stewardship. So far we have written reports to post for the following ministries:

• Worship
• Evangelism
• Education
• A special report from Amanda Borden dealing with our recycling

We’ll add other reports as we receive them.

Here’s the Evangelism Report for 2016. Thanks, Hugh!

A. GREETERS/USHERS
The Greeters and Ushers are doing an excellent job in welcoming everyone and are extremely helpful in getting the very important contact information for visitors so that we can follow up with emails. As a result, we have been able to prepare a Church Photo Directory of the Epiphany Family with the outstanding efforts of Elizabeth Harbor. What we need now is a very nice, small handout that visitors can take home to remind them of what a great little church we are.
B. MUSIC SUPPORT
Esther Hart is an outstanding pianist and violinist. From her preludes, the hymns that we sing, and her closing postludes, she makes Epiphany a wonderful place to worship!
C. NEWCOMERS
We do an outstanding job in welcoming and embracing newcomers. Father Wells sets the standard. He knows your name from your initial introduction to communion; he knows your name forever! The congregation follows his standard and it is like the old TV Show Cheers “Everybody Knows Your Name”! Keep up the good work!
D. PARISH CONNECTIONS
The special church dinners prepared by the ladies and men of the church are always wonderful and enjoyable. Foyer Dinners and House Blessings have been wonderful this year! These are special events in our church life and are a wonderful time to connect more closely with our church family. Hopefully they will continue! Lee Borden does a great job with the Epiphany Website, and everyone is encouraged to view the website weekly and proved updates and suggestions to him.
E. EVENT EVANGELISM
The Annual Blessing of the Animal Service and Handel’s Messiah were the two annual events that we held this year. The Vestry discussed a number of ideas and proposals for event evangelism this year, but no actions were taken or adopted.
F. FUTURE NEEDS
We need significant improvement in our efforts for Church growth! We need more members, including younger families. This includes having the ability to offer nursery care for small children, vacation bible school in summers, etc. We need a dedicated budget for this area. Our goal should be to have, within 2-3 years, more families in Church service on Sunday morning than we have on Saturdays for Beans and Rice. The Congregation’s support and suggestions are needed and welcomed!
Respectfully Submitted,
Hugh Thompson, Vestry Member

Each week during worship, we remember other churches and ministries of the Episcopal Church within the Alabama Diocese. Those names are provided to us by the diocese as part of a Cycle of Prayer. Over the course of a year, we will pray for every Episcopal church and ministry in Alabama.

It only stands to reason, then, that once a year, everybody else must be praying for us. And this is the week, corresponding with Epiphany, naturally.

On Sunday, Episcopalians around Alabama will be praying for our parish right here in Tallassee, along with Epiphany in Guntersville and Epiphany in Leeds. And yes, about half of them will call our little town Tallahassee, but we think God understands.

Nobody does Epiphany quite the way Epiphany does. And why not? It’s what we’re all about. We won’t have Sunday School on January 8. Instead, we’ll all be putting the final touches on the delicious dishes we’ll be bringing to church to share. Father Wells will celebrate a Festival Holy Eucharist at 10:30 am, as we mark one of the oldest holidays in the liturgical year. Then we head to the Little House together.

Epiphany means “to be made manifest,” and it honors the manifestation of Jesus to Simeon in the temple as the “light to the Gentiles” and the “glory of Israel.” Luke 2:28-32. Epiphany also recognizes the end of the 12 days of Christmas and the journey of the magi to worship the newborn Christ child.

At the Episcopal Church of the Epiphany, we believe Epiphany is about breakthrough moments when we humans become aware of the closeness of God, the glory of Jesus, and the divine purpose God has for our life and ministry right here in Tallassee. So when we celebrate Epiphany, we gather as a church and celebrate the year just ended and our plans for the year to come. We will elect new members to serve on the vestry for the coming year. Naturally, though, being after all Episcopalians, we will feast. We will share the bounty from our kitchens in a delicious meal to which we all contribute.

Come join us. The centerpiece is lasagna, salad, and bread. Bring a side dish, and maybe a bottle of wine to share. You don’t want to miss this!

Here at Epiphany, Christmas didn’t get started until our Christmas Eve service Saturday night. That time between Thanksgiving and December 24 – that’s not Christmas; that’s Advent!

Now that Christmas is here, we have no intention of cutting it short. On January 1, 2017, we’ll have a Service of Readings and Carols at 10:30 am. No Sunday School.

On January 8, we’ll celebrate our name with a Festival Holy Eucharist marking the beginning of the season of Epiphany. After the service, we invite everyone to adjourn to the Little House for a covered dish lunch and our annual churchwide meeting. Come see what Christmas is really about!

Join us on Sunday, June 5 as we welcome The Rt Rev Santosh Marray, Assistant Bishop of the Alabama Diocese of the Episcopal Church. Bishop Santosh will have an informal conversation with church members in the nave beginning at 9:30 am and will celebrate the Holy Eucharist at 10:30 am. The worship service will include time for the Sacrament of Confirmation, welcoming new members to the Episcopal Church.

He has served five dioceses (Guyana, Bahamas, Florida, Seychelles and East Carolina) including three provinces of the Anglican Communion (West Indies, The Episcopal Church and Indian Ocean). Prior to his call to be the Assistant Bishop of Alabama, he served as Bishop Assisting in the Diocese of East Carolina. Marray first episcopate was Bishop of the Anglican Diocese of Seychelles, Province of the Indian Ocean. He was elected to the episcopate in February 2005 while serving as Rector, St. Philip’s Episcopal Church, Jacksonville, Florida, under The Right Rev. S. John Howard, Bishop of Florida.

Bishop Santosh holds a Diploma in Pastoral Studies and Bachelor of Arts in Theology (Magna Cum Laude) from Codrington Theological College and University of the West Indies, Barbados; Master of Sacred Theology in Christian Spirituality, General Theological Seminary, NY; Master of Law in Canon Law, University of Wales, UK; Doctor of Ministry, Colgate Rochester Divinity/Bexley Hall Episcopal Seminary, Rochester, NY. In 2008 he was awarded a Doctor of Divinity from Bexley Hall Seminary, Ohio, for work in church growth and renewal and involvement in the wider Anglican Communion

He and his wife, Nalini, have two children, Ingram and Veronica Amanda, daughter-in-law, Tenille and granddaughter Arianna Elizabeth Amanda. Nalini has over thirty-eight years in the teaching profession.

Our season of Lent begins Wednesday, February 10 at 9:00 am as we observe the Solemn Liturgy and Imposition of Ashes of Ash Wednesday.

During this season of preparation, we will avoid the “A word” (Alleluia) and undertake a journey that carries the promise of an Easter to come. Our worship and service music during Lent will sound in the ancient language of Rite I.

We wish Wells, Leigh, Jimmy, Betty, Jere and Pam a great weekend as they represent us at the convention of the Alabama Diocese at Camp McDowell, “God’s Backyard.” You can read all about the convention on the Alabama Diocese web site.

While they’re away, Senior Warden Mike Harber will lead us in Morning Prayer at 10:30, and we’ll adjourn to the Little House afterward for refreshments. There will be no Sunday School this week.