Family Newsletter:

Week of October 16, 2022

Family Calendar

Sun, Oct 16 : 10:00am : Church School (Storymakers & Godly Play)

Sun, Oct 16 : 10:00am : In-Gathering Sunday & Worship

Sun, Oct 16 : 11:15am : Ciderfest Fall Celebration (Hadley Hall)

Sun, Oct 16 : 5:00pm : Word & Table Evening Worship Service

Wed, Oct 19 : 5:15pm : Choristers Rehearsal (choir for grades 2-8)

Wed, Oct 19 : 6:15pm : Midweek Dinner and Formation

Sun, Oct 23 : 10:00am : Church School

Sun, Oct 23 : 6:30-8:30pm : Youth Spooky Tunnels & Tour

Dear families,

This is a very fun Sunday coming up! Every fall we celebrate the season with our annual Ciderfest. Please join us after worship in Hadley Hall for fresh cider donuts, apple cider, and fellowship.

When you arrive for the 10am service of worship, children preschool through 1st or 2nd grade can come right up to Godly Play Church School in Upper Parish Hall, a few minutes before 10am; older elementary children can come to the Library (aka Suter Room) in the back of Hadley Hall for Storymakers Church School. (Kids, you'll have a fun Ciderfest job before we start our lesson this week!)

This Sunday is also In-Gathering Sunday, which is the culmination of our Parish Stewardship Campaign. I've always loved the beauty of this Sunday--the acts of our promising to plan, and support, and do ministry together in the coming year. I'm very aware that every crayon I buy, curriculum I select, or paper I photocopy is funded through parish Stewardship. I'm doubly (triply!) aware that every co-teacher I rely on is giving their time and talent to this community, and doing the work Jesus set out for his disciples in this world. Thank you, thank you, thank you!

Peace,

Bryn

Extremely cute new friend at the Blessing of the Animals, 2 October 2022.

Midweek: Dinner and Formation This Wednesday, October 19

Midweek @ Epiphany is our bi-monthly Wednesday evening program. We have a wonderful, home-cooked meal together (thanks to Duane and his stellar team of cooks) at 6:15pm. At 7:00pm adults join a Bible study with Rev. Nick; youth join Janelle; and kids join Jeremy and Bryn for a quick half hour of music and art-based faith learning. We always wrap up promptly at 7:30pm.

This week's menu is:

Corn Chowder
Roast Pork
Rice Pilaf
Salad
Pizza
Smores Bars

To help with Midweek dinners (cooking, shopping, prepping, serving, cleaning) please sign up here.

Bryn and Jeremy always need an extra set of hands to help with the children. Please email Bryn if you can spend one Wednesday evening (7-7:30) with us!

Our next Midweeks are: October 19, November 2, November 16, and December 7.

Epiphany Tunnels/Clock Tower Spooky
Ice Cream Party

It has been a rite of passage over generations for youth to explore the tunnels and clock tower at Epiphany. Join us on Sunday, October 23 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm for some fun and ice cream! Please RSVP to Janelle.

Stewardship Ingathering and Celebration

This Sunday, October 16, we will celebrate the ingathering of our pledges at all three services. A month ago, we kicked off our Living Faith & Life Together Campaign, asking each of us to join in supporting the ministry and vision of our parish by pledging our financial contribution for 2023. Our campaign goal is to increase overall pledges by 15.7% to $1.2 million and to increase the total number of pledges by 38 from 212 to 250. The increase will help support ministries and initiatives such as Midweek, Word and Table and welcoming Janelle Hiroshige as our Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships.

As of Tuesday October 11, pledges total $448,326 which represent pledges from 78 families, including 8 new pledges and an aggregate 5.2% increase from those who have submitted their pledge.

If you have not yet submitted your pledge, please complete it online this week or bring your pledge card on Sunday to bring to the altar when you come to receive communion. For those who have pledged already, there will be cards available at the back of the church so that you can participate in physically presenting your pledge at the offering.

Join us in Hadley Hall and the Cloister Garden for Ciderfest to celebrate our commitment to moving forward in living our faith and life together.

Word & Table: 5:00 PM Worship Service This Sunday

Our new worship service on the third Sunday of each month is this Sunday, October 16, at 5:00 pm. Please join us in Hadley Hall. This casual, contemporary, and creative service is be based on our familiar Episcopal liturgy as we explore an ancient and modern worship experience. We hope this service will engage those new to or familiar with our tradition.

What Is Stewardship & What Is Pledging?

Our 2023 Stewardship Campaign, “Living Faith & Life Together,” culminates on Ingathering Sunday on October 16. For many, this is a familiar part of the rhythm of our fall, but for some of us it is either new, or not yet a part of our personal financial stewardship.

Our life as a parish is funded by the pledges of each one of us, and our pledge is an integral part of our participation in Epiphany’s life and mission. This is Stewardship. What we do here is provided by the pledges of our members. Program materials (from bulletins to coffee to outreach funds for the vulnerable in the communities around us), staff salaries, and paying our heating & electric bills: all funded by the financial support (aka pledges) of each of you.

We invite you to step into this critical aspect of our loving ministry to one another, of our community life together and of our Christian ministry to the communities around us.

Our $1.2 million campaign goal represents a 15.7% increase over 2022’s pledges, and this increase supports our growing ministries and staff, such as Midweek, Sunday evening services, and the hiring of our wonderful new Associate for Youth and Community Partnerships. We encourage first time pledges of any amount. Epiphany has annual pledges of $100 and others that exceed $25,000. In this Parish, every pledge is valued and important.

Please contact anyone on the Stewardship Committee (stewardship@3crowns.org) if you’d like to talk about pledges or if you have any questions.

Church School: Parent Helpers Needed

We ask each family with children in Church School to have a grown up (parent, grandparent, aunt/uncle) volunteer with us at least one Sunday per trimester to help support our classes.

Please choose your Sunday HERE. Thank you!

This is a great opportunity to be with your child and see what they are learning, and it helps our amazing Children's Ministry volunteer team to keep our classes supported and running smoothly.

Church School Class Levels

Our two classes--Godly Play and Storymakers--are roughly broken into two age groups, preschoolers through first graders, and second through fifth graders. However, Godly Play is a great program that children of many ages enjoy.

If you have a second grader, please feel welcome to choose either class. Godly Play is a quieter, more choice-based experience. Storymakers is a classroom with a lot of collaboration and energy. Please reach out to Bryn if you'd like to talk more specifically about which class might be the best fit for your second (or even third) grader.

Church School Registration

If you haven't registered your children for Church School, please take a quick minute to do so. This gives us important information like allergies and opting into (or out of) photo permissions. We re-register each year to keep our information current. Thank you!

Church School Registration

Upcoming Youth Events

Please mark your calendars for the following upcoming youth activities!

October 23: Epiphany Tunnels/Clock Tower Spooky Ice-Cream Party, 6:30 - 8:30 pm
November 5: Board Game Night, 7:00 - 9:00 pm
December 9: Christmas Movie Night, 7:00 - 9:00 pm

Choristers: This Wednesday Evening

The Chorister choir program at Epiphany is for children entering grades 2-8. Our weekly rehearsals are on Wednesdays from 5:15-6:15pm (a snack and optional skills session will also be offered from 6:15-7:00pm on many Wednesdays). Children will receive professional music theory and vocal training, and will sing in church monthly (on First Sundays).

This program isn’t just for Epiphany parishioners—children are welcome and encouraged to bring friends along to try out the program. It is perfectly acceptable to try out the program for a few weeks without committing to the entire season. Please reach out to Jeremy Bruns, Director of Music & Organist at jbruns@3crowns.org with any questions.