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October 2018 The Monthly Message 1805 38th Avenue, Seale, WA 98122 | 206-324-2573 | www.epiphanyseale.org
October 2018
The Monthly Message
1805 38th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122 | 206-324-2573 | www.epiphanyseattle.org
October 2018
A Letter from The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr. What is Happening at Epiphany...An Interview with Natalie Johnson, InternLectionary Readings for OctoberAdult Formation CalendarTotal Transformation of the Heart by Natalie JohnsonMore than Bowling and Pizza by Naomi WoodrumPrayer and Birthday ListFlower MinistryHiking GroupEpiphany Seattle Music GuildUpcoming EventsStaff and Personell Index
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The Monthly Message
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Contents
A Call Upon Your Life
Dear Epiphany,
I have been energized by the EP3 conversations we, as a parish, have been participating in these last few months. By now, over 100 people have considered questions about how we invite and welcome people to Epiphany. The emphasis of this broader engagement and more intentional integration has to do, specifically, with the state of the world we see around us. Broken. Divided. Rife with isolation. Mean. Scary. Escalating rates of bullying, addiction, and even suicide. Something is needed and longed for in response to this situation. I believe the answer can be found here at Epiphany. I believe the neighborhood church is the hope of the world, and how we meet the world, invite people in, and introduce them to the spiritual Way of Jesus matters.
Five hundred years ago, as the plague raged across Europe, those who had opportunity streamed out of the city to take refuge at their country estates. And as they fled they passed Christians walking with intent into these urban jungles of death, to care for the sick; to bury the dead; to raise the orphans. Many of these Christian saints died. But their legacy was more than the good works of the moment; by their example they taught those left behind how to care for the sick, the importance of burying the dead, and the necessity of taking in and raising the next generation to be fearless, or, even more, to be loving.
Loving! Love! Agape! Are we willing to be more loving than we are to be afraid? Are we more willing to reach out than we are to hunker down? Our crisis is a plague. It is a spiritual plague, and the only possible remedy to a spiritual malady is spiritual therapy. Epiphany was made to be a spiritual center of gravity for this neighborhood and this city. We are a gym for the human spirit, and a hospital for the human soul.
And so inviting and welcoming matter, not to increase our parish numbers, but to train people to become, habitually, the kind of people who respond to the world as Jesus hopes they would. Moreover, the Jesus lifestyle is one designed to be in sync with the world as God designed it. The Jesus lifestyle is a nice to have within the walls of the church, but it is a critical need in the world outside the walls of the church. We come here to Epiphany to train, we go out to transform.
We are doing a better and better job, I hope, of organizing our educational offerings to enable each of us to find the particular spiritual exercise that gives us both a sense of wholeness and a sense of peace, while also aligning us with an action plan for tending the spiritual ill beyond our walls. EP3 is our code word for this work, and I am grateful for your responsiveness to God’s call upon our common life.
Doyt+
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Bring a Pumpkinto Church
Help YWCA Shelter Kids have a fun Halloween.
Please bring donations of pumpkins, carving sets, candy, and/or costumes to church by Sunday October 21.
Collection bins will be outside the Fireside Room beginning the first week in October.
Thank You
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Epiphany SeattleAdult Formation
October 2018
What is Happening in Adult Formation for the month of October…
This month in Adult Formation I trust you will find programs that will meet you wherever you are on your spiritual journey. In October, we continue the journey into the Renovare Devotional Classics in the Spiritual Formation track (Sundays at 10 am in the Great Hall) with a focus on the Contemplative Tradition. As Doyt explained in last month’s launch of this series, Renovare identifies six Christian spiritual traditions: the Contemplative Tradition (the prayer-filled life); the Holiness Tradition (the virtuous life); the Charismatic Tradition (the spirit-empowered life); the Evangelical Tradition (the word-centered life); the Social Justice Tradition (the compassionate life); and the Incarnational Tradition (the sacramental life). Each of these traditions developed over the course of church history, but they all emanate from Jesus’ life and teachings. Each speaks to an aspect of Christian life, but together they form an integral approach to Christianity. A healthy Christian spirituality requires an integrated balance of all six traditions. In October, to assist our study of the Contemplative Tradition (prayer), we will be using devotionals taken from the writings of Thomas Merton and Martin Luther. The devotionals are in the book Devotional Classics, but you will also find them in the Narthex for you to take the week before the forum, or you can just send me an email at [email protected] and I will send you a copy.
In the Christian Formation track (Sundays at 10 am in the Upper Room), the Rev. Peter Strimer continues his series on Anglican tradition with classes on the Book of Common Prayer, followed by a study of the Eucharist (the first in a series looking at the Sacraments). These classes are developed for people who are new to the Episcopal church or for those who want a refresher on the elements of Anglicanism.
Over in the Town Hall track (Sundays at 10 am in the Parish Garden Room), two very pertinent topics to any parent with young kids at home will be offered. The first is on "Kids and Money: Raising Financially Responsible Children" (what parent doesn’t want that!), and the second is "iGods – How Technology Shapes Our Lives." A third Town Hall forum this month is for those of us who are dealing not with our kids but with our own lives as we approach retirement. This class, "Retire Inspired," addresses the emotional and psychological challenges we face when looking at retirement, rather than financial concerns. Be sure to invite your friends and neighbors to the Town Hall forums.
New this month in the Monthly Message, a regular feature will commence. Natalie Johnson (the parish’s intern) will be writing essays about spiritual formation and practices. At the end of this section, I have included an interview with Natalie to help you get to know her and how she is bringing a very special resource to the parish.
Thank you for your continued support and interest in these programs. Please don’t hesitate to contact me if you have any ideas for a class, something that you would like to see published in the Monthly Message, or if you simply have a question about any of the content used in these programs.
Cheers!Steve
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What Epiphany is reading…THE SPIRIT OF THE DISCIPLINES
By Dallas Willard
I am rereading Dallas Willard’s The Spirit of the Disciplines. I highly recommend it. I have stepped back into this book as a way of re-committing myself to the spiritual exercises. What I find is that, for me, a pattern of prayer, fasting, and study opens my eyes to God’s grace and love. The friendship between grace and the spiritual ex-ercises is analogous to doing charity work overseas. I have experienced, and heard others agree, that when doing good works for those who live in desolate and im-poverished circumstances, the doer of these works comes away saying, “I think I got more out of that than I gave.” Indeed. The spiritual exercises work the same way. We do the exercises and, as we do, we find that through them we become more aware of God’s expansive grace. The exercises open our eyes to the even greater grace that
God avails upon us. The exercises open our “eyes to see” and our “ears to hear.”
And so I return to The Spirit of the Disciplines to improve my seeing and hearing. I invite you to pick up this book and join me.
Doyt+
What Epiphany is watching…Search on YouTube: What Makes a Good Life – Lessons from the longest study on happiness
What Epiphany is listening to…Search on Google: The Moral World in Dark Times: Hannah Arendt for Now
Monthly Taizé Service | Tuesday | October 16 | 8 pm | ChapelJoin this peaceful prayer service in the candlelit Chapel. Taizé music is beautiful, simple, repetitive chant sung as a prayer. We sing with the help of a piano and a cantor, say a few prayers, and sit together in a period of silence in the middle of the service. Some people sing and others just rest in the beauty of the experience.
A Spa Treatment for the Soul
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An Interview with Natalie Johnson, Internby Steve Clemons
Instead of a personal story for the “Once Upon a Time” column in the Monthly Message, Steve Clemons (SC)interviewed Natalie Johnson (NJ), who wrote an essay for this publication titled “Total Transformation of the Heart.” Please be sure to read this essay as she dives into the core of spiritual formation – transformation.
(SC) You are not a ”newbie” to Epiphany, but there are some people who may not know you yet, so can you tell us a little about the spiritual journey that led you to Epiphany?
(NJ) During my last year in seminary, I began to feel (again) a call to ordained ministry. This was a call that I had originally felt as a teenager – and I have been through several different bouts of what you might call “denial” or “running away from it” over the last 10 years or so, but that’s probably going farther back than I need to. I started the discernment process for ordination in this diocese in the fall of 2015 and was invited to spend a weekend last November with the Bishop’s Advisory Committee on Ministry in response to my application for postulancy. One of the conditions of my moving forward in the process as a postulant was to begin my field education (or, internship), at a congregation that differed in size and feel from my home parish. Rev. Doyt is also my liaison with the Commission on Ministry, and during several conversations that he and I had about my process and what kind of field education I would pursue, he invited me to Epiphany.
(SC) Your essay, “Total Transformation of the Heart,” (see page 11) challenges us to “tap into” the power of the Holy Spirit to “re-shape the desires of our hearts.” You obviously have a deep passion for spiritual formation and a desire to share that through your writings. Did you ever have an ”aha” moment that you can associate with a spiritual practice?
(NJ) I grew up in the church and in a tradition that taught spiritual disciplines so, in a sense, things like regular prayer, Bible study, accountability groups, etc., were simply part of the faith that I was raised in. However, during my first year of a certification program I was enrolled in through the Church of the Nazarene in 2004, I took a Church History class and wrote a paper on “Monasticism, Mysticism, and Spirituality.” During that class I read the Desert Fathers and Mothers, Thomas Merton, St. Antony, Meister Eckhart, St. John of the Cross, and Teresa of Avila. I was blown away by the depth of their spirituality and by their acceptance of the mystery we call God, and it sparked a desire within me to experience the kind of utter faith they seemed to have. This experience led me to explore contemporary resources that could help me practice some of the disciplines those people wrote about, which eventually led me to people like Richard Foster and Dallas Willard. A few months later, several friends and I decided to start working through the Spiritual Formation Workbook put out by Renovare. All of this provided a foundation for understanding the process of spiritual formation and kept a desire burning within me to find ways of practicing the disciplines regularly.
One of the byproducts of this was that I began to take retreats at monasteries, and it was during a week-long, silent retreat I did at Nada Monastery in Crestone, Colorado, during the fall of 2007, that my practice of contemplative prayer hit a different level. Up to this point, I had had regular practices of contemplation and regularly used Thomas Keating’s "Centering Prayer" method. While I would suggest that all experiences of prayer are profound in their own way, my experience on that retreat marked a new level of the profound. Perhaps it was because I was “forced” to practice silence in every part of my existence while I was there, or perhaps it had something to do with the physical environment (the awesome thunder and lightning storms, the beauty of the mountainous desert around my hermitage, etc.). Perhaps it was a combination.
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In any case, it was the first time in my practice of contemplative prayer that I experienced something tangible of God around and within me that quite literally shattered the walls I hadn’t known I had built to keep God at a safe distance. This was the moment that I realized that practicing the Spiritual Disciplines was not necessarily about being pious, or about doing something tomake myself feel more Christian; instead, these practices were meant to help me turn toward God, so that God could expose those things in me that hurt my relationship with God and with other people.
(SC) I think in Galatians there is a verse about “Christ being formed in you,” which, in my mind, captures the essence of spiritual formation – the process of Christ being formed in us. While spiritual formation is core Christianity, it has only been in the last 50 years or so that it has gone from relative obscurity to relative prominence, largely due to Richard Foster’s book Celebration of Disciplines. Reno-vare, which provides the book we are using this year in the Spiritual Formation Sunday forum track, recently published a blog about the modern notion of spiritual formation becoming “just another fad in the vast kaleidoscope of Western Christianity.” Why do you think it isn’t just another fad? (NJ) This is a great question, but the premise I might have to push back on a little bit. It is true that sus-tained attention to the disciplines has exploded in contemporary, 20th-century, evangelical and some mainline Protestant churches over the last 50 years, but these practices have been far from obscure in the larger Church (universal) context. This is why I would suggest that it isn’t just another “fad,” at least generally speaking. The disciplines that Foster highlights in his book Celebration of Discipline are practices that have been in use throughout Church history, and it’s because of this that people who yearn for something deeper than their initial faith can satisfy seek them out. Prayer, fasting, medita-tion, worship, etc. are practices that have, quite literally, sustained the Church throughout her history. What I think the author of that blog was getting at, and what both Dallas Willard and Richard Foster warn against, is using these practices as “easy fixes” for whatever spiritual and/or temporal challenges we are facing. In other words, what would lead to the use of spiritual disciplines becoming a fad is to engage them for the wrong reasons. We live in a culture that breaths and breeds a need for instant grat-ification, and this has infested the church culture in which we live. If someone is struggling with some kind of temptation – like, lying or stealing, addiction or greed – it is tempting to turn to the disciplines as a remedy. But when the result doesn’t happen in that person’s preconceived notion of how long it will take to “work,” then the disciplines are tossed aside for the next easy fix – they want the result without the difficult work of letting God root out the heart of those temptations. On the other hand, if we engage with the spiritual disciplines as a means of total transformation, then their practice will never be a fad because our aim is a total, intimate connection with God.
(SC) Dallas Willard claims that the church has largely not been getting the Gospel of Jesus Christ right. Many churches today present the Gospel’s central message for entering heaven after death, or the Gospel of Atonement. Willard has referred to this approach as the “minimum requirements.” He goes further to explain that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is the Gospel of the Kingdom, which is about “getting into heaven before you die.” Why should Christians want to get into heaven before they die?
(NJ) This question reminds me of the story about the young rich man who asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus responds by telling the man to keep the commandments as given by Moses. The young man responds, “All these I have kept since my youth.” Here, Jesus tells him, “there’s one thing you lack, go and sell all your possessions and give the money to the poor. Then come and follow me.” When we think about “eternal life,” it is easy for us to fall into the same trap as this young man. We want a list we can check off so that we can have some sort of assurance that we’re ending up in the right place.
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And usually, that list is a “safe list”; it doesn’t require sacrifice, nor does it require much effort. In other words, it has more to do with avoiding hell than actually “getting into heaven.” However, Jesus’ response to the man suggests that keeping our eyes on this thing called “heaven” – particularly in the sense of a place we go after we die – defeats the purpose of living a life united with God. In the tra-dition I grew up in, we constantly heard the exhortation to not be “so heavenly minded that we were of no earthly good.” Our Christian life is not about some eternal destination, but about living in right relationship with God, with others, with creation, and with ourselves. When we work for justice and equity in our communities, when we feed the hungry and clothe the naked, when we visit those who are sick or imprisoned, when we fight the systems that keep people in those conditions, we are work-ing with God to make the Kingdom of Heaven manifest in our world.
(SC) And finally, in your essay, I was reflecting on the specific disciplines you write about – outward expressions like solitude or submission and inward expressions like meditation and fasting – and I was thinking about the adage “practice makes perfect.” I don’t think the goal of these disciplines is to achieve perfection, but rather practice becomes a process towards “Christ being formed in you” that is continuous throughout our lives. Good practices are often lead by good coaches. Are you going to provide any coaching while you are here at Epiphany?
(NJ) One thing that I would add to your reflection here, that has been helpful for me when I think about the adage “Practice makes perfect,” is something I think Brian McLaren said in his book Finding Our Way Again: “practice makes progress.” In a sense, I do believe that “perfection” is part of what God intends to do to us through our practice of the disciplines, but it is not the kind of perfection that we associate with the idea of flawlessness. Rather, it is perfection in the sense that we become precisely who God intends for us to be. But the practice of spiritual disciplines does not get us there in its own right; it is what God does in and through them that transforms us into the kinds of people God desires us to be in our relationships with God and with others. Now, to answer your question: Yes, I will be helping to facilitate some of the adult forum tracks on the spiritual disciplines during Everybody Hour. I hope you (the readers of this interview) will journey with us into a deeper connection with God and with one another.
(SC) Thank you, Natalie, for the time and insight you share with us at Epiphany.
Lectionary Readings for OctoberOctober 7 - Proper 22BGenesis 2:18-24Psalm 8Hebrews 1:1-4; 2:5-12Mark 10:2-16
October 12 - Proper 23BAmos 5:6-7,10-15Psalm 90:12-17Hebrews 4:12-16Mark 10:17-31
October 21 - Proper 24BIsaiah 53:4-12Psalm 91:9-16Hebrews 5:1-10Mark 10:35-45
October 28 - Proper 25Jeremiah 31:7-9Psalm 126Hebrews 7:23-28Mark 10:46-52
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Epiphany Seattle
Sunday Adult Formation Calendar October 2018
SpiritualFormation ChristianFormation EpiphanyTownHall10/14 10:00amGreatHall
Lecture:IntroductiontotheContemplativeTraditionRev.DoytConnWhenwepractice“theprayer-filledlife”,i.e.theContemplativeTradition,wediscoverthetenderloveofGod.Butwhatisinterestingisthetremendousvarietyofwaystoapproacha“prayer-filledlife.”
3:30pmUpperRoomForumRolloverConversationCasualget-togethertocontinuetheconversationfromthemorning’sforum.
NoonMainSanctuaryDiscussion:“WhatJustHappenedHere?”Rev.DoytConnMeetafterthe11:00amservicetolearnaboutAnglicanliturgicaltraditions.
10:00amParishGardenRoomLecture:KidsandMoney:RaisingFinanciallyResponsibleChildrenCarmenHoffman"FollowtheMoney”intothecoreofyourfamily'svalues,worldview,anddailyworkings.Nomatterwhatthefamily’sincome,vitallessonsofpersonalresponsibility,attitudestowardworkandplay,genderissues,familyhierarchy,aperson’s“placeintheworld,”corevaluesandthenutsandboltsofhandlingmoneyallcomeintoplayaswediscussteachingourkidsaboutmoney.
10/21 10:00amGreatHallRoundTable:WaysofMeditation(ThomasMerton)In1948ThomasMertonwrotemanybooksonspiritualitybasedontheimportanceofarelationshipwithGodthroughJesusChrist.HewroteashortguidebooktitledContemplativePrayerforhisfellowmonks.Thedevotionalusedinthisforumcomesfromthisbook.
3:30pmUpperRoomForumRolloverConversationCasualget-togethertocontinuetheconversationfromthemorning’sforum.
10:00amUpperRoomLecture:TheBookofCommonPrayerRev.PeterStrimerTheBookofCommonPrayerhasbeentheunitingfactorforAnglicansworldwide.Americanrevisionsin1789,1892,1928,andespeciallyin1979havegivenusoneofthebestexpressionsoftheLiturgicalRenewalMovementovertime.
10:00amParishGardenRoomLecture:iGods–HowTechnologyShapesOurLivesCraigDetweiler,PhDItiseasytofeeloverwhelmedbyaccesstosomuchinformationandexhaustedfrommanagingouronlinerelationshipsandourselves.Howdoyounavigatethroughsocialmediacultureandthetechnologiesthatdriveus?JoinusforatimelydiscussionabouttheiGodsthatcompeteforourattention,sortingouttheimmediatefromtheeternal,thedigitalfromthedivine.
10/28 10:00amGreatHallRoundTable:PrayingFaith(MartinLuther)Thedevotionalusedinthissessionwascompiledfromseveralofhiswritingsanddemonstrateshisinsightintothesubjectofprayer.HewasdeeplyinfluencedbySt.AugustineandBernardofClairvaux.Luther’sfaithwaslively,earthy,andpractical;hislogicwaspowerful;andhisleadershipskillwasunparalleled.
3:30pmUpperRoomForumRolloverConversationCasualget-togethertocontinuetheconversationfromthemorning’sforum.
10:00amUpperRoomLecture:HolySacrament:TheEucharistRev.PeterStrimerThecentralactofworshipintheEpiscopalChurchistheHolyEucharist,thecelebrationofCommunion.Bytracingthisrite’sevolutionthisclasswillmaketheconnectionbetweenpracticeandbeliefandunpackthetheologyofourdenomination.
10:00amParishGardenRoomLecture:RetireInspiredAlbertaConradManypeoplelookforwardtoretiring.Othersmaybeanxiousaboutwhattheirnewlifewilllooklike.Whiletherearemanyresourcesandarticlesaboutthepracticalaspectsofretirement,lesshasbeenwrittenaboutthepsychologicalandemotionalchallenges.
Note:AlldevotionalsusedintheSpiritualFormationroundtablesaredistributedthepriorweek.YoucanfindthemintheNarthex,intheRenovareDevotionalClassics,andonlineonthechurchwebsite.Or,justwriteSteveClemons([email protected])foracopy.
Total Transformation of the Heartby Natalie Johnson
The New Testament is full of exhortations to turn from the “evil intentions” of our hearts – our desires and will – to the life-giving power of the Spirit who bears fruit in our lives, fruit that marks an inner transformation of our souls. Paul offers us a list – though not an exhaustive one – in Galatians of those things that flow from a heart that is turned away from God: “repetitive, loveless, cheap sex; a stinking accumulation of mental and emotional garbage; frenzied and joyless grabs for happiness; trinket gods; magic-show religion; paranoid loneliness; cutthroat competition; all-consuming-yet-never-satisfied wants; a brutal temper; an impotence to love or be loved; divided homes and divided lives; small-minded and lopsided pursuits; the vicious habit of depersonalizing everyone into a rival; uncontrolled and uncontrollable addictions; ugly parodies of community.”¹ These are all things that separate us from God and from one another, but they are not the inevitable behaviors and actions of humanity. We have a choice in whether we let these “evil intentions” rule our lives.
In his book Mere Christianity, C. S. Lewis suggests that every choice we make turns the central part of who we are into something different, and that if taken in the context of one’s whole life, we are slowly and incrementally turning ourselves into either heavenly or hellish creatures – either persons who are in harmony with God, with others, and with ourselves,² or persons who are in a state of war and hatred with God, with others, and with ourselves. When we make choices that bring us into harmony with God and with others, it is important to note that we do not (cannot!) do these in our own power. It is not by sheer willpower that we become heavenly creatures as opposed to hellish ones. Rather, the power that we access to make those choices comes from the abiding presence of the Holy Spirit in our lives. In this sense, our “choice” is always and only a response to the Spirit’s work of convicting us in our misaligned desires that seek the self over all else. For Christians, this is the beauty of the Gospel – that God has already done the work needed to re-create us in the image of Christ and to re-form our humanity so that the desires of our hearts are born not out of evil intentions but out of the pure and unadulterated love that God has for us.
So how do we “tap into” the power of the Holy Spirit and allow the love that God has for us to re-shape the desires of our hearts? Christians throughout the centuries have engaged in specific practices, disciplines, or habits that function as “access points” to the presence of the Divine within and around us. These practices include things like prayer, meditation, fasting, service, charity, study, and worship. Some of these, like meditation, prayer, fasting, and study, are termed “inward disciplines” because they tend to focus on the interior life and the attitudes, dispositions, and habits of our hearts. Others, like simplicity, silence and solitude, submission and service, are termed “outward” disciplines because they tend to focus on our existence in relation to others and to the communities in which we live. Still others, like reconciliation, worship, accountability, and celebration, are termed “corporate” disciplines because they often happen in the context of a group or community that share in the same faith.
These classifications are not intended to isolate any of these practices in such a way that they are disconnected from the others. Instead, it is best to understand them as interdependent. The inward disciplines we engage in are always done with the intention of strengthening us in grace and love in order that we might move outwardly in compassion, mercy, and justice. Outward disciplines grow our capacity for empathy and give us a tangible expression of the love and grace we experience from inward disciplines.
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Both inward and outward disciplines culminate in our corporate relationship with one another through acts, rituals, and public worship as a means of bearing witness to God’s transformative work in our lives. Conversely, corporate practices bolster our inward and outward disciplines, providing the context in which we are held up, and by which we contribute to holding up others, in our profession of faith in the God who unites us.
It might be tempting to think about spiritual disciplines as a means of “correcting” behaviors that we wish we didn’t engage in or attitudes we wish we didn’t have. However, Dallas Willard reminds us, “Spiritual disciplines are not primarily for the solving of behavior problems, though that is one of their effects…. The aim of disciplines in the spiritual life – and, specifically, in the following of Christ – is the transformation of the total state of the soul.”³ In other words, the spiritual disciplines are not habits we engage in order to keep us from doing things like stealing, cheating on our spouse, bursting out in anger, or exploiting others to gain more for ourselves. The absence of these practices in our lives does not indicate that the desires from which those kinds of actions and behaviors stem have been purged from our hearts. We engage in spiritual disciplines so that God can work through them to change us from the inside out, to eradicate the desires of evil and replace them with God’s own desires for love, mercy, and justice. When we allow the Holy Spirit to work in our lives through the spiritual disciplines, we will find that the love God gives us changes us and bears the fruit of love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, generosity, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control (Gal. 5:22-23).
Natalie
Citations
¹ Peterson, Eugene, The Message Bible (Colorado Springs: NavPress Publishing), Galatians 5:19-21.² Lewis, C. S., Mere Christianity (New York: Macmillan, 1960), 86-87.³ Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teaching on Discipleship (San Francisco: Harper One, 2014), 151-52.
For Further Reading
Foster, Richard. Celebration of Discipline: The Path to Spiritual Growth (San Francisco: Harper One, 2018).
Mulholland, Robert M. Invitation to a Journey: A Roadmap for Spiritual Formation (Downers Grove: InterVarsity Press, 1993).
Nouwen, Henri. Spiritual Formation: Following the Movements of the Spirit (San Francisco: Harper One, 2015).
Willard, Dallas. The Great Omission: Reclaiming Jesus’ Essential Teaching on Discipleship (San Francisco: Harper One, 2014).
_____. Renovation of the Heart: Putting on the Character of Christ (Colorado Springs: NavPress, 2012).
_____. The Spirit of the Disciplines: Understanding How God Changes Lives (San Francisco: Harper One, 1999).
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More than Bowling and Pizzaby Naomi Woodrum
Youth Formation Minister
It was never my dream or aspiration to be a youth minister as my chosen vocation. Many thought, because I was a pastor’s daughter, I would end up in seminary and follow in my father’s footsteps. I distinctly remember a conversation with a group of ladies in the church kitchen one Sunday morning. I was in high school, and they told me they knew I would become a pastor someday. I laughed and said “not a chance!” I can honestly say, I still do not have any desire or interest in becoming a pastor, but I have found myself working in church ministry for the last decade in various roles, as a Christian Education Director, office secretary, and as a Youth Minister.
In the fall of 2007, I fell in love with youth ministry. It was later that year when I knew this is what God was calling me to do in life. I smile just remembering that moment.
Like many new youth directors, when they’re embarking on their first call to a parish, I thought I had to be “cool” and offer a lot of exciting events and activities—bowling, laser tag, paintballing, and white river rafting. I would certainly need to repaint the youth room with bright neon colors and hang white Christmas lights to set the ambiance. And, we would definitely need to come up with a catchy youth group name and design sweatshirts to match! I thought I knew what it took to create a healthy, sustain-able youth program which would lay the foundation for these youth long after they left their homes to pursue their own careers and vocations. Boy, was I wrong…by a long shot. Everything I thought I knew about youth ministry was debunked within my first two years as a Middle School Youth Director in Salem, Oregon. I offered the fun, ex-travagant activities, and the youth showed up every time. However, they also showed up for Prayer Night at youth group and took turns washing each other’s feet during Holy Week. They attended the winter retreat where our focus was on how God sees us, instead of how we see ourselves. They formed a worship band and learned how to lead worship for their peers. They participated in the 30-Hour Famine, raising money for starving children around the world, as they themselves fasted for 30 hours. They formed a “youth pew” on Sunday mornings and sat together each week. They lifted each other up in prayer when one of their friends lost his brother to suicide due to bullying. These youth laughed together and cried together.
Years later, I still receive random texts or messages from these youth, recalling the impact youth group had on their lives and how they cherish those memories. Interestingly enough, their fondest memories are not the pizza-induced food comas and bowling events. They remember the prayers, their peers, and the adult leaders who invested in their lives. They remember the relationships which were formed in the midst of tackling hard faith questions (“How do we know God is real?”), learning from each other, and being bold enough to let their light shine in the dark. Several of my former students have come back to help with the youth programs after they graduated from high school or college, and a few of them even went on to get their Youth Ministry degree! Others have joined their church worship band and have found new congregations to call home.
What is my point, exactly? My point is that youth ministry is important and valuable. It is essential to the life of a parish and to these youths’ lives. These young people are torn between commitments, busy schedules, expectations, and pressures. Their time at Epiphany could be viewed as another thing on this list. But, it is my hope that Youth Ministry at Epiphany can offer our youth something different.
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I want to give them a place where they can just be. Here they are loved, valued, embraced, and known. And, in this place, I want them to know they are God’s beloved. Laying a firm foundation during these critical years of self-discovery is essential for their continued spiritual growth once they leave these walls. Our prayer and hope is for youth to be equipped and empowered to live into their faith and actively seek to grow in their relationship with Christ. And, I look forward to being a part of that journey.
Naomi
Youth Ministry Programs at Epiphany The Well: Youth Group Night for Middle and High School StudentsWhen: Sundays, 6:00-8:00 PMWhere: Christie HouseWhat: Join us for dinner, devotions, small group discussions, games, and prayer. We will combine middle school and high school students for part of the night and have separate small group time each week. Youth FormationWhen: Sundays, 10:00-10:45 AMWhere: Christie HouseWhat: 6 and 7 grades will meet together in the Youth Room for Middle School Formation, and 8 through 12 grades will meet in the Library for Confirmation classes. Monthly EventsWhen: TBDWhere: There will be a mixture of onsite and offsite events.What: These events are separate from Youth Group and Sunday Formation classes. There may be unique middle school and high school activities requiring a small fee. Stay tuned! High School Pilgrimage to the Holy LandWhen: June 26 -July 6, 2019Where: The itinerary includes stops in Tel Aviv, Jerusalem, Bethlehem, Jericho, and the Jordan River.What: High school youth and newly graduated 8th graders (2019) are invited to be part of this pilgrimage to the Holy Land. This trip is offered every three years, and youth will cover their own travel expenses. There will be an information meeting in early October.
Ways to Support Our Youth MinistryThere are many ways to support our Youth Ministry programs, but one particular need we have is for people to bring dinners for our Sunday night Youth Group. We will supply the plates, napkins, cups, and utensils. Meal ideas include: spaghetti, taco bar, sandwich bar, casseroles, soups, etc. Dinners need to be delivered to Christie House by 6:00 PM on Sunday evenings. Please contact Naomi Woodrum at [email protected] for more information or to sign up to bring a dinner.
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WE PRAY FOR THOSE WHOSE BIRTHDAYS FALL IN THE MONTH OF OCTOBER
Bill Whitaker, Evelyn Sander, Ros Bond, Sue Cary, Elyse Roberts, Kathleen Maurel, Ginny Kitchell,Benjamin Ackerley, Jo Pope, Caroline Houser, Zola Northup, Madeleine Tracy, Kriss Sjoblom,Chris Wilton, Bob Shupe, Becky Foster, Wyatt Smith, Luc Hieb, William Tracy, Tym Mackey,
Margaret King, Alex Polson, Theo Bushfield, Zoe Chapman, Joshua Cohen, Marilyn Huey,Amy Bushfield, Emily Walter, Audrey Sander, Anabelle Ackerley, Stella Dull, Sarah McKinney,Kate Griffin, Noli Hall, Janis Maloney, Tamara Lamb, Peggy Wilton, Matt Barnes, Lu Jean Day,
Kim Street, Chantal Melin, Mary Lee Peters, Lesa Sroufe, Will Ketcham, Aaron Richmond
WE PRAY FOR THOSE ON THE DIOCESAN CYCLE OF PRAYER
Twentieth Sunday after Pentecost - St. Andrew, Aberdeen; St. Luke, Elma; St. Germain, HoodsportTwenty First Sunday after Pentecost - St. Benedict, Lacey; St. Mark, Montesano
Twenty Second Sunday after Pentecost - Chaplains on the Harbor, Westport; St. Christopher, OlympiaTwenty Third Sunday after Pentecost - St. John/San Juan, Olympia; St. David of Wales/San David,
Shelton
WE PRAY FOR CONTINUED HEALING AND STRENGTHFOR THOSE IN OUR PARISH WHO ARE ILL OR GRIEVING
Kay Schack, Lynn Manley, David A. Jones (of Bellingham), Chrissy Jones, Edith Harman, Eric Merrifield, Faith Enriquez, Carla Sargent, Lynn Pitchford, Annette Fehrenbach, Cheryl Morgan, Jani Hoss, David Norling, Chuck Maryatt, Mi-Gyong, Don McKay, Gordon Hally, Gary Cox, Frank Furr, Barbara Knowles, Vivian Rose Weaver, Steve,
Merry Pat Scherzer, Sandi, Edie Burkhalter, Didi, Richard, Janet, Nancy, Kent, Evie Hoffbeck, Beth Ketcham, Patty Chemnick, Michael, Tim, Bob Louis, Tom Johnston, Vicki, Pam Harman,
Barbara Pringle, Eileen Riley, Dana Arnim, Aileen Mangham, Brooke, Bradlee, Jan, Michele Butler-Myles, Bobbie Smith, Dan, Mike Evans, Bill Grayson, Kurt Stahl, Susan, Christine, Andi Lynn, The Cloptons, Donita Payne, Shari, Janice Smith, Mike Jackson
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Flower MinistryAlice Foreman, Chair
Epiphany Parish’s Flower Ministry is an outreach arm of Pastoral Care that continues to bring cheer, support, and caring to members of the parish as well as friends and neighbors. In 2017, between June and December, close to 200 bouquets were prepared and delivered.
The bouquets have a ripple effect of sharing God’s love and bringing peace, joy, and remembrance to those receiving the flowers as well as to the people close to them. There is something special about receiving flowers that have been on the altar, blessed, or grown on Epiphany’s holy ground.
In addition to our regular cycle of recipients at Park Shore and other facilities, bouquets go to homebound parishioners, new mothers, hospital patients, or just someone who needs the expression of support that flowers can give. A personalized card of greeting accompanies each bouquet.
We hope parishioners will consider our concept of internet-photo bouquets for those who are far away. We deliver a bouquet locally, and the local person sends a photo of the bouquet via the internet to the loved one far away, and uses the actual flowers as a centering point of prayer for the person receiving the photo. For more information, please email Alice Foreman at [email protected].
Please remember that your year-round support of the Flower Fund makes the Flower Ministry a reality, since the majority of flowers we arrange into bouquets come from the weekly altar flowers which are purchased from monies from this fund.
The Flower Ministry Team (Alice Foreman and Sandra Darling) is grateful for your support of this ministry.
Office Volunteers Needed
We are looking for parishioners to volunteer to work in the Christie House Office at Epiph-any. Duties include: greeting parishioners and visitors, answering the phone, opening or closing the Parish Hall and Church, light office work, and making the occasional pot of coffee. Specifically, we are looking for coverage for the following shifts: Tuesday from 1 to 4 (weekly or every other week) and every other Friday from 9 to noon. We are also looking for people who could come in as a substitute or for special projects. If you are interested in one of these shifts or occasional volunteering or just want more information, please email Diane Carlisle at [email protected]. Pay is nonexistent, but the reward is heavenly!
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YEAR ROUND FLOWER AND LITURGY FUND
Any time during the year, except for the Seasons of Advent and Lent, you can
remember a special person or event bydonating to the Epiphany Parish Flower and
Liturgy Fund. Perhaps you would like to acknowledge the birth of a
baby, a marriage, or a loved one nowdeparted, in our Sunday service bulletins.
Donations of any amount are welcome. PLEASE COMPLETE THIS FORM AND RETURN TO THE CHURCH OFFICE OR PLACE IN THE OFFERING PLATE.
1805—38TH AVE SEATTLE, WA 98122
Name of Donor____________________________________________________________Phone #____________________________________________________________________
□ My check is enclosed. Make payable to Epiphany Parish with Flowers and Liturgy Fund on the memo line
in the lower left hand corner of your check.□ I wish to be acknowledged in the Sunday bulletin,
□ in memory of or □ in thanksgiving for:
________________________________________________________________________________
Circledate:
2019
October 7 January 6 March 3 April 28
October 14 ADVENT January 13
October 21 NO FLOWERS January 20 LENT May 5
October 28 January 27 NO FLOWERS May 12
May 19
November 4 February 3 May 26
November 11 CHRISTMAS February 10 EASTER
November 18 POINSETTIA February 17 LILY June 2
November 25 February 24
Thank you for your support of the Epiphany Parish Flower and Liturgy Fund
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Hiking GroupFor all of you hiking enthusiasts, we have a group that hikes in and around our great Pacific Northwest. Length, difficulty, and frequency of hikes are decided by the group. This is an excellent opportunity to get to know other people from Epiphany who share the love of hiking and to get in better shape (especially important if you will be joining one of the two walking pilgrimages in England next summer). We meet at Epiphany at 8:00 am on Saturdays when we hike. If you are interested in participating and would like to be on our email list to find out about upcoming hikes, please let me know ([email protected]).
Diane Carlisle
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Remembrance & Reconciliation: A Commemoration of WWIZach Finkelstein, Nathan Whittaker, & Ingrid Matthews with Byron SchenkmanNovember 11
Stephen Stubbs & Maxine EilanderBaroque guitar & Baroque harpFebruary 24
Sweet Bird:Chamber Music for Flute, Cello & HarpsichordAnnabeth Shirley, Janet See & Jillon Stoppels Dupree March 10
Organ Plus Joseph Adam, organ & David Gordon, trumpetMay 12
Choral EvensongSundays | 5:00 pm
Feast of the EpiphanyJanuary 6
Commemoration of Martin Luther King, Jr.January 20
Have a HeartFebruary 10
Feast of the AnnunciationMarch 24
St. Dunstan of CanterburyMay 19
Trinity SundayJune 16
2018-2019
ConcertsSundays | 6:15pm | Chapel
“Timeless music in the sacred spaces of Epiphany”
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Upcoming EventsSt. Francis Day and Blessing of the Animals | Saturday | October 6 | 10:00 am | Epiphany Courtyard (rain location: Great Hall)Please join us on Saturday, October 6th at 10:00 AM for our Annual Blessing of the Animals! We invite you and your animal friends to this event celebrating the important roles that God’s creatures play in our lives. Come and enjoy the Fall weather, furry friends and fun! If you are interested in volunteering or in bringing your crockpot, airpot for coffee or treats please contact Ruth Anne @ [email protected].
Monthly Taizé Service | Tuesday | October 16 | 8 pm | ChapelJoin this peaceful prayer service in the candlelit Chapel. Taizé music is beautiful, simple, repetitive chant sung as a prayer. We sing with the help of a piano and a cantor, say a few prayers, and sit together in a period of silence in the middle of the service. Some people sing and others just rest in the beauty of the experience.
Epiphany Hiking Group | Saturday | October 20 | 8:00 am | Epiphany CourtyardPrime hiking season is upon us! The trails are less crowded and weather isn’t too cold... October 20 we will be hiking Grand Prospect Trail. More information can be found at https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/washington/grand-prospect-via-rattlesnake-mountain-trail. This hike is about 8 miles and is rated as moderate. We will meet in the Epiphany Courtyard at 8:00 am. Please email Diane at [email protected] to let her know if you can join in this hike on Saturday and if you have a Discover Pass for parking.
Monthly Teen Feed Dinner | Thursday | October 25 | 6 - 8:30 pm | University Congregational ChurchEvery fourth Thursday, Epiphany’s Teen Feed crew gathers at a church kitchen in the University District to cook their famous enchiladas for young people living on the streets. For more information, contact Ann Beck at [email protected].
YWCA Apartment Beautification | Saturday | October 27 | 9:00 am - noon | YWCA Transitional HousingYou are invited to pitch in and join a fun and dedicated crew in cleaning apartments, providing a clean, new home for a homeless family. It’s lots more fun than you’d imagine, and it makes a great family project! Contact Ann Beck at [email protected] for more information.
All Saints Sunday Baptisms | Sunday | November 4 | 11:00 amIf you are interested in being or having your child baptized on All Saints’ Sunday please contact Ruth Anne at [email protected] by October 14th. Please include in your planning, the rehearsal for godparents and parents on November 3 at 10:00 am.
Epiphany Seattle Music Guild Concert | Sunday | November 11 | 6:15 pm | ChapelRemembrance & Reconciliation: A Commemoration of WWI Join us for an evening performance of lesser-known masterpieces, commemorating the centenary of the end of World War I. The performance will feature Zach Finkelstein, tenor, along with acclaimed insumentalists Ingrid Matthews, violin; Nathan Whittaker, cello; and Byron Schenkman, piano.
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BaptismsAll Saints’ Sunday
November 4, 2018 at the 11:00 ServiceIf you are interested in being or having your child baptized on All Saints’ Sunday please contact Ruth Anne at [email protected] by October 14. Please include in your planning the rehearsal for godparents and parents on November 3, at 10:00 am.
The Rev. Doyt L. Conn, Jr., Rector [email protected] Rector, Doyt listens for how the Holy Spirit is guiding Epiphany and leads the parish into this vision. Doyt prays for the congregation and community, teaches the Christian Way of life, and invites people to share the deep, transforming value of Christianity with their neighbors. Doyt is chief presider at worship, and also oversees all staff and staffing, chairs the vestry, and stewards Epiphany's buildings and resources.
The Rev. Ruth Anne Garcia, Vicar [email protected] Anne assists Doyt with carrying out the vision and the day-to-day liturgical and pastoral needs at Epiphany. She leads staff meetings and serves as a pastor to staff and ministry leaders. She also serves as the primary pastor to children and youth.
Elizabeth Walker, Director of Formation [email protected] the Director of Formation, Elizabeth Walker works closely with the other formation ministers and ministry leaders to ensure that Epiphany Parish’s formation offerings are of the highest caliber and are highly coordinated for people of every age. Elizabeth also plans and coordinates Children’s Formation and ensures that Epiphany Parish is a welcoming and inclusive place of worship and formation for children and their families.
Steve Clemons, Adult Formation Minister [email protected] the Adult Formation Minister, Steve develops all programs running through Epiphany Neighborhood Seminary including the Sunday Everybody Hour forums in the Great Hall, Garden Room, and Upper Room as well as mid-week minyans and other special learning opportunities for all adults of any age. Currently, Epiphany Neighborhood Seminary is offering programs in Spiritual Formation, Christian Formation, and the neighborhood focused Epiphany Town Hall.
Naomi Woodrum, Youth Formation Minister [email protected] the Youth Formation Minister, Naomi Woodrum will work with middle school and high school students, implementing programs and avenues for them to grow in their relationship with God, their faith, and their life within this parish and greater community. Her hope and prayer is for youth to feel welcomed, valued, safe, and loved as they learn and discover how they are part of God’s story.
Natalie Johnson, Intern [email protected] is interning for a year at Epiphany, doing field education as part of her process for ordination to the priesthood. Her work is two-fold. The first pertains to Liturgical leadership, working under the guidance of Diane Carlisle and the mentorship of Revs. Doyt and Ruth Anne. In addition, she is working with Rev. Doyt and Steve Clemmons to help develop content about spiritual disciplines that will be used in conjunction with adult formation.
Laura Sargent, Engagement Minister [email protected] the Engagement Minister, Laura Sargent works with the Epiphany staff and parishioners to make Epiphany an even more inviting and welcoming place for people to move along their spiritual journey. This includes welcoming and incorporating newcomers, reaching out to people who seem to have drifted, and helping people — both new and old to Epiphany — with like interests or perspectives to know one another, and find ways to share their passions.
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The Clergy and Staff of Epiphany Parish of Seattle
Zachary Hemenway, Director of Music [email protected] the Director of Music, Zach Hemenway directs the Epiphany Parish choir program, work with the Epiphany Music Guild, and provides, overall direction for music in our parish worship in consultation with the Rector.
Wyatt Smith, Associate Director of Music & Communications Minister [email protected] the Associate Director of Music, Wyatt Smith collaborates with Zach Hemenway to ensure smooth operation of the Music Department. He splits service playing with Zach and provides all choir accompaniments. As the Communications Minister, he oversees the general communications of the Parish, along with the publication of the Weekly Word and the Monthly Message.
Diane Carlisle, Director of Administration & Head Verger [email protected] Director of Administration, Diane helps our offices run smoothly and helps parishioners and members of our community connect with Epiphany Parish in the best way possible. She works to make sure that your needs are met, whether it is booking a space, answering a question, or connecting with another staff member. As Head Verger she strives to make each worship service at Epiphany a beautiful and meaningful experience.
Chinn Eap, Director of Finance and Facilities [email protected] Director of Finance and Facilities, Chinn oversees all aspects of accounting and finance. In addition, she also manages Building and Grounds, purchasing, and information systems. She works closely with Epiphany's professional HR and Treasurer volunteers.
Amanda Eap, Hospitality and Security Minister [email protected] the Hospitality and Security Minister, Amanda provides security for the church buildings and grounds, along with organizing hospitality for Sunday Coffee Hour and special events.
Gieth Phou, Sexton [email protected] the Sexton, Gieth cares for and maintains the buildings and grounds here at Epiphany.
Doug Oles, Chancellor [email protected] Chancellor, Doug assists the Rector, Parish staff, and Vestry in contract reviews and other business decisions with legal implications, although our he would just as well discuss history of the Roman Empire or the early Church.
Rowena Mondares, Clerk of the Vestry [email protected] Clerk of the Vestry, Rowena is responsible for attending Executive Committee Meetings and capturing the discussion points to be covered with the Vestry and writing the meeting agenda. She also performs the task of writing the Vestry meeting minutes and distributing them to the Executive Committee, Vestry, and Parish Business Manager.
Dick Nelson, Senior Warden [email protected] Senior Warden responsibilities are basically to be a support for our Rector, Doyt Conn. Dick attends the Executive Committee and Vestry meetings monthly and other special meetings.
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1805 38th Avenue, Seattle, WA 98122Return service requested
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Seattle, WA
Wherever you are on your spiritual journey, you have a place at Epiphany.
