As outlined in the recent “state of the church” address Pastor Bryan gave at our recent outdoor meeting together, planning ahead is a difficult task during the COVID-19 pandemic. And yet, looking ahead to the fall, we have a number of opportunities for fellowship and reconnection to take advantage of while the weather is favorable. Check out Epiphany’s plans for the coming fall, and for week to week news for our church activities, don’t hesitate to sign up for our church’s e-newsletter.
Fellowship
This September and October, Epiphany is going to take advantage of the nice weather to enjoy our famous pizza night outreach events. We’re gathering at a couple of outdoor friendly pizza joints in the Ligonier Valley for an evening of fellowship, food, and introductions to those who are new to our church. Epiphany takes care of the pizza tab, and guest purchase their own beverages. We’ll also have a number of outdoor events planned to take advantage of the nice weather, including a couple of landscaping projects.
Pastoral Visits
Pastor Bryan will be making house calls to members of the church this fall to reconnect with parishoners he hasn’t been able to spend time with in a while. If you’d like to schedule a visit from Pastor Bryan, shoot him a note at pastor@epiphanyligonier.org. A visit can be anything from a front porch lunch to an evening glass of wine, or as simple as six-feet-apart-and-masks. Pastor Bryan hopes to reconnect with every member of the church this fall.
Christian Ed
Our Christian Ed time will start up again in the coming weeks, as Pastor Bryan reintroduces the Kerygma Course that was interrupted last fall. The course will be modified so that it doesn’t simply rehash all the material already covered. Stay tuned for a start date and time and location.
Church Business
To allow for fairer weather for an outdoor meeting, Epiphany’s annual meeting will be moved from its normal November meeting time to an October date. We’ll be gathering outdoors for a service of worship to be followed by a picnic and meeting to elect members to our leadership team and review church budget matters.
Epiphany will also be hosting a bulk-order opportunity for the 2019 Book of Common Prayer. The 2019 Prayer Book order will take place in November, and will allow members of the church to purchase our denomination’s new prayer book for personal use. Copies of this new prayer book may also be purchased for the use of the church.
The Holiday Season
Plans are already starting for our holiday season ministries. We’ll be partnering again with the Salvation Army’s Angel Tree program to provide toys for families in the Ligonier Valley who are struggling financially. Epiphany will also be hosting its first ever Longest Night service, a Christmas service for members of the community who want to celebrate the Christian Christmas apart from the forced holly-jolly of the Secular Christmas season.
Our original intent this year was to preach the gospel to ourselves as a congregation. Indeed, many of us have had to preach the gospel to ourselves in isolation, separated from family and friends and activities we love and enjoy. It is my hope that, for the remainder of this year, we can reconnect with what is most important: the historical reality of Jesus’s death and resurrection and the promise of future peace that gives us resilience in our present.