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Midweek Blast of Epiphany Light

May 11, 2016

Becoming a Better Church
There is no longer Jew or Greek, there is no longer slave or free, there is no longer male and female; for all of you are one in Christ.  When Paul wrote these words to the church in Galatia nearly two thousand years ago, the early church was very divided.  As this new community began to grow, the ancient divisions between Jews and Gentiles threatened to kill this movement before it began. 

Division continues to be a part of our story today.  In 1974 a new group within the Lutheran church was born, ReconcilingWorks.  Their mission has been, and continues to be, to advocate for the full welcome, inclusion, and equity of the LGBTQ community.  And if you have been reading the news lately, you know there is still work to be done.
 
A few months ago a handful of members from Epiphany Lutheran Church in Suwanee, GA, reached out to ReconcilingWorks and asked them how we could be a part of this subset within the ELCA.  They laid out a number of steps and we are about to wrap up this process on Sunday, with our final congregational conversation, and subsequent vote in the near future by Epiphany's "Lead Servant Team" (AKA the church's board).  If you have questions about this process I hope to answer a couple of them here, but I also hope you will attend the meeting on Sunday at 9:45am in the fellowship hall.

Some of you might be wondering, Why do we need to do this? Isn't Epiphany a welcoming place already?  A while back a lesbian couple had been attending Epiphany for a few weeks, and on one particular Sunday we didn't have an adult class scheduled so we held a Q and A with the new pastor.  During this hour-long conversation they asked, "We heard you say all means all, but do you really mean it?  We have been to churches that have said the exact same thing, but when we tried to get involved we were politely told we weren't allowed."  
 
We are making this step as a congregation because we are reinforcing what we say with our actions.  There continues to be separation and discrimination within the church, and we need more churches to stand in opposition of this hostility and to love our neighbors as ourselves.
 
One of the first families I met at Epiphany said they found the church through a website I had never heard of, gaychurch.org.  I don't know the back story of how Epiphany ended up on that website, and although I am glad we are there, part of the process to become a Reconciling in Christ congregation is to dialogue as a community about why this is the right thing for the church to do. 

I hope that you will be there on Sunday to continue this conversation and discern what kind of a church God is calling Epiphany to be.  The conversation is by no means final on Sunday, but it begins a new chapter as we move forward to be the church that I believe God wants us to be and the church that reflects Christ's love.  For all of you are one in Christ.  We aren't there yet, but we continue to march that way because it is a struggle worth fighting, and because we all are God's children.

Thank you for being a part of the conversation,
 
Chris 
 
Wednesdays at the Well tonight
Wednesdays at the Well icon
Wednesdays at the Well is our midweek service. Imagine children's choir rehearses at 6:25, and worship begins at 7. 
Community meals at 6 p.m. will resume on August 17th.

Pastor Chris will continue to focus on the book of Revelations in May.

Come, be refreshed at the Well!
May 15th is Pentecost Sunday
Wear Red!
It is tradition at Epiphany that our 8th graders make their Confirmation on Pentecost Sunday. This Sunday is a very special day for them. Please wear red clothing in celebration! Confirmation will be held during the 11:00 service.
 
Congratulations to our Confirmands!
Gwinnett Co-Op Summer Food Drive
Take a blue Epiphany grocery bag with you this week!
Epiphany's Outreach Team has provided grocery bags with lists attached for the Co-Op's summer food drive. Be sure to fill a bag or two to feed our hungry neighbors in need over the summer!
 
Rainbow Village Summer Lunches
Epiphany's children and youth earned over 30 hours for the
12-hour challenge!
To help with Rainbow Village's summer programming, Epiphany will be providing one week's worth of sack lunches for their children attending day camp in June. That's 250 sack lunches! Our children and youth added a personal touch to these lunch bags by decorating them during the formation hour on May 8th. Many thanks to all the children, youth, and adults who helped with this fun project last week!
 
Reconciling in Christ (RIC)
Information session Sunday, May 15th at 9:45 am.
Epiphany has a team that is developing an Official Affirmation of Welcome to people of all sexual orientation and gender identities, as well as others that might feel unwelcome in church communities. If you have questions about RIC, attend the info session May 15th during the formation hour. The final step in this process will be a vote in the near future by Epiphany's Lead Servant Team.  Visit Epiphany's website for more information. 
Epiphany's New TerraCycle Recycling Program
Decrease our environmental footprint
and raise money for our church! TerraCycle is a program that recycles "hard to recycle" items for free and earns points and money for non-profit organizations. Epiphany has 3 new bins, located by the doors downstairs, where you can deposit #6 rigid plastic cups (Solo type), personal care products (toothpaste, deodorant, toothbrushes), and plastic triggers, pumps and caps, and flexible product packaging. Pictures on the bins identify what is accepted. Check it out! For more information visit our website http://www.epiphanysuwanee.org/terracycle.
 
Vacation Bible School 2016
"Surf Shack" Catch the Wave of God's Amazing Love
It's time to register for VBS! Visit the table in the lobby and sign up soon! Our vacation bible school will be held June 27-July 1 from 9-12. Register here or sign up to volunteer:
 
Green Tips
Save your plastic bottles for VBS!
Please save your clean, empty plastic juice bottles (Naked, Bolthouse) with lids, 16 oz. Pepsi product plastic bottles with lids, or ICE plastic bottles with lids. Place in bags and mark VBS. Thank you! 

Epiphany tip: Bring your own cup to Wednesdays at the Well dinner and coffee cup on Sunday to reduce plastic and styrofoam waste.
 
Epiphany Lutheran Church
1350 Peachtree Industrial Blvd.
Suwanee, GA  30024
770-831-1966