Dear Friends,

Simon Peter went aboard and hauled the net ashore, full of large fish, a hundred fifty-three of them; and though there were so many, the net was not torn. (John 21:11)

Epiphany Episcopal Church here on Hidden Meadow Lane in Northern Virginia is “the Church on the Corner where God loves you, no exceptions.” This was the proclamation that captured my imagination and drew me to seek to be part of this segment of God’s people and reign. I look forward to diving deeper with God and the people of Epiphany Episcopal Church (Epiphany EC) about what that means. 

In the interview process, I heard pride in the scrappiness and ability of God’s people here at Epiphany to “punch above their weight.” That meant Epiphany EC was able to offer to the world more than what would seem possible given smaller budget and a smaller congregation size. In the two months I’ve been here, I’ve heard passion for serving God’s people who are on the margins. I’ve heard concern for those who suffer food insecurity. I’ve heard deep desire to care for those who are near and far from our patch of green here in Oak Hill.

With God’s help we will always be able to “punch above our weight.” This language for me brings up cultural interpretations and imagery of David and Goliath. And that is understandable given the challenging history of this parish. God’s people here have been through much, way before the pandemic struck. And now, as we emerge from this pandemic and the world is still on fire, as fractious and steeped in fear, anxiety, and anger as ever was, how easy it would be to continue orienting ourselves along some popular cultural interpretation of the David and Goliath story. 

This week’s reading from John’s Gospel invites us into a different orientation: not one of struggle and conflict, where the little guy will ultimately win with a tiny rock, but one of reimagining and turning to a different way of being in the world. When we do that, God promises a net full of big fish – so many fish that the net should break but doesn’t. It is an orientation to trust God in the face of great ambiguity. 

This past weekend, we put down such a net. We engaged the world differently. A business in the community needed space for their shred event, and we had it. We had a need to collect food for our food panty ministry with Community of Faith across the street. We also had a need to safely get rid of sensitive information that was between 20 and 30 years old. 

The Scouts we are in relationship in our parish seek to find community service opportunities.

We were collaborative in our approach, accepted some gaps, trusting God to guide us. No one was overburdened. Everyone who could, came and participated – from set up to implementation. And on the beautiful Saturdaythere were lots of smiles and laughter. I met so many people from the community and heard their stories. A woman brought her young son to watch the shredding happen. We talked about cool trucks of all kinds. Another woman came with her daughter, and we talked about their move from Southern California and about how we sometimes we must make family when we move far away from relatives. I met a man who was taking care of his father after his mother died last year. These were tender and life-giving conversations and stories. These were some of the fish in the net. 

There were other fish too. We shredded 12 industrial-sized cans of materials (each weighing about 300 pounds when filled). We had almost 50 cars come through. About 5-6 boxes of food pantry items were offered with $215 also donated for the pantry. 

Friends, I wonder what God is doing? I wonder how God is guiding us? What happens when we trust to be different in the world than we have been; when we drop our nets in a different place? What might we catch? How will we come to trust God to work through us, even if it looks differently than we have known? I look forward to finding out with you!

In Peace,

Rev. Dina