EPIPHANY STAR Episcopal Church of the Epiphany 1101 Sunset Drive P. O. Box 116 Guntersville, AL 35976 256-582-4897 www.episcopalguntersville.org

MARCH 2018

We will gather in the nave and proceed to the Sunset walking trail to walk the “Way of the Cross” (found in The Book of Occasional Services, p. 57). This service follows the Stations of the Cross which are living renditions of the passion of Jesus. There are fourteen stations in all, which en-compass events from the trial at Pilate’s home, through the walk to Golgotha, the crucifixion, and finally to the sealing of the tomb. The service includes a pause at each station, readings and prayers, and a moment of silent reflection and meditation. It is a powerful and moving service – please con-sider serving as one of the actors in this event.

Each station uses 4-6 people to recreate the scene of that station using “still” actors.

No acting experience is necessary. Adults and youth are encouraged to serve.

One rehearsal will be held on Sunday evening, March 25th in Sanderson Hall at 5:00 p.m. Pizza and drinks will be served. Please contact Andy Hunter 256-572-3775 if you have any questions.

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VESTRY LIAISONS

Sr. Warden-Rick Cooley

Jr. Warden-Sam Harrison

Building & Grounds

Rick Cooley

Melanie Dorman

Ray Klaver

Faith Formation

Jackie Camper

Sam Harrison

Tiffany Martin

Parish Life

Marsha Babb

Jackie Camper

Tiffany Martin

Kitchen

Melanie Dorman

Ray Klaver

Tiffany Martin

Memorial Garden

Melanie Dorman

Sam Harrison

Ray Klaver

Office and Communication

Marsha Babb

Doug Cooke

Jack Frost

Outreach

Rick Colley

Jack Frost

Jan Maxwell

Pastoral Care

Jackie Camper

Doug Cooke

Jack Frost

Stewardship

Marsha Babb

Sam Harrison

Jan Maxwell

Worship

Jackie Camper

Doug Cooke

Jan Maxwell

Rob Bell, former pastor of the Mars Hill Bible Church in Grand Rapids, Michigan, wrote the book Love Wins because the sentiment in the title arose from one of his deepest convictions. Simply put, as the Bible says, “God is love” (The First Letter of John 4:8). For Bell, this is his first and most important conviction. Any and all conversations begin with that statement. God is love, and God sent Jesus into the world to show us His love. So that we, in turn, can live it, share it, spread it, and show it to a lost world. The thing we must recognize first about love – that is, its very nature – is that love de-mands freedom. If you can’t choose to love or to be loved; if your choice is somehow co-opted or coerced, then we’re not talking about love. The very nature of love always has freedom at its root. And freedom, in turn, has consequences. We are free to resist. We are free to turn away from, turn our backs on, and even reject the love that is offered to us. But if we can receive that love, accept it, and avail ourselves to it… then God’s love creates won-drous possibilities. The world suddenly becomes a much larger place. Bell states that in his ministry, he often meets those who – when it comes to spiritual matters – have questions, doubts, longing, and confusion about who God is and how God works. He says, and I agree, that many people have a lot of distorted, destructive, and toxic images of what God is really like. These are a few examples: 1. God as slave driver – often masked in spiritual terms, through ministry, work, ser-

vice, etc. “If I stop, then I have failed…” 2. God as scorekeeper – setting us up in competition with one another. Who gives

more? Who attends church more? Who spends the most time at church? etc. 3. God as unmerciful judge – one who will “strike us down” if we “stray outside the

lines.” 4. God as detached, uncaring, and utterly transcendent – God is in no way engaged in

our lives, but is a kind of “watchmaker.” He made the world, winds it up, lets it run, and turns his back…

5. God as an idea – that is, not a being. God is a so-called “general force for good.” This concept has more in common with Star Wars than the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

6. God as nature/creation/the natural world – How many times have you heard “I see God in the sunrise…”? God’s power is indeed on grand display in the sunrise, the sunset, the majesty of the mountains, and the expanse of the seas. But have you ever tried to have a relationship with a sunrise…?

The good news is so much better than all these misperceptions and misconceptions. The good news is that God is love. Jesus came as a sign to prove that fact. And as Chris-tians, our witness to the world begins with this statement: “God is love.” Blessings to you for a holy Lenten season, Fr. Aaron+

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The Sunday of the Passion: Palm Sunday March 25

The Liturgy of the Palms 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Wednesday in Holy Week

March 28 Living Stations of the Cross

6:00 p.m.

Maundy Thursday March 29

The Holy Eucharist with Footwashing 6:00 p.m.

The Good Friday Liturgy

March 30 12:00 p.m. and 6:00 p.m.

Holy Saturday

March 31 The Great Vigil of Easter

Celebration of Light/First Eucharist of Easter 6:00 p.m.

The Sunday of the Resurrection: Easter Day

April 1 Holy Eucharist 8:00 a.m. and 10:30 a.m.

Easter Egg Hunt 9:30 a.m. Easter Sunday Reception immediately after

the 10:30 a.m. service.

THE RECONCILIATION OF A PENITENT

PRIVATE CONFESSION

Good Friday is the day of the year when the Rector offers private confession by appointment. While the service of "Reconciliation of A Penitent" (BCPp. 447) is open to anyone at any time, Good Friday is an especially appropriate moment for confession, repentance, and absolution. Please make contact with Fr. Aaron for an appointment if you wish to take part in this sacrament on Good Friday, March 30th.

IN LOVING MEMORY

We are saddened by the death, February 20, of Jerry Ann Holt. The Epiphany family extends our sympathy, love, prayers and support to Ronnie Holt.

Rest eternal grant to her O Lord. And let light perpetual shine upon her.

EASTER LILIES AND RED TULIPS

The Altar Guild is taking dedications for the Lilies and Tulips for Easter Sunday, April 1. Each plant is $20. The order forms are on the counter in the church office or on the bulletin tables in the nave. Please attach your payment with the form. You may have more than one dedication per plant and your dedica-tions will appear in the Easter Day bulletins. Dead-line for dedications will be March 26. You may take your plant home after the 10:30 a.m. Easter Service or we will continue to use them during the Easter season.

SAVE THIS DATE

SATURDAY, APRIL 21

10:00 a.m.— 12:00 Noon

THE OUTREACH MINISTRY ALONG WITH THE

ALVES OUTREACH FUND WILL SPONSOR

THIS YEAR WE WILL FILL 15,120 BAGS OF FOOD, SO

BRING YOUR ENTHUSIASM AND A FRIEND TO HELP

REACH OUR GOAL!!

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Episcopal Relief & Development Responds

to the Refugee Crisis in Syria

NEW YORK: Episcopal Relief & Development is working with the Fellowship of Middle East Evangelical Churches (FMEEC) to respond to the needs of people displaced by the ongoing unrest in Syria.

This FMEEC partnership will provide blankets, clothing, stoves and fuel during the harsh winter months to 2,850 people newly displaced who are living in the Aleppo, Homs and Hama governorates. Aleppo and Homs have been the center of the conflict. Many homes and buildings have been destroyed and people don’t have access to basic services. With the crisis in its seventh year, Syrians struggle with basic needs, including food, shelter and medicine. Approximately six million people have been displaced and uprooted from their homes in Syria with over five million seeking refuge out-side of the country.

“We are are thankful for our partnership with FMEEC, an organization that is particularly knowledgeable and well con-nected in Syria, during this humanitarian crisis,” said Rob Radtke, President of Episcopal Relief & Development. “After recently visiting the Holy Land Institute for the Deaf outreach centers in Za’atari and Azraq in Jordan and witnessing the impact of displacement, I am grateful to our partners for providing a compassionate and critical response for those up-rooted from their homes and who face an uncertain future.”

Episcopal Relief & Development continues to respond to the current crisis by partnering with organizations that provide vital services for people displaced in Syria and those seeking refuge in other countries.

Since 2015, Episcopal Relief & Development has supported FMEEC in caring for people displaced by the crisis. FMEEC is an association of the Evangelical (Protestant) churches of the Middle East, whose members include the Episcopal Diocese of Egypt, Iran, Sudan and Jerusalem. FMEEC’s volunteer network of church youth and local coordinators serve in different logistical roles in target areas and have assisted communities since 2011.

“We’re seeing Syrians who fled their homes or were living in refugee camps begin to return to their original communi-ties,” said Nagulan Nesiah, Senior Programme Officer for Disaster Response and Risk Reduction with Episcopal Relief & Development. “They face poverty, malnutrition and a loss of income. Children, women, the elderly and the disabled are particularly vulnerable. Many rely on relief aid for the basic necessities. The crisis is still ongoing.

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Sawyerville is turning 25, and we're hosting a party to mark this big milestone. Everyone is invited, and we'd love your help spreading the word at your church. Sawyerville Day Camp is turning 25! After 32 camp sessions and more than 7,200 campers, it's time to celebrate! Join us from 6-9 pm, Friday, March 9th at St. Stephen’s, Birmingham. There will be food from Little Donkey and popsicles from Steel City Pops. We'll also have live music and a silent auction featuring original artwork, gift packages, and vacation getaways. Tickets are $25. For details and to purchase tickets or make a donation, visit www.bit.ly/Sawyerville25.

GOLF TOURNEY

If you love golf there is an opportunity waiting for you !!!! Epiphany’s Annual Golf Tournament needs your expertise in organizing this great event. Contact Rick Cooley For more information on how to get involved with this event.

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Weekly

Sunday School – Sundays 9:30 a.m.

6th - 12th grades – Youth Loft Woodall Commons

Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) – Wednesdays 6:30 p.m. – 7:30 p.m.

6th - 12th grades – Youth Loft Woodall Commons

Episcopal Youth Community (EYC) – Sundays 5:00 p.m. – 7:00 p.m.

6th – 12th grades – Youth Loft Woodall Commons

March

10 – Epiphany Café and Beans & Rice, 9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

18 – No EYC (Spring Break)

21 – No Wednesday evening programs (Spring break)

25 – Stations of the Cross Rehearsal, 5:00 p.m.

28 – Stations of the Cross, meet at 5:00 p.m. (no regular Wednesday dinner or programs)

Mark Your Calendars for April Events

April

1 – Easter, Easter egg hunt

20 – Youth Lock-in

21 – Rise Against Hunger food packing event

Episcopal Youth Community (EYC)

Serves Beans & Rice and

Epiphany Café

March 10, 9:00 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.

EYC will help serve our neighbors in need by preparing and serving breakfast, providing fel-lowship during breakfast and by handing out beans & rice. Our youth love to serve!

Easter Candy

It takes a lot of candy to fill hundreds of plastic eggs! Please consider donating a bag or two of candy for the Easter egg hunt. We will be collecting candy donations

the weeks of March 4th and 11th. Each piece of candy should be individually wrapped and should be small enough to fit inside a plastic egg. Please place candy in the bins marked “Easter candy” in the church office and Sander-son Hall. The egg hunt may not be until April 1st, but we need time to fill all of the eggs. Thank you!

Easter Egg Hunt

Easter Sunday, April 1st 9:30 a.m.

This is no April Fool’s joke! On Easter morning we celebrate the resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ and our new life through Him. Eggs are sym-bolic of new life. Please join us in Woodall Commons at 8:45 a.m.

for a continental breakfast, followed by our egg hunt. Children, toddler through 5th grade, are invited to hunt for treat filled eggs. Children will hunt the eggs in different areas based on their age. Prizes will be awarded to those who find the golden egg in each age group. The egg hunt will begin promptly at 9:30 a.m.

Flowering of the Cross

Spring flowers represent new life after the dead of winter. Flowering of the cross on Easter morning is a visual symbol of Christ’s resurrection from the dead. All are invited to flower the cross during Holy Communion on Easter morning at the 8:00

a.m. and 10:30 a.m. services. Please bring a flower or two to add to the cross. Flowers should have narrow stems and be cut to no longer than 4 inches.

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Mark your calendars for

Epiphany ARTs camp in June.

Who is My Neighbor?

June 4-6, 2018

9:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.

Kindergarten – 5th grades

Please consider making a simple meal for our youth. Spaghetti, chilli, casseroles, soup and sub sandwiches are all good options. Please refrain from pizza as pizza is our last minute go-to meal in the event a meal is not provided. We invite you to stay and join us in the meal and our planned activity. It is a true blessing to arrive on Sunday evening to a meal that has been lovingly prepared by a parishioner. If the culinary arts are not your thing, but you would like to help, please donate $35 to EYC to help us purchase food to prepare a meal (be sure to note EYC Meal in the memo of your check). You may click here to sign up for a specific date. Thank you for your help.

Diocesan Opportunities for Youth

RITES OF SPRING

Rites of Spring is a combination of EYC Convention and a week-end retreat at Camp McDowell. Members for the 2018-2019 Youth Department will be elected over this weekend! If you are interested in running for the Youth Department, you can access the requirements to run on the diocesan website or you may contact Betsy Fetner, bfetner@dioala.org, or your Youth Minis-ter to find out all you need to know. Cost is $120 and includes a t-shirt and canteen money

(scholarships are available).

SUMMER OPPORTUNITIES

There are many ways in which youth can get involved with the mission of the church, to love and serve others, all around the Diocese. Registrations and applications have already opened for most of these activities, so please start planning now for summer 2018.

Go to http://www.dioala.org/youthevents.html#summer for more information and to register.

Summer Camp Sawyerville Day Camp Special Session CREATE Foothills

Young People Paint Birmingham

Scholarships for Camp McDowell

Scholarships are available! The Diocese recommends a cost sharing plan where the participant provides 1/3 of the cost, if at all possible. The camp or event and your home parish provides the remaining cost via scholarship of 1/3 of the cost each. No one is denied going to camp due to financial constraints. Please contact Shelly Hardin (EpiphanYouth@EpiphanyGuntersville.org or 404-285-6044) or Father Aaron (FatherAaron@EpiphanyGuntersville.org or 205-478-2462) to request scholarship.

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April May

1 — Easter 14 — Epiphany Café 8 — B & G Meeting 13 — Youth Sunday

2 — Church Office Closed 15 — Celtic Service 10 — Finance Meeting 15 — Vestry Meeting

10 — B & G Meeting 17 — Vestry Meeting 12 — Beans & Rice 20 — EFM Graduation/Party

12 — Finance Meeting 21 — Rise Against Hunger 12 — Epiphany Café 23 — Year End Party

14 — Beans & Rice 13 — Mother’s Day 28 — Memorial Day

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CODE: CC—Children’s Church; DOK—Daughters of the King; EYC—Episcopal Youth Community;

DAV—Disable American Veterans; HE—Holy Eucharist; Men’s B&B—Men’s Breakfast & Bible Study;

Lib — Library; MMBC — Monday Morning Book Club; RITI—Room in the Inn; SH— Sanderson Hall; SS—Sunday School;

VYP—Very Young Persons; WC— Woodall Commons; Birthdays

Sun Mon Tue Wed Thu Fri Sat

1 Reunion 9:30 Parlor

Staff 10 Lib Kitchen Ministry 6:00

SH Bill Evans

2 RITI

B & B 7:00 HR

3 DAR—WC

9-12

4 Discretionary Fund

Sunday HE 8 & 10:30 Breakfast 8:45

SS & Nursery 9:30 Lectionary 9:30

CC 10:30 Sr. EYC 5:00

Donna Farish

5 MMBC 10:00

Library

EFM 6

6 12 N Prayers

w/Guest Preacher & Box Lunch

12-1 SH

Stewardship 5:00 Library

Buildings &

Grounds 6:00 Library

7 Healing Service 11:30

Centering Prayer 1:00

Eucharist 5:30 Nursery 5:30 Dinner 6:00

Programs 6:30 Shari Harrison

Linda Katz Michael Raulerson

8 Reunion 9:30 Parlor

Staff 10 Lib

Finance 6:00

Linda Davis Ward Betty Warren

9 B & B 7:00 HR

10 DST Begins

2 am

Brotherhood 8 Lib

Beans & Rice 10am

Epiphany Café 10am SH/Kitchen

11 HE 8 & 10:30 Breakfast 8:45

SS & Nursery 9:30 Lectionary 9:30 Outreach 9:30

CC 10:30 Sr. EYC 5:00

Larry Cranford Jim McAllister

12 MMBC 10:00

Library

DOK 11:30 Parlor

EFM 6:00

Evelyn Morris

13 12 N Prayers w/

Guest Preacher & Box Lunch 12-1 SH

Vestry Meeting

6:30 Lib

Susan Collins

14 Healing Service 11:30

Centering Prayer 1:00

Eucharist 5:30

Nursery 5:30 Dinner 6:00

Programs 6:30

15 Reunion 9:30 Parlor

Marsha Babb Judson Willoughby

16 B & B 7:00 HR

Jack Frost

17

Kim Booth Joey Evans

18 HE 8 & 10:30 Breakfast 8:45

SS & Nursery 9:30 Lectionary 9:30 Celtic Service w/

HE 5:00 Reception 5:30

Pam Moore

19 MMBC 10:00 LIB

EFM 6:00

Guntersville Schools

Spring Break

Kate Jackson

20

Guntersville Schools

Spring Break

Patricia Bottomlee

21 Centering Prayer 1:00

Guntersville Schools

Spring Break

22 Reunion 9:30 Parlor

Guntersville Schools

Spring Break

Kay Benefield

23

Metagem Workshop WC 8-5

Guntersville Schools

Spring Break

24 Brotherhood 8 Lib

Metagem Workshop

WC 8-5

Ann Dixon Molly Kaminski

25 PALM SUNDAY

HE 8 & 10:30 Breakfast 8:45

SS & Nursery 9:30 Lectionary 9:30

CC 10:30

Stations Rehearsal 5:00pm

Ultreya 6:00 WC

Bob Davis

26 MMBC 10:00 Lib

DOK 11:30 Parlor

EFM 6:00

News Articles

Due

Shay Walston

27

28 STATIONS OF THE

CROSS 6:00

Healing Service 11:30 Centering Prayer 1:00

Amanda Hardin

29 MAUNDY

THURSDAY Maundy Thursday

Service 6:00

Reunion 9:30 Parlor Staff 10 Lib

30 B & B 7:00 HR

GOOD FRIDAY Service 12N & 6

Confession By Appointment

31 HOLY

SATURDAY Easter Vigil 6pm

Darlene Allen