Joining

It’s probably fair to say that formally joining a church, or any organization for that matter, has gone out of style.  Joining speaks of commitment for the long term; through ups-and-downs and thick and thin.  Many of us have been burned too many times to find that an attractive proposition.  

If that describes you, I understand. It is part of the reason we don't focus a lot on formal membership at Epiphany.  At the same time, following Jesus is something we do together.  It necessarily involves commitment, and, if I may use the word, membership in a specific body of Christians in a specific place.  There is a wonderful description of a conversion in Augustine of Hippo’s 4th century autobiography, The Confessions.  He describes how a Roman philosopher named Victorinus slowly became convinced that Christianity was true.  He would even joke to his Christian friend Simplicianus (man, I love Roman names), “I think that I am now a Christian.”  But Simplicianus would have none of it. He would laughingly reply, “unless I see you in the Church of Christ I won’t count you among the Christians.”

To make a long story short, one day Victorinus got serious and said to Simplicianus, “take me to church, I want to be a Christian.”  Augustine ends his story saying “Rome wondered and the church celebrated!”

Friends, our new bishop, the Rt. Rev. Chris Warner, is coming to Epiphany for the first time on Sunday, March 17.  When he is here, he will be receiving anyone into the Anglican Church who is ready to take that step.  Reception is appropriate for those who have an adult faith, and have not already been baptized or confirmed in an Anglican Church. It is also necessary for many leadership positions at Epiphany.  Reception does not invalidate or speak against your life as a Christian in the past.  It marks a formal and public decision to be part of the Anglican way of Christianity now.  It includes a brief prayer for the Holy Spirit’s presence with you and help for you in your journey of faith.  Bishop Chris is also more than happy to lay hands and briefly pray for anyone who would like to publicly reaffirm their faith.

If being received or having your faith reaffirmed is a step you would like to take, please send me a note (pfrank@epiphanyanglican.net).  I would love to have a conversation with you about it in the next couple of weeks.

P.S. Repeating from last week - If you are interested in a way to get more prayer and Bible reading into your life this Lent but aren't sure where to begin, one option is an app you can download on your smartphone called "The Daily Office (iOS link)." Just search for it in the App Store/Google Play. It provides the daily prayers and readings that Anglicans use each morning and evening without requiring a lot of flipping pages in a Bible or a Book of Common Prayer. It's free! (Yes, I know, Anglicans have weird names for things. If you are curious about why our prayer app is called "The Daily Office," catch me during coffee hour).

Final Week: 50 Signed-Up for Dementia 

and Christian Hope Retreat March 2-3

Epiphany will be hosting a congregational weekend focused on the theological and clinical realities of dementia March 2-3. We have more than 50 signed-up and have room for about 20 more people. If you are planning on coming. Please sign up now so we can plan appropriately.  Our speakers are Dr. Karen Scandrett, a geriatrician at UPMC, and associate professor of geriatrics at the University of Pittsburgh, and the Rev. Dr. Joel Scandrett, associate professor of historical theology at Trinity School for Ministry. Together, we will explore the medical and spiritual realities of dementia. There will be time for questions.  Please sign-up here.  If you would like to sign up but need assistance, please contact Mtr. Pamela (pmeeks@epiphanyanglican.net).

"Spirits in Prison"

We faced some audio quality issues as we transitioned to a new livestream provider this past Sunday, so you may need to listen a bit harder than usual to this week's sermon recording. At the same time, it's worth it!

Altar Guild, Lay Eucharistic Minister,

and Lector Training Feb. 24

Are you interested in learning more about what our lay ministries (Altar Guild, Lay Eucharistic Ministers, and Lectors) do?  Maybe you are considering joining one of those ministries?  If so, please join the members of the Altar Guild, LEMs and Lectors for an orientation / training session on Saturday morning, February 24.  A SUMPTUOUS LUNCH will be provided after the training.  So please join us at 9:30am on February 24. If you would like to attend and didn't get a chance to sign up at church, please send Margaret Stromberg an email.

Livestream is now on Youtube:  

Audio Issues Fixed

We successfully transitioned to YouTube for our Sunday livestream last week. The video looked great, but there was an audio-quality issue that took some time for our livestream crew to figure out. The good news is that it was a temporary problem and they fixed it, as they always do.

If you view live streamed events by going to the church’s website and clicking on the “Livestream” link on the top, then continue to do that. If you currently receive email notifications of events that are about to start and click on the link in the email to go to the event, then you will have to register again by sending an email with your name and email address to EpiphanyAnglicanAV@gmail.com. Set the Subject to “Register me for live stream events”. If you go directly to our livestream page, you will need to go to https://www.youtube.com/@EpiphanyVideo. If you have any questions about this change, please send an email to EpiphanyAnglicanAV@gmail.com.  

Food Donations for

Coates Elementary Food Due March 3

Remember nothing with nuts, thank you. We have a special need for lunches and dinners that will fit in a one gallon bag. Bring donations of individual items or packed gallon bags by Sunday, March 3 for our next delivery. If you’re not sure what is needed, pick up a list of suggested items on the Coates donation container by the receptionist’s desk or contact Sally Eckard (sseckard@verizon.net) or Bea Long (bduquelong@gmail.com). 

This Week At Epiphany

Church of the Epiphany | 3863 Centerview Drive | 703-481-8601

www.epiphanyanglican.net

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