The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, slow to anger and of great kindness. – Psalm 103:8

Dear Friends,

The end of the Labor Day weekend always brings me feelings of seasonal change, even though the summer doesn’t officially end for a couple more weeks. The pools have closed and children are back to school. The mornings begin to feel just a little bit cooler and the afternoons are not as oppressively humid as they were just a few weeks ago. 

In the recent past, with no school-aged children’s schedules to compete with, my family would come together from various parts of the country for a week in September, after other families have returned home from vacationing. The quietness and slower pace of a September vacation, not to mention the discounted ‘off season’ prices, can be very appealing to those able to take advantage. This year, in the world of COVID-19, things have been different, and time spent with the family looks a lot different than in past years. Although we forewent our annual vacation this year, we still get together, in person but not all together to limit our numbers, and virtually so that we can attempt a sense of sharing the same space.

The coming weeks will bring changes to my Epiphany family as well. Thanks to the compassion and mercy of our Lord, we in the Fairfax Health District have finally begun to see a turn in the direction that this horrible virus has taken and we are now experiencing declining averages in all four health metrics. Alleluia! 

So, what does this mean for Epiphany? It means that we can soon expect to receive approval from the Bishops to begin the slow and measured steps toward regathering, as outlined in our Regathering Plan. It means that, as much as I would love to be able to say we will be opening our doors wide and shouting “All are welcome!” at the top of our lungs, we will be limiting the number of people in the building at one time and reservations will need to be made when planning to attend in-person worship. It means that we will continue to live-stream our services so that those who are at higher risk or just not comfortable to venture out will still be able to participate in worship.

Epiphany’s leaders are working hard in developing plans to keep our family connected and safe. Drive-in prayers have proven to be a successful way to bring us together, safely distanced, and will continue regularly as the weather permits. Our next Drive-In Prayer is Sunday, September 20 at 7PM so save the date and plan to join us! Our Parish Life team is brewing up plans to bring our Neighborhood Groups virtually together at the end of this month. Our fall stewardship campaign team is developing innovative ways to communicate the details of the upcoming season of giving as we live our theme “One Together.” 

Stay tuned for details on all these upcoming events, as well as information for attending in-person worship. Epiphany is alive and well and we feel the presence of Jesus and the mercy of God among us! And Epiphany continues to be the Church on the Corner, where God Love You, No Exceptions.

Blessings to you all,

Susan Buckner
Senior Warden
srwarden@EpiphanyEC.org

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* Come online to our Stronger Together Reconnection Chattomorrow night (Thursday, Sept 10) anytime between 8:30 – 9:30 PM. ALL are welcome!

* Join us online this Sunday on our YouTube Channel as we welcome again Rev. Kathleen Price for the fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost.

* Join our Outreach Ministry Team on Sunday following worship at 11:30 Am on Zoom to learn more about Epiphany’s outreach and how you can help!

* 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