But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father seeks such as these to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth.” – John 4:23-24

Dear Friends,

In the beginning of this live streaming journey, we had no clue what was ahead of us. Originally, the small, but mighty, team of volunteers on Epiphany’s Communications Ministry got together to attempt a live stream of our diocesan ordination held the second weekend in March. At the time, we wanted a way for friends and family near and far to witness their loved one be ordained to the Diaconate. We were working with borrowed equipment, thanks to very generous members of our congregation, and the expertise of volunteers who had experience with streaming. It was a success!

Little did we know that it would lay the ground work for what became absolutely necessary in the weeks to come. At first, our live stream became an option for those who did not feel comfortable being in the worship space prior to the shut down. It then be came mandatory when gatherings were limited to 10 or less people.

Our live stream further evolved when the Diocese made the decision, for the safety of their congregations, to limit live streaming of worship to only prerecorded services (as we do now) or to live morning prayer from the clergy’s home. Thankfully, we had the borrowed equipment, the expertise of our volunteers for streaming a “simulated live” worship, the willingness of readers to record and send in readings, and an innovative Music Minister in Cathy Lard, who was able to move our amazing, dedicated choir and principal musician JiJi Park to a virtual setting. Thanks to a very generous donation, Epiphany was able to purchase the needed equipment to permanently record and live stream our worship. We still have a few borrowed pieces in the mix; however, we now have all of the essentials to keep us going online. God has provided the people and resources to put together a beautiful virtual worship service that is as close to “in-person” worship as we could get.

We are now at another transition. Our Parish Regathering Action Committee took your input from the online survey and met last night to put the finishing touches on our regathering plan that will be sent to the Diocese of Virginia for approval. Of the 57 surveys we received, 23 surveys mentioned you were interested in joining us in-person for a 10 AM worship service. Epiphany’s goal is to have everything in place and ready once we get the approval to slowly and safely regather for worship. 

In preparing for that transition, worship will look a little different beginning this Sunday. First, we will be transitioning to a truly live broadcast of worship this Sunday, July 26 at 10 AM. Only Rev. Elizabeth Keeler, Jiji, and I will be in the worship space. As this is the first go with new equipment and software, many prayers and much grace is needed for a smooth, seamless transition.

Secondly, part of the diocesan phased regathering plan includes specific guidelines regarding music and singing. There will be no in-person singing when we regather and we have been asked to use instrumental music judiciously. In order to follow these guidelines while making worship inclusive to both those in person and those at home, you will notice some changes to the music during the service, starting with the Song of Praise. One of the first things we do in worship after the Song of Entrance is to praise God. The original version of this prayer was known as The Gloria and dates back to the fourth century. Instead of the Song of Praise, we will be reverting to the spoken version of this prayer which begins, “Glory to God in the highest” and is a prayer of praise to the Trinity. We will also be moving to a spoken version of the Psalm and the Sanctus. The Song of Entrance, Song before the Gospel, and the Song of Sending will remain the same as it is now, recorded virtually by our beautiful choir and played during the service. The music during the Table Setting and the Song at the Table will be instrumental during the transition and played live in the sanctuary.

Your vestry and staff are all working as diligently as possible to plan for a slow, safe, and meaningful return to the building. We need your prayers, support, and encouragement as we all walk through this unknown together. Want to send some encouraging words? You can reach out to our Music Minister, Cathy Lard, at choir@EpiphanyEC.org or send notes to our Worship Ministry Team by emailing our Parish Administrator, Marty Brady, at admin@EpiphanyEC.org. Our ultimate goal is to offer worship in community with our whole hearts in true spirit, whether virtually or in-person, and give thanks to the Lord our God who is with us every step of the way.

We are organizing a Drive-In Prayer Service and Food Drive for Sunday, August 16th at 7 PM. Save the date and look for more information to come in the following weeks. This Sunday, join us ONLINE at 10 AM for our  worship service on YouTube as we come to you LIVE from the worship space. Again, only Rev. Elizabeth Keeler, Jiji, and I will be in the worship space. Rev. Keeler will guide us as we celebrate the Eighth Sunday after Pentecost. As always, Epiphany’s vestry and staff are here to support you in any way we can. Please contact Susan Buckner, Senior Warden at: srwarden@epiphanyec.org

Blessings and Peace to all (We really miss you Epiphany!),

Nadia Baker
Communications Director
commdir@EpiphanyEC.org