“I still remember that sense of
serenity walking to my office from the church … feeling
a part of a new community, as well as a part of the body
of Christ.”
Epiphany has been a refuge for me since I first visited
on Ash Wednesday in 1999. I had recently started a job in
the downtown area after going through an unexpected lay-off.
I would spend some lunch hours checking out my new work
neighborhood. One day I noticed the sign in front of Epiphany,
listing services. The short noon service seemed like a nice
idea.
It took awhile though, maybe a month and a half, before
my first visit on Ash Wednesday. My usual church is out
in the suburbs, so it was not possible to attend that morning.
There weren’t many people at the simple morning service
in Epiphany, but the sense of comfort was strong. Coming
into Epiphany gave me a sense of place, especially important
as I had started working in a new place and didn’t
know anyone. I still remember that sense of serenity walking
to my office from the church that morning, feeling a part
of a new community, as well as a part of the body of Christ.
I began visiting Epiphany on other days, at least once
a week. The different themes were appealing: contemplative
prayer follows the Monday service, while Wednesday is a
healing service. I went to the concert a few times on Tuesdays.
I have attended some sessions of the study groups that are
held on Thursdays and really enjoy the discussions.
One of the things I like the most about Epiphany is its
location – downtown, close to work. It allows me to
put some balance into my life during an otherwise often
stressful workday in a way that simply praying at my desk
does not accomplish. The symbolism in the healing service
is strong and I feel I return to whatever my task is, with
a renewed spirit.
Epiphany was especially important to me recently, after
the terrorist attacks on Sept. 11. Our office closed that
morning and I made my way home, shocked like everyone else.
We were back at work the next day and downtown Washington
was like a ghost town. At the noon service, though, there
were at least 40 people, about three times the size of a
normal Wednesday service. We drew together for comfort,
in community, in this refuge, and prayed. It reminds me
of the verse in Psalms 46:1 - “God is our refuge and
strength, a very present help in trouble.”
Dee NaQuin-Shafer, Weekday Associate,
now Parishioner
“…the only ones among you
who will be really happy are those who have sought and found
how to serve."
I have never found it very easy to tell personal "ministry
stories." Like many of the things I end up doing at
church, it proves to be more challenging initially than
I had expected when I first said "yes." It forces
me to come to grips with what is real for me about my involvement
in ministry. But, also like other things I've done, it also
seems to help me grow into another area of my life in Christ.
It calls me out of my comfort zone.
At Epiphany, I have sought (or have been sought!) and have
found ways to serve - at The Welcome Table, as an usher
and lector, as an adult education leader, as Stewardship
chair and as a vestry member and warden. All of these activities
have been growth-full. Being with the poor, talking about
my faith, examining my own stewardship values (and asking
others to do the same) and struggling with issues of leadership
in troubled times with troubled people - all these have
helped me to open myself to new possibilities and to be
more of the person that I think God is calling me to be.
Most have stretched me, but each has proved to be a rewarding
form of service and ministry in its own way. Each has also
brought me into relationships with other people that I might
not otherwise have had the chance to get to know or learn
from.
On the wall of my office is a Peace Corps recruitment
poster from the 70's which I have always liked. Quoting
Albert Schweitzer, it says, "I don't know what your
destiny will be, but one thing I know, the only ones among
you who will be really happy are those who have sought and
found how to serve." This has always had a ring of
truth in my life and in the lives of those around me. It
certainly reflects my experience at Epiphany.
David Downes, Past Senior Warden
“People are saying that our world
has changed since September 11th… I hear these thoughts,
open my journal, look toward the icon, and pray.”
Last year, I attended a class at Epiphany on icons and
prayer. The class lasted 45 minutes, but I have spent hours
reflecting on the class in the weeks and months that followed.
Even today, I think back to the class and look to the page
in my journal where I pasted the 25-cent icon given to me
that day. People are saying that our world has changed since
September 11th. They say it will never be the same. I hear
these thoughts, open my journal, look toward the icon and
pray.
During the class I learned that when you pray with an icon
you are not to simply look at the image and reflect. Rather
you are to look through the image, as if it were a window,
to God. At the same time, reflect on the idea that God is
looking back at you. Out teacher gave each of us an icon
with which to pray. Some were replicas of paintings, some
were portrayed on wood, others seemed little more than borrowed
clip art from Microsoft Word. They were all images either
drawn, carved or painted on a flat surface. I have wondered
if the definition of icon could be expanded. Madeleine L’
Engle writes in her book Penguins and Golden Calves, “Whatever
is an open door to God is, for me, an icon.” If we
were to use this non-traditional definition, what else could
be an icon? Would it be a story? An image of an individual?
A child in Afghanistan whose future is not assured?
I didn’t learn all there was to know about icons
in that one class at Epiphany, but I was introduced to a
concept and method which has informed my prayers ever since.
And, as I reflect on what has happened in the last seven
weeks, I wonder if truly our world has changed that dramatically?
The icon in my journal shows Christ with his head slumped
over - his chin resting on his chest. I see in that image
the violence, pain and suffering he endured.
What would happen if we were to look at our current “enemy”
as if the image of our enemy was an icon? We would feel
vulnerable. We would probably ask why on earth would we
ever do such a thing!! But by simply doing so, our relationships,
perspectives and intentions may also be transformed. We
will for a moment in prayer walk in another’s shoes.
We may step through a door and into a new and unfamiliar
reality… remembering always that the door through
which we carried ourselves is a door into the sacred.
Robin Gulick, Past Vestry Member
“…"Taking stewardship very
seriously …making a commitment to the community, no
matter what. I view it as unconditional love, being in it
for the long haul.”
I know it is hard to imagine by some that accounting could
be viewed as a ministry. I know many that think the only
way to “stomach” the work would be to view it
as a ministry. Why else would anyone want to spend hours
trying to get things to balance and add up? Well I love
doing it and I view it as my ministry. This ministry certainly
has blessed me since coming to The Church of the Epiphany.
In the course of my day here, I get to see how God works
to further his kingdom, through the stewardship of members,
and non-members. I’ll give you an example of two cases.
Take for instance, Mr. James Green. Since around 1951, when
Mr. Green passed away, Epiphany has been receiving a monthly
check from a trust fund set up by him some 50 years ago.
Now that is "Taking stewardship very seriously as well as
making a commitment, not based on who is preaching the sermons,
or who is a member of Epiphany, or what the music is like,
but making a commitment to the community, no matter what.
I view it as unconditional love, being in it for the long
haul.
Then there was Marcia Kramer, a woman who asked nothing
in return for her stewardship, but gave it quietly and without
any attention to herself. After all, how can too much attention
be showered on someone when they are not even known to the
community until after their death?
But, what keeps me coming to work at Epiphany is the generosity
of time that so many people give. The Welcome Table, the
counters, the pledge recorder, the devotion of the staff,
the Tuesday Concert Series, all the richness of what makes
Epiphany God’s place, is what touches me every day
that I am here. I thank you all for being here and ministering
to me.
Emily van Loon, Past Parish Accountant
|
