All baptized Christians are ministers; all baptized Christians
do ministry. The Book of Common Prayer states “the
ministry of lay persons is to represent Christ and his Church;
to bear witness to him wherever they may be; and, according
to the gifts given them, to carry on Christ’s work
of reconciliation in the world; and to take their place
in the life, worship and governance of the Church…
The duty of all Christians is to follow Christ; to come
together week by week for corporate worship; and to work,
pray, and give for the spread of the kingdom of God.”
When I think of all of the ministries and ministers that
make up the parish of Epiphany people, I am always excited
that, through our ministries, we are actually working with
Christ, and, as ministers, we are learning how better “to
bear witness to Christ in the world.”
We proclaim our faith in Jesus Christ when we do Christ’s
ministry. Whether it be sharing a meal with the poor or
assisting in the worship of God’s people or being
with someone in need of pastoral care or participating in
any kind of activity that, for us, springs from the life
of Jesus, we are with Christ in that work; we are Christ’s
hands and heart in this world; we are stretching out the
healing hands of Christ. We are placing ourselves in the
presence of Jesus, because we yearn to be near the well
of our faith and the source of all truth. Doing ministry
is a faith thing.
Doing ministry is also a service thing. A parish is a
faith community in which ministers not only express their
faith in God and their love for each other, but also learn
how better “to carry on Christ’s work of reconciliation
in the world.” Jesus called twelve disciples together
so that he could teach them the faith within a community,
but the set of Twelve was a means, not an end. They were
called to learn so that they could serve others. The same
is true for us ministers. We are called into a faith community,
so that we can learn more about serving the needs of the
world and taking the message of Christ into the world.
As we do Christian ministry, we are very close to God.
As we ministers come together in community, we learn more
about ministering to all God’s people.
Randolph Charles, Rector
Ministry Teams
The primary unit in our leadership structure is the ministry team, which is the term we are now using instead of committees, task forces, or working groups. A ministry team is comprised of 1 leader, 4 members, and 1 staff person. The term of the leader is 2 years and the term of members is 1 year, with the possibility of extensions if so called. Ministry teams have regular meetings and provide quarterly reports to the vestry. The ministry team has complete responsibility for its ministry and is funded by the vestry. Ministry teams develop and oversee ministries in response to the Parish Mission Statement, work to build up the faith community, listen to God for guidance, and provide leadership for the parish. Listed below is the current list of Epiphany ministry teams:
Christian Formation Ministry Teams: Arts and Religion, Education, Environmental Stewardship, Discernment, Gospel Art!, Financial Stewardship, Worship
Community and Care Ministry Teams: Come and See, Communications, Diversity, Hospitality, Pastoral Care, 20s/30s, Website
Service and Justice Ministry Teams: Downtown, Outreach, Street Church, Welcome Table
Resource Ministry Teams: Community Funding, Finance, Performance Center, Property, Renovation
All Ministries
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